For The Tool Who Stole Our Grocery Cart:

A long time ago, when this blog was much newer, Steve’s trusty laundry basket went missing out of the laundry room of the apartment building where we lived. We thought it was a weird thing to steal, but it was quickly replaced and we rolled our eyes and moved on with life. That incident was more than 16 years ago and we have moved laundry to and from the laundry room in baskets, bags and buggies without incident…until last Sunday.

We have a little fold-up grocery cart that we bought a few years ago when our last one broke. We use it to bring up groceries and carry laundry up and down. It’s a handy little gadget, and it has a fair amount of space. I took it down to the laundry room and did what I always do when it’s laundry time. While everything was washing, I left it folded up by the washing machines I was using so I could move the clothes from washer to dryer, and then I left it in the corner so I could bring it over to the dryer and load the clothes in and take them upstairs. When I went to get it to do this, it was gone! It wasn’t just hiding in another corner. It was nowhere to be found. I have lived in this building for 8 years and I’ve never had this problem.

I know this seems like no big deal. It sucks, but go get another one. But there are two problems. First, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there is a pandemic going on, and it is rare that anyone at the store has the time these days to be helpful in locating a cart and making sure it would work for me. Second, these things don’t come preassembled, and they’re not easy to put together, and in these times I don’t have anyone to ask to give me a hand with this. It would not be as simple as buying another one.

What would possess someone to take something that isn’t really that special, but obviously isn’t theirs? It’s not like I left something expensive just hanging out in the laundry room. It’s a buggy! My only theory is they somehow thought it belonged to the building. If that’s the case, at least have the decency to bring it back where you found it!

It has been almost a week. I don’t think we’re getting our cart back. Thankfully a neighbour who was around when it went missing went out to the store and got one for me out of the goodness of her heart and also got it assembled. It’s not as big, but at least it’s something and I appreciate that.

I know what to do in the future. Even though it was convenient for me to leave the cart in the laundry room, I won’t leave it there again. I just thought I shared my apartment building with civilized human beings. I guess I was wrong.

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5 Comments

  1. You asked me before you posted if this was too whiny. The answer is no. Somebody basically ripped us off for $80. And price be damned, why? It’s not as though these things are hard to come by around here. There’s a Walmart literally across the street. And if you can’t find one there, Canadian Tire is just a couple blocks away. But hey, if you want to be the cart thief (and a cart thief who steals from blind people at that), cool. But I’m letting you know right now, if I’m down there and I see it, it’s coming home with me.

    1. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t tried to pardon himself already, honestly.  And I really hope that Biden doesn’t do it once he takes office.  He probably will, which is a shame.  It would be so great to see the rapey orange grifter finally get what’s coming to him.

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