(I do volunteer work for a cat rescue that has adoption centers in pet stores. I am at one store every week and have become familiar with the employees. At closing time, I close up the adoption center and use the public restroom. While in the stall, I notice that some polka-dot fabric has been stuffed into the dispenser for the paper toilet seat covers, and I pull it out. It turns out to be a dress, most likely from the clothing store next door, complete with price and security tags. I finish up in the restroom, and take the dress up front.)
Me: “Hey, I found a stolen dress in the restroom, probably from [Clothing Store].”
Employee #1: “Wait, really?”
([Employee #2] exits the office nearby and joins the conversation.)
Employee #2: “Huh. Well, we don’t really have a policy regarding customers finding stolen merch from other stores in our store, so I guess you got yourself a new dress.”
(I give her a look. I worked retail for years, and I am really not okay with playing finders-keepers with stolen merchandise.)
Employee #2: “I guess if you don’t want it, you could always take it back to [Clothing Store].”
Me: “Sure. But then they could accuse me of stealing it in the first place.”
Employee #1: “Oh!”
(From the looks on both of their faces, this hadn’t occurred to either of them. And now [Employee #2] is realizing how helpful it is that she’s wearing a [Pet Store] uniform as it sounds less suspicious for her to say that a customer in [Pet Store] found their stolen merchandise in the bathroom.)
Employee #2: “Or, you know, I could take it back.”
Me: “Yeah.”
(Somebody’s gonna be really sad when they go back into that bathroom tomorrow to find their stolen merch gone.)
