Theft at Garage Sale

[Teedlejo]

Our block had a garage sale yesterday. For the most part it went very well. To the person who stole the watch from me, I hope you can sleep at night. Seriously, you have to steal from a garage sale!!!

[karostay]

Friendliest Home Town

[Dotneko]

Our block had a garage sale yesterday. For the most part it went very well. To the person who stole the watch from me, I hope you can sleep at night. Seriously, you have to steal from a garage sale!!!

Sorry this happened to you. There is clearly a subset of jerks living here. I guess I will hope it wasnt one of your neighbors.

[MrFlorida]

People come here from all walks of life, it's not a Village thing, it's a people thing....

[Stu from NYC]

Friend of our had one in Va just before moving.

Had laptop with power cord they were selling.

Someone came to them showing laptop without cord and expected huge discount. Want to bet the cord was in his pocket.

[John-US]

Another villager who wanted to WIN! HA!

sorry for your loss, next yard sale increase the prices a nickle to compensate for the lost revenue.

[Bogie Shooter]

A whole lot of assuming here. OP never inferred it was a Villager.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Friend of our had one in Va just before moving.

Had laptop with power cord they were selling.

Someone came to them showing laptop without cord and expected huge discount. Want to bet the cord was in his pocket.
Lol, can be obtained on Amazon and mailed to your door for $7.99. Yea- No discount.

[Dotneko]

Another villager who wanted to WIN! HA!

sorry for your loss, next yard sale increase the prices a nickle to compensate for the lost revenue.

You have no idea how much the watch was worth. Unless you took it?

[Mrprez]

Why does everyone assume it was a villager? Course have been someone from a neighboring town.

[John-US]

You have no idea how much the watch was worth. Unless you took it?

I always shop for FOLEX at yard sales... worth so much it would be on your wrist. hahhaha

time to tell the misses we gotta cut off HBO for a few months.

[fdpaq0580]

Sorry for the loss. Did we learn anything about how to display small or pricy items so "sticky fingers" can see but not touch them??

[Spalumbos62]

I dont think they were implying in was a Villager per say, just a low life that did a crappy thing.

To the poster....do you remember anyone admirering it, or hanging by it for a long time?

[LizzieBorden]

A few years ago we had a neighborhood garage sale and we decided to sell some of our things as well, cleaned out a lot of stuff and set up our sale. I had a table with a lot of costume jewelry, nothing terribly expensive. My friends helped out with the sale, wrapping up things folks had bought,, etc…A woman with a fanny pack was walking around and I was watching her as she came in, picking things up look at them, putting them back, she did the same with the bags of jewelry I had laid out. Someone else was talking to me and she proceeded up the table and I saw the two bags she was looking at were no longer on the table…she continued up the isle to exit the garage and I walked up to her and quietly said “would you like to pay for the items you took” and she gave me a puzzled look. I said “ you either pay now, or put the items back or I am calling 911”. I didn’t SEE her take the items, but she was the only one there at the table at the time AND no one else could have taken them. It happened that quick. She reached in her fanny pack and threw the items on the table and ran out the garage and hopped on her bike. If she had asked if she could have had a piece, I honestly would have given them to her. If something was marked for 10 dollars and they asked to pay 8, we said yes. Our goal was to get rid of our items not get rich. When you have a sale, if there are expensive items you are trying to sell, a lesson learned it to have someone be responsible for this so this doesnt happen to you. Sorry for your mishap. We dont know where folks are coming from….it could have been the Villages or outside, it’s unfortunate no matter where you live.

[RICH1]

Garage sale theft is prevalent in The Villages. It obviously will be on the Rise until we spend hundreds of thousands for a Police Department..Golf carts with Breathalyzers are next!

[DaleDivine]

Why does everyone assume it was a villager? Course have been someone from a neighboring town.

Our neighborhood had a yard sale a couple years ago and I think a lot of the people that stopped by were not Villagers. Also the number one thing that a lot of people were asking about was watches...

:ohdear::ohdear:

[banjobob]

Thieves have no morals, garage sales are easy pickings when several people milling around shopping.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Our block had a garage sale yesterday. For the most part it went very well. To the person who stole the watch from me, I hope you can sleep at night. Seriously, you have to steal from a garage sale!!!

Thieves, and a lot of them, move here also. Just look at all the idiot derelict’s on the online news everyday.

[Joanne19335]

Our block had a garage sale yesterday. For the most part it went very well. To the person who stole the watch from me, I hope you can sleep at night. Seriously, you have to steal from a garage sale!!!

I am so sorry this happened to you.

These days, some people will steal the pennies off a dead man’s eyes. Just this morning, I was in Wal-Mart and saw a lady putting items in her backpack. I did not report her because I had no proof that she did not intend to pay for the items. She had no shopping cart. With prices so high these days, we all have to be more vigilant. To think we have to watch people at garage sales is more than a little troubling.

[Teedlejo]

There was a gentleman looking at it and asking questions but I saw him put it down and walk away. About a half hour later I discovered it was missing. We had lots of people in and out during that time period so it was hard to keep track.

[NotGolfer]

Garage sale theft happens....as someone said it may or may not be a villager. I once did a direct selling business and had sample items on display. While packing up I discovered something missing. Because of the crowd---couldn't blame any one person. People will be dishonest from all walks of life. It's too bad they show up at garage sales....maybe they think the "picking is easy" and justify it by thinking it's cheap and they want to get rid of it anyway. Still stealing!!!!!

[rothbear]

This reminds me of a time when I was helping my mother with a garage sale. I saw an older lady pick up a sweater on a hanger and start to leave. I walked up to her and asked her if I could take the money for it and get her a bag. She looked me straight in the eye and said "I paid the lady inside". Lied directly to my face. Then I said "Well my mother must have forgotten to take off the hanger". So I removed it and gave her back the sweater. I knew my mother would never have given her the hanger, one of the tube plastic ones, and I wanted the woman to know that I knew she stole it and then lied about it but I'm not one to cause a scene over a dollar. Had it been something more expensive I probably would have done that. I went back in and asked my mother if she had sold the sweater and she said no, she didn't.

This was probably 20 or more years ago, so apparently people haven't changed much, except for the worse.

[Stu from NYC]

This reminds me of a time when I was helping my mother with a garage sale. I saw an older lady pick up a sweater on a hanger and start to leave. I walked up to her and asked her if I could take the money for it and get her a bag. She looked me straight in the eye and said "I paid the lady inside". Lied directly to my face. Then I said "Well my mother must have forgotten to take off the hanger". So I removed it and gave her back the sweater. I knew my mother would never have given her the hanger, one of the tube plastic ones, and I wanted the woman to know that I knew she stole it and then lied about it but I'm not one to cause a scene over a dollar. Had it been something more expensive I probably would have done that. I went back in and asked my mother if she had sold the sweater and she said no, she didn't.

This was probably 20 or more years ago, so apparently people haven't changed much, except for the worse.

Most people are basically honest but some do spoil things for the rest of us.

[jedalton]

I am so sorry this happened to you.

These days, some people will steal the pennies off a dead man’s eyes. Just this morning, I was in Wal-Mart and saw a lady putting items in her backpack. I did not report her because I had no proof that she did not intend to pay for the items. She had no shopping cart. With prices so high these days, we all have to be more vigilant. To think we have to watch people at garage sales is more than a little troubling.
And they will go higher if you didn't report her.

[Sherry8bal]

Unfortunately it happens a lot here. I have garage sales about twice a year and I had a stack of DVD movies. Finally a person wanted to buy "Snowy River" but when she brought it to sales table and opened it, there was no DVD in there. Someone had stolen it who knows when. What kind of low-life person does something like that? I only had $1.00 on it but they still had to steal it. That's what is happening to TV when you become a big city instead of the 25,000 population when we moved here. Big city syndrome is NOT a good thing.

[Topspinmo]

Another place where thief’s rake it in are open houses. Nothing like several strangers walking through you’re house and stuffing there pockets.

[Topspinmo]

I am so sorry this happened to you.

These days, some people will steal the pennies off a dead man’s eyes. Just this morning, I was in Wal-Mart and saw a lady putting items in her backpack. I did not report her because I had no proof that she did not intend to pay for the items. She had no shopping cart. With prices so high these days, we all have to be more vigilant. To think we have to watch people at garage sales is more than a little troubling.

Walmart has more eyes on shoppers than 8 eyed spider. You can’t hide from eye in (ceiling) sky.

[mtdjed]

A garage sale is normally a good way to get rid of things you don't need and pick up a few bucks. If you have valuable jewelry, take it to one of the local buyers. Not worth getting into a battle. For the rest of the items, hope for the best...... which is that it all disappears.

[jimjamuser]

Our block had a garage sale yesterday. For the most part it went very well. To the person who stole the watch from me, I hope you can sleep at night. Seriously, you have to steal from a garage sale!!!
I am glad that this was posted. Humans have great variability in everything - including morality and attitudes toward crime. Also, there is the mental disease of Kleptomania, where people steal just for the thrill of it. Both The Villages and a garage sale make for an unlikely place for petty crime?

[jimjamuser]

And they will go higher if you didn't report her.
I quickly reported a bike stolen from the front of a Walmart in Tennessee. I was told that they can do NOTHING.