Lars writes:

Something pretty bad happened to me the other week that ended up being pretty cool, and speaks well to the quality of customer service at my local Burlington Coat Factory.

I bought a couple of shirts and a sweater there, and after which went to continued shopping. Upon returning to our car, my wife and I noticed that our doors were unlocked and that the sack of clothes from Burlington were missing. Someone had reach their apparently skinny arms into the crack we left in the window and unlocked the passenger side door.

My immediate reaction was, “bummer, but at least nothing else was missing and no one got hurt.” My wife, with over a decade of retail experience, knew that our best chance of getting the stuff back was to go back to the store and ask them to look out for someone trying to return the items. A security employee named Justin took my information and said he would give me a call if anything came up.

Sure enough, 8 PM that night, Justin called and said that my items were back in the store after someone, who was still in the store, had attempted to rerun them. Since I had used a credit card, he couldn’t get cash, so he was trying to find something he wanted in exchange. Justin also informed me that they had called to Police.

Great! So, what happened? Sure enough, the supposed thief tried to book-it out of the store once he saw the cop, and was apprehended. After a short and pleasant phone conversation with officer Rutherford of Clackamas PD later that night to corroborate my story, I was informed that I could come retrieve my clothes the next day.

Our purchases have fortunately never disappeared, despite presenting thieves with ample opportunity thanks to our near-criminal absentmindedness. Lars and his wife handled the situation like pros. If your shopping vanishes, always have a chat with the store manager and, if the goods are valuable, call the cops.

Has one of your shopping expeditions ever ended with a loss? Tell us what happened and how you responded in the comments.

(Photo: aturkus)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.