Reader Patricia says she bought a fire truck for her son for Easter, and while she was unwrapping the toy — out fell a used crack pipe. She contacted the store and they brushed her off, promising that someone would get back to her… but no one ever did. Now she’s come to us for a little recognition that crack pipes aren’t supposed to be included with children’s toys.

Here’s her story:

I purchased a toy fire truck for my 2 year old son at Big Lots in Mattydale, NY, the Sunday before Easter. The night before Easter, I am preparing my son’s basket by unwrapping the toy. As I was unraveling the many wire ties on the bottom of the toy, a used crack pipe fell out. (I know this was a crack pipe as I am in law enforcement and am very familiar with drug paraphernalia.) The screen was still in the tip and there was crack residue in the pipe. After my initial horror, my husband and I decided that we would call the store first thing in the morning to make them aware of the situation.
On Sunday morning, we called the store and my husband informed the manager, Wayne, what we had found. First he did not believe it and immediately stated that it could not have come from someone in his store. My husband told Wayne that we simply wanted to report the incident and let them deal with it. First he did not believe us, then laughed when my husband told him that I would no longer shop in his store. As his was not the reaction we were hoping for, my husband then called the corporate headquarters. Again the response we received was anything but acceptable. The woman that my husband spoke to assured us that the district manager for the store would be calling us the next day. We did not hear from anyone from corporate as promised and my husband called again. We have still heard nothing. It appears that no one in this company cares that my son’s toy came with a free used crack pipe.
Thank you so much for your time. I am just looking for a little recognition that this type of thing is not acceptable from any parent or company.

Sincerely,
Patricia

So recognized, Patricia. This is one of those situations where a little sympathy from some store employees would have gone a long way. Even if they didn’t throw their crack pipes into your son’s toy, they could have been a little nicer to you.

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