Someone stole my snow shovel and replaced it with another one--WTF??!!

[Anonymous]

Can you believe this sh*t? I come home tonight and see that the snow shovel we just bought this season that we left propped next to the front door had been replaced with a really old and near-broken one? Some jerk had the balls to walk up my long front walk, take my shovel, and leave his/hers as a consolation prize.

Um, what? We just moved from the city to the burbs and are a little puzzled by this brand of crime. Do you think it was a neighbor? Someone driving by who just happened to have their old shovel on them? I mean, it would have to be someone who saw it and could easily access their own shovel to do the switcheroo, right? I know a number of my neighbors but not all--who could be such a dick?

In all seriousness, the freakiest thing to me is that someone walked right up to my door and helped themselves. I was home a lot of the day with DC but left in the afternoon for a little while; we were in such a hurry when we left I didn't even glance at the shovel on my way out then, so I have no idea if it happened when I was home or out. Honestly, it makes me a little sad and uneasy in our new neighborhood--kind of bursts the bubble a little.

Anyway, just had to vent. DH is pissed; I'm feeling a little

[Anonymous]

sorry..meant to say...feeling a little puzzled and blue.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Anonymous]

That's pretty bizarre and would probably freak me out a little too.

But hey, at least they were nice enough to leave you theirs! That part made me laugh I admit.

[Anonymous]

That is terrible. And so weird! Wrong on so many levels. I think I would be angrier that someone left me with a crappy shovel than I would have been if someone had just boosted my shovel and left it at that. Now you have to buy a new shovel and dispose of the crappy one. Or use that one, which then, how do you know that one is not likewise hot? OK, I'm not being helpful, because it's not funny to have something stolen, no matter how funny you've told the story. Here's all I can come up with to make you feel marginally better.

Maybe it was someone who was traveling the neighborhood shoveling snow for money. Most likely not someone from your neighborhood itself, but an interloper. They had a beat up shovel, shoveled a few walks with it, bitching the entire time about their shitty shovel. Then maybe they came to your house, saw your cadillac model leaning against the stoop and decided they needed your shovel more than you did.

I don't know how else to rationalize a weird theft like this. I'd be pissed and laughing at the same time. Probably more pissed though.

On a serious note, I hope you don't feel so bad about your new neighborhood. That's a weird freaky sounding incident. I bet it isn't much of a predictor to how your neighborhood will be. Hope not, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I would be angrier that someone left me with a crappy shovel than I would have been if someone had just boosted my shovel and left it at that. Now you have to buy a new shovel and dispose of the crappy one.

OP here. This was my reaction exactly.

My friend's parents once had their car stolen when it was parked in their driveway. (The thieves didn't leave their piece of sh*t instead, though, LOL.) That would be much worse--and freakier--admittedly, but I'm still super annoyed. We have left DC's toys, some garden ornaments, etc, in the front yard and never worried before. Also, today, there were a few other things this person could have stolen, but didn't. I suppose they just really wanted the shovel and nothing else. The thought of it being someone passing through to shovel makes sense; they would of course have their shovel with them.

Should this make me feel unsafe? DH says that, really, it shouldn't make me feel that way. I think I'm probably overreacting, but my apt was robbed years ago when I lived downtown so I'm fairly sensitive to this kind of thing.

[Anonymous]

We've had two snow shovels stolen when left on the front porch. Now, I put it in back.

The reality is that when you live in the city and it snows, everyone is trying to make a little extra money. To 'liberate" someone's snow shovel probably doesn't seem like a huge offense when someone is just trying to get by and are in survival mode.

Yes, it sucks for you. But it's not personal.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. I know what you mean, PP, if it were someone passing by trying to make some extra cash. But I'm still somewhat suspicious that it could have been a neighbor, which sucks on a whole other level. I'm sure it's not personal, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make me feel a tad icky.

[Anonymous]

PP who you quoted above. I wouldn't feel less safe in your neighborhood over this. I don't know what the statistics are but almost all crimes are crimes of opportunity and circumstance. Criminal had the opportunity (your shovel sitting out there unguarded) and the circumstance warranted the theft (needed a better shovel). In this instance, the shovel thief was probably bolder with your shovel than he would be with something else because the snow provided adequate cover. Any puzzled neighbors seeing the neighbor could just be told he was shoveling your snow -- if he was making off with your kids sit n spin or barbie dreamhouse, it would be harder to explain and his presence would have been more noticeable. All in all, it is unsettling to know someone was on your property, but I don't think I'd feel less safe. I hate to say it, but it's also very likely to have been just a bunch of kids. You might just have traded in the violent crime risk of the city (I live in Hill East, so I know that drill) for the risk of bratty kids. To get revenge, you can yell at them to get out of your yard and start keeping stray footballs and the like. I'm only kidding and trying to make you laugh. It sucks to have something stolen, but don't feel less safe. It happens everywhere and really was probably just a weird fluke. You should talk to the neighbors that you do know about it and see if they saw anything weird. I'm sure they'll reassure you and it will be a reason to talk to them and get to know them better.

[Anonymous]

You could always try the concerned neighbor route==warn them that someone stole your shovel and they should lock theirs up. They might appreciate being given a head's up, or maybe theirs was stolen too. Also, if you have a neighborhood listserv you can post your message, maybe there were several that went missing from the neighborhood.

Anyway, soon it will be spring and we won't need our shovels anymore. Then people will go back to stealing bicycles out of garages.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the city. Look out also for: flats of flowers if you leave them unplanted in your front yard, halloween pumpkins, etc. I actually called the police over my pumpkins once, believe it or not. I was home on maternity leave with my first, had a really rough delivery, and disobeyed my doc's instructions about lifting stuff to get the pumpkins (they were big and nice). Sure enough, two days later, someone stole them right off of our porch. (It's the only time it happened, so it's not an annual thing.) The police are the ones who warned me about leaving nursery plants; where we live (Chevy CHase, DC) this kind of petty "seasonal" theft and car break ins because somebody leaves his iPod or GPS in plain sight are the two most common crimes apparently.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thanks your your input everybody. I think you are right, 22:35--opportunity and circumstance. I'll try not to let it bother me or take it too terribly seriously. Also, I had kind of a stressful day, so I'm fairly sure that is influencing my reaction a bit. Felt a tad like piling on.

I'll mention it to neighbors, also, as you and 22:41 noted, so they can be aware. Just to give them a heads up. Our street isn't exactly a cut though, but people do, to a main street. I've heard from neighbors that there have been a couple of crimes of opportunity, as PP said--like a GPS stolen from a car where it was visible.

When we lived in the city, over a dozen years, we had our car broken into 4 times, had my wallet stolen, apt robbed, etc. It sucks! But this is our first (admittedly small) incident in our new place. Oh, well.

[Anonymous]

So sorry OP. We pulled ours in last night before bed. I doubt anybody would have taken it but I wasn't sure who would be roaming the neighborgood in the middle of the night looking to steal shovels! Glad I pulled it in now!

[Anonymous]

and don't even get me started on the disappearing trash and recycling cans... what is up with that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and don't even get me started on the disappearing trash and recycling cans... what is up with that?

Someone took our recycling bin 3 weeks after we moved in. After 3 years, someone took it another one.

[Anonymous]

Tell me about it. We just lost recycling bin #2 - it disappeared on collection day....