Who Stole My Laundry Basket From The Laundry Shop

To the guy who stole my laundry basket from the laundry shop, damn you!

On Sunday, August 4, 2013 at around 8:30 PM, I washed my clothes at the Downtown Laundry shop located at 416 4th Street. Like what I usually do in the five years that I have lived in Brookings SD, I deposited my clothes in the washing machine, shoved in few quarters and let the machine run, and then placed the empty laundry basket on top of the machine.

Washing takes 26 minutes to complete. Instead of waiting for it to finish, I left the shop and went to Cottonwood, only a couple of blocks away, to have my dose of caffeine. That was exactly what I did on Sunday night.

At around 9 PM, I came back to transfer the wet clothes to the drier. Alas, the laundry basket was nowhere to be found! The white basket that has survived the coming back and forth to the laundry shop for many years was gone. I searched every nook and cranny hoping that someone might have just played some jokes and placed the basket inside the toilet or maybe tucked it inside one of the unused machines. The search turned out negative. Nada. Nil. I was taken aback since I have so much trust of the people in Brookings. Things getting stolen was never in my watch-out list.

Apart from the lady and her little son who happened to be there the moment I left the shop, any Sherlock Holmes skills I mastered over the years proved worthless as there were no other strands of information to piece together that will somehow lead me to identify the “basket” thief. A million thoughts raced through my head, but I kept my cool. The lady said that “some guys” (no specific number of how many there were) entered the shop between 8:30 PM to 9 PM. It would have been a vital piece of the puzzle until she told me that she did not care to look at them as she was busy playing with her son. She felt my disappointment. She said her sorry that I lost my basket and for not having enough details.

It was just a basket, but I won’t stop ranting. It was a seven-dollar laundry basket devoid of expensive glitters, but it was my property, the best thing since sliced bread! It had lasted longer than any other plastic property I have. Therefore, it is beyond rhyme or reason to steal it from me, no matter how cheap-looking it was. The lost of my basket was a hassle in more ways than one. Why? I’ll fill you in on the consequence:

1. I had to drive to WalMart to buy a new one — that meant shelling out $10!

2. It was a late night of rain and thunderstorms, and driving in that particular weather condition is not my liking.

3. I was afraid that if I will leave my wet clothes, the thief or thieves may strike again and steal them.

4. I had to call the owner of the shop to report the incident.

With regards to my last point, I did call the owner of the laundry shop using the number posted in the shop. The lady on the other end laughed when I told her that someone stole my basket! Frankly, it was so insensitive of her to laugh at my discontentment. I told her the details and asked if there are surveillance cameras around. When she realized I was dead serious of finding the culprit, she referred me to her son who has access to the videos. That was Sunday night.

On Monday, I called the “son” twice, and twice I was redirected to a voicemail. I left a voice message hoping that he will call me back. It is now Tuesday, and he has not yet. I will wait for the time being. If indeed the camera has captured the person/people who stole my laundry basket, the video will be unveiled.

To the guy who stole my laundry basket from the laundry shop, damn you!

Update: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 1:45PM. Thanks to my friend Miss P, I was able to talk to the “son” on the phone and told him everything. He told me that things like this happen in Brookings. Also, he seemed to tell me that the incident should not be a big deal as I can always buy a new $5 basket. WTF! When I heard it, my ears were in flame. When I asked about the surveillance cameras in the shop, he said that they aren’t working for a month now. In finality, he said that there is nothing he can do to help me since they are not responsible for anything lost inside the Downtown Laundry shop!

Here are more photos I took of the Downtown Laundry in 2008.