Woman accidentally donates bag of jewelry to Goodwill
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GIG HARBOR, Wash. -- The Goodwill drop-off spot is a regular stop for Cheryl O'Leary-Gruver. But her last closet-cleaning donation was far more generous than she intended.
O'Leary-Gruver donated an old purse, having forgotten all about what she had hid inside. The bag was holding some 20 pieces of jewelry, including a ruby and diamond ring, a family heirloom.
"Just one piece was $700 or $800, and I imagine each piece was comparable. So with 20 or so pieces, it's substantial," she said.
When she realized what she'd done, O'Leary-Gruver immediately contacted Goodwill. But she was turned down when she asked to search the distribution center.
"The product is moving. So even if she went in and looked at all of these different Gaylords, it's a needle in a haystack, unfortunately," said Amanda Bedell of Tacoma Goodwill.
It is likely the purse is long gone. Tacoma Goodwill says by now, three weeks later, it could be in any of the 29 stores across the state.
The company notified point people to be on the lookout, but it is possible the purse landed on a store shelf without anyone ever looking inside. The hope is someone will find the jewelry as O'Leary-Gruver left it -- bundled in a plastic bag, inside a purse.
"I just want them to see my face and know it's not just costume jewelry. It has a lot of sentimental value. The first ring my husband ever gave me. that type of thing," she said.
O'Leary-Gruver is counting on someone's honesty. Anyone who finds the jewelry is urged to call Tacoma Goodwill immediately.
O'Leary-Gruver donated an old purse, having forgotten all about what she had hid inside. The bag was holding some 20 pieces of jewelry, including a ruby and diamond ring, a family heirloom.
"Just one piece was $700 or $800, and I imagine each piece was comparable. So with 20 or so pieces, it's substantial," she said.
When she realized what she'd done, O'Leary-Gruver immediately contacted Goodwill. But she was turned down when she asked to search the distribution center.
"The product is moving. So even if she went in and looked at all of these different Gaylords, it's a needle in a haystack, unfortunately," said Amanda Bedell of Tacoma Goodwill.
It is likely the purse is long gone. Tacoma Goodwill says by now, three weeks later, it could be in any of the 29 stores across the state.
The company notified point people to be on the lookout, but it is possible the purse landed on a store shelf without anyone ever looking inside. The hope is someone will find the jewelry as O'Leary-Gruver left it -- bundled in a plastic bag, inside a purse.
"I just want them to see my face and know it's not just costume jewelry. It has a lot of sentimental value. The first ring my husband ever gave me. that type of thing," she said.
O'Leary-Gruver is counting on someone's honesty. Anyone who finds the jewelry is urged to call Tacoma Goodwill immediately.
CherylÂ
Go to Shopgoodwill.com
They are feeding you a hack of crap.
Any jewelry is put on this site.Â
They don't sell jewelry in stores anymore.Â
Good luck
Ok bloggers cloaked in screen names and behind your computer screens. I have a safe, it was my Mothers and took about 15 minutes on line to get keys and combo, I wore the jewelry and did not have in a safe deposit box. The purses were checked as they have been for years as they were purses of my deceased Mother that took me 5 years to part with. I decided that day it was time. The reason the jewelry was in a "plastic bag" was due to the fact that I had just gotten it out of repair store the day before I was to make a last minutre trip the next day to Louisiana. I was packing and went to get my passport, and saw the jewelry there in the bag from the jewelers that i immediatly had placed in the safe upon returning home and thought wow I better put the jewelry somewhere else as I am sure a burglar will look there right away! BEFORE rummaging through dated old pursed in the back of my closet. So in my haste packing for my last minute trip out of state..I put the jewelry freshly serviced in the purse, that at that particular point in time I had not been able to let go of (Moms purse) IT was an honest mistake not meant to be disrespectful or careless. UPON MY RETURN home...I did my usual fall donation run, glanced up at the purses and debated upon finally letting Moms purses go. I imagine in my internal dialogue going on and the emotions of letting go of one more piece of Mom I forgot my jewelry, as I had been gone for 2 weeks from home. I have checked the purses over and over again looking at match books, and sales slips, and hand written notes my Mother had written to herself over the years . I did check through the purses and may of missed one pocket in the purse as you see I do possess some "common sense". I was absolutely sickened when I realized what had transpired. I wil take the dumb a&% comments if it helps me get back my property. I only wish I was as perfect as all of you advising me, Also no I am not well off or "rich" I am clinging to my house and my husband just got back to work after a 2 years lay off, and I myself went back to work in June after a lay off. Thanks for pointing out facts of was unaware of and all you help!
@Cheryl O'Leary-Gruver Hi Cheryl---Please do NOT let other peoples comments get to you....A mistake is just that---Its a mistake--You are right in putting your sentimental and valuables anywhere YOU feel they are safe....Whether its for a week or a month ar even for an hour, you never never know when bad luck strikes...Gee if we all had hindsight wouldnt that just make it a perfect world?  NO-It never will because we heve thieves who steal jewelry boxes--electronics and of course the first thing to go is the safe..If you are rich enough to own a walk in safe youay have better luck but that would make you the biggest target in the city,so is it safe?  I have been reading the comments that are coming back at you and with due respect I believe that the people who are offended because you put it in your DECEASED MOTHERS PURSE just havent ever gone through a similar ordeal...So please read them with a grain of salt and concentrate on the comments that are more positive..Even though I dont have any trust in the goodwill that still doesnt mean the chances of seeing your jewelry again are nill and none..If enough people say a little prayer for you it would surely help more then the negativity...Please know that there are some honest people left in the world and you can see your fair share of them at church on Sundays.  Hope to (---) you get some if not all of your treasures back.....Vianne
Sorry for the typos I do notice that.
@Cheryl O'Leary-Gruver we go to the goodwill depot here in tacoma regularly, what did the purse look like, I will keep a look out for it!
People aren't going to find the jewelery in a purse they buy. Goodwill, like all charities, "knows" people forget things in purses and clothing and has their sorters look for it when the items are first tagged. The stuff (if not stolen by the sorters) will simply go into a display case where Goodwill will sell it and pocket the money.
Too bad she didn't do the searching before she donated the items. Before I donate anything I make sure the pockets are empty and the item is cleaned. It's what some call "common sense", but in the long run its only material possessions, I would feel comforted in knowing the someone got a bag with a little something extra that they may need more than I clearly did. Otherwise, I would have had the jewelry in a safety deposit box and not a purse.
I hope she gets her items back, but that seems like a terrible idea to "hide" what sounds like a lot (20 pieces??) of jewelry in a purse. Even a small lock-box is better than that. If someone were to break into her house, wouldn't a purse with the possible money it holds be the first thing a thief would take?
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Good luck to you!
Well, looks like it's time for me to start searching Goodwill purses...
"D'oh!"
Sorry for your loss, but jewelry that has a lot of sentimental value is not usually bundled in a plastic bag inside an old purse and forgotten. In any case, you are a good person for regularly donating to Goodwill.Â
Sounds like an ad for goodwill purses. Wonder if sales go up....
That su ucks. I hope you find your treasure. Good luck!
Hi Cheryl---Well this story sounds so so familiar and I am very sorry ,but I need to let you know that Goodwill does not give the things back that they find and I know this from experience...Some years ago I accidently donated a levi vest that I had hid 3000.00--yes three thousand dollars in...I had put it into a tin and put it in the vest pocket...Right at christmas time some of our local school children were collecting things to take to goodwill as a tax write off for the school...I told the kids to come back the next day and I would leave the boxes in the room next door...The kids picked them up and about two days later I discovered my mistake when my son brought me some cash for Christmas and I went to put it in my tin...Me and many friends tried to track the clothing down for about two months and then I told everyone to give up...About a year and a half later there was a story on tv about the goodwill finding 3 yes three --thousand dollars in cash in the pocket of a womans top and that it was in a small container...I immediately called (knowing they found MY money) and I was immediately discouraged...I could have told them it was in a stuffed animal and they wouldnt have cared less...I asked to speak with a supervisor and she told me to sit down and write a letter as to exactly why I thought it was mine and what was it in-when did I llose it--how did I lose it-- and so on and so on.....After writing my letter I anxiously awaited for goodwill to respond with a check but instead I recieved a letter telling me that it could not have been mine...I still have the letter somwhere and I will find it and send you a copy because I think you need to know just how honest Goodwill really is...Oh and by the way I didnt settle for the no that I recieved...I made a trip to the Goodwill store and spoke to the two people in the sorting area who found the money and confirmed beyond a doubt that it was in fact in the container that I described...Now as I sit here I really feel for you because I know in my heart that you probably wont see your jewelry,  but maybe just maybe they will have the descency to make it right by you unless of course the person who finds it does not turn it in...I was lucky in the sense that my sorters were honest and willing to give me the information that they did....I did not bring this up to Goodwill management because I knew it would cost a couple people their jobs and thats just not the way I work..I have to be able to sleep at night...Well in ending my tale of woe I want you to know I will be praying that you get to see your jewelry again and a prayer or two to a higher manager sometimes gets the job done...Good Luck and God Bless   Vianne Falcon
One would hope somebody would do the right thing, but I've found decent people are far and few between these days....more likely somebody will have a nice payday with this jewelry. It sucks but that's the hard truth.
Oh I hope someone does the right thing. I know I would.Â
She needs to purchase a safe for hiding items rather than stashing them in old purses!
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@Cheryl O'Leary-Gruver - Renting a safe deposit box at your bank might be a good choice for anything in future. Hope that you get your things back - that someone out there has the decency to come forward if they find your jewelry. All the best!
Hmmm....I think if I had sentimental items of that worth, and I was not wearing them on a regular basis, I'd have them in a safe deposit box in a bank.
So even if she went in and looked at all of these different Gaylords, it's a needle in a haystack, unfortunately,"
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What? Â KOMO, are you a victim of overzealous autocorrect?
 @WhatAPickle If you're referring to the use of the word "Gaylord" it's the name of a pallet container, and Goodwill has thousands of them.
@StringerJoe - Glad that you cleared that up! I thought that KOMO was either being derogatory or they really like Gaylord Perry (SF Giants back in the day).... :-)