I just remembered something that happened last year just before we went to China.
One day as C went shopping; she forgot the credit card in the slot when she turned to pack the groceries. She found out when she came home and went into panic. So I called the shop and asked them if they had kept the card (they normally do). The assistant manager offered to help me and would call back.
Here’s what he found out:
They didn’t have the card, but from looking at video footage, he learned that when C forgot her card in the slot, the cashier took it and slid it C’s way on the table. C didn’t see this, and thus forgot the card.
As C left, the cashier saw his mistake and yelled for C. But she heard nothing and walked out the door. A costumer from the queue offered to run after C and give her the card. Unfortunately the costumer mistook C with another leaving costumer who incidentally was blind (how weird is that?). The blind woman took the card and put it in her purse in good faith.
The assistant manager knew that the blind woman lived in the neighbourhood, but not exactly where. He did know, however, that she came shopping 2-3 times every week, so he would contact her when he saw her again.
2 days later, he called back to tell me that he now got a hold of the woman. She had found out about the mistake, and had put the credit card in a mailbox (normal procedure for most lost stuff here). This meant the card would be returned to bank and needed renewal as everyone who got the numbers could use it on the internet.
Of course this happens close to when we had to leave for China last summer and we needed the card as backup for mine. Fortunately the new card arrived the day before we left, but why do weird stuff always happen when you really don’t have time for it?