How I Got Scammed at a New York Mall After the Holidays

Once the holidays are over, it seems like people either chill at home or go shopping with Christmas money and gift cards. If you're someone who goes shopping, be aware.

This time of year, the malls are usually a mess, and sadly some people use that fact to their advantage.

On this day, I had been shopping at the mall for a while, and was getting pretty drained. At one point I told myself "This is the last store" as I wandered in. I set my shopping bag down to try on a pair of shoes which didn't end up working out, so I put them back and started for the door. Except I didn't have my bag. I didn't realize that it was missing because again, the mall was a zoo, and I was tired. When the stars are aligned the way they were on this day, it can be so easy to forget something.

Once I realized my bag was missing, I headed back into the store with the shoes expecting to see it waiting for me where I had left it, but it wasn't.

I went to the counter thinking "Oh, someone must have turned it in!" Nope. I told the cashier my dilemma, and he said that a group of girls he thought were with me had taken my bag. With this new information, I found a security guard and told him my problem. We walked around the mall for a bit, but it only seemed to be a waste of time.

Finally, my friend said "Go back to the original store!" Why didn't I think of that? Again -- so, so tired, and honestly, I never expected to see what I saw when I got there.

We make it back to the store where I had made the purchases in the missing bag, I go right to the counter, and there was everything: hung up and returned. No bag, no cash.

Fortunately, my story has an ending that seems almost undeserving given the circumstances. After hopelessly recounting my story, disappointed in myself more than anything, the manager working that night returned my things to me at no extra charge. I was careless to have forgotten about my bag, but from a situation that showcased just how selfish people can be, someone else treated me with extreme kindness, which is something I won't forget.