Thieves put a damper on a silent auction at the Mission Thrift Store in Okotoks.
A cowboy hat and hard case, valued at $600, went missing from a thrift store display case over the weekend. Part of a silent auction, bids for the Resistol 20X fur felt hat reached $220 before it disappeared.
The general manager of the thrift store thinks the theft took place on July 15, but it wasn’t discovered until July 17.
Somebody had to open the display case, remove the hat and hard case, and get them out of the store, he said.
“We have no idea how that happened."
He said theft is a daily occurrence.
“What goes on at the thrift store would amaze you. I mean, this is just one of a large scenario of things that go on here.”
A couple of months ago, a mink coat was stolen from the auction.
“We can only assume that she went and put it on, and walked out with it on. We lost a mink coat that was worth about $400.”
The non-profit thrift store holds a monthly silent auction featuring specialty items and collectibles.
“A lot of times we decide what price things sell at, but with an auction, the customers decide what price the thing sells at.”
Auction items could include anything from Elvis Presley collections, to Star Wars collectibles, to old tin cans.
“You name it, there's all sorts of stuff that ends up in there.”
The auction draws people into the store to see what’s available, he said, and is something they do for fun.
“It really ticks us off when people steal those things.”
