Job Lot 'detective' reunites customer with $800

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 7/21/16

Although he doesn't particularly enjoy being the center of attention, David Annotti has received a lot of recognition lately after going above and beyond to return a woman's wallet. Annotti, the assistant store manager for Job Lot on

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Job Lot 'detective' reunites customer with $800

Posted

Although he doesn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention, David Annotti has received a lot of recognition lately after going above and beyond to return a woman’s wallet.

Annotti, the assistant store manager for Job Lot on Warwick Avenue, was collecting carriages the first Saturday of July and found what he believed to be a long, red CD holder. He brought it back into the store leaving it out in the front in hopes that the owner would return by the end of the day.

As the craziness of the 4th of July weekend set in, Annotti nearly forgot about it. It wasn’t until July 7 when a fellow associate brought up the container saying they thought there was something inside.

When he opened it Annotti discovered about $800 inside the wallet, alongside a Job Lot receipt for a George Foreman grill, a note with the name and number of a handyman, and a DSW card.

Without a license, credit card or home number readily available, Annotti turned detective, first going through store footage, using the time stamp on the receipt as reference, to get a look at the owner. Hopefully the woman was a regular, someone Annotti could recognize so as to return the wallet the next time they came in. However, in the footage, Annotti couldn’t discern the customer as they had sunglasses on.

He then tried calling the handyman, to no avail. Annotti tried searching Facebook with the name registered on the DSW card, but fell short again.

Another employee suggested Annotti try searching the White Pages.

“We went really old school,” Annotti said. “It’s funny we have this technology, but it was the classic route that got us the number.”

With a possible number in hand, Annotti reached out and asked the woman on the other line if she had recently purchased a George Foreman grill from Job Lot. When she responded yes, Annotti knew they had the right woman and told her they had her wallet.

Although the wallet’s owner didn’t want to speak with press on the subject, Annotti explained that she was surprised and got a little emotional on the phone to hear her wallet was safe and with all $800 still in it as she had figured it was “gone for good.”

According to Annotti, the owner takes care of an elderly woman and the money goes towards that care.

“She does a good deed and this is how it came back to her,” said Annotti.

He believes the woman was meant to get the wallet back because it went through so many steps to get to her. Not only did Annotti find it before someone else took it, but typically wallets and purses are kept in a safe when they are left, but because Annotti didn’t know it was a wallet it was kept out in the front.

“This wallet went on a magical journey, that’s for sure. For not getting stolen, lost again or thrown away, she was meant to get this back; it was meant to be,” Annotti said.

The woman came into the store to claim her wallet, getting a “little choked up” about the kindness and attempted to give Annotti a reward, but he continuously refused, saying “it wouldn’t be right.” He suggested his only reward be her continuing to shop at Job Lot and to ask her friends to do the same.

Annotti said, “I can’t take a reward for doing the right thing. I was just raised to do the right thing; it was a small gesture, really. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything but what I did.”

The wallet’s owner was so grateful and astonished Annotti wouldn’t take a reward that she went to Job Lot’s corporate offices to tell them about Annotti’s good deed. The assistant store manager would then receive a letter from the corporate offices customer service as well as from the regional manager thanking him for his actions.

“That was a lot better of a reward, that she would be thankful enough to go to corporate and share the story,” Annotti said.

The story of Annotti going above and beyond to return the wallet quickly, traveled and he wasn’t ready for his sudden fame.

He said the support and recognition he has received between news stories and Facebook likes has been “overwhelming.” A few people who Annotti didn’t even know reached out on Facebook to commend his efforts and thank him for his good deed.

The woman claimed she was an avid Job Lot shopper. Although he hasn’t seen her come back into the store yet, Annotti is sure she will and is looking forward to seeing her again.

ABOVE AND BEYOND:

David Annotti, the assistant store manager at Job Lot on Warwick Ave., wasn’t prepared for his rise to fame after he was recognized for going above and beyond to return a wallet with $800 left at the store. He said he couldn’t imagine himself doing anything but returning it.

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  • richardcorrente

    This is another "feel good" story written, not surprisingly by Kelcy Dolan. (She does this a lot and and gets rave reviews).

    This "good samaritan" David Annotti, should receive a lot of recognition, maybe even the key to the City. Warwick needs to notice the good deeds of Samaritans like David and applaud them publically. As Mayor, I will. David sets a great example that others will follow I believe. In 2004 a customer at the Starbucks in St. Petersburg Florida decided to pay the tab for the total stranger customer behind her and a whopping 378 customers followed her good example. Good deeds like Davids can't be ignored. He is setting an example that will attract others to our City. The more taxpayers we attract, the less taxes we all have to pay. The ripple effect could be a contagious win-win situation.

    David, I am having a fundraiser at Lemongrass (1138 Post Rd.) on August 8th from 5 to 8 PM. Please join me as my guest. Feel free to bring your family, also as my guests. It will be an honor to meet you and them. Call me at 338-9900 or 886-5600.

    See you on the 8th David!

    Richard Corrente

    Endorsed Democrat for Mayor

    Thursday, July 21, 2016 Report this

  • TastyZombieAssassinX

    I would like to clarify this story since not a single article written in any paper has gotten it right since day one and it irritates me that the news doesn't care about getting the story right (there were several versions mostly giving credit only to David). The associate that brought up the container was the Front End Supervisor that day, she was cleaning out the safe and throwing away items that were not claimed by customers. She had originally thrown out the wallet that looked like a CD case but decided a moment later to make sure there was nothing of value in it (even though she was sure that there wasn't since she had seen it there for over a week and it's the Front End Supervisors job to make sure to check such things when they are first found so that it can be put in the office safe if there is anything of value) when she noticed it she first noted a name on a piece of paper with a telephone number then proceeded to open the top zipper and found A LOT of money inside. She then quickly called the manager on duty (David) and notified him of the large sum and the note inside but wasn't sure if the telephone number would be the phone number of the owner. David then took it into the office to figure out what to do and it was actually another associate's idea to try contacting the number in the wallet which David proceeded to do and in the end was able to return it to the rightful owner. In other words, it wasn't just David's doing, it was a team effort that found the wallets owner. One person should not recieved the all the credit, when it was a great team effort from Store 112.

    Saturday, February 11, 2017 Report this