A real noobie question- giving stuff back ???

I'm just curious as to whether or not anyone has ever found something in a unit they won that made them feel compelled to find and contact the previous owner of the item.  Perhaps it was something that seemed would be very sentimental to someone.  I am sure that this is a pretty dumb question but it's going to be rattling around in my head for awhile so I thought I would put it out there.  I used to do lots of metal detecting (not the same...but still searching for treasures that aren't usually there) and there was always "talk" of returning items that seemed they would have been especially bad for someone to have lost.  I never found anything of that stature metal detecting but, you never know, I just might find it buying a storage unit and I"ll need to know what to do or not do...

Obviously pictures and sentimental items are things nobody would have any problem giving back as they have no value for us but have sentimental value to others. You'll be surprised by how hard it is to track people down and that most people aren't all that interested in getting pictures, baby blankets, and things like that back.

As for valaubles that may be sentimental that's another story. Maybe if it was soemthing that really tugged at the heart stings but this is a business and the same way Jewel Grocery Store cant give away food just because there are hungry people we can't go giving everything back or we wouldn't make any money for all the time, effort and risk.

That makes sense.  I think I would have a hard time tracking someone down just so I could give them something valuable that they gave up after looking in countless units to find it myself.  I can imagine there are disaster stories surrounding attempting to give something back. I would like to hear some, though.  Something that I can hang on to if ever I find something that does pull at my heartstrings to find the original owners. 

I once found a person's collection of geriatric porn...I really wanted to give that back.

I once found a person's collection of geriatric porn...I really wanted to give that back.

Probably after you thumbed through it, of course!   

I give back the personals to the management. It is one of my personal policies, not a requirement in my area. I have one time though, going through a computer noticed loads of baby pictures. Emailed them at their email addy that was on their computer I got from the unit, so I could send them their pics. Never replied back.

Emailed them at their email addy that was on their computer I got from the unit, so I could send them their pics. Never replied back.

Two expressions come to mind:

No good deed goes unpunished.

Virtue is its own reward.