As students arrive back to campus in full swing, myself included, it’s common to lose your valuables as you’re buzzing between move-in to orientation, and everywhere in between. Americans are spending a record-breaking $74B on back-to-college items (National Retail Federation) – let’s not buy them twice!
So, always remember to sanity check that you have your belongings – I’m no stranger to it. I personally remember losing my ID a few weeks into my freshman year at Wharton, and it wasn’t a fun experience at all (read about it here). Now, as a sophomore, I’m making it a personal resolution to not lose anything this year.
On campuses, some of the most commonly lost items are:
Student ID’s: This will run you a cool $30 to replace.
Water bottles: The vast majority of students and faculty avoid plastic bottles and instead invest into reusable water bottles and flasks. As good as they are, these water bottles aren’t cheap, costing you anywhere between $10 to $100 depending on the brand, e.g. Yeti, Hydro Flask, LARQ, etc.
Chargers: If you’re like me, you have a backpack filled with charger cords. One for my iPhone, another for my MacBook, another for my tablet to take notes, and finally, one for my headphones. Losing one of these cords would run me anywhere between $15 to $130, nearly 3 weeks’ worth of my college allowance.
Jackets: If you’re also on the East Coast like I am, we’re spending most of the year in at least 2 to 3 layers. Winter jackets aren’t cheap and could really set yourself back financially, anywhere from $40 to over $2,000 depending on the one you have. Big shoutout to my oldest brother who bought me my favorite Patagonia jacket ($350) as an “off-to-college” gift last year. Losing that would be a huge disappointment as there’s no way I could afford the replacement.
At Boomerang, we’ve partnered with tons of universities to power their lost and found process; at those partner universities, lost and found is modern and seamless. But still, for the many universities who haven’t yet, lost and found is outdated and burdensome.
Speaking from personal experience, a process involving endless lost and found calls, emails, repurchases, and in-person claim submissions takes time and money away, and makes it difficult for us students to focus on what really matters most: learning, participating in campus activities, and making new friends.
If your school is one of those that hasn’t yet partnered with us, please point them to Boomerang. We exist to help people get back the items they love, as seamlessly and stress-free as possible.
Have a great school year!
Andrew Diep-Tran
Intern #1 at Boomerang
