A Little Rant!

[+steviep]

I set a series of caches in mid 2004 by the end of 2004 I was receiving logs stating the cache's were full of tat!, a topic appeared about someone else experiencing a similar fate I asked on this topic what should I do as I was going to set up another series but where would I put my new goodies.

I decided to replenish my existing caches & set up another series with a few basics in the 1st 7 & a large box at the end full of goodies including a disposable camera (fixed with a note "do not remove")

yesterday I visited the final box, there were 4 bits of crap in it & the camera had gone!

My questions are

Should I carry on just feeding these cache's so people just take.

Leave as they are but feel embarrassed every time some one does the series.

Archive all my cache's so I don't feel sick!

 

Personally I TNLN when I do a cache but there are children who enjoy the hunt for the swaps

[+t.a.folk]

Would you feel less sick if you included a list on cache details of the items you left in cache when placed?

[+Skate and Jane]

You can see why there are so many micros now!

[+The Mars Bars]

You can see why there are so many micros now!

Yeah but kids hate micro's and this is supposed to be a family friendly pastime.

 

Most adults TNLN except when they are with their kids, and then they should carry swaps of a decent nature. Not broken or dirty rubbish that no one will want.

 

I have come accross a few depleted caches lately and have started throwing some decent swaps in without taking anything (obviously when the kids aren't with me that is).

 

Cheers

Dave

[+Pharisee]

Unfortunately that's par for the course so you'll have to learn to live with it. Whenever I set a cache I make sure it's well stocked with goodies. I don't expect it to stay that way so from time to time, I top them up again. I do not want to read a log on any of my caches that says it's 'filled with tat' so if that means spending a few quid every now and then... so be it!! That's part and parcel of being a cache setter (unless you're one of those 'cheap-skate' people that set micros where they could set 'proper caches'.... but we'll not go in to that particular can of worms here )

[+woZere]

One mans treasure is an other mans tat or visa versa, so exspect things to change in quantity and quality and add or substract on your caches to maintain your desired level of contents. Micros can minamise your costs, we use them in multi`s and to link random caches in our area that are often not very well frequented. In that way those with young families find well stocked cache boxes and with a number of finds in a day are not depleted of swops themselves. We usually TNLN but carry goodies in case our cache finds have been muggled or a thin on contents. You will not please them all but by putting out caches your doing your bit and have increased interest in your area so keep up the good work.

[+Mr'D]

One mans treasure is an other mans tat or visa versa

 

Tat is tat.

 

Downward trading is a fact of life - frequent maintenance visits are necessary solely to replace/chuck tat that some people leave in caches in their 'belief' that someone actually wants the stuff.

 

A shame for sure but one of the costs of cache ownership.

 

Jon

[+The Golem]

I raised this subject a few months ago. If everybody spent £5 - £10 on goodies to leave in caches the standard of swaps would improve. Sadly, I know this won't happen, people will still leave single marbles or the fluff from the lining of their pockets but we can always hope...

When I set a regular cache I reckon on spending about £10 - £15 plus any other interesting bits and pieces that I can scratch up around the house. My first cache contained crystals, fossils and all sorts of odds and ends - I think the best thing I've found in someone elses cache is a Canine Cachers coin as a FTF prize!

 

Come on everyone! When you go and spend your Christmas money - think of all the other cachers. £10 and 15 minutes in a pound shop will get you all sorts of exciting goodies...

[+Pharisee]

The worst is yet to come.... give it a couple of weeks and you wont be able to find broken McToys for all the Christmas Cracker tat that appears in caches just after the holiday.

Edited December 22, 2005 by Pharisee

[+The Golem]

LOL

 

You mean like those flat plastic cars, fake moustaches and fortune telling fish!!

 

Christ I hope not...

Edited December 22, 2005 by The Golem

[+Pengy&Tigger]

The worst is yet to come.... give it a couple of weeks and you wont be able to find broken McToys for all the Christmas Cracker tat that appears in caches just after the holiday.

Worst thing is friends and family who save all their christmas cracker tat for you - " I saved these for your caches" - then you have to discreetly bin them when they aren't looking.

 

T

[mjbvbjjbtmb]

The worst is yet to come.... give it a couple of weeks and you wont be able to find broken McToys for all the Christmas Cracker tat that appears in caches just after the holiday.

 

I know McToys may not seem much to an adult, but you should have seen 3 year old JJB's face when he found a McNinja Turtle in our last cache! He was over the moon! (admittedly it had been left in its original wrapping). He even cried when he realised that he had left it at Jacobites2's house and they had to make a journey to deliver it!

 

Admittedly, the broken stuff can be classed as tat, but to him even a previously loved McNinja would have gone down a treat.

 

I tend to treat the swaps as being for children, as they encourage JJB to join us caching, so what we put in caches does tend to be kids stuff.

[+Pharisee]

I know McToys may not seem much to an adult, but you should have seen 3 year old JJB's face when he found a McNinja Turtle in our last cache! He was over the moon! (admittedly it had been left in its original wrapping). He even cried when he realised that he had left it at Jacobites2's house and they had to make a journey to deliver it!

 

Admittedly, the broken stuff can be classed as tat, but to him even a previously loved McNinja would have gone down a treat.

 

I tend to treat the swaps as being for children, as they encourage JJB to join us caching, so what we put in caches does tend to be kids stuff.

Yeah... sorry. I tend to use 'McToys' as a generic term for cache rubbish in much the same way as I use 'Hoover' when I really mean vacuum cleaner. To be honest, I don't often see genuine McDonald's toys in a cache but when I do, they are generally quite presentable. However there are an awful lot of other plastic toys, broken or otherwise, left in caches that really ARE rubbish.

[+Andy33]

For me its not what’s in the cache more where it is. Caching for me is finding places you would never go to if it were not for the cache, that’s the prize. I never take anything from a cache and also don’t leave anything ( only a calling card but we won’t start that one). I do however make sure my caches are well stocked. If I see comments that one of my caches is getting low then I top it up and remove the tat mind you I only have 3 caches so maintenance is not a problem.

 

Andy

[+The Golem]

I agree. If I go caching alone I rarely take anything, with the kids it's a different matter. If the quality of swaps was better you might be tempted to take something though - even if it's only a bottle opener or cheap karabiner...

Edited December 22, 2005 by The Golem

[mjbvbjjbtmb]

For me its not what’s in the cache more where it is. Caching for me is finding places you would never go to if it were not for the cache, that’s the prize.

That's just how 2/3 of our little family team see it! But in the meantime I'm so glad there are swaps as it means the 3 of us all get to go out exploring (2 for the experience and 1 for the "treasure")!

[+Sensei TSKC]

I raised this subject a few months ago. If everybody spent £5 - £10 on goodies to leave in caches the standard of swaps would improve. Sadly, I know this won't happen, people will still leave single marbles or the fluff from the lining of their pockets but we can always hope...

When I set a regular cache I reckon on spending about £10 - £15 plus any other interesting bits and pieces that I can scratch up around the house. My first cache contained crystals, fossils and all sorts of odds and ends - I think the best thing I've found in someone elses cache is a Canine Cachers coin as a FTF prize!

 

Come on everyone! When you go and spend your Christmas money - think of all the other cachers. £10 and 15 minutes in a pound shop will get you all sorts of exciting goodies...

I am afraid I cannot agree with that statement - I'd like to but it is a fact of life that your suggestion will not work!

 

This subject came up some time ago regarding like for like swops. Cachers were taking items worth a £1 or more and leaving things like a clothes peg or pennies they had in their pocket.

 

This will not deter them.

 

I found a cache a few months back set by The Jolly Green Giants. They are friends of mine and I'm sure that if I did do what I didn't do, they wouldn't mind. Basically, I found a really nice keyring (a white metal 'chunk' of Cadbury chocolate) but I had NO swops at all so I did not take it. Left a little note in the log saying that I was going back for it!

 

The next day I was given a pressie so I did not have to go back.

 

My point is, that if I don't have a swop of equal value, then I do not take anything.

 

I don't look for items in caches usually anyway, but I do have a regular supply - the locals know what I'm going to say - of brand new World Cup playing cards which sell individually between £3.50 - £4.50 that I leave as swop items; if the cache is depleted or if I really enjoyed the cache and wish to show my appreciation.

 

Unfortunately, I believe there will ALWAYS be the takers amongst us.

 

Oss!

[+Sensei TSKC]

The worst is yet to come.... give it a couple of weeks and you wont be able to find broken McToys for all the Christmas Cracker tat that appears in caches just after the holiday.

Worst thing is friends and family who save all their christmas cracker tat for you - " I saved these for your caches" - then you have to discreetly bin them when they aren't looking.

 

T

Sorry Tigger.

 

No discretion. Tell them it's tat, throw it in the bin and ask them to save something worthwhile instead.

 

The upside is you may not get invited round - or they to yours - again for Xmas. Peace!

 

Oss!

[+t.a.folk]

I don't look for items in caches usually anyway, but I do have a regular supply - the locals know what I'm going to say - of brand new World Cup playing cards which sell individually between £3.50 - £4.50 that I leave as swop items; if the cache is depleted or if I really enjoyed the cache and wish to show my appreciation.

 

Would there be a hint on packet that the world cup playing cards sell for between £3.50 and £4.50

I wouldn't be able to guess their value .

[+Sensei TSKC]

I don't look for items in caches usually anyway, but I do have a regular supply - the locals know what I'm going to say - of brand new World Cup playing cards which sell individually between £3.50 - £4.50 that I leave as swop items; if the cache is depleted or if I really enjoyed the cache and wish to show my appreciation.

 

Would there be a hint on packet that the world cup playing cards sell for between £3.50 and £4.50

I wouldn't be able to guess their value .

There isn't, no. But I would expect people to be aware that you cannot buy a decent pack of cards fo less than £2 anyway.

 

As I said, I don't use them for swaps anyway but when people swap them they must be aware of a minimum of a couple of quid.

 

They're in a nice perspex case and sealed. Obviously new. But that's not my gripe. i do understand that people will not know their value.

 

Oss!

[+MeIsMook]

LOL

 

You mean like those flat plastic cars, fake moustaches and fortune telling fish!!

 

Christ I hope not...

I now know where all my christmas cracker stuff is headed Braithwaite is so nice this time of year

[+Learned Gerbil]

Isn't the real problem that value is relative? I rarely take anything from a cache - but if i did, I would leave something that was of equal value to me. I have no idea what is of equal value to the cache setter.

[+Pharisee]

Ho hum..... It's started !!!

 

Partial quote from a log on one of my caches today :-

 

"great treasure in cache took car and ballons left assorted cracker goodies!!!!"

[+Mr Nibbler]

Pharisee: Oh dear.

 

To all: I usually carry a mixture of stuff for adults and children. I swap like for like age wise (on the ocassions I do swap) and make sure the stuff is interesting (ie mini-carabiners from Rohan, not a cracker).