How Come The Cache Loss Rate Isn’t Prohibitive?

[+Thot]

I grew up in a small town (pop 2000). For a few years I had a game I played where I would hide coins in unusual places around town then check them periodically to see if the coins were still there. I was absolutely amazed how people almost always found and took the coins. (Remember -- small town) I put them in places I thought nobody would ever look. As they kept finding them I began hiding them more and more securely, yet they kept finding them. To this day I can't imagine why anyone would look in many of these places, but they did. And coins are small and easy to hide.

 

When I read about this hobby/game a couple of nights ago my coin game came to mind immediately. It would seem like random strangers would stumble on and remove or destroy these caches so often it would make the concept impractical. Then you have the malicious souls who learn of the game and delight in locating them using your directions and stealing them.

 

So my question is, why doesn't this happen so much it defeats the game?

Edited June 25, 2004 by catch_22

[dampeoples]

Your coins were money, finders keepers. Caches have descriptions in and on them, as well as public knowledge, that would be my guess as to why it's not done so much.

People are also basically honest, well most are. A Cache belongs to someone, money lying around doesn't

[+briansnat]

So my question is, why doesn't this happen so much it defeats the game?

 

Because people are basically decent and if they stumble on a cache, they read the info and leave it be much of the time. There are a few jerks who take them and a handful of miscreants who actually spend time hunting down and stealing caches, but thankfully they are pretty rare.

[+Team Perks]

My thoughts:

 

1. There's enough of them out there that the attrition rate, while present, isn't staggering.

2. Cachers tend to hide them in areas they deem least likely to be disturbed by others.

3. You can disguise them to blend right in to the environment.

4. The contents are usually not worth stealing.

[AC Student]

It happens. I've had five of my caches go missing so far. It doesn't defeat the game because those of us who love the game don't let it.

[+New England n00b]

Coins are a bit different that caches, too. I see your point, but a loose coin doesn't have the 'rule' attachment. A coin is obviously lost, and of such little value that noone would think twice. A cache is kinda hard to stick in a pocket...

 

And besides, if you really grew up in a small town, you just know some little old lady was watching the suspicious activity you were involved in just outside her (suoer huge binocular aided) window peeping...

[+Thot]

And besides, if you really grew up in a small town, you just know some little old lady was watching the suspicious activity you were involved in just outside her (suoer huge binocular aided) window peeping...

You may be right, but I was quite aware of the problem of being observed and took precautions to avoid it. That's actually easier to do in a small town than a city. For example, it was the County Seat and the Court House was located in the middle to town. It was open at all times -- you could go in at night and no one was ever around (except inside the sheriff’s office). There were several places to hide coins that would seem completely secure and you could be sure no one was watching. There are many similar examples. So, I don’t think I was seen hiding them very often.

 

But, the suggestions given in this thread may well be the answer. Everyone knew me and my folks. If I’d put the coins in an envelope with my name, saying they were mine “Please don’t remove,” I have a hunch they wouldn’t have been taken often.

[+Renegade Knight]

That was you? You don't live near American Falls do you?

[+Renegade Knight]

One of the things you learn is that you don't place caches where people go. You place them 50' over where they don't. Learning that is half the battle.

[+Thot]

That was you?  You don't live near American Falls do you?

No. It was in Texas a long, long time ago.

[+briansnat]

But, the suggestions given in this thread may well be the answer. Everyone knew me and my folks. If I’d put the coins in an envelope with my name, saying they were mine “Please don’t remove,” I have a hunch they wouldn’t have been taken often.

 

That reminds me of something totally OT, but its sort of funny. When sending correspondence through intra-company mail to a colleague in another building, as a joke I would write on the envelope in big block letters: "Note to mailroom: This envelope contains a large amount of cash. Please do not steal". Most of the time the mail would get there, but one time I received a call from the mail room supervisor who called me to his office, where he gave me a lecture about how it was not a good idea to send cache through intra-company mail, or in any mail for that matter.

[+garri]

Did you speak about your game of coins to your friends , by any chance?

[+Thot]

Did you speak about your game of coins to your friends , by any chance?

Nope

[CacheNCarryMA]

When you hid the coins, did you include a note that said, "Congratulations, you've found it! Intentionally or not!" ?

Edited June 25, 2004 by CacheNCarryMA