As hostess, am I obligated to track down the owners and notify them of their oversight?
This becomes a problem when my teen and young adult children’s friends leave behind those designer water bottles that they all carry, apparently prepared for some devastating drought between their homes and ours.
I have a drawer teeming with water bottles no one ever reclaims, plus the odd umbrella or glove by my front door. When can I politely discard these items? And if I have discarded items after a reasonable time, and then someone inquires after their belongings, what is the best response? GENTLE READER: Sending out an initial inquiry about the lost item to your guest list is kind -- and a task to be given to your children, if the objects belong to their friends.
But if there is no response, or a reasonable amount of time passes without retrieval, Miss Manners gives you permission to dispose of the objects. At which point you may say, if asked, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you had given up on that bottle.”Miss Manners: I wish I had done better handling an awkward situationMiss Manners: Visiting family member opens the fridge and it’s too familiarIf you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
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