San Mateo County:
At an affluent gym on the Peninsula, two women who were not members approached the front desk and ask to buy a day pass. They buy the passes, are granted access, and proceed to the women’s locker room. Within 30 minutes the same two women exit the gym. The staff at the front desk had noticed and thought it was odd because the passes for non-members are expensive, and the two guests only stayed a short time. Subsequently, over the next hour, the employees were inundated by female members reporting that their locks were cut off their lockers and wallets, keys, and phones were stolen. In addition, the thieves made off with two luxury cars they drove away with using the stolen keys.
I have to admit, this news story caused me a lot of anxiety. The gym is my happy place and I spend a lot of time there. Although 24 Hour Fitness could never be considered a luxury gym by any standard, I have heard of similar incidences happening there, where I work out.
What can you do, leave your valuables in the car? I don’t think so. After 42 years in San Francisco, I have replaced so many car windows that I now know how to go to the junkyard (Pic-N-Pull), extract a window, and install it on my car. This is a skill I never imagined having to learn, but it’s saved me thousands!
So, what’s the fix? I’m embarrassed to tell you it took me this long to figure it out, but I have the perfect solution. I carry all my valuables; wallet, keys, phone, watch, in my small gym bag and only leave my change of clothes in the locker. Doing this not only solved my anxiety about leaving valuables in the locker room, but also gave me a container for my water bottle, weightlifting gloves, and small gym towel I carry with me when working out. No more forgetting one of those at the last machine I used! Since I use ear buds, I no longer had to awkwardly strap my phone to my arm as I can just leave it in the bag I’m carrying. This small change has alleviated my anxiety, protected my valuables, and given me a convenience of not having to schlepp all that stuff individually. Just carry one small bag around with you at the gym, now go hit the weights!