Keeping Your Possessions Safe

Theft of personal property is absolutely terrible. It's violating, upsetting, and often can cause you more than just financial setbacks. I wish I could tell you that you didn't have to worry about being stolen from in the clubs - that we're all honest, kind and supportive of one another - but that would be a lie. I have unfortunately had my own experiences with in-club theft and heard plenty of stories from other dancers about getting stolen from while at work. Not every person that you meet or work with will be above stealing, and that's just the sad reality of life. Theft can occur at any time to anyone, anywhere. However, there are definitely some precautions you can take to mitigate the risk of theft at work.

My first major piece of advice is this: do not leave anything at the club that you aren't willing to lose. On top of that, try to keep what you do bring and/or leave at work as minimal as you can. Before I get completely started on this post of advice and tips, I want to share my story with you all. 

I was about a year and a half into my dancing career when I lost every single outfit I owned... not just once, but twice. I had been working at the same club exclusively for a year and I had foolishly assumed that nobody there would steal from me. I was on good terms with everyone that I worked with, didn't have beef with anybody, and felt that this small club really was like family to me. I had left my locker there unlocked on more than one occasion and never, ever come back to a single thing out of place or missing. I knew that it was careless to leave it unlocked though, and I began working on reminding myself to be diligent about locking my things up.

At that time, I worked so much that leaving all of my outfits in my locker and being able to choose and change them as much as I wanted just made more sense to me. After a particularly long day and sustaining a shoulder dislocation, I had forgotten to lock my locker when I left work that evening. When I came back a week later and swung open my locker door, my heart dropped. I called home to make sure I hadn't somehow forgotten everything in my closet. My boyfriend checked our closet and my drawers to no avail. Everything had been stolen. I estimated around $1,000 worth of clothing had been taken from me. Not only was I going to have to put money back into buying more fits, but I also now had barely anything to work in. I began slowly but surely rebuilding my clothing collection and was adamant about locking my locker after every shift, no exceptions. However, I was still leaving everything in my locker, and I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Yup, my lock was smashed and my locker busted into yet again just 2-3 months later. Once again, close to a thousand dollars' worth of clothing and accessories - gone. After that, I vowed to do everything I possibly could to make myself less prone to theft in the future. 

Thankfully, there are a variety of things you can do to help yourself from ending up like I did! First and foremost, because I know a lot of us will have lockers - buy yourself a quality lock! My boyfriend bought me the MasterLock Combination Padlock and it is much harder to break into than a regular circular combo MasterLock. I am including a link to it right here. Now, let's go ahead and assume you don't have a locker. Maybe you're new to the club you're currently at, you're travel dancing or work several clubs and only have a locker at one or two places. Whatever the reason is, some of us just won't have a locker. Investing in a large, sturdy, dual padlock suitcase is another great way to keep your things safe. There are many types sold on Amazon, so take a peek around and find one you like! Make sure to read the reviews before deciding to purchase one. Another thing I like about the idea of a suitcase is the fact that you can also equip it with a tracker such as an Air Tag. So even worst-case scenario, someone walks out with the whole entire suitcase, you can still call the police and inform them of the location of the stolen property. 

Another precaution that is easy to take is to keep your earnings and purchases on the DL. Nobody else needs to know what you're making, what you're doing with your money, or what new things you're buying. It can be tempting in the digital age to flaunt large sums of money and expensive items, but I beg of you, don't do it! You won't get anything out of it except for making yourself a target for robbery in or out of the club. Someone will always want to take what you have, so don't share your financial situation with anyone in or out of work. It's honestly such an easy thing to do, and it will keep you, your money and your possessions much safer. Additionally, don't leave massive amounts of cash laying around in your home for long periods of time. I always deposit mine in my LLC's business banking account, so I don't have to worry about it ever being seen or stolen from my home.

In case you ever do experience theft, remember that it's smart to have some money saved up to recoup any potential lost or stolen items. On top of that, if you're bringing something to work and especially if you're leaving it there, don't buy the most flashy/expensive version of whatever it is. Buying generic items doesn't look like showing off and it also saves money on items that are easily lost or used a lot like bobby pins, hair ties, spray perfumes, Band-Aids, baby wipes, etc. you get the picture I'm painting here.

Expensive and hard to replace items like your phone, ID, credit cards, money, etc. should be carried on you in your money bag/purse at all times. Don't leave your bag unattended even for a moment, you never know who might see you walk away from it and make their move. And please, do not forget to double check your locker is locked whenever you're not going to be in direct view of it. 

The last thing I'll suggest you do is bring things you need to and from work in your dancer bag/suitcase every shift. I have a locker at one club where I store my dancer bag. Even so, I still only bring 3-4 outfits that match my look for the day and the other inexpensive essentials I carry with me. It can be somewhat annoying and cumbersome to carry everything to and from every time I work, but it beats the hell out of getting everything stolen. Worst case if something does go missing, it's only a few outfits and other easily replaceable items from Amazon or Walmart. 

Do you have any tips for combatting theft at work? Let me know in the comments below so we can add on to what I've got here! I hope these tips are helpful and keep your hard-earned money and possessions safe and secure!