Uber, the ride-sharing company we all love to flee awkward social gatherings in, launched its first-ever Lost and Found index back in 2017. Like a Spotify Wrapped for our boneheaded decisions, the report offered a holistic view of riders’ most commonly forgotten items and some lighthearted analysis of the patterns they found in the data they had.
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Today, the company has unveiled the 2024 Lost and Found Index, looking back at last year’s lost item patterns.
Here are the nuggets of information that stood out the most and some of my analysis on what it all means.
THE TOP 10 MOST FORGOTTEN ITEMS IN UBERS IN 2023
- Clothing
- Luggage
- Headphones
- Wallet
- Jewelry
- Phone
- Camera
- Tablet or book
- Laptop
- Vape
My take:
Clothing is a pretty vague label. For the sake of the car’s upholstery, let’s hope this category skewed more towards tops than bottoms.
Tablets and books also aren’t exactly the same thing Uber, no matter what Jeff Bezos may think.
It’s surprising to still see cameras so high on this list. I guess those stories and conversations heralding the death of the camera industry were a little premature.
What’s also interesting is how things have changed since the first Uber Lost & Found Index broke cover. Phones were number one on the list back then. Chargers were also number nine. Clearly we’ve made some battery life gains.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM UBERS TOP 50 MOST “UNIQUE” ITEMS LEFT BEHIND
- Candle that says ‘See you in court’
- “I left expensive blueberries that are special that I need that the store is completely out of. There’s two packages that I absolutely need.”
- Bravo Con wristband
- Panty liner and 1000 bucks. “That’s all I can remember”
- Jeep Liberty engine. “Please call me”
- WWE championship belt
- Street sign saying ‘She’s drunk’ and a picture frame
- Small box containing a gnome.
- Waist beads and a burrito steamer
- Undergarments, bread, pack of ham and mayo
My take: *Chef’s kiss*
THE TOP 10 CITIES FOR FORGOTTEN ITEM REQUESTS IN 2023
- Miami, FL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Atlanta, GA
- Houston, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Orlando, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Tampa Bay, FL
- Denver, CO
- Austin, TX
My take:
There are fewer cities in states where cannabis is legalized than I would have expected. Texas and Florida are also tied head-to-head here for most cities appearing.
New York City not making this list also seems strange. It was number two back in 2016; as a former resident, I can attest that city dwellers do have a strong intuition of when to cut their losses and move on, with Santa Con still being the most glaring exception.
A TIME TO CONSIDER AVOIDING TRAVELING WITH PRECIOUS ITEMS
Uber says the most common time people lost items was between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
My take: This checks out.
BIGGEST BURNS DISHED OUT BY UBER’S LOST AND FOUND ANALYSIS
“The top lost car keys were from Mini Cooper owners. They won’t be getting very far in their little cars!”
My take:
READ THE FULL 2024 UBER LOST AND FOUND REPORT
