If it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny. I hesitate to say that the public is a couple bricks shy of a load, but good grief! What's lacking is the ability to think for themselves. Or for lack of the ability to at least think things out before they panic.
Having just found my good jewelry (that I wore to a wedding in April and thought I'd lost in the hotel) I've decided to e-mail myself whenever I put something somewhere safe.