Sometimes good luck follows bad.
I went to Target to pick up some groceries tonight, and before I started shopping I went in the ladies room. As I was pulling my jeans up my keys fell out of my pocket and into the toilet. I turned around to make a dive for them and the automatic flush activated - whoosh, my keys disappeared. All of them.
By keys I mean car keys, house keys, and every other key I own. I thought I was going to be sick. I went running over to customer service and told them what happened. The manager came in and put an out of service sign on the stall door, and put a piece of paper over the detector that activates the flush. He told me that it was highly unlikely that the keys were still in the pipes, but he'd try to find a snake and something magnetic. After half an hour he told me he didn't have the right tools, so he would call the plumber on call - but that it may be several hours. The plumber was 90 minutes away and when he talked to the manager he told him the chances of the keys not being flushed away were incredibly small.
It took me an hour to get home on the bus.
The manager just texted me. The plumber found my keys, which had got stuck somewhere in the pipes by the clip I had attached to the keyfob. So my keys are now on the managers desk, and I just have to take the bus over to get them tomorrow.
My opinion of Target managers is very high. (I don't like their toilets though.)
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I'd rather leave them in the plumbing pipes. Wouldn't touch those keys for anything.
Get to the key duplication place and have 4-5 sets of keys made. Have at least your car key in a magnetic lock box on the exterior of your car. The rest of the keys can be hidden in the car.
Have a set to the house hanging or hidden near your home.
Have an extra set in a drawer.
Give one set to someone you trust with whom you do not live. This would be someone who would help you out in an emergency.
And that fifth set is to have a duplicate where you hang your keys when you come in at the end of the day. They come in handy.
None of the above is very expensive. If you value your time and peace of mind at all, it is priceless.
Cher
I once lost a sentimental trinket attached to my keychain when I left a Walmart. I thought it got separated in the parking lot, and I searched all over with no luck.
When I returned to the store a day or two later, I found that someone had put my trinket in the ashtray at the entrance. That was 16 years ago, and it's still back on my keyring today. 
I once saw Ellen DeGeneres do a hysterically funny routine on those automated bathrooms. I tend to remember that and often start laughing to myself whenever I run into it while using a public restroom. But after your experience, I sure won't anymore! I'll take this as a heads up! I'm so sorry that this happened to you and glad to hear it all worked out... 
I don't like automatic flush. It's a bit disconcerting to the toilet flush when you're still sitting on it.
I'm told it's designed to keep your hands cleaner not having to touch it but those of us who actually wash hands, that's not an issue.
I'm not a fan of the design or maintenance of many public restrooms.
...or even just scratch your head.
What's with the placement of the TP dispenser in the disabled friendly stalls? The hand holds are placed 30" high. That makes the paper at the ideal height for someone 24" tall who isn't sitting on the toilet. I've not seen anyone over 4 years old who couldn't reach a to say 36". I can't even imagine a person configured such that they could reach 36" high but could get onto a toilet.
I try not to use that stall but sometimes the others are occupied.
Plus, the noise covers my phone conversation.
...or watch a movie. 
It makes me happy to know that there are still businesses out there that care about the customer. 
