Found Money

[fnygrl]

Hello, ehellions!

I frequent a local coffee chain and I found a one-hundred dollar bill on the floor of the establishment before ordering my drink .  The manager happened to be working and I brought it to his attention and gave him the money in case the person who lost it returns.  Today, while at the same establishment, another worker said, "I hear you found money yesterday" - so other employees were made aware of my findings.  She also mentioned that she believes the money was put in the safe.

I was on the phone with my mother this afternoon and shared the story with her and she said it's her understanding that if no one comes back to claim the money that it's mine.  Is she correct in thinking that?  Do I ask the manager what happens to the money if it's not retrieved? 

Thank you all for your input!

[rose red]

If you bring the money to the police, you get the money after a certain amount of days if not claimed.  I think the same rules should apply. 

[alkira6]

In a wonderful world it would, but the 4 times I've turned in found money it was never claimed but it never became mine either  , though in one case it did fund a pretty sweet Christmas party, so there is that. 

[WillyNilly]

I'm pretty sure you are never going to see that money again. Hopefully it gets put in the employees tip pool at least though, not just the manager's pocket.

[Seraphine1]

I found a diamond pendant in an 18K setting once - I took it to the police and they told me that if it wasn't found, it was auctioned off at the end of the year and the proceeds go to... wait for it... the police department.

So I take it that there's not much impetus to actually find the owners of lost property then! 

Next time I should find something valuable, I'll find the person myself.

[Venus193]

I once found $40 on the floor of the ladies' restroom at the office.  I asked the receptionist on that floor to put the word out without telling her how much it was.  Three weeks later nobody claimed to have lost any money, so I kept it.  During the interim it stayed in my desk drawer in an envelope under the tray that held pens, paper clips, etc.

In NYC no police station is going to make an effort to find the person who lost a $50 bill in a public place, so I say keep it with a clear conscience.

[camlan]

I'm pretty sure you are never going to see that money again. Hopefully it gets put in the employees tip pool at least though, not just the manager's pocket.

You never know. The manager could be holding the money, waiting for a customer to come in and ask if anyone found it. That might be why all the staff know about it.

When I worked in a large university library, we had a couple of wallets turned in to our desk. They all had money in them. When the person who owned the wallet claimed it, they were always surprised that all their money was still there.

There are a lot of honest people out there.

[Sharnita]

OP, did they ask you for contact information? To me that would indicate a lot about their intentions.

[WillyNilly]

I'm pretty sure you are never going to see that money again. Hopefully it gets put in the employees tip pool at least though, not just the manager's pocket.

You never know. The manager could be holding the money, waiting for a customer to come in and ask if anyone found it. That might be why all the staff know about it.

When I worked in a large university library, we had a couple of wallets turned in to our desk. They all had money in them. When the person who owned the wallet claimed it, they were always surprised that all their money was still there.

There are a lot of honest people out there.

There's a big different between a whole wallet and a single bill though, no matter how large the bill. It would never even occur to me to ask if someone found money I'd dropped, I doubt most people would look for it. A wallet is a different story though.

[Raintree]

I found a wallet when I was a teenager. It had $80 in it. I turned it in to the police. To my surprise, a few months later the police called and said nobody had claimed it, so I should come in and take the money. I couldn't believe it.

But if I found cash on the floor of a retail store or some public place, I'd likely keep it. There is no way of determining whose money it was. At most, I might let management know that if someone comes looking for it, here's my phone number. (And they would have to know the amount in order to claim it). Why should the store get to keep it? (And I wouldn't trust them not to). I guess it depends on the amount, though. If I found $10 I'd be less likely to make a big deal of it by calling management, vs if it were a large wad of cash.

[JenJay]

I found a purse while I was working at a grocery store. I took it to the book keeper and asked her to put it in the safe until I could get ahold of the owner. When the lady showed up she was extremely upset and then extremely relieved. Apparently there was about $1k cash in there - she had been on her way to do all of her Christmas shopping.

I found a wallet with over $600 cash in it, lying in the parking lot at a walmart. I tried to call the number on his ID but it was disconnected. I went inside to the customer service desk and told them I was taking it to the police station on X street so they'd know where to send the owner if he came looking for it. As it turned out he came bursting into the station just as we were leaving. I've never been thanked so much in my life (He told us the cash was an insurance payout and he'd been inside purchasing items to repair his bathroom after a flood!).

No offense to the employees at that walmart but there was no way I was leaving $600 cash with anyone but a police officer. When I worked 24-hour retail I was told NOT to turn lost money in at the office because, according to two of the ladies who worked in there during the day, it would always mysteriously disappear overnight anyway (lots of people in and out on both the night and overnight shifts). 

[Barb3000]

I think I might be inclined to keep it, although I would wait on the premises to see if anyone came back looking for it.
 A single bill, the owner probably has no idea where they lost it.

A wallet with identifying info, I would 100% try to get it back to the owner with all funds intact.

[Lynn2000]

Hello, ehellions!

I frequent a local coffee chain and I found a one-hundred dollar bill on the floor of the establishment before ordering my drink .  The manager happened to be working and I brought it to his attention and gave him the money in case the person who lost it returns.  Today, while at the same establishment, another worker said, "I hear you found money yesterday" - so other employees were made aware of my findings.  She also mentioned that she believes the money was put in the safe.

I was on the phone with my mother this afternoon and shared the story with her and she said it's her understanding that if no one comes back to claim the money that it's mine.  Is she correct in thinking that?  Do I ask the manager what happens to the money if it's not retrieved? 

Thank you all for your input!

If this happened to me, I would just try to forget about it. I wouldn't follow up on it later, or "expect" to get it back if no one else claimed it. Not that you would be demanding it back or anything, of course, but if you just put it out of your mind, then you'll be pleasantly surprised in the unlikely event that they give it to you. And, in the much more likely event that you never see it again, you won't be disappointed.

For some reason this seems like weird advice to give, like I'm telling you how to think.  As far as I'm aware there's no consistent rule, tradition, or etiquette governing this. So, that's just what I personally would do.

[Bijou]

If you find it in an establishment I wonder if it is the same as finding it on the street.  It does seem that the establishment owners have some kind of claim to it.  I don't know.   It could have been dropped by someone who works there or by someone who is in some department transporting money belonging to the business. 

[baconsmom]

I once found $20 on the ground at a gas station. I kept it: there was no way to tell whose it had been, and I worked at a neighboring station, so I knew the employees were not always the most scrupulous.

A couple days later, I came out of work to find a woman parked next to me with three tired kids in the car. She asked if I had any diaper coupons - just that. But she looked so sad and tired that I couldn't imagine she was in a good place.

I gave her $20.

I say, if they do give you the money (or you find some and keep it), pay it forward.