Real life MMD: Should I keep the cash?

Cerisa

Keep it. Consider it a bonus for covering her !!! all those times

ladbraz

Really, if you've been doing rounds for her and she hasn't been giving you a significant cut (really she ought to have offered you the whole sum, as you're still doing her the favour of making her look reliable) or returning the favour each time, then you're being badly abused here. Of course it depends on how close you are as well, but a good friend (or even anyone with a moral conscience) really ought to have been offering to either pay you (at least 50%), or cover your round the next week to make up. Financially, this is likely to be the bigger issue here, so I think you should bring that up with her as well.

I think it would be wrong not to mention the tip to her (unless it was a trivial amount), but you should also raise the issue of how to divide it fairly. If you can agree with your friend roughly (or better still if you know precisely) how many rounds your friend has done, and how many you've covered, then it would seem fair to split the tip proportionately. e.g. Your friend has done 17 rounds and you've covered 3 of her rounds, and you got a £20 tip (ino... you wish!), then your friend would keep £17 and give you £3.

superbabe612

Before Christmas my eldest was in a school drama production so my youngest was doing her paper round for a couple of weeks (and getting paid for it). My youngest received a tip from one of the householders and I encouraged her to split half of it with her sister, and when my eldest got a tip I encouraged her to share it also. They both agreed it was the fairest thing to do.

I would have felt differently if my eldest had missed her paper round due to a hangover though (but she is only 14!)

custard_monkey

You snooze, you lose - simple.

A.Jones

I'd keep the money. They tipped you, not your friend.

A.Jones

RuthnJasper wrote: »

I might also subtly suggest some assistance for the girl with the persistent hangovers - she's drinking underage to a point where she's regularly (as implied with MSE Penelope's use of the word "often") hungover and unable to show up for work. That's not good - she needs a bit of help there.

The way it is written, it does not imply that. It says "She often calls in sick when she's hungover". This implies she regularly calls in sick when she is hungover. It does not imply she is regularly hungover.

If I use the same phrase ...

I often celebrate when England win a major sporting trophy.

It means if England win then I often celebrate. It doesn't imply that England often wins.

landylee

Yes i believe you should keep the cash,seeing as your doing there work for them.
I`d go 1 step further and tell them that your getting there tips,as it may give her abit of insentive to pull there weight,& as the old addage say`s if they don`t like it they can lump it.
WELL DONE YOU ANYWAY,YOUR DOING YOUR SHARE,IT`S THERE FAULT & THERES ALONE WHY THE TIPS AREN`T GOING THERE WAY,YOU DESERVE IT!!!:T

ladbraz

A.Jones wrote: »

They tipped you, not your friend.

Simply not true. The dilemma explicitly stated that the money was specifically intended for the usual papergirl (I presume the hungover friend). I'm curious to understand how this was known, but before all moral considerations about how the money should be divided between the paper rounders, the first consideration must be where the money came from, and who it was intended for.

Just because someone has a moral obligation or owes you money, it doesn't mean that you have the right to take money that is intended for them just because you happen to be in a position to do so.

custard_monkey

A.Jones wrote: »

The way it is written, it does not imply that. It says "She often calls in sick when she's hungover". This implies she regularly calls in sick when she is hungover. It does not imply she is regularly hungover.

If I use the same phrase ...

I often celebrate when England win a major sporting trophy.

It means if England win then I often celebrate. It doesn't imply that England often wins.

I doubt that the original questioner was paying as much attention to the semantics of the message as you are. I would say that the spirit of the wording is quite clear 'she often calls in sick' - the implicit meaning is that she does this because she is hungover.

Butter_faerie

I think there are valid reasons for keeping it, splitting it and handing it over. However, I wouldn't keep quiet about it. If householder mentions the tip to the friend, it would make you seem shady.