Money Moral Dilemma: What should I do with forgotten change?

elizabethhull

marich wrote: »

Why not mention pocketing it ? An awful lot of people contributing here have suggested by their choices that their morals would not put them above this .

Yes - so let's hear it for just putting it in your pocket and walking out - come on all you who stand your ground on clever returns and sales and wear-once-and-return and gifts and all that supposedly allowed-by-law but cheaty stuff .

Where do you stand here ? Which of these honest options would you go for - or would what you call your morals cave in once again and "It's OK because somebody walked out on their change so it doesn't really count"?

Is it OK to take it ? Let's hear you - be honest - at least for once !

Well in this case, my high moral ground is simply that I would be terrified of being seen to steal it, so yes, I'd bring it to the attention of the cashier. If it was on the floor I'd probably pocket it!
My fear of being seen/caught is my conscience that stops me doing a lot of minor misdemeanors, and that's how it should. Big stuff I don't have the temptation because I know it's wrong in a big way. Small stuff - oh the embarrassment of being seen to be a sneak thief, that's enough to stop me.

elsien

That's a bit holier than thou for the sake of potentially about 20p, which no one is ever going to come back for.
If it's shrapnel I'm probably keeping it or sticking it in the charity tin as I suspect most people wouid regardless of what they say on here. If it's pounds and notes of course I'm giving it to store staff.
As with most of these "dilemmas", context is everything.

This reply is for happyinflorida as my phone won't let me quote.

bishbut

All my small change (copper 5 pence coins sometimes 10 pence coins ) are put in the shops charity tin or I say do not bother giving me any change

stmartinsdiver

It might have been left by someone with a flashy new car outside who couldn't care less but equally it could have been left by an absent minded oldie with a shopping trolley and a small pension.

Having walked out without taking my own change once I went back a few minutes later and it was still there with the supervisor. I would have felt peeved if it had been taken, but instead I felt pleased that someone had been honest and I would like to think I'd do the same if I found change missed by someone else.

Techno

Our local ASDA has a large charity box right by the self service tills so a couple of times if it is less than 50p I have put it in there. I did see someone find a fiver which they gave to the assistant and literally seconds later an elderly lady returned in a panic - she had picked up the change but hadn't seen the note.

NBLondon

If you've just seen the person walking away - then "Hey - you've left your change" is the instinctive reaction. I did that once in a Post Office self-service machine and got the response "I paid by card" so it could have been sitting there for a while. The PO staff member caught my eye and shrugged - he didn't care or want to deal with it - so I said to both - I'll stick it in the next charity box I see. About 15p IIRC. If there was a note sticking out then I'd definitely give it to the supervisor.

I usually go contactless at self-service tills so I wouldn't necessarily look at the tray. Only if I'd used cash and realised there were coins there before my change was added to the pile - and if in a rush I'd possibly scoop it up and just check there was roughly the right amount not noticing if there was 10p extra.

Does this clash with my Wombling activities on another thread? Maybe - but I think there's a difference between change in the till which is more likely to have been left in error and change which has been abandoned and assumed valueless.

-taff

I would wait until my change had come out of the machine and take it.
That's if there really was no one there I could run after and give it to. And I actually noticed it.

[Deleted User]

Bung it in a charity box, most supermarkets have them now.

tallgirld

What a strange question.....Take it out, chuck it in the air and make it rain!!!

REJP

Putting it in your pocket makes you a thief.
The person who left it might be in dire financial trouble, or a forgetful pensioner who can not afford to lose money.
Correct procedure is to call a member of staff and report the find, it will be recorded in case the person who left it comes back for it.
Who dreams up these questions? They get more childish every week.