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AIBU?

WWY have done? Was this unreasonable (and/or) a crime?

41 replies

InTheBox · 01/10/2015 18:28

I went to lunch with a colleague earlier, we went to a large supermarket chain. We both went to the self-check out machines to pay and stood together for ease of time etc.

We were waiting on the man infront to pay and leave. When we got to the checkout my colleague went to scan and pay first but we noticed some change in the little thing that dispenses change. At this point the man had already gone and tbh we wouldn't have recognised him if we'd crossed paths in the car park.

Colleague decides to pocket the change whilst I thought we should hand it to the member of staff that was attending that area. She thinks that had we given it back to the supermarket it would have just been pocketed by the "billion pound" store. I think we should have handed it back or if not, hand it in to somewhere. She thinks I'm being precious but I'm not comfortable with potentially being a feature on crime watch - an unlikely event... I know.

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AnchorDownDeepBreath · 01/10/2015 18:29

How much? A few quid or something more substantial?

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WhetherOrNot · 01/10/2015 18:29

Has she never heard of Charity Boxes?

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Caprinihahahaha · 01/10/2015 18:30

You should def turn yourself in at the local police station.

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SouthWesterlyWinds · 01/10/2015 18:31

YANBU - I would have handed it in. You don't know if the man in front was rich, poor or living hand to mouth. It was his property not your colleagues to pocket. Does she think it's acceptable to keep a purse with no ID if she found it in the shop?
It doesn't matter if it's a little or a lot of change - she's in the wrong.

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Psycobabble · 01/10/2015 18:33

On a technicality its theft. If it was 20 quid and you pocketed it and the guy realised and came back, cctv was checked etc it would class as theft ! And I guess theft is theft I don't think if was only say 30p it suddenly isn't theft except the police probably wouldn't bother over that amount

In fairness though if that was me I would prob have handed it in incase he came back . And before I get accused of being self righteous I certainly did worse in my misspent youth Grin

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InTheBox · 01/10/2015 18:34

Anchor About £5.

WhetherOrNot This was my plan, as futile as it sounds that was the best possible alternative as I wouldn't have been able to recognise him even if we had been parked next to each other.

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Tyrannosaurus · 01/10/2015 18:35

It was theft, so yes a crime. That said, she is probably right that if she had given it to the store, they would have kept it as they would have no way of tracing the customer. If it was only small change I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

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Psycobabble · 01/10/2015 18:35

In fact I would definitely have handed it in the "prob" handed it in is down to my dreadful use of the English language and inserting words were I don't need to!

I would have handed it in as someone else has said you don't knownothers financial situations and if it's not yours its not yours to take

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ISpidersmanYouMeanPirate · 01/10/2015 18:37

Stores have to account for all discrepancies including more money than expected so they wouldn't necessarily pocket it.

Whenever I was told to keep the change I didn't put it in the till because my total would be off and anything more than 5p either way got me into trouble...

I Used to give it to charity.

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GloGirl · 01/10/2015 18:40

I'd have kept under £2 , hand in more than that.

If it was a car park machine with no one around I'd keep it all and be proper chuffed Blush

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pigsDOfly · 01/10/2015 18:41

It's not your friend's to keep. Why didn't she take it to customer services?

I think most people realising they'd left £5 change behind would go back to claim it.

Very mean of your friend.

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AnchorDownDeepBreath · 01/10/2015 18:41

Ah okay. I was thinking if it was a few pennies, the store probably would have told you to put it in the charity box. More than a quid and they'd have to account for it as additional money, so they'd log it with the police and hold it at customer services incase he came back. After 60 days, it's usually added to a charity box or returned to the finder depending on store policy.

She stole the money. It could be argued that you're an accomplice, but honestly if you didn't touch it and it was £5, it wouldn't be in the public interest to press charges.

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Prettyeyedpiratesmile · 01/10/2015 19:01

There's another thread on here regarding someone getting jackets for free from matalan and I'll say the same here as I said there. It would
Cross my mind to keep it for a split second then I'd hand it in...a fiver isn't a massive amount of money to me but it could be to someone else who'll miss it. I don't mean that to sound boastful but what if it was part of an old person's pension? Nothing wrong with thinking yippee! At first but then your conscience should Kick in

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SakuraSakura · 01/10/2015 19:03

I would give any change to the shop employee nearby, explaining that someone had left it. Would not pocket it. I've had times in the past where 3 quid would break me!

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Spartans · 01/10/2015 19:04

I think that's pretty awful tbh.

Technically it is a crime as your friend intends to permenantly deprive the owner of the money.

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Prettyeyedpiratesmile · 01/10/2015 19:04

I should add that I found a pensioner's purse in asda when I was heavily pregnant and I handed it in. She'd just drawn her pension that day so had her money for the week and she was distraught that she'd lost it. She put a tannoy announcement out when they gave her it back as she wanted to meet me Blush she insisted on buying me a pack of nappies Blush to say thank you. This is why I always get think that it could be someone who really needs their money, regardless of theapunt.

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Prettyeyedpiratesmile · 01/10/2015 19:04

*amount

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TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 01/10/2015 19:05

I was at in the queue for self-service tills recently when someone in front of me went to a till then went straight to a staff member and said a £5 note had been left in the change bit. The staff asked which one and took the money.

A moment later a man came in and went to the staff and said he'd forgotten to take his £5 change. The staff asked which till. He showed him and the staff said it had just been handed in and gave it to him.

Can't remember where I was going with this post... but yeah, handing it in would have been the decent thing to do.

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suitsyousir79 · 01/10/2015 19:09

There is a defence for theft in this instance, something along the lines of needing to take reasonable steps to find the owner of it. If that couldn't be done (and it sounds like it in this case) then your friend should have handed it in to the store. Sounds more like a moral dilemma than a legal issue.

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Hullygully · 01/10/2015 19:11

Also, they have tiny tiny store detectives standing inside those machines and they will have photographed you both. Next time you go in there those tiny tiny people will be on your arse.

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blibblobblub · 01/10/2015 19:24

5p I probs would've kept, but £5 should've been handed in.

I once found a £20 note on the floor in Next, right by the door. Another foot and it would've been outside. I handed it in with it being in the shop. I probs would've kept it if it was outside Blush

DH and I also once found £15 folded together, obviously fallen out of someone's pocket, on a Friday night in town. We kept that as there was nobody else around, couldn't see who might've dropped it. I did feel a little bad but it paid for our taxi home...

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Therewasanoldladywho · 01/10/2015 19:36

I used the self service tills in Asda once and asked for £20 cash back. I forgot the £20 Blush When I got home and realised, I phoned the store and explained what had happened and it had been handed in. Never been so relieved, it's a lot of money to me. I would also go back for a fiver. YANBU. Your colleague IBU.

Oh, and I now never ask for cashback at self service! Wink

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Smoothyloopy · 01/10/2015 19:42

I once left change in a self service till in my local Tesco's, because I'd used my cupboard they were able to phone me & I collected it from customer services. You don't know the supermarket couldn't have contacted them.

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MsJamieFraser · 01/10/2015 20:58

someone at our local Asda was prosecuted for this, they forgot to pick up their "cash back" and CCTV showed that the next person had pocked it, they ended up with a criminal record.

YANBU.

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Plentychilled · 01/10/2015 21:09

I wish my asda were like yours MsJamie. I forgot my cash back in a self service till (£30) and some fucker took it instead of handing it in and asda basically said tough shit and wouldn't check cctv.

I'd have handed it in but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

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