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

[InTheBox]

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.

[Thelushinthepub]

You must call the police on yourself. They will arrest you put you on remand you will have a trial and serve prison time. Sorry. You should've kept quiet, now MN'ers know they will all call 101 on you as per standard advice if you don't

[FarFromAnyRoad]

Oh OP you are SO going to be on Crimewatch right there next to Mr Big the cocaine importer and that masked bloke who held up the corner shop at gunpoint. Them. And you. Staring out of the tellybox.
Dob yourself in - you know it makes sense!

[GirlOverboard]

What your colleague did is essentially theft. It's not like finding a £5 note in the middle of the street. At a self-service checkout it's very easy to reunite the owner with their money - because there's a receipt/CCTV/loyalty card details to prove who the money belonged to. The man might have returned two minutes later, only to find that someone had pocketed his money. How would that make you feel if it happened to you? And forget all this charity box stuff - the money should have been handed to a member of staff.

[Narp]

It's immoral. Not a nice sign, IMO. It's not hers and she knows it. I would have put it in a charity box

[InimitableJeeves]

Interesting responses on here. I remember a thread around a year ago about whether you'd hand in money you found in the street, and there quite a few vociferous types who seemed to think the concept of handing it in was quite bizarre and that it was perfectly OK to keep it. Glad to note that honesty is winning out here!

[MoonSandwich]

Yanbu
I saw a group of noisy sweary teenagers in tescos just yesterday day. They were being rowdy and messing around. I was getting ready to clutch my pearls and do some hoiking when the main protagonist handed the cashier a pile of change to the cashier while explaining that he had found it in the self serve change dispenser. If those ruffians can be honest so can your colleague. I would tease her about it for a few weeks.

[InTheBox]

FarFromAnyRoad

I only hope that they let me have my last meal of a McDonalds double sausage and egg McMuffin before they put me away.

But I admit that had it been on a random road somewhere then there'd be a major difference.

[kali110]

We ( just workers) never had to account for discrepancies when i worked in retail.
We always put odd change through the till under charity donation.

[nameinlights]

This happened to me, I handed the money to a staff member.

[WhereTheFuckIsMyFuckingCoat]

I was at a self service till with my 10 and 11yo ds'. The 10yo noticed a $2 and a $1 along with some silver in the change compartment. He immediately picked it up and said 'yessss!!' Before I could get the chance to reprimand him, my 11yo said open mouthed 'go and give it to the lady, it's not yours, someone might need that!' So he did, and the cashier was very praising towards him saying 'most people just pocket it'

It taught him a lesson and I told him that almost $4 could mean two loaves or a bag of apples for someone, and he realised that it would have been wrong to keep it. I was also quite proud of my 11yo.

In the situation you describe op, it should definitely have been handed in.

[IamtheDevilsAvocado]

Yup it's theft... Also it doesn't reflect well on your colleague's honesty in general does itit?The fact she was willing to do it in front of you is not good either... Does she think you are similarly dishonest /that it doesn't really matter?

Btw finding and pocketing money found in the street is still theft.. I find it odd so many otherwise decent people think it's OK to do this.... Often cited is the difficulty of returning it to its owner... This is irrelevant!

[HeartOfADog]

Genuinely interested in what constitutes 'theft' here. Last year I found 20 quid in a stairwell near a shopping centre car park. No shops or staff nearby, and no one who had obviously just dropped it. It was near Christmas so I picked it up and went and bought a couple of gifts for disadvantaged kids, the shopping centre had a scheme on. Now I think perhaps I should have handed it in somewhere. Couldn't quite think where though and was sure the next person would just pocket it. Aware I prob did the wrong thing

[Spartans]

Theft is intentionally depriving an owner of their property.

[Osolea]

Just remember that your colleague has shown you very clearly what sort of a person she is.

[WhereTheFuckIsMyFuckingCoat]

You can be charged (in Scotland anyway, not sure of English law) with Theft By Finding if you do not, within a reasonable amount of time, attempt to return goods/money to their original owner by, for example, handing over to the police. Although, you would be unlikely to be prosecuted for such a small amount, as the pf wouldn't find it in the public interest to prosecute, however, it's still theft to keep money that you find. (Although a large majority of people would, and do).

[WhereTheFuckIsMyFuckingCoat]

Heartofadog - while what you did had good intentions, handing into the local police station would have been better. If the owner of the £20 had enquired and could tell the police exactly where they thought they lost it, and the amount, it would be returned to them. Unlikely, I know, but it does happen. And the people most likely to phone around looking for it, would be the people who most need it.

In most forces, if the money isn't claimed within a certain timeframe, it is either returned to the finder or given to charity.