Would you keep the money?

[theonetowalkinthesun]

I genuinely just am interested in MN responses as to what you should or would do in this kind of situation!

If you found a £20 note on the floor in a supermarket, with no one nearby who it was obviously from, would you pick it up and keep it?

What about if you found it on the ground in the middle of a park, with again no one nearby who it was obviously from?

Just the note alone - it's not part of a wallet or purse!

(It's not really an AIBU is it- AIBU to wonder what you would do?)

It actually happened to me in a big store last year - two £20's paperclipped together, though goodness knows why

I didn't hand it in because, frankly, I couldn't know if it would be recorded or just "disappear". Instead I told them I'd found "a sum of money", gave them my details and said to contact me if anyone reported the loss with a description of what it was

I never heard anything, so gave it to charity in the end

This happened awhile ago it was in the news a women was in a shop and found 20 on the floor. She picked it up and pocketed it. The cctv was reviewed and she was arrested, it's theft apparently.
I feel like If you handed it into the store though they'd just keep it.

Those saying they would keep it and it's a trivial matter that wouldn't interest the police may wish to read this

Wasn't a young woman who picked up & kept a £20 that she found on a shop floor charged with theft?

I think within a supermarket I'd hand it in.

Not sure how the person who dropped it could prove that it was theirs though.

Cross posted Sensei

Not sure how the person who dropped it could prove that it was theirs though

Presumably they would be the only person approaching the CSD asking if £20 had been handed in within a small time frame?

why would the police investigate someone losin. £20? my mums bag was stolen in a shop with £200 in it and the police didnt even investigate

I've handed cash in at supermarkets three times now. Each time the supervisor at customer services took my phone number and each time a few weeks later I got a call to say it hadn't been claimed and would I like it. I did the same with a purse that had nothing in it but cash that I found on the High Street except that was to the police. Again a few weeks later I was called and asked if I'd collect it. The only time I haven't handed in cash found was the two times it was deep in the woods while I was walking the dogs.

I once lost an entire week's benefit money and got beaten up as a result of being so careless!
I totally appreciate the consequences of seemingly small amounts being the make or break of eating that week, although realistic enough to know if you hand a tenner in, it'll be spent on the staff lottery/biscuits/petty cash tin.

It's considered stealing to keep it, in a supermarket at least will have cctv and if watched would be obvious it wasn't yours.

In a park, realistically though, yes. i'd keep it. No way to prove whose it was like CCTV, no easy place to hand it in like a customer services etc.

Most I've ever found was £10. In a shop, I looked and looked for someone who might have lost it but in the end kept it.
If I found £20 in a shop I'd do something (don't know what, but something) probably details at till with my number and "found an amount" type statement.

In a park I'd keep it - if there were no likely candidates looking for it.

Obviously have to chime in my own thoughts.

Park would be an easy keep for me (that same idea of the universe paying me back that PPs have said?), as no one to hand it in to and I never even considered taking a £20 note to the police!

Supermarket- because it's not in a purse, I would think that no one would end up going to claim it if I handed it in as it's not very identifiable, and it would potentially end up pocketed? So I think I would keep it? Not too sure.

Was wondering about whether people would give it to charity or not. I did find £20 once on a path on our way to a little independent coffee shop with a friend - we used it to fund our coffee and cake, and get a toasted sandwich each that we weren't planning on!

I was intrigued because I had a good friend tell me she'd leave the money where it was if she found it in a park! She said that she would feel too guilty picking it up and so she would leave it in the hope that the person might come back looking for it, or if someone else found it first, they might need it more than she does! I was gobsmacked until I heard her reasoning!

I borrowed £40 from DD1's money box when she was little and it was my last £40 in the world. Dropped it in Tesco's car park and it disappeared. Asked at customer services and they laughed their heads off at the notion of someone handing it in. I'll never forget that horrible sinking feeling.

Gosh that £20 note one stop news story makes you think things! I think I'd now listen to other posters and leave my details with the supermarket staff for the person to contact me with denominations and time, rather than physically hand the money into the supermarket- that's a really good idea.

I have always handed in anything over £5. As a child I handed in £10 I found on my paper round. It was claimed the same morning. They were really grateful. My DS found a lot of money a couple of years ago. Jis dad's eyes lit at at the thought of keeping it. I said no, we had to hand it in, as it was tbe right thing to do. It was a lot of money and someone was bound to come forward. They didn't , so DS was then able, to put in a claim and not feel bad about it.

£20 is a lot of money to a lot of people.

Sorry but I think I would hand it in. It could be a really nice deed just before Christmas.

I'd keep it. I might hand it in in a supermarket if feeling particularly virtuous but in all honesty I'd be far more likely to just pocket it.
I found £20 once when we were really, really broke and in quite a desperate situation and I topped up the gas and electric meters, £10 each, and did not feel guilty at all. But then I also kept a £10 note I found when not in any sort of financial need and took ds1 and ds2 for Happy Meals and McFlurries, and didn't feel bad about that either. I might not be a very decent person!

I'd always hand it back to the supermarket. Imagine if it was someone who was desperately short of money and went back to ask if it had been found. Surely no-one would keep it.

As for in a park, if there was a police station nearby, I'd hand that in too. As for laughing at that, how strange, it's the right thing to do. If it was impossible to get to a police station with it, I'd stick it in a charity box. Agreed it wouldnt be mine to do that with, but its the least worst option.

I found £20 on the beach recently. I bought ice creams for my family with it!

I would hand it in. That heart sink moment when you realise you've lost your money - I'm pretty sure we've all been there. I found £60 in a bus shelter once, 3 x £20 pound notes rolled up together. I handed it in but it was never claimed, so I was given it back. I gave it to my local hospice.

I try and hand money in. £10 being lost would be a really big deal to me so I do my best. But sometimes there really is nothing you can do. In a shop or supermarket I would always hand it in. In a park without a cafe or workshed, I would pick it up and hang around a bit to see if anyone came looking, or check on the local community page. After that I'd keep it.

When my children were younger and, if we found money in the street, we would give it to charity if it wasn't a huge amount. It is something that they still do now that they're older. Depending on how much was found, I would hand it in to a police station - I'm not sure I would do it for £20. I feel quite disappointed in myself about that.

If money was found in a shop, I would hand it in if it was a larger note - there is CCTV everywhere now! Smaller amounts - put it in a charity pot on the counter, there's always one around.

My husband found a wallet once containing £3000! Who carries that much cash!!

I found £20 in a park recently. I was walking home past a charity shop so took it in and gave it to them.

I attempted to hand in £40 a few years ago, the police station was shut and it had been laying in the street down a quiet back road. I rang the police who were shocked I was trying to hand it in. Long story short they didn’t ring me back and the station was still closed. I ended up giving it to a Christmas appeal.

I lost £40 myself about 25 years ago, it was my rent money at the time and caused quite a bit of anguish.

I would put it in a charity collection box..It's not mine to keep

It's not yours to give away either - exactly!!

And anyway - as if!

I handed in a £10 note in our local supermarket recently - I found it on the floor but nobody was anywhere near it. I handed it in and the member of staff on the customer services till put it in her pocket. She said she couldn't put it in the till as obviously it wouldn't balance at the end of the day. She was just going on her break so if anyone was looking for it, they wouldn't have got it back as it was in her pocket in the staff room or wherever they go during breaks.