Who owns a pound left in supermarket trolley?

[Zippyzoppy]

My son has a part-time job at weekends with one of the major supermarkets. One of his tasks is to round up any stray trolleys and put them back in the trolley park.

Apparently, from time to time ( maybe one/twice per day) people can’t be arsed to put their own trolleys back and so leave the £1 coins in the trolley. If this happens, he keeps the pound and puts the trolley back as required. When he first told me about this, I was quite pleased for him and thought it was a nice way for him to make a few extra quid.

However, when I mentioned this to a friend, she was aghast as she thought that he was cheating /stealing from his employer as the money is rightfully theirs.

Who is right?

He's right. It's a tip.

Of course he’s not stealing! What a crazy suggestion.

Finders keepers. No way does that belong to the supermarket.

That's his little bonus for doing a tedious job! Whoever left it has basically tipped him it to take his trolley back imo! Nothing to do with his employers. Would love to see Asda chase down Janice for stealing a quid she found in a trolley!

I would say it’s a perk of the job unless he’s been specifically told that there is a collection pot. Plus they then have the problem of loose cash and how they need to account for it - another job for someone. Could he slip into conversation with a colleague what they do?

If I ever left money in a trolley I would far prefer whoever found it kept it!

I don't know what the legal ownership would be. I tend to think legally it's the supermarket's money? Finders keepers springs to mind, but on balance I think he should be handing it over.

Finders Keepers.

But then if I find a trolley in the car park and use it and then return it, does that mean I should give the pound to the supermarket?

If it’s the supermarket’s money how will they log it into their books and pay taxes on it? 🤔

I’d say it’s a tip for him from the customer.
I have read in some countries where they (sadly) have street children it is common for shoppers to let them return a trolley so they can keep the coin. The coin belongs to the shopper. If they leave it then finders keepers.

Twice in two weeks I have recovered an abandoned trolley and pocketed the pound. Never even occurred to me it could be stealing!. if your friend found a pound coin on the pavement would she hand it in to the nearest shop or police station in case anyone came looking for it?

When they first introduced the trolley charge, local DCs used to hang about the car park so they could collect the trolleys and get the pound coins.
The money doesn't belong to the supermarket.

The point of the trolley needing a coin is to put people off leaving them scattered around the car park and that way, if they do abandon them, the supermarket gets £1 towards paying for people to collect the abandoned ones.

Agree @Fairydustandsparklylights your friend is ridiculous.

I've done it a couple of times, screaming children, left it at bollards not in proper bit, just feel bad and leave.

If I can I just give it to someone

Op friend, not your friend @Fairydustandsparklylights

The same way they do with any other money they take?

I think it belongs to your DS @Zippyzoppy , I am fairly sure the supermarket won't go broke for not getting £2 a week in trolly revenue

They log the money against goods they’ve sold.
What kind of entry would the abandoned £1 from a trolley be? What receipt can be given? Is it subject to VAT? 🧐

definitely belongs to DS

If the shopper returned the trolley there would be no revenue for the supermarket so it's ridiculous to suggest they should get it to cover the cost of paying people to round up trolleys. The pound belongs to whoever returns the trolley, which in this case is your son.

Your friend is an arse - don't tell her anything else.

Whoever left it has basically tipped him it to take his trolley back imo!

Exactly this. It's a direct parallel to the countries with common sense that still put a deposit on drinks bottles - either the purchaser takes it back when empty and gets their deposit back, gives it to a child/disadvantaged person or they leave it lying around to be found by them, and then they take it back to get the deposit for themselves.

The bottles make it back to be reused/recycled, rather than left any old place as a hazard, so either way, the deposit has done its job. It's also a handy mechanism for a bit of voluntary low-level wealth redistribution.

Whoever finds it and can be bothered to return it to where it's meant to be.

Do the Terms and Conditions of the job say anything relevant?