To think my friend shouldn't have taken this money?

[Gracelet]

She was at a National Trust type place which had a second hand book section. As she was browsing she found £165 hidden in one of the books. Rather than hand it in she just kept it and looked rather shocked when I said it was theft.

My perspective - the book belonged to the shop and therefore so does the money.

Her perspective - just luck she came across it so decided to keep it/the shop should have checked the books.

Just for extra info, she doesn't struggle with money but does live payday to payday.

I wouldn’t trust your friend, poor morals.

Most people donate stuff by carrying it into the shop and sticking it on the floor wherever they tell you to and leaving- in all my time working and donating in charity shops I’ve never given or taken a name, never mind anything identifiable.

If someone did gift aid, when donating 50 books for example, do you note down the title of each book next to the record of their name/address?

My old boss had £1000 stashed in an old handbag she'd asked me to sell on ebay amongst other things.

I mentioned it to her and she couldn't remember putting it there.
She was a trust fund baby in her 40's.
I was tempted to not say anything but guilt would have followed me all my days.

I still think about it though when topics like this turn up.

Do you wish you'd found it and kept it OP? Did she share with you?

Was it from Newark Park? They have a second hand book room.

It would have gone to the upkeep of that property if handed in, or the original owner may be traced.

Or isn't it just as likely that a staff member would keep it or it would be shared out amongst the staff..

Most NT stately home places have a second hand book place.

It’s called theft by finding. It’s a crime. She is a thief. Theft in every sense of the word.’

How did she find £165 in a book??? Was there a cut out section? I hate to mention it, but books have very vertical pages and close precisely as intended when professionally printed. Or even if not. You'd find the £165 bulge. What a bananas story.

When people sign up to gift aid in store, a unique number is generated that's assigned to their record (name & address & email/phone) and in most shops you print barcodes from that number to stick on each of their sellable donations so they scan properly at the till. So if an item had a gift aider barcode on it, you can search up the donors details on the system. :)

But I agree the non gift aiders tend to just pop things wherever there's space and we don't take any info in our store.

@MommaSB I've donated books to the second hand bookshop at our NT when visiting. There was no gift aid process like in charity shops etc it was basically just dump a box of books.

If she was smart she would have bought the book with it inside

She stole it though without even buying the book it was in.
I hope most people wouldn't keep it. It's obviously theft.

Top mums net comment of the week 🤣

Theft.

The book was donated to NT and the money should have been received by the charity.

It’s awful she just took the money and didn’t even buy the book.

The best thing is you know who she is. Steer clear.

Did you/can you flag to the NT site that they haven't checked their books?

The reality is that they don't, and can't, do it a lot of the time. I've bought loads of books from their second hand book rooms and have ended up with quite a collection of things that came unexpectedly. Usually bookmarks or things being used as them (train tickets, post cards, receipts for the book). Sometimes notes and shopping lists. Once an unopened birthday card (the receiver donated the book without opening it). And once, an old paper fiver.

You have to wonder if your friend would have picked up £165 off the floor if she saw it and kept it.

However, here's where I don't think it was that bad. Whoever donated it also didn't check it. I do a 'birthday book purge' every year where I donate books I don't want to read again, or haven't read since I got them. As part of this, I flick every book open. I'm one of those people who use 'whatever is to hand' for a bookmark and don't want to burden someone else with my train tickets or the wrapper off my chocolate bar. And I'd like to keep my nice bookmarks, post cards and money.

It's called, 'theft by finding'.

That's known as 'Theft by finding'.

Potentially carries a prison sentence.

Are you a man Paisleydad?

If so you've peak mansplained with that reply 😂😃

This thread popped back up in my feed, and I did kind of wonder why somebody had gone searching for it/stumbled across it and decided it would be helpful to repeat the last post again, three months later?!