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.

No, according to her the money was just shoved in random places in the book between the pages.

I mean, I get that it might be difficult to hand it in if you're really struggling, but she isn't.

Did she buy the book?

I think if I were living paycheck to paycheck I might find it hard to hand over £165, but I would have bought the book.

If she bought the book it wasn't theft. If she didn't buy the book and just took the money it was theft.

What you doing on mumsnet? I’d still be in the shop checking the rest of the books!

Good pun x

Highly unlikely they'd be able to track down the owner of a particular book from a secondhand section. I do think it's different to finding money at a soft play or even on the street, where someone's likely to be looking for it having realised they've lost it. This is much more likely long gone and forgotten, the owner might even have died and their books have been donated en masse. If you had a big love for the NT, you'd be right to had it in and they could put it in their coffers. But I understand your friend's temptation. It does feel like a stroke of luck and a victimless crime. Maybe I'd have split it and handed in half to ease my conscience while enjoying the stroke of luck with the other half. If that makes me a terrible person, it's no worse than the buying the book logic.

Okay if she didn't buy the book it was theft and she is an idiot.

Of course she should have handed it in!

And where exactly are these books?
I have a few hours spare today I could do with some errr book shopping.

I would totally keep it, but would have bought the book.

She should have bought the book and then kept the money. But would the money in the book become apparent when she bought the book?!

I think morally if I was buying the book then the money is mine. Ie I could've found it once I got home. So to mitigate my shame I would've pocketed the money, but also bought the book, and left quite a big donation in their charity box.

I would have handed it in, but wouldn't judge someone who didn't if they live paycheck to paycheck. That must be hard, and the money would be far more useful to her than the NT.

If she’d bought the book, and then found the money inside it, fine. It’s hers to keep.

But if she just found the money and pocketed it without buying the book that’s pretty shitty.

The NT would not in a million years have been able to track down the donor of the book, so it’s not about that, but the money belongs to the NT until the book is purchased so it should have been treated as a cash donation to the NT.

The OP says that her friend absolutely does not need the money.

Pretty sly to not buy the book with her windfall 📖

@Gracelet I do hope that she is no longer your friend

How do you know she isn't? Just from assumptions?

Some charity shops track what sells and you get a giftaid report.

National trust absolutely do not track who donates what. Half the time it’s cash in a tin in their secondhand bookstores.

Who would she hand it in to, someone in the shop who could pocket it?

If someone wanted to donate to NT they should have just done that.

She should at least have bought the book.

Lol

Theft.

Yeah I agree, if you bought an item and find something else inside it that’s different to just pinching something.

I would have asked a probating question along the lines of finding out if they keep records of who donates what. Assuming they don’t, I would have purchased the book and kept the money, it was no more the stores money to keep than your friends.

If the store had the details of the original owner then I would have handed it in and hoped they were able to get it back to rightful owner.

edited to say:
unless this was a charity of course! If it’s a charity or non profit then I would have handed it in, it may even have been originally intended as a donation that was never found! Comment above stands if just a commercial outlet.