I could have kept that $20. Would you have? [Ethical Quandry]
Recently while heading to the Washington Metro station kiosk to load up my SmartTrip card for my daily commute, I saw a somewhat confused couple at one of the kiosks. I don’t think they quite understood how to add money to their card, but they seemed to have figured it out and walked away.
I had just initiated the sequence to add money from my SmartBenefits account (I use WageWorks through my employer) to my card when I saw their machine spit out money. The station was pretty empty, so no one else was around to witness this event. I canceled my transaction and walked to their kiosk to see what happened. Apparently they didn’t push a button to finalize the transaction, so the machine timed out and returned the money: a crisp $20 bill!
I won’t lie because the thought crossed my mind to just throw that $20 onto my card and they wouldn’t know any better until they tried to use their card later. But I’d like to think I have higher moral standards than that (I usually do at least), so I grabbed the $20 and ran after the couple. They almost made it out of the station when I called out to them. I explained what went wrong, and then showed them the right way to add money to their card. They were very appreciative.
In my high school and college days, I know I had a “finders keepers” mentality, but I did return a wallet or two as well. It’s not pleasant to know I had a mini-dilemma in my head, even if it lasted just a second, but I’m personally glad I made the ethical decision.
But how about you? Have you had a similar experience and decided to keep the cash when you had a chance to return it directly to the owner? Have you lost cash and had it returned (or not)? Comment and let me know!
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Clever Dude and his bride started with $500k in debt and in just 4 years, it's down to $300k!
Good for you. It makes you feel better when you help others, and hopefully you’ll have some good karma coming your way. Only once in my life have I taken money that didn’t belong to me, and the guilt haunted me. Soon after, I had a few bad things happen, and attributed them to the stunt that I pulled. Now, I try to do the right thing.
“I know I had a “finders keepers” mentality” I don’t think that this applies as much when you know for sure who it did belong too, along the lines of finding a wallet too. However if I found 5 bucks in the gutter while walking across campus then I just got 5 bucks. There is no reasonable way to know whose it was.
I think if I have the ability to know for sure whom it belongs to I would return it.
Good for you! I firmly believe that honesty is the best policy. Not only does honest help build your reputation, but God also commands us to be honest.
Good going,
Nate
Hey, thanks for posting this. I like the honest portrayal in your dilemma. I’m sure we’d all like to think we’d do what you did, but it would still be a dilemma even if only for just a few moments.
Reminds me of a scene in “The Family Man” where Don Cheadle plays an angel of sorts taking a turn as a convenience store clerk. He gives a girl a ten dollar bill for change instead of a one dollar bill to see what she’d do. It’s a scene that challenges the viewer to ask what we’d do.
One time when I was working in a food court on campus, a customer bent down at the counter and picked up a $50 bill and asked if anyone was looking for it. I told that no one had. They seemed to be uncomfortable with taking it and asked if we would hold on to it for whoever lost it. I told them we would and if no one claimed it by the end of the day, I would give it to them. At the end of the day, no one had come to claim, and neither had the person who found it. So, with no way of knowing who had lost it, I ended up taking my girlfriend out to dinner. As a way of trying to balance things out, I left the waitress a hefty tip, which ended up being about 30-35%.
My kids found $20 in an atm once….they were playing around and pretending to use the atm…they were so excited to find the cash! But, we did not see who had last used the machine, and I didn’t feel right about letting them keep it. We were at a truckstop (on a road trip) at the time, and we agreed to give the $20 as a tip to our hard working waitress.
a similar thing happened to me, except the guy withdrew like $1000 and walked away from the ATM (which was stuck into a walll of a building on a busy street) forgetting to pocket the cash. i was standing a few feet away looking through my purse or something, and as soon as i heard the machine beep and looked up to see a thick wad of 20s come out, i was like, HEY! the guy was so astounded i chased after him b/c he didn’t even realize what had happened and was far enough away for it to have gone unnoticed. i know it might not seem like it, but that was a “small miracle” moment in my life for a variety of reasons.
A couple months ago, some money fell out of someone’s pocket in front of me. I stopped in the middle of the street to pick it up and called out to him to give it back. He thanked me and said that he almost certainly wouldn’t have been that nice. Later that day, a pigeon slapped me across the face. So much for karma.
I’m sure everybody has experienced something like this before, and quite frankly, I’m sure we’ve all failed the test a time or two. But an occasional misstep doesn’t make us bad per se, just weak and greedy at that given time. Some may chalk up their reaction to this type of situation to their belief in God or karma, but what it really comes down to is personal character. What kind of person do you want to be? Character isn’t determined by what you do when people are watching,.. it’s determined by what you do when no one is watching.
And it is with this that I will leave you with my favorite quote:
“The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the full light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny……it is the light that guides your way.”
– Heraclitus Greek Poet, Philosopher
I found $30 on the floor in an aisle in Target. I pocketed it but then the more I walked around, the guiltier I got. My 4 year old was also with me, and I thought about what I’d want her to do in that situation. So I turned it in. A few months later, though, I went back and it wasn’t claimed so Target gave it to me!
Bravo!! I would have done exactly the same thing and returned the money. I would have felt too guilty keeping it and would end up making myself sick.
If we lose our honesty we lose a touch of our humanity:)
Fi
I was walking out of the parking garage at my office, and noticed a bank envelope laying in the walkway between two parts of the garage. My initial thought was annoyance at the littering, when I picked it up to throw it out, I was surprised by the thickness. I opened it to find $440 cash, no receipt. My husband and I had both our insurance policies due that month, cash was extremely tight, and I won’t lie, my first thought was how much it would help. Like you, it was only a second’s hesitation, which makes me feel better that I’m not the only one who has had that thought.
After a moment, I thought better — it’s a pretty small building with about 15 companies, all pretty small. We have less than 30 employees at my company, it could have easily belonged to a coworker. Or the very generous owner of my company that treats his employees with such respect. I thought about all the struggles and long discussions my husband and I had at the time just to make financial ends meet. Maybe the person who lost it, that $440 was his family’s last bit of cash, and he would have to go home and tell his wife that he had lost it. That could be someone’s rent. The karmic implications seemed vast.
So I started asking around other offices and my own, saying I had found a bank envelope. I didn’t say the amount or the name of the bank in hopes of finding the actual owner. A little while later, a very frantic lawyer from upstairs found me, knew the amount, the bank, and his car was parked right by where I found the envelope. Honestly, I felt better in that moment than I would have thought. He was so relieved, and offered me $20. It felt even better to turn it down, although I’ll admit I kind of wish he would have sent me flowers or something
you, sir, are a good man. i knew i was friends with you for some reason
this reminds me of those gas issues where they charge only like 23 cents instead of $2.30 and all these people line up and fill up their tanky tanks.
i’m pleased to say that one time it happened to me i told the manager! after i filled up….
I am annoyingly honest. Frankly, the evil thoughts never cross my mind until afterward. My first instinct is always to point out when people have given me too much change. Or I find someone’s left money somewhere.
On the other hand, my husband Tim has the polar opposite instincts. So perhaps we balance out the galaxy.
The following has happened to me on several occasions: I’m taking my shopping bags out of my cart to put them in my car only to find a small item in the bottom of the cart that I’d overlooked at checkout, something like a pack of gum or a card. It’s so small that it really wouldn’t effect the store that greatly but I go inside and pay for it anyway. The cashier always gives me a bewildered look. I’m sure they were thinking, “I would’ve just taken it.”
I don’t think that’s an ethical quandry at all. Finder’s keepers is like you are walking down the street and see a 20 on the ground. You have know way to know who dropped it so yeah you keep it.
But this is an instance of knowing who the money belonged to. It was right to go after them. Had you not been able to catch them then ok keep it.
No dilemma at all. And anyone who wouldn’t do that is someone I wouldn’t want to associate with.
When I was a waitress, I once had a customer give me 400$ in cash and tell me he wanted to pay the bill for his large table and to avoid any argument about it, he was paying in advance. I was to tally up the bill, give myself 15% (A good tip in Canada) and leave him the change. He didn’t even want to see the bill.
I didn’t consider cheating him, but I kept thinking how lucky he was that he had an honest waitress.
If I saw the people and had a reasonable idea who it was then I would return it….but if there was no one around sure I would keep it. I pick up pennies…I would lose my mind if I found $20.
I believe in karma…..if the money was just lying there and I had no clue then it would be finders keepers….but if I saw the couple leave then I would call them back for it.
Good on you, Clever Dude. I don’t recall ever having a situation like that occur to me personally, but I’d hope that if it did, I’d react the same way that you did and return the money (even though I’m sure the thought of keeping it would cross my mind).
I had a similar experience at a Metro kiosk, except that (1) it was $10, not $20, (2) the station was full, not empty, (3) I walked up to the same kiosk as the person with the $10 had tried to use, (4) it took me a minute to realize what was going on when the machine wouldn’t read my SmarTrip card, and (5) by the time the $10 popped out, the person was long gone – I didn’t get a good look at her (I think it was a her) and had no idea which way she went.
So I kept the money. What should I have done? I suppose I could have given it to a station manager. But that idea didn’t occur to me at the time.
You have to make up your mind BEFORE things like that happen; otherwise, the “natural man” will takeover, and you’ll do what is most beneficial to you (ie take the money).
Great post.
I would have returned the money because I knew who it belonged to, and it was the right thing to do. Now if I just found $20 blowing around a parking lot, and there was no one in sight, and no way of knowing who it belonged to, that would have been different. Then I would have kept the money.
Here’s my story: I was on a holiday roadtrip in the U.S. and regularly filled up on gas. Payment was by credit card at the pump. As a foreigner not familiar with the process, I tried with my card and hoped for the best, which went well except for one occasion where it wasn’t very clear if my payment had actually been executed (it looked like not). Not just out of ethical urge but also out of the desire to get clarity I checked with the guy in the ‘shop’, and I left saying something like ‘I couldnt drive away without paying with you being so nice, could I?’. Back in the car and when we were about to drive off, my travel companion wanted to get lip balm so walked back in. When he returned, he said he got it for free. I guess the shop keeper had been appreciative.
Cleverdude,
The world needs more of that. Honesty about being ethical. It is a struggle and it is a choice and you made a great one.
Taking your own time and effort to return and help the other couple is awesome. Just love it.
I don’t believe in karma per see, but decisions like that will make you more rich both monetarily, emotionally, and spiritually.
You did a double good deed by returning the money (which is a ‘must’ in my opinion, or at least the good faith effort of chasing them down) and you taught them how to use the machine.
Good for you!
It will come back to you. Kind of like that couple that found the really expensive engagement ring in the parking garage. Remember that story?
It was 1958. Our family of five had just emigrated from England to Montreal. We didn’t have two cents to rub together. One summer day Mum found the money to take the three of us kids on a bus across town and “up the mountain” (Montreal means Royal Mount). We walked halfway up, got tired, took a break on a bench — and saw a blue $5 bill “RADIATING, GLOWING, BECKONING” near the bench. (All paper money denominations are different in Canada.) Such prospective wealth! Mum said we had to wait for five minutes, watch for an alarmed person looking for something and, if no one came, then and only then could we think about keeping the money. Those five minutes felt like five hours! No one showed up. Oh, the joy, the luxury! We all had ice cream, “crisps” (potato chips), and pop (soda) – PLUS a ride on the amusement train up and down the mountain. What a truly unforgettable, wondrous day. Thanks, Mum!
Great job. I will use your example to help teach my daughter. Thanks.
At one of my lowest points financially — single mom in Philly, no child support, no food stamps, no rent assistance — I went to the bank to deposit my paycheck and also to transfer $40 from savings to checking so I could pay my rent and bills. (This was years ago, before ATMs and online banking.) The teller was friendly and we were chatting while she did the transactions. At the end she handed me my two receipts and also $40 in cash.
That was a *lot* of money to me back then — almost a week’s worth of child care! But it wasn’t mine. I said, “You’ve made a mistake. I was *transferring* $40, not withdrawing it.”
She freaked out, and thanked me over and over, saying she would have gotten in trouble and had to make up the difference out of her own pocket. I went to pick up my daughter and we went home to our supper of homemade navy bean soup. I could not have lived comfortably with myself if I had kept someone else’s money.
As for what to do with found money whose provenance is unknown: I like some of the ideas here, like leaving a bigger tip than usual. Personally, I save up found money (usually coins) all year long and at the end of the year donate it to a charity. This year it will be a local social service agency that runs a food bank and also gives rent and utility assistance.
Bless all of you who are both honest and kind. We need more like you in the world!
I do believe in karma, if only because (like Poe’s “Telltale Heart”), YOU know that you have something that you shouldn’t have. And it is (nearly) silently eating at your conscience until you have some misfortune (because of the mental distraction??) and then you sum it up and decide, “That’s my bad karma for keeping that money that I found in the ATM”.
I have lost $20 cash at the ballpark, and then found $24 in an envelope in a dark parking lot several months later. Karma works both ways, if you wait long enough.
I would not have. You did the absolutely right thing. I am sure the laws of karma will give you the $20 many fold.
Cheers
What do you do if you just find cash ($200) and it’s at a rest area and you have no clue how long ago it was dropped??
I found this. We’d gone to pick up a quick breakfast. I saw the money, thinking it’s a buck. Yeah, it’s 200. I am not broke. In any case – it’s a LOOOTTTTTT of money, for chrissakes.
I waited and waited, hoping someone would come back, realizing they might have dropped it. After almost 30 minutes, we didn’t see anybody frantically looking and didn’t really feel like handing it over to some attendant who’d probably pocket it.
I kept it, but I still feel guilty. I tried to tell myself that my intentions were good and that I really did try to return the money and genuinely wanted to … but it still made me feel weird. Someone lost $200. I didn’t even close to need that money. Maybe they did (why then, might they have been that careless) – but then again, maybe they weren’t careless. I mean – I’ve had bad days when things have gone wrong for no reason.
All this rambling – sorry. I tried ….
@Archie, good job for sticking around. If you’re feeling guilty, try donating it all (and not using it as a tax deduction). Perhaps that will ease the mental pain you’re experiencing
If I found $ and saw who it belonged to I would give it to them, just as you did. But if I happened to see a five dollar bill sitting on the sidewalk all lonely, I’d grab it. You don’t know who it belongs to so who do you give it to?