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What would you have done? (found money)


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I found (a lot of) money outside the library today as I was leaving. I picked it up and my first reaction was to look for who dropped it. There was no one in sight. So, I returned to the front desk and asked for the manager. I told her what I found and she said she would put the money in an envelop in the safe. However, what she actually did that moment was put it in her pocket!!! I had my four kids with me and I was strapped with a ton of books so we left. I felt very uneasy and so I called back two hours later to see if the cash was claimed. Nope. I then called the non emergency number for our local police to report it in case the person thought to check with the police and not the library. (The library is next to a park and baseball fields). Anyway, what more could I do? Did I handle this right? I can imagine that this significant chunk of money was intended for rent or a lot of groceries so this person does need to find it.

Thank you!

 

Edited: So, should I follow up with the person I handed the money? I don't believe she intends to post a notice about something being found and since it had not been claimed this evening I wondered... What will she do with it? How long will she save it in the lost and found? Should I inquire or forget about it? I often think how would I want some else to handle it and I don't have a clear idea of what is best. I mean, what is the best action can I take to help "do the right thing?" I'm feeling like I should do more to help get the money returned/found.

Edited by Sue in TX
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I told her what I found and she said she would put the money in an envelop in the safe. However, what she actually did that moment was put it in her pocket!!!

 

Just to give her the benefit of the doubt, she could still have gone to the back and set it aside. She might not have wanted to be roaming around with a wad of cash in her hand, in case it attracted a thief's attention.

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I think you did fine.

 

What I did in a similar situation was to tell the manager that I had found something very valuable. I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me if someone came in looking for the lost item. Then that person could describe the item to me and I would know if it was theirs.

 

Turns out, as we were leaving the store someone was frantically searching the ground and I asked what they had lost. They told me, and I returned it to them.

 

I lived near the store, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to meet the owner of the item there to return it.

Edited by Chelle in MO
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I think you did fine.

 

What I did in a similar situation was to tell the manager that I had found something very valuable. I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me if someone came in looking for the lost item. Then that person could describe the item to me and I would know if it was theirs.

 

 

 

:iagree: That's exactly what we've done in the past. I want to get the lost item back to the RIGHT person.

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I think you did the right thing, especially following up with the police station.

 

:iagree:

 

Just to give her the benefit of the doubt, she could still have gone to the back and set it aside. She might not have wanted to be roaming around with a wad of cash in her hand, in case it attracted a thief's attention.

 

That's what I was thinking as well. Then again, I am notoriously naive. :tongue_smilie:

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Oh, bless your heart. I wish the library would demonstrate integrity by posting a sign on their checkout counter, perhaps.

 

That person who lost the money is no doubt retracing his/her steps to determine it's whereabouts.

 

Even though it's unlikely the person and money will reunite; it is still a possibility.

 

I would talk to the highest level personnel you can.

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I think you did fine.

 

What I did in a similar situation was to tell the manager that I had found something very valuable. I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me if someone came in looking for the lost item. Then that person could describe the item to me and I would know if it was theirs.

 

Turns out, as we were leaving the store someone was frantically searching the ground and I asked what they had lost. They told me, and I returned it to them.

 

I lived near the store, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to meet the owner of the item there to return it.

 

That's exactly what we did when EK once found a folded $100 bill on the floor at Walmart. We reported to the service desk that we had found some cash (we didn't say how much), and gave them our contact info in case anyone came to report missing money. Just a short time later, a lady called us and said she had gotten our phone number from Walmart customer service. Dh spoke with her and asked her to describe what she had lost. She said she had lost a $100 bill, and she went on to describe the way it was folded. Then we met her in the parking lot at McDonald's and returned her money. She was so happy to get back her $100 bill that she gave EK $25!

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Just to give her the benefit of the doubt, she could still have gone to the back and set it aside. She might not have wanted to be roaming around with a wad of cash in her hand, in case it attracted a thief's attention.

:iagree: I work the front desk at our library and I tend to put things in my pocket instead of setting them on the counter or in a drawer.

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I never turn anything in of value. I tell the desk generically what I found, in this case cash/money; I leave my number. The person who comes to claim it can call and be moer specific about what was lost. I will make sure to get it to them. Afraid I just do not trust the people who work behind the desks.:glare::tongue_smilie:

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Well, I just turned in a big plastic bag full of all manner of credit cards, that the woman ahead of me left behind at the checkout counter. She was just leaving from collecting her car keys that she'd left on a previous trip. I figured she'd know where to come once she realized. And I think the library clerk was going to call her up as her library card was in among the pile.

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That's exactly what we did when EK once found a folded $100 bill on the floor at Walmart. We reported to the service desk that we had found some cash (we didn't say how much), and gave them our contact info in case anyone came to report missing money. Just a short time later, a lady called us and said she had gotten our phone number from Walmart customer service. Dh spoke with her and asked her to describe what she had lost. She said she had lost a $100 bill, and she went on to describe the way it was folded. Then we met her in the parking lot at McDonald's and returned her money. She was so happy to get back her $100 bill that she gave EK $25!

 

Sweet!

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putting it in her pocket is a definite no no. i would follow up at the library to see if it has been claimed and make sure it has been reported to the library supervisory authority. I.e, I would not stop at the person behind the counter but only with the head of the library.

 

And whenever you give someone money, get a signed receipt. That would completely solve the problem of whether they will account properly for it. If the person who took the money will not give you a receipt for it that is a HUGE red flag. Asking for such a receipt does not accuse anyone of anything, but anyone not willing to account for what they have received is definitely suspect. you obviously already have doubts about this person.

 

But if you do not feel comfortable doing any of this, do not blame yourself. But maybe take more caution next time. It is natural to trust people.

Edited by mathwonk
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Libraries get lost items all day long. They cannot post a notice about each item. That doesn't mean the employee would steal it. I don't see a reason to distrust them, and it seems a bit late to try to exercise control over the process. You handed the money over to the library. You didn't try to find the person yourself. You didn't ask what would happen to it if it went unclaimed before, so it just seems strange and somehow accusatory to go back and demand answers after the fact.

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I think you did fine.

 

What I did in a similar situation was to tell the manager that I had found something very valuable. I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me if someone came in looking for the lost item. Then that person could describe the item to me and I would know if it was theirs.

 

 

:iagree: This is what I've done in the past.

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I found (a lot of) money outside the library today as I was leaving. I picked it up and my first reaction was to look for who dropped it. There was no one in sight. So, I returned to the front desk and asked for the manager. I told her what I found and she said she would put the money in an envelop in the safe. However, what she actually did that moment was put it in her pocket!!! I had my four kids with me and I was strapped with a ton of books so we left. I felt very uneasy and so I called back two hours later to see if the cash was claimed. Nope. I then called the non emergency number for our local police to report it in case the person thought to check with the police and not the library. (The library is next to a park and baseball fields). Anyway, what more could I do? Did I handle this right? I can imagine that this significant chunk of money was intended for rent or a lot of groceries so this person does need to find it.

Thank you!

 

Edited: So, should I follow up with the person I handed the money? I don't believe she intends to post a notice about something being found and since it had not been claimed this evening I wondered... What will she do with it? How long will she save it in the lost and found? Should I inquire or forget about it? I often think how would I want some else to handle it and I don't have a clear idea of what is best. I mean, what is the best action can I take to help "do the right thing?" I'm feeling like I should do more to help get the money returned/found.

 

I don't know what more you could do. But I'd certainly follow up with it with the person I gave the money to, and maybe, prior to that, with her boss.

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I think you did the right thing. I am just curious as all get out if the person came back and claimed their cash. :lurk5:

 

I remember my folks finding a wad of cash years ago when I was growing up. We were living in an apartment building in Germany at the time. They posted a notice in the stairwell that they had found some cash and it was turned in to the MPs. Thirty days later, no one claimed it and the MPs gave it to my parents. :D

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I found $40 in the parking lot at the convenience store near my house. I went back in and gave it to the lady at the register. She acted very strange about it and gave me a weird answer when I asked how they handled lost cash. I followed up with the store manager and he confirmed that she did not handle it correctly and should have taken my name and number. Their policy was if it wasn't claimed in two weeks, they would give it to me. He did take my info and no one ever claimed it, so they gave me the money. It really seemed like the lady I turned it into was hoping that she would get to claim it if no one came looking for it.

 

I would follow up because they may have a similar policy.

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I totally agree and this is a case of being realistic, not pessimistic.

 

I wouldn't have given it to the librarian in the first place, but after seeing her put it in her pocket, I would have ALSO said to her that I plan to report the missing money to the police, too, and will be checking back to see if it was claimed! If I were that librarian, I wouldn't have wanted even the appearance that I was taking that money. That was unprofessional, in my opinion!

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I never turn anything in of value. I tell the desk generically what I found, in this case cash/money; I leave my number. The person who comes to claim it can call and be moer specific about what was lost. I will make sure to get it to them. Afraid I just do not trust the people who work behind the desks.:glare::tongue_smilie:

 

This is what I would do too. I think what the OP did is fine , but I think it could be too easily lost/forgotten/stolen in the shuffle. I might ask if I could post a sign about it on their bulletin board. Calling the police and reporting it is a good idea too.

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Edited original post to ask-

 

Should I do more? Should I ask (the person I gave the money to) about their efforts to get the money back to the person who lost it?

 

Stay involved or forget about it?

 

It sounds like you are suspicous that the librarian will keep the money. So I would contact her and inform her that you filed a police report of found goods. That should prompt her be honest in her handling of the money.

 

If you still feel stongly, make a sign, go to the library and ask the library manager to post it.

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