# Found $100 at the grocery store. Am I an idiot for turning it in? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563 "2018-05-21T15:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/21 "2018-05-21T19:17:11Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > It would have been good to leave contact info in case no one claimed it, but I don’t know what the odds really are that the store would have called you back in to hand it over. I can tell you what the policy is of the store I work at. If a customer hands in found money we’ll take it in, but if no one claims it we will never call that customer back. Once you give it to the store the store considers it the store’s property. So our people would likely not bother to get contact information from such a customer, and even if the store had the contact information it would never be used. Not that is the store’s policy - any opinions I personally may or may not have about it is a different story. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I find it odd that the employee did not ask you for your personal info. The policy is that if no one comes for the money it is returned to the finder. I would follow up with the manger on this. Not universally, see above. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/22 "2018-05-21T19:45:23Z")
Similar situation last June: Found a $20 bill on the bottom of the pool. Inquired of the lifeguards and aerobics instructor (who just finished a class) if anyone reported losing money. Nothing. Turned it over to the manager and suggested putting it into the party fund for the lifeguards if no one claimed it. Apparently no one did. I just wanted it off my hands and to go to a good cause if the owner didn’t get it back. But note that I turned it into the _manager_. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/23 "2018-05-21T19:48:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So nobody else would have spent it on pizza? Only if I were homeless and desperate. And I’d still have $50 left over! On a more serious note, as much as I hate to admit it, my answer depends on my circumstances. There have been times when I’ve been on my uppers and not knowing if I would have anything to eat the next day (I once pawned my watch for $10 so I could eat for a couple of days), and for that me I probably would have kept it with glee, and not given a second thought to the person who lost it. These days I am very comfortable and would not even be tempted. I’m not sure where the bright line between the two selves is drawn, I hope it’s pretty far towards the earlier case. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/24 "2018-05-21T19:54:12Z")
I found a $10 bill sitting on the bottom of a lake once. I considered turning it into a fish I saw swimming around that seemed to be looking for something, but I kept, still feel a little guilty about it. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/25 "2018-05-21T20:04:56Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I found a $10 bill sitting on the bottom of a lake once. I considered turning it into a fish I saw swimming around that seemed to be looking for something, but I kept, still feel a little guilty about it. What type of fish seemed to be looking for something? A trout or a bass? If so your conscious should be clear because clearly it was a [billfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billfish) that lost it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/26 "2018-05-21T20:09:17Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Only if I were homeless and desperate. And I’d still have $50 left over! > > On a more serious note, as much as I hate to admit it, my answer depends on my circumstances. There have been times when I’ve been on my uppers and not knowing if I would have anything to eat the next day (I once pawned my watch for $10 so I could eat for a couple of days), and for that me I probably would have kept it with glee, and not given a second thought to the person who lost it. These days I am very comfortable and would not even be tempted. I’m not sure where the bright line between the two selves is drawn, I hope it’s pretty far towards the earlier case. Look, there is about zero chance that the store would or will be able to turn it into the person who lost it, so by handing it over, you are just making a multi-million $ company $100 richer. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/27 "2018-05-21T20:11:20Z")
Having had the chance to think about it, here’s what I’d do: 1. Pocket the money. 2. Call the store a day or two later, and ask them if someone has contacted them, saying they’d lost some money in the store. If someone has done so, and what they say they’ve lost corresponds to what I’ve found, I bring it in so they can pass it along. Otherwise, I keep it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/28 "2018-05-21T20:40:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look, there is about zero chance that the store would or will be able to turn it into the person who lost it, so by handing it over, you are just making a multi-million $ company $100 richer. See, that’s what bothers me. If someone shows up at the store and says they lost $100, great - they get their money back. But if not, the store is $100 richer and I’m not. I don’t feel like an idiot for turning it in as much as I feel like an idiot for letting the store take control of the situation. I should have just asked for a manager and said “Hey, here’s my phone number. If anyone reports losing a large amount of money, have them call me.” If nobody ever calls, then finders keepers. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/29 "2018-05-21T20:46:00Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > See, that’s what bothers me. If someone shows up at the store and says they lost $100, great - they get their money back. But if not, the store is $100 richer and I’m not. I don’t feel like an idiot for turning it in as much as I feel like an idiot for letting the store take control of the situation. I should have just asked for a manager and said “Hey, here’s my phone number. If anyone reports losing a large amount of money, have them call me.” If nobody ever calls, then finders keepers. Hmm, that is a pretty good way of handling it. Dont tell them how much. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/30 "2018-05-21T21:20:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look, there is about zero chance that the store would or will be able to turn it into the person who lost it, so by handing it over, you are just making a multi-million $ company $100 richer. So what? It’s not my money. I don’t keep things that don’t belong to me. If I were certain that there was no way to return the money to the person who lost it, I would donate it to charity or something like that. This, at least, is the attitude of the current, non-desperate me. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/31 "2018-05-21T21:50:32Z")
I would turn it in. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/32 "2018-05-21T21:56:19Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I found a $10 bill sitting on the bottom of a lake once. I considered turning it into a fish I saw swimming around that seemed to be looking for something, but I kept, still feel a little guilty about it. It’s very hard to turn a bill into a fish. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/33 "2018-05-21T22:03:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look, there is about zero chance that the store would or will be able to turn it into the person who lost it, so by handing it over, you are just making a multi-million $ company $100 richer. If you turn over $100 to a Sears store, you would be doubling the value of the company. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/34 "2018-05-21T22:27:51Z")
I’d turn it in - the burst of ego for my incredible awesomeness is worth the payment. Plus I’m a paranoid bastard and wouldn’t want anybody to think I was stealing it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/35 "2018-05-22T00:35:21Z")
Loose bills go right into the wallet unless it’s obvious someone is looking around for something. There’s almost zero chance of found cash making it’s way back to it’s original owner. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/36 "2018-05-22T00:42:04Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I would turn it in. > > “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” This. I have turned in $60 I found in the store. And anyway I’m solid enough financially enough that anyone working at a store & who decides to pilfer it probably needs the cash much more than I do, so it doesn’t honestly feel wrong either way for me. And I feel honorable by doing the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/37 "2018-05-22T01:26:01Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > We constantly have found money at the store. If no one claims it after 30 days, it is donated to charity… Is it donated to charity, or “donated” to “charity”? mmm ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/38 "2018-05-22T01:29:27Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I would turn it in. > > “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Not integrity. Integrity would be informing the management that you found some money and if anyone asked about it, you’d send it to that person. This is just ripping up found money and flushing it down the toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/39 "2018-05-22T02:51:26Z")
My policy if I see somebody else’s lost money is to leave it lying there. It’s not my money, and it’s not magically-appearing “free money” falling like manna from heaven. It’s the property of somebody else who would probably like to get it back. Realistically, it’s not very likely that the owner of the lost money actually will get it back, but that doesn’t justify my stealing it to keep for myself. Turning the lost money in to an employee might or might not increase the chances that its owner will get it back, but I wouldn’t call it “idiotic” unless you happen to know that the employee is intending to keep the money for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563/40 "2018-05-22T03:14:52Z")
No, OP, you aren’t an idiot for turning it in. It wasn’t yours, there was a reasonable chance that the person to whom it belonged was going to come back looking for it, and you did the right thing. A couple years ago, I was at a Subway near my house, and saw a crisp $100 bill at my feet. I picked it up and handed it to the cashier and told her, “This was on the floor, and it’s not mine.” A few minutes later, as I was filling my soda, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and thanked me, and wanted to give me a small reward. I refused and said I was glad she got her money back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-100-at-the-grocery-store-am-i-an-idiot-for-turning-it-in/814563.md?page=3)