# You buy something. In the car you find the clerk gave you a 50 instead of a 10. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775 "2005-02-24T22:30:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/21 "2005-02-24T23:38:49Z")
Return it, no question. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/22 "2005-02-24T23:39:59Z")
I suppose it depends on how far away I was from the store. If I did make it home, it depends on if I was heading that way next time I go in. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/23 "2005-02-24T23:40:31Z")
[QUOTE] > [@Lobsang](#): > > In my cultural experience the guy at fault is almost certainly the owner of the shop. And even if not, the discrepancy is highly unlikely to result in a firing. Who mentioned firing? > [@](#): > > I’ve been ‘long’ changed before and actually given it back, but i’f you’ve got completely out of the shop then legally the money is yours Cite? Let me ask you this. Suppose I am at your house and you give an an old jacket that you no longer wear. When I get in my car I find a piece of jewelry that has both real and sentimental value to you. Is it mine? Now suppose I have purchased the jacket from you for a small sum. Now do I own the jewelry? In either case am I obligated to return it? ---
**Author:** ![Azure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Azure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azure)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/24 "2005-02-24T23:45:43Z")
…can’t help but notice, none of you count the change as soon as it’s handed to you? ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/25 "2005-02-24T23:48:43Z")
In the store, I absolutely tell the clerk when they’ve made an error in my favour. If I’ve left the store, forget it. Not worth the hassle of returning. /Ms Cyros ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/26 "2005-02-24T23:49:51Z")
Some of you can rationalize all you want to, but money overpaid to you isn’t yours. Honesty isn’t relative. You are either honest or you are not. If you keep the overage, you’re not. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/27 "2005-02-24T23:51:30Z")
Give it back. Because I don’t always have good transportation, I’ve been known to hang on to things I received mistakenly – either money or goods – for up to a week before I’m able to take them back. But I always return what isn’t mine. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/28 "2005-02-24T23:55:14Z")
> [@DesertGeezer](#): > > Some of you can rationalize all you want to, but money overpaid to you isn’t yours. Honesty isn’t relative. You are either honest or you are not. If you keep the overage, you’re not. Why should I have to go to the trouble of walking back to the store because someone else screwed up? Like I said, if I screwed up, I’d be more than willing to accept the consequences (which might not have to include firing, I’m sure the boss would allow you to pay the difference yourself to balance the drawer). ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/29 "2005-02-25T00:00:18Z")
I’m sorry, I’d keep it. The fault is with the cashier for not checking what he gave me. ---
**Author:** ![MsPrufrock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@MsPrufrock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsPrufrock)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/30 "2005-02-25T00:08:17Z")
Return it. If I’d gotten home before noticing I’d probably keep it but I’m still in the car and it’s only fair that I give it back - it’s a minor mistake that can be corrected easily enough. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/31 "2005-02-25T00:09:15Z")
The clerk made an error. it wasn’t a fault, it was a mistake. Not returning the money would be the real fault, to me. StG ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/32 "2005-02-25T00:09:22Z")
It’s not my money. It’s not a windfall. It must go back. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/33 "2005-02-25T00:09:28Z")
I’d return it. Profiting off an innocent error isn’t something I could feel decent about. Besides, when she was a teenager, my sister was disciplined at a cashiering job for being a couple bucks off in her register. I would hate to think someone else was dealing with the same thing when I could have fixed it. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/34 "2005-02-25T00:13:54Z")
> [@DarkSideoftheFloyd](#): > > I’m sorry, I’d keep it. The fault is with the cashier for not checking what he gave me. It is not a question of who is at fault. The question is whether you have any claim to the money. On what do you base that claim? That someone mistakenly gave it to you? If your brother mistakenly gives me something of yours that you value highly, can I claim ownership, citing his mistake as proof? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/35 "2005-02-25T00:21:40Z")
Justify and rationalize how you will. As a child, I learned what was acceptable, and what I teach my own child. Would you not treat others as you would have them treat you? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/36 "2005-02-25T00:23:05Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Would you not treat others as you would have them treat you? Yes. If I give someone too much change I expect them to keep it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/37 "2005-02-25T00:25:10Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > If your brother mistakenly gives me something of yours that you value highly, can I claim ownership, citing his mistake as proof? In my experience growing up - Yes. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/38 "2005-02-25T00:32:57Z")
I’d give it back, no question. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/39 "2005-02-25T00:33:07Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] > [@](#): > > Who mentioned firing? > > Cite? > Let me ask you this. Suppose I am at your house and you give an an old jacket that you no longer wear. When I get in my car I find a piece of jewelry that has both real and sentimental value to you. Is it mine? Now suppose I have purchased the jacket from you for a small sum. Now do I own the jewelry? In either case am I obligated to return it? No. The jewelry is yours. I can ask for it, but if you refuse on the grounds that It was part of what I sold to you, then it’s yours. As for the cite, well I made that ‘fact’ up, (so sue me) but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the ‘once you leave the shop it’s yours’ rule is part of British law. I’ve seen many a sign in many a shop which reads something along the lines of “check your change before you leave. once you leave all liability on our part is void” ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775/40 "2005-02-25T00:34:40Z")
I’d give it back without question. I’m amazed and a little disturbed by many of the answers here, and I’m no saint. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-buy-something-in-the-car-you-find-the-clerk-gave-you-a-50-instead-of-a-10/291775.md?page=3)