[Mocha]

I was at our local coffee shop this morning (that we go to every morning) and when we went to leave there was a $20 bill on the ground in an empty parking spot. I spotted it and picked it up. My husband (Mr. honest guy) thought that I should bring it into the shop and turn it into the girls working and if somebody mentioned losing 20 bucks they should give it to them and if not they should give it back to us. I say, just keep it and have a nice meal out.

It has been bothering my husband all day. He feels so bad about the person losing $20. The biggest reason he feels bad is that we probably know the person who lost it because we see the same people there every day. It's not like it was at the grocery store or at a Wal-Mart or something. This was our local, every morning stop.

What would you do?

 

[Allie]

keep it...the people inside probably would have.

 

[BigBrownDog]

I have had this happen more than once.

Outside in a parking lot IMO it is fair game. You have no idea who could have lost it - it could have blown there from another location. It is yours. I found a 20 on the street one early morning while I was delivering papers - I kept it. I had no way of knowing what house it might have belonged to.

Inside - I would turn it in and leave my name and contact info. I once found a wad of cash in a grocery store and turned it in to the management. The elderly woman who had dropped it was frantic when she asked the people at the store about it and it made a huge difference to her to be able to recover it. She was really grateful to me.

 

[labby]

I agree with Allie. The people inside the story would just keep it.

Now if it were a wad of money, I'd call the police and turn it over to them.

 

[kiddsmom]

If he feels really bad, have him give it to charity.

 

[AZLAB]

I agree no one is going to know where they lost the $20 at so I would either keep it or give it to charity. Or if your hubby feels really bad ask the people at the diner if anyone said anything about loosing some money. If they tell you yes $20 you can return it to the person.

 

[MyGoldenBoy]

Can he go to the store tomorrow and leave his contact information for anyone who lost $20? He can hang onto it for a week and if no one claims it, it's his.

 

[cousin kenny]

Id put it in my gas tank of my charger .

 

[Paddysmom]

Found in the parking lot I would have picked it up and put it in my wallet.
Found inside the store? I would have given it to the manager, I guess.

 

[RangerMom]

Found in the parking lot I would have picked it up and put it in my wallet.
Found inside the store? I would have given it to the manager, I guess.

I'd probably do what Nance said. Although if it was a significant amount of money, I'd probably go into the store and ask if they could take my contact info.

 

[Garth]

I would have kept it. It was in a parking lot. It could have blown there from anywhere. If it was a wallet - especially one with ID, that's a different matter. In that case I'd try & contact the owner or hand it into the cops.

When I was 16, my 1st job after leaving school was in a grocery store. One day I found $100 in a shopping cart. I handed it to the manager stupidly thinking he would place a found ad in the shop window or make some similar effort to try & find the owner. He didn't. I asked him about a week later if anyone claimed it. I got told yes. I later found out from another staffer that he kept it. Not long after that, he was fired for theft from the company. That was a really valuable lesson for a "green" 16yo as to what it's like out there in the real world.