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This is a topic from the The 2000's forum on inthe00s.
Subject: Be honest now....
Written By: princessofpop on 05/22/03 at 08:37 a.m.
....would YOU have returned it? ::)
http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-goodkid0522.artmay22,0,681886.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dlocal
Supermarket Worker Finds, Returns Handbag Containing $40,000
May 22, 2003
By CHARLES STANNARD, Courant Staff Writer
DEEP RIVER -- Matt Doyle did what was expected of him when he found a brown leather handbag in a shopping cart in the parking lot of the A&P Super Foodmart in Old Lyme Saturday afternoon.
"I brought it to the office for someone to claim it," said Matt, 15, a part-time worker at the supermarket. "That's company policy."
Doyle had done this once before, last fall when he found a wallet containing nearly $1,000 cash and received a $20 reward from the owner. But the woman's handbag he found Saturday contained $40,000 folded in several bank envelopes.
The handbag and cash belonged to a woman named Patricia, whose name and address have not been released by the store or Old Lyme police. One published report said a list in the bag indicated the money was earmarked for the woman's burial plot and funeral expenses.
An identification card in the handbag belonged to the woman's daughter, who called the store a few hours after the handbag was found. The purse was turned over to state police, who returned it to Patricia.
Matt, who works at the store on Saturdays, said Wednesday he never learned the woman's name and was not aware of the amount of cash when he brought the bag to the store's office. He said Patricia had not called him to express gratitude.
But store managers, including the assistant manager, Matt's father Dennis, have praised the teen for his actions.
"They were real proud of me and they said it was real honest of me to turn it in," he said. "I couldn't keep that kind of money because it wasn't mine."
Dennis Doyle, who was working Saturday when Matt found the bag, said he told his son how proud of him he was as they drove back to their home on Westbrook Road at the end of the day's shift.
"I said `Matt, how did it feel to hold $40,000?" Doyle said. "He said `Dad, I didn't know it was in there."'
Joyce Doyle, Matt's mother, said she is "extremely proud" of her son. "I was speechless when they came home and told me how much money was in there," she said.
Joyce Doyle, who works at the A&P Super Foodmart in Branford, said she is not troubled that the woman who lost the bag has not contacted Matt to say thank you.
"I can understand her wanting to remain anonymous," she said.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Durania on 05/22/03 at 08:45 a.m.
I would turn it in. With things like that, I always try to put myself in the other persons shoes. I would think of things like: What if this purse belongs to a woman who's getting abused, and she finally saved enough money to get away? Or maybe just a single mom who needs that money for day care or doctors bills, etc...
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: resinchaser on 05/22/03 at 08:48 a.m.
This woman hasn't even called to thank him, he should have kept it. I know I would have.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Arcfire on 05/22/03 at 09:39 a.m.
Quoting:
I would turn it in. With things like that, I always try to put myself in the other persons shoes. I would think of things like: What if this purse belongs to a woman who's getting abused, and she finally saved enough money to get away? Or maybe just a single mom who needs that money for day care or doctors bills, etc...
End Quote
The question is Durania what idiot would have 40K in a purse? I would have handed it in as well, but sheesh! go to a bank, so you can write a check, do something but dont lug it around in a purse! Unless she is one of those from the 60s and is worried about "big brother".......
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: princessofpop on 05/22/03 at 09:42 a.m.
Quoting:
The question is Durania what idiot would have 40K in a purse?
End Quote
Maybe she was buying dope or maybe.....she just got through robbing a bank! :D
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Arcfire on 05/22/03 at 09:56 a.m.
Quoting:
Maybe she was buying dope or maybe.....she just got through robbing a bank! :D
End Quote
LOL maybe she was a pusher? Or the madam of the local bordello? Little did we know about granny! :P
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: CatwomanofV on 05/22/03 at 10:49 a.m.
I would have turned it in whether or not I knew that amount of money was in there. The least the woman could have done was thank the guy. Even if she didn't know who the guy was. There are letters to the editor all the time thanking some anonymous person who helped out. I think this falls under "random acts of kindness." There are so few and far between these days and people should be recongized for doing them.
Cat
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: 80sRocked on 05/22/03 at 11:02 a.m.
geesh thats a tough one.
I would certainly hope morals would prevail and force me to turn it in, but I will admit the little devil on my shoulder would definitely be tempting me to keep it. :D
Honestly if I was stupid enough to be carrying around $40,000 and lost it, and someone found it and gave it back to me, I would not only thank him but I would give him a nice cash reward for his honesty.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: princessofpop on 05/22/03 at 11:53 a.m.
Quoting:
geesh thats a tough one.
I would certainly hope morals would prevail and force me to turn it in, but I will admit the little devil on my shoulder would definitely be tempting me to keep it. :D
End Quote
Yeah, my feelings exactly! ;D
Quoting:
I would not only thank him but I would give him a nice cash reward for his honesty.
End Quote
I do find it rather upsetting that there was no "reward" (c'mon, it's not like the kid found $100.....$40,000 is a whole lotta money to lose) but more disturbing that she never thanked the kid. :-/
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: oddxsocks on 05/22/03 at 01:42 p.m.
i would have turned it in...well, most of it anyway. ;) there's always the chance of a nice reward, which, sadly, doesn't seem to be the case here... :-/
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Hairspray on 05/22/03 at 02:43 p.m.
That kid is a saint, a hero! :o :D
That woman who didn't thank him is one UNgrateful old bag. >:(
Sheesh. There are very few people on Earth who would have done that good deed.
As to whether or not I would have kept it -
I would have honestly returned it and I'm not typing that to look all noble and stuff. I just know what it feels like to have something stolen and never returned. It sucks!
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Shaz on 05/22/03 at 02:51 p.m.
I would return it. If 40k was just laying around that would scare me to death.....imagine if it was yours and you lost it! :(
She should have given him a reward though. >:(
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Hairspray on 05/22/03 at 02:54 p.m.
Quoting:
She should have given him a reward though. >:(
End Quote
Yeah. I mean, a measly $100.00 bill (in comparison to the grand total) is peanuts for that kind of return service.
The woman should have some clue that kind of return was a sheer miracle.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: RockandRollFan on 05/22/03 at 03:22 p.m.
Absolutely...I would've returned it...as for being given anything, that would be thier call. If I had something returned to me...and I have...I always give some sort of reward.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Fred on 05/22/03 at 04:26 p.m.
Quoting:
This woman hasn't even called to thank him, he should have kept it. I know I would have.
End Quote
If she didn't thank him then I say he should have kept it.
Edited for typo
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: dagwood on 05/22/03 at 06:18 p.m.
Tought question. I would have returned it, though. My conscience would not have allowed me to keep it. I do think that the lady should at least thank him, if not give him a reward.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Devaraj on 05/22/03 at 08:57 p.m.
Quoting:
Tought question. I would have returned it, though. My conscience would not have allowed me to keep it. I do think that the lady should at least thank him, if not give him a reward.
End Quote
Very true... It's really tough to come across someone so sincere...the very least the lady should have done is thank the person.. but then again..maybe she will :D
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: BrianMannixGirl on 05/22/03 at 11:42 p.m.
You know - I find it hard to answer because its about cash. Cash is a rather impersonal thing. I have found a $50 note in the street and picked it up and kept it and something tells me I would do the same if it was a bag of notes (and yes I ask the question - who the heck carries that much cash around????? unless they were off to pay a kidnapper or something !).
Having said that - and now having you all doubt my honesty and integrity ...................
11 or 12 years ago when I was a struggling sole wage earner supporting a gambling addicted alcoholic husband - I was doing a government archiving project - dealing with boxes that hadnt been opened for over 10 years. I reached in and among the papers I found the most amazing ring I have ever seen. Think bigger than Princess Di's engagement ring. Huge sapphire surrounded by countless huge diamonds.
Yes the first thought was "man this could pay the bills seeing as how I have no money and my husband has gambled all the bill money away". But then I looked at the engraving. Two initials followed by a date - and the date was the day, month and year I was born. It was freaky.
So I went around to some of the oldtimers in the office and asked about the initials. Someone remembered a lady who had left the office years and years previously. I rang her and asked if she was missing a ring.
She came tearing into the office hours later with photos of her ring. She had never reported its loss to insurance because she just couldnt place when or where she had lost it. Her husband had designed it for her and he had died a few years before this all happened so it was like having a memory returned to her.
She gave me a huge bouquet of flowers and chocolates and went straight to my manager - who later wrote me a commendation.
I found out the ring was worth nearly $20,000.
I dont know if it made a difference that it was a personal object that someone was dearly missing. If I had reached into that same box and pulled out $20k in cash - I honestly couldnt tell you if I would be telling you the same story.
Hillariously - a couple of weeks ago here a man walked out of his house with a million and a half dollars in cash in a briefcase and hasnt been seen since. His car was found at the airport. Detectives are having difficulty ascertaining whether he was killed for the cash - or whether he has done a runner overseas. GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I wanna be a detective - I reckon I could solve that case in seconds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine if you have found THAT briefcase !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Dude on 05/23/03 at 03:15 a.m.
Being honest now........
Two years ago I would've kept the 40 grand without a doubt.
Today, I would return it, without a doubt.
I'm not going into the reasoning here, let's just say that I wouldn't enjoy a thing that I spent a penny of it on. Of course, two years ago, I wouldn't have either so......... :-/
As far as the lady thanking the kid........give her a chance. It has only been a couple of days. Whose to say she isn't just laying low until the media circus dies down and then she'll thank him properly. Just MHO.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: XenaKat13 on 05/23/03 at 08:54 a.m.
The article says the kid turned in a purse...he had no idea that there was cash in it, or how much.
A properly-brought up person would indeed turn it in....without rifling through the contents to see what was in it of value.
I would, and have done the same many times.
As for the lady thanking him....she still should...media circus or no...it is possible for her to do such a thing without alerting the media. The fact that she hasn't does not speak well for her upbringing.
She's d**n lucky it was an honest person who found her bag. A dishonest person would have opened it and taken the cash...and dumped the purse in the woods or in a dumpster. The way she's treating this kid...it would serve her right if that had happened instead.
Now...if it was a brown paper bag...with only cash...and no identification...that's a different story.
If I find a couple of hundred bucks in cash...loose...I'd keep it (and yes, I have...my cousin and I found $300 in cash loose on the floor of a shopping mall...and no one nearby...we split it). If in a wallet or purse, naturally I turn it in.
$40 thousand is a different story. I'd have to pay income tax on it. Even if I don't declare it, the bank would notice and rat me out. And I'm too paranoid to hide it in the house. I'd turn it in to the police. There is a general rule about unclaimed "lost" property being handed over to the finder. It runs from 30 days to a year, depending on the value.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Don_Carlos on 05/24/03 at 03:01 p.m.
A few weeks ago I returned an item to a store and accepted a "cash card" for the refund. I tried to use it for a purchase, but the cashier, after trying several times, couldn't figure it out, so I paid cash. Next time in that store, I used it again, and found that the ballance had multiplied from $20 to $159.99 ??? ??? I told the cashier, the manger wrote me a new card, and I left the store feeling like....(how would you have felt?)
I felt I did the right thing. I think I'd do the same again.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Rice Cube on 05/25/03 at 01:41 a.m.
Ah, but will the right thing make you happy? ;)
I think I'd keep it, but only after beating the crap out of my conscience...hehehehe.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Dude on 05/25/03 at 04:10 a.m.
Quoting:
Ah, but will the right thing make you happy? ;)
I think I'd keep it, but only after beating the crap out of my conscience...hehehehe.
End Quote
That's the real question here, isn't it? I've had that battle myself, quite a few times, and Mr. Conscience always seems to kick my proverbial @ss.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Trueblue on 05/25/03 at 04:21 a.m.
I recall finding a wallet at work containing $400 and handed it to a higher authority, who then handed it to someone higher, who contacted the owner. The highest authority got the kudos and passed them down to the next level. I in turn got sweet nothing not even a thanks. I vowed next wallet I find I keep but of course the next wallet I did find I still handed in. It's against my nature to steal......
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: Tarzan Boy on 05/25/03 at 04:30 a.m.
That's a lot of money. It's kind of hard not to consider keeping it. It's totally random for me. On a fluke, I may hand it in to the authorities or not.
Knowing how ungrateful the person who misplaced this money is, I would take a handsome reward and then see if I can sneak the money near the police station with a small, unsigned note. $40K? I'd take up to $4K and use it for rent, food, and expenses for school 8) So yeah, I'd keep some of the money most likely.
Subject: Re: Be honest now....
Written By: 80s_cheerleader on 05/25/03 at 07:17 a.m.
Okay, speaking from the point of view of someone who has left their purse places (carts, restaurants, etc) MULTIPLE times and always having it returned intact, I would turn it in. I have seen store employees (in a not-so-nice part of town) find purses in carts and just take them right up to customer service, who then looks in it. It's just the right thing to do.
Now, as has been said before, if I find cash (bills) in the street, I keep it, but if it's in a store or a mall or something like that, I take it to security or customer service. You never know who it belongs to, it might be someone's last $20 that they were buying diapers or baby food with.