Moral dilemma - return cash to shop?

LegacyUser

I rarely carry cash, and if I ever ask for cashback on my debit card, it's always for a specific purpose. Last weekend I was in Dunnes and I asked for €50 cashback because I knew I'd need it for my babysitter last night. I think I confused the girl at the checkout though because I saw her take out a €50 note, and I tried to ask her for two 20s and a 10, but instead (half-asleep and distracted) I accidentally asked her for two 10s and two 5s or something - I don't know. Anyways I didn't check it at the time. I just took the notes, wrapped them up in the till receipt (as I always do) and put it in a special separate compartment in my wallet.

I went to take it out last night, and when I unwrapped the receipt, there were three 20s and two 5s. The receipt says €50 cashback, and that's all that was charged to my debit card, so she gave me an extra 20.

My first thought was that I'll be back to Dunnes tomorrow so I'll return it then. Then I thought, what if I cause more hassle for the checkout girl. If they count their own floats in there at the end of a shift, maybe she realised herself that she must have made an error and replaced the 20 from her own cash without telling anyone, to avoid getting in trouble .. if I go to return the 20, I could actually be getting her in trouble. On the other hand, if management are already aware that she made an error and that the till was down, then if she got a warning/punishment it's happened already .. me returning the cash wont change the fact that she made a mistake and its probably on her record. I don't think I'd recognise her if I went into the shop again, so trying to return it directly to her isn't an option.

I was thinking best solution would be give it to a charity. I could of course do with an extra 20 myself, but it would feel like stolen money. At least if I give it to charity, I'll feel like some good came of it, and I won't be worrying about getting anyone in even more trouble.

Any thoughts? Am I overthinking this?

Beaner1

I'd give the money back as its not yours. Let a manager or shift manager know what happened, what time etc. It will most likely do her a favour.

Penny Tration

Believe me, it'll do her a massive favour if you return it and explain it to the manager.

ElleEm

Her name/ employee number/ till number would be on the reciept. Ring up or go in. It is very unlikely she was the one who noticed the error, it may have been the cash office in Dunnes so she won't have replaced the missing money.

Dozen Wicked Words

I'm not spiritual at all, and karma is probably nonsense, but if it exists you'll be due bucket loads if you return the money. You'll also have a good reason to feel great about yourself.

You'll be helping her a lot if you go in and explain to the manager and give it back

AlmightyCushion

I'd give it back. For a start each individual cashier in Dunne's has their own float (or at least my local one does it that way), so if there's money missing it's her that is responsible. 20 euro missing would be a pretty big deal. I used to work in tesco and smaller amounts than that would cause then to freak out.

Secondly, there is a known scam in retail where someone will try and confuse the cashier by getting them to swap notes back and forth a few times. Obviously that's not what you were doing but if the cashier gets asked (and they will get asked) does anything suspicious come to mind and they mention that you swapped notes over a few times then they will probably think you were trying to scam them. If that's the case and you don't return it your next weekly shop could go very badly.

Penny Tration

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

I'd give it back. For a start each individual cashier in Dunne's has their own float (or at least my local one does it that way), so if there's money missing it's her that is responsible. 20 euro missing would be a pretty big deal. I used to work in tesco and smaller amounts than that would cause then to freak out.

Secondly, there is a known scam in retail where someone will try and confuse the cashier by getting them to swap notes back and forth a few times. Obviously that's not what you were doing but if the cashier gets asked (and they will get asked) does anything suspicious come to mind and they mention that you swapped notes over a few times then they will probably think you were trying to scam them. If that's the case and you don't return it your next weekly shop could go very badly.

Yup, i was scammed that way. Ended up calling the police next time the man came in.

Can I suggest, op, that if you're going to return it to a manager, explain how you think you confused the girl. Won't get you in trouble, but could have her warning rescinded (most of the Dunnes stores give oofficial warnings over short floats).

AlmightyCushion

green_screen wrote: »

Yup, i was scammed that way. Ended up calling the police next time the man came in.

Can I suggest, op, that if you're going to return it to a manager, explain how you think you confused the girl. Won't get you in trouble, but could have her warning rescinded (most of the Dunnes stores give oofficial warnings over short floats).

It happened to me to. I'm normally good with numbers so I was surprised that I was confused over something that seems so simple. In our case he wasn't caught as far as I know but security and staff were told to be on the lookout for him.

Edit: As green screen says, definitely return it to management and explain what happened. She probably didn't know it was short until she was told the next day.

Rosie Rant

I worked in Dunne's and they are really strict about the tills. They put up sheets on the wall in the staff area that had what everyone's till takings were and any errors were highlighted, even if it was only a few cents. This was a good few years ago so things might not be the same. I'd say the girl would be very grateful if you returned it! She's probably in a panic. You could talk to a manager and explain that you confused her.

Being it back, it could be the difference between someone keeping their job and losing it. Having worked in retail I always make sure that if I'm given too much change or accidently not charged for something I go back and make it right.

m'lady

Return it- that €20 could seriously cost that girl promotion opportunities or even her job. It's not worth it, and you will feel so much better when you do return it!

mapaca

Return it and explain to a manager that it was a simple mistake. Her staff number will be on the receipt. You will save her getting into trouble over it.

Rubberchikken

Definitely return it.
It was a genuine mistake. Personally don't believe in karma. If it was 2/3 euro i'd say it's hardly worth it, but 20 is a lot.

And good on you for even questioning it. A lot wouldn't.

scuby

I found 5x€50 notes in a bundle on a side street in Cork last year, on a friday lunch time.
Asked the AIB who have an entrance on the street with camera's point up/down the street, to check their cctv to see if they could ID who dropped it...they didn't even bother.
Asked a female garda, who was walking past on the street, if there was a nearby camera to look, and she said " go have a good weekend for yourself" !!!
I asked one of the lads in a restaurant on the same street near by, and he looked on his cctv, only person he saw around that time was a guy with a delivery trolley passing by. The following week he saw a guy with the same trolley and he went out after him and asked him if he lost anything the week before, and he said his €250 that he collect from a restaurant for a veg delivery.
He had collected the €250 and had the docket folded up in his fist, and the €250 dropped out of his hand onto the st. When he got back to his work place, he had to stump up the €250 from his wages. needless to say he was delighted to get his money back.
Karma, back luck, what ever you call it, i would always try to return it.......

Heat_Wave

Can't believe everyone has said to return it. It's only €20. Even if it was €100 you should still keep it. Treat yourself OP. Mistakes like this happen in every shop every day, no one will lose sleep over €20. And nothing will happen to the girl. I made a mistake like this once or twice when I worked in retail and my manager was very understanding.

Stavro Mueller

Heat_Wave wrote: »

Can't believe everyone has said to return it. It's only €20. Even if it was €100 you should still keep it. Treat yourself OP. Mistakes like this happen in every shop every day, no one will lose sleep over €20. And nothing will happen to the girl. I made a mistake like this once or twice when I worked in retail and my manager was very understanding.

I don't think they do in Dunnes Stores. To the best of my knowledge, if you feck up it comes out of your wages.

Calhoun

Stavro Mueller wrote: »

I don't think they do in Dunnes Stores. To the best of my knowledge, if you feck up it comes out of your wages.

To add to this we all have worked in retail, i can personally tell you when you work for Dunnes all you are is the euro per hour.

Small amount for sure for some but not others.

nc19

I found 300 punts stuck behind the glovebox of a car that had been traded in months previous when I was a first yr apprentice on 75 punts pw 6 weeks before xmas. I had a good xmas that yr.

I dont think I need to type what my advice would be.........

Confused12345

Staff in Dunnes are giving a warning and if she had made a mistake before this could loose her job for her
I know it's tempting when cash is short but the fact that you asked on here means you have a conscience in the first place so you know what to do ,

LegacyUser

I worked in Dunnes for 8 years and only left the company 3 months ago. Anything over 10 euro over or under an employee is meant to get a warning straight away over. Doesn't always happen in practice depending on the employee/store/management but that's generally the policy. Anything between 5 and 10 euro is also unacceptable if it is a reoccurring issue as it all adds up. The company have really gotten strict in the past year or two as well. It's surprisingly easy to accumulate warnings for your tills, one of my colleagues got to the stage of second verbal warning and she was actually a very good worker aside from that (there's so much more to the job than tills, especially in drapery).

Just to clarify the money does NOT come out of the employee's wages, but nonetheless I have witnessed employees whom have gotten warnings for various reasons have their hours cut to the bare minimum... essentially meaning a big loss in earnings and often for quite some time. I do understand the temptation to keep the money and I would not blame you for doing so, but I just wanted to give you an inside perspective. I would return it, the girl will not get in trouble, most likely she and management will be relieved and at the very WORST she may get a talking to about being careful on her checkout but certainly not a caution or warning.

Victor

kangarella wrote: »

If they count their own floats in there at the end of a shift,

In a larger shop, this is highly unlikely.

zef

Considering Sunnes sacked an employee for 'stealing a 2e cup of coffee'- (actual cost to them about 20c) i would say to bring back and speak to a manager as soon as.

shuffles88

Bring it back, you know it's the right thing to do. I feel like you're more worried about causing the girl that served you trouble than you have a desire to hold on to the money and I can tell you it wouldn't have went unnoticed and she more than likely had to put her own money in like others have said.

R.D. aka MR.D

Heat_Wave wrote: »

Can't believe everyone has said to return it. It's only €20. Even if it was €100 you should still keep it. Treat yourself OP. Mistakes like this happen in every shop every day, no one will lose sleep over €20. And nothing will happen to the girl. I made a mistake like this once or twice when I worked in retail and my manager was very understanding.

I don't know if you worked in retail during the good years.
I worked in retail both during the good years and then after the recession hit.


Back when jobs were easy to come by you could get away with a lot but after they because scare, it because a different environment.

As others have pointed out, Dunnes is extremely strict about this kind of thing. Think about if it was one of your kids working in a job and they came home upset because they had gotten a warning in work.


OP, return the money. It's the right thing to do.

bp

I would return it personally. I found a wallet full of money before and tracked the owner down after three days and likewise lost an envelope full for money for Christmas before and was thrilled that two young girls handed it to security for me

amdublin

zef wrote: »

Considering Sunnes sacked an employee for 'stealing a 2e cup of coffee'- (actual cost to them about 20c) i would say to bring back and speak to a manager as soon as.

If this is the recent incident you are talking about that was M&S not Dunnes

Link
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/worker-didnt-pay-for-cuppa-fired-by-mands-294132.html

mapaca

Another point to consider: if you return the money it proves beyond a doubt she didn't steal it. Dunnes are very strict about this (they have to be, in fairness) and a missing €20 won't go unnoticed.

NeonCookies

Nothing new to add, but just want to reiterate what most people are saying. I used to work in Dunnes too (left about 2 years ago) and they do put up sheets showing whose tills were over or under so it is a big deal. Definitely mention how you may have confused the cashier - otherwise any warning she may have gotten won't be removed (not sure if it will be anyway but it's worth a try!)

Emme

OP, return the money. Not for the sake of karma or brownie points in heaven, but for the sake of the girl behind the till and her job.

FouxDaFaFa

I used to work in Dunnes too and I can tell you it's very unlikely she counted her own float. It's sent up the money office at the end of the day and they make up lists of everyone's till and the amount they were under or over down to the cent. They put them up on the walls.

I was out exactly a tenner once during Race Week and was hauled into the office and given an offical warning, which isn't a huge deal on its own but if you're working there for a long time, it can add up.

New Home

Return it, no doubt about it. First of all, taking money that isn't yours is stealing, in my books. Secondly, if the girl had overcharged you by €20 you'd have gone straight to the manager/to customer service, probably in a huff, to demand a refund - fairness works both ways.

ShaShaBear

Definitely give it back. As someone who worked in the Cash Office in Dunnes, I can tell you how much that girl will appreciate it, as well as the people in the office who had to tally up her bag a few times to make absolutely sure it was that far out. If she's had warnings before she definitely might have made it up from her own money to save herself (I know quite a few that have done) or she might have pinpointed exactly when it happened moments after you left and alerted staff to what happened - they might even recognise you from security cameras the next time you are in!

Harold Finchs Machine

Myself and friend (more the friend) found a wallet in work, big big company, neither of us knew the owner.

€360 in it, found the owner anyway who then counted it out in front of friend to make sure she hadnt taken any.

Fcuking pr!ck. People are pr!cks.


I found a phone in a metal cage bin of socks in Lidl one day, phone started ringing, i answered and i couldnt really get a word in cuz of the Owner telling me how she could track it and i better give it back, i told her id put it back in with the socks.

Ya get nothing for being nice, the older I get the more I tell myself im stupid for helping people out, wasting my time helping ungrateful pr!cks.

Keep it OP.

Tayla

Just curious.....If she was given a warning would they remove the warning from her file if the money was returned?

SusieBlue

Harold Finchs Machine wrote: »

Myself and friend (more the friend) found a wallet in work, big big company, neither of us knew the owner.

€360 in it, found the owner anyway who then counted it out in front of friend to make sure she hadnt taken any.

Fcuking pr!ck. People are pr!cks.


I found a phone in a metal cage bin of socks in Lidl one day, phone started ringing, i answered and i couldnt really get a word in cuz of the Owner telling me how she could track it and i better give it back, i told her id put it back in with the socks.

Ya get nothing for being nice, the older I get the more I tell myself im stupid for helping people out, wasting my time helping ungrateful pr!cks.

Keep it OP.

I hear you. Found a phone while on a night out before, I text the most recent message contact saying I had found the phone and could they please let the owner know to arrange for it to be collected.
The owner started ringing it at about 4:30am (I was in bed at this stage) so I answered it. He only wanted me to drive to his house 40 minutes away to drop it to him right that minute and was extremely disgruntled when I refused. No thanks or offer to pick it up. Ended up meeting him in town the next day where he told me I shouldn't have bothered picking it up if I wasn't going to give it back?!:o Not even a thank you!

However I believe in karma and regardless of the amount, you should return the money OP. You'll sleep better for it.

zoobizoo

Mostly people are grateful. I found a wallet on Baggot st a while back. Looked up the number of the person through directory enquiries etc and the next day the father of the guy came to pick it up and gave me a small reward.

A few years ago I found a wallet and there was a number inside. The woman didn't sound happy that someone had found her wallet and asked me to bring it out to Tallaght for her. (I was in the city centre). She was so rude that I took the money and spent it on my night out and handed the wallet itself to the Gardai.

Being nice sometimes has some nice rewards.

Tokyo

Ok, seeing as it's been almost three weeks since the OP posted, it's safe to assume that they've either returned the cash or spent it, and the thread is now drifting into general discussion.

Thread closed.