This was a pleasant surprise

[SeaCat]

Today my wife and I went to the local Lowes for a couple of things. Nothing outrageous, a Smoke Box for the grill and a couple of Saw Horses.

It was bury today, lines at all of the registers and irritable people. We moved through the line at the register quickly and were soon moving out. We stopped for a minute so I could put my change away when I noticed something wrong. I should have had seven dollars and a bit of jingle, so why did I have fifty two dollars and jingle? It took me about two seconds to figure it out. The Clerk at the register had somehow placed a fifty in the fives.

We went to the Customer Service Desk where people didn't seem to understand the problem until I was kicked up to the Shift Super. He looked at my receipt, took the fifty and went over to the register. Several minutes later he showed back up with the store manager in tow. It seems I had created quite the stir. The store manager thankd us for being so honest and handed us a small bag while escorting us out the door. It wasn't until we were in the car that we opened the bag. You can imagine our surprise when we saw what was inside of it.

A) A $100.00 dollar gift card to the store.
B) A small Buck Knife along with a sharpener set.
C) A Collectors Edition Case pocket knife. (How did he know I collect knives?)

I would have been happy with just the Fiver.

Cat

 

[cloudy]

Good on you. Honest people seem to be in very short supply when it comes to situations like that.

 

[3113]

There use to be a game called "Ethics" (I think that's what it was called)--which I've been thinking about of late. I forget exactly how it was played, but it involved cards with ethical situations on them, and players would say what they'd do in that situation--part of the game was to answer as honestly as possible. I remember very clearly one guy drawing a card which said, "you find a wallet filled with money and credit cards. What do you do?"

To the appalled amazement of me and just ONE other person in the game, the guy hesitated and said "that's hard...." (hard??) He then decided that he'd take the money and return the wallet/credit cards, anonymously, to the owner.

Me and the one other person could not believe it. "You return the wallet intact!" we insisted, and swore that this was the first thing that popped into our minds, no hesitation. But the guy and some others in the game explained that wallet man had money to spare--and they weren't using the credit cards...so why the fuss?

Some years later, my husband was faced with this same delmma, not once but twice. The first wallet was left behind at the resgistration desk at a Comicbook convention. It belonged to a comic book artist who had gotten a lot of attention and popularity even though he really could not draw. His popularity had really, in a lot of people's opinion, undermined good artists in the field because companies were hiring bad artists that could draw like him and kids were copying his style rather than learning hot to draw.

My husband confessed to me that his first impluse was to max out the credit cards on art books, but no, he just returned the wallet.

The 2nd wallet was found in a gutter, lost by a guy on a bike. It had money and credit cards in it. The man was amazed when my husband turned it over to him, untouched...and offered my husband a $50 reward which he refused.

I wonder, Cat, how many other people got the fifties...and followed a different set of ethics. And if they did...would they have said they would if they'd been playing the game?

 

[arienette]

That's great! When working at Borders I made a similar mistake, but only gave the person $10 extra, since it somehow wound up in the wrong tray -- all fifties and hundreds go under the register drawer. I was surprised that they came and corrected the mistake and I gave them my gift card for $20 to the store that I got every month for being full-time.

A few weeks later a letter shows up on the bulletin board saying what an outstanding employee I am and I got another gift card. I was happy.

 

[Stella_Omega]

There use to be a game called "Ethics" (I think that's what it was called)--which I've been thinking about of late. I forget exactly how it was played, but it involved cards with ethical situations on them, and players would say what they'd do in that situation--part of the game was to answer as honestly as possible. I remember very clearly one guy drawing a card which said, "you find a wallet filled with money and credit cards. What do you do?"

To the appalled amazement of me and just ONE other person in the game, the guy hesitated and said "that's hard...." (hard??) He then decided that he'd take the money and return the wallet/credit cards, anonymously, to the owner.

Me and the one other person could not believe it. "You return the wallet!" we insisted, and swore that this was the first thing that popped into our minds, no hesitation. But the guy and some others in the game explained that wallet man had money to spare--and they weren't using the credit cards...so why the fuss?

Some years later, my husband was faced with this same delmma, not once but twice. The first wallet was left behind at the resgistration desk at a Comicbook convention. It belonged to a comic book artist who had gotten a lot of attention and popularity even though he really could not draw. His popularity had really, in a lot of people's opinion, undermined good artists in the field because companies were hiring bad artists that could draw like him and kids were copying his style rather than learning hot to draw.

My husband confessed to me that his first impluse was to max out the credit cards on art books, but no, he just returned the wallet.

The 2nd wallet was found in a gutter, lost by a guy on a bike. It had money and credit cards in it. The man was amazed when my husband turned it over to him, untouched...and offered my husband a $50 reward which he refused.

I wonder, Cat, how many other people got the fifties...and followed a different set of ethics. And if they did...would they have said they would if they'd been playing the game?

If the artist in question is who I think it was... I would have maxed the cards...

I once found a gold bracelet, and I left a note on the fence where I found it. My coworkers were surprised at me. And they were affluent people too. I lost a bit of faith in most of that office after that.
The owner called me, described it to me, and was also astounded that anyone would care to return something that way. I told her no reward, and she showed up with a couple of bottles of rasberry cordial "because it's so nummy"- And it was, at that!

I have also lost a wallet, and not gotten it back. I did have a lot of bills in it.
but that was most of the money I had at the time. Just because the wallet is full doesn't mean the man is rolling in dough.

 

[matriarch]

See...............now this is the problem I have with American paper money. It all looks the same!!

The wife just laughed at me when I said this, but it really does confuse the hell out of me, even after 7 months over there, and using the money every day. I have to look very carefully to see what I'm handing over.

UK paper money is way easier. Not only are different denominations different sizes, they are different colours.

http://www.beatlecollector.co.uk/mac_fiver.jpg

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/Mim/bigbacksm.jpg

http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/eng/boe2099f.jpg

Those are £5 ($9), £10 ($18) and £20 ($38). I couldn't find a picture of a £50 ($98) note on line.

Anything below the £5 is in coins.

 

[rgraham666]

Good on you, Cat.

I've found wallets and always returned them. I don't feel good about doing the wrong thing. Another reason I don't work anymore.

And on money. Canadian money is somewhere between America and Britain. Our bills are different colours but all the same size.

 

[Ness73]

Nice one, SeaCat - what goes around, comes around! Or what you put out, you get back. Either way, it's nice to see some honest people still out there!

On the money side of it, Aussie has brightly coloured notes, all different colours and sizes. Easy to work out - pinkish-purple $5, blue $10, orange $20, yellow $50 and green $100 (not that I get to see many of them!)

 

[Stella_Omega]

Mat-
I LOVE how you say "the wife" nowadays

 

[3113]

UK paper money is way easier. Not only are different denominations different sizes, they are different colours.

Yeah, but it's all got pics of Queen Lizzie on it...weird having a still living person on money....if Charles ever gets the throne HE'LL be on the money. Think of that!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

See...............now this is the problem I have with American paper money. It all looks the same!!

Euro notes kick ass. Not even a blind person could mix them up:

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n500f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n200f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n100f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n50f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n20f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n10f.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n5f.gif

 

[3113]

Euro notes kick ass. Not even a blind person could mix them up:

Agreed! There's something to be said about a modern, re-design of money. It took a lot of hashing out, but the EU came up with a work of art in those bills. What's even more admirable is that the money gives each country a chance to flaunt their artwork (their country's distinctive architecture) and take pride in their uniqueness, while keeping the notes uniform and implying unity among the countries.

They really did a brilliant job. The bills not only have style, elegance, distinction and individuality, but they IMPLY what the EU wants to be all about.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

They really did a brilliant job. The bills not only have style, elegance, distinction and individuality, but they IMPLY what the EU wants to be all about.

Doors on one side of the note, bridges on the other.

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n500b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n200b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n100b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n50b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n20b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n10b.gif

http://www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro/pics/n5b.gif

 

[matriarch]

Yeah, but it's all got pics of Queen Lizzie on it...weird having a still living person on money....if Charles ever gets the throne HE'LL be on the money. Think of that!

Of course it has Lizzie on as our reigning monarch. She's on one side, but the other side of each note has a dead famous bloke on it.

Even our coins have lizzie on one side.......but then our Head of State is around a lot longer than yours.....it would be a bit silly to have to reissue all the coinage and notes every 4 or 8 years (depending)........not to mention a tad expensive.


Stella........glad you like the new title. I read her what you said, and she replied, almost affronted, with..."But I AM 'the wife'." !!

Ain't she cute??

 

[matriarch]

Here's a great combination...............

Dollars AND Queen LIzzie's head.

http://www.rrcoins.net/images/Monday,%20February%2017,%2020031.jpg

 

[matriarch]

...............and just for the hell of it..................

World currencies

 

[Liar]

When it comes to money, Antartica rules.

http://www.banknotes.com/AQ1.JPG

 

[Lauren Hynde]

When it comes to money, Antartica rules.

Yeah, but they only need like 3 bank notes in total.

 

[Liar]

Yeah, but they only need like 3 bank notes in total.

One would think so.

http://www.banknotes.com/aq.htm

A hotbed for commerse apparently. Or maybe they just have some guy at the office who is keen on designing new money with his vacation photos, brochure clipart and tacky fonts.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

One would think so.

http://www.banknotes.com/aq.htm

A hotbed for commerse apparently. Or maybe they just have some guy at the office who is keen on designing new money with his vacation photos, brochure clipart and tacky fonts.

Its entire economy is based on the money-printing industry.

 

[3113]

When it comes to money, Antartica rules.

Penguins! Excellent. Much better than dead or living rulers

 

[Liar]

Its entire economy is based on the money-printing industry.

Which consists of Larry, his iMac and a laser printer.

 

[Guest]

Accolades to the store manager. After making it hard for you to be honest (i.e. going through a couple layers of management, standing in line etc.), a lot of stores would have mumbled a thank you, and made you fill out a form to get the five.

We need more Seacats and more of that manager.

 

[glynndah]

First United Karma Bank

To: SeaCat

Re: Recent Karmic Exchange


Dear SeaCat:

According to our records, you made a recent deposit to your long-standing account with us. Your honesty was duly noted when you returned the extra money you received as a result of another’s error. Any reward or advantage you received as a result of this honesty is merely the interest you have earned. No karmic capital was touched. Your account remains fully funded and will be available for you to draw on as you require.

Thank you for doing business with us. We look forward to continuing our relationship.


I wonder what those penguins spend their money on.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

Today my wife and I went to the local Lowes for a couple of things. Nothing outrageous, a Smoke Box for the grill and a couple of Saw Horses.

It was bury today, lines at all of the registers and irritable people. We moved through the line at the register quickly and were soon moving out. We stopped for a minute so I could put my change away when I noticed something wrong. I should have had seven dollars and a bit of jingle, so why did I have fifty two dollars and jingle? It took me about two seconds to figure it out. The Clerk at the register had somehow placed a fifty in the fives.

We went to the Customer Service Desk where people didn't seem to understand the problem until I was kicked up to the Shift Super. He looked at my receipt, took the fifty and went over to the register. Several minutes later he showed back up with the store manager in tow. It seems I had created quite the stir. The store manager thankd us for being so honest and handed us a small bag while escorting us out the door. It wasn't until we were in the car that we opened the bag. You can imagine our surprise when we saw what was inside of it.

A) A $100.00 dollar gift card to the store.
B) A small Buck Knife along with a sharpener set.
C) A Collectors Edition Case pocket knife. (How did he know I collect knives?)

I would have been happy with just the Fiver.

Cat

Goodness follows good people.