and you pick it up along with your change .ijust looked at it as finder keepers but i was fired even though i was not on the clock.
2006-10-06 13:41:55 · 15 answers · asked by tee 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I think there is a fine line between stealing/finders keepers. Your boss was probably looking at it this way: You an employee on the clock of not, you should have had higher ethical and moral standards than to have just taken it. It put your reliablity and honesty into question. What you did could have very easily made you a liablility in his/her eyes. Would you steal from the register, jip a customer on change, keep a wallet that was left behind, are things they probably wondered. Especially if you worked at a wal-mart, they are very strict on their employee ethics.
I worked at a grocery store and an old woman left her wallet at my register. I didn't notice until after she was gone, but I took it to customer service and let them know someone had left it. I didn't even open it. She did return and knew it had been left at my register, she tried to give me $20, when she opened it I saw she had a few hundred in there. I didn't accept it, but thanked her anyways and told her it was just the right thing to do. My boss was very proud, and the old woman was very thankful.
Perhaps you should have taken it to customer service as I had. If nobody claimed it, it would have probably been given to you anyways, and you would still have your job.
Sorry, I don't think you stole it, but I don't think the way you dealth with the situation was ethically or morally sound.
Goodluck with a new job, and best of luck in all your endevors!
2006-10-06 13:59:38 · answer #1 · answered by Amber 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This will depend on your jurisdiction, but where I'm from, the law says that what you still did was theft. When you find something like that, you are not allowed to keep it until you have made all attempts to return it to it's legal owner.
This usually means you have to turn it in to the police. In this case you would have been in the clear by handing it over to your boss and telling them someone left it: then they have to decide what to do with it, either take it to the police or wait for the customer to return, and give it to them. Where I live, the police hold the property for a certain time, and if it's unclaimed, they give it back to the person that handed it in, and it's then the finder's property.
Whether you were on the clock or not is irrelevant. You stole something. Your employer obviously doesn't want to employ a thief because they dont trust you with the register.
2006-10-06 18:08:50 · answer #2 · answered by dave_eee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In some states it is called theft of mislaid property. By law you must make an attempt to locate the owner. Most states require that it be turned over to the police. If the owner is not located then the finder may have a claim to all or part of it. Some states keep it all.
2006-10-06 16:47:46 · answer #3 · answered by Ranger473 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think so... I have left money at several self checkouts and never once went back for it... because I know it way my mistake leaving it and I pretty much expected the finder to keep it.
2006-10-06 13:50:16 · answer #4 · answered by AeroMidwest82 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You knew it wasn't yours, it should have been turned in. If nobody claimed it in a reasonable time, then it could have been given to you, or to charity, or gone into a coffee fund, whatever, but what would have happened if the person who left it realized after he got home and phoned back to see if it was being held?
2006-10-06 13:54:09 · answer #5 · answered by Fred C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This just happened to me last week. Well I was at the slot machines and they have a machine where you can insert tickets you won from other machines and it will give you the cash. To my surprise when I got there someone had forgotten to take their $10. I took it. Made my day!
2015-03-09 23:05:55 · answer #6 · answered by Brett Wilson 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you weren't on the clock but it was still your place of business and you knew better - that is always the standard - ask yourself if what you are doing is the right thing to do.
2006-10-06 13:50:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you probably realize it is stealing- turm it in and the manager will probably take your name and no. and contact you should no one claim it/ you'll feel better bout yourself.
2006-10-06 13:52:07 · answer #8 · answered by mollie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you pick up and take something that is not yours - yes, that is stealing
2006-10-06 13:50:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you make no effort, whatsoever to find out who it belongs to; yes.
2006-10-06 13:44:20 · answer #10 · answered by pixles 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋