topic Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies in Community Spirit

What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

icyfroth — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 02:51:17 GMT

Shopkeeper hands $50,000 find to police. What would you do?

A customer walks into an op shop and purchases an overnight bag. At the register, an unsupervised store volunteer unzips the side pocket. Fifty thousand dollars in cash falls out. All in $100 bills.

Sergeant Dan McNamara, a police officer for 27 years, said he had never seen a case like this before on the Sunshine Coast. Apart from the cash, the only other clues were the anonymous handwritten scrawls on scraps of paper found inside the bag.

News of the discovery at the Red Cross secondhand shop at Pomona spread through the community. Unfortunately for police more than one owner emerged to claim their misplaced cash.

Sergeant McNamara said police had to work through donations to the op shop. He said an elderly resident who had moved house was identified as a possibility.

Forensic scientists examined examples of the donor's handwriting and matched them to the paper scraps inside the bag. The money and owner were reunited this week. Should we be surprised that some people are honest and others not, particularly when $50,000 is involved?

http://www.smh.com.au/national/shopkeeper-hands-50000-find-to-police-what-would-you-do-20130718-2q7ar.html

What would you have done?

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

bright.ton42 — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:38:31 GMT

Hi Icy

You go first - what would you have done?

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

the_great_she_elephant — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:45:03 GMT

Keeping it would be 'stealing by finding,' and you could be in deep doo-doos if the owner realised their mistake and came back to reclaim it.

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

cherry*135 — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:02:37 GMT

I would hand it back, to the manager or even Area manager of the Charity Shop.

I was in a Salvo's store, when a women brought back $100 cash that was in a magazine she bought there. She had bought the mag to give to a friend and that friend found the money in it. The friend gave her the $100 back and the mag buyer returned it to the store staff. The store staff wanted the lady that bought the magazine to keep $20 for herself or give to her friend for being honest, but she wouldn't take it.

Another staff member in the same store told me a lady found a diamond ring in a handbag she bought there, and returned it also. I am not sure if they traced the original owner of the ring.

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

icyfroth — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 21:31:50 GMT

@bright.ton42 wrote:
Hi Icy

You go first - what would you have done?

Good morning Bright

Ok well...to 'fess up...I bought a handbag at an oppie once and when I'd brought it home and started to transfer my own stuff into all the little compartments and pockets I found $15 and a movie ticket tucked into one of the little hidden inside pockets.

I didn't take it back

Bad me!

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

*elizabeths-mum* — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 07:42:40 GMT

Are you in SEQueensland, icy? That could have been the bag I donated.

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

cherry*135 — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 07:51:27 GMT

Re: What To Look Out For When Next Browsing The Oppies

icyfroth — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 08:08:27 GMT

yeah good try e-m lol I'm in Sydney that $15 has long gone lol