Reply #27: You did the right thing... [View All]

A few years ago my partner and I had left the grocery store and were loading up when I noticed a cart in the next parking space with a 12-pack of Mountain Dew.

I told him I was taking it into the service counter because someone might come back for it. I used to work in a grocery store and people were always coming back to the service counter explaing they had left this or that in their cart and did anyone turn it in?

He thought I was nuts, but what else were we going to do with it? First, it wasn't ours, and second, nether one of us is very fond of Mountain Dew.

I dunno...it's just the principle of the matter.

I think cold hard cash is a little more tempting, but even though it was only $6, it could have belonged to someone for whom $6 is a lot of money to lose. Chances are the person who left it probably won't return for it, but nevertheless I tend to beleive in karma in these instances.

Just out of curiosity, what if a cashier at Wal-Mart gave you back a $100 bill instead of a $10 for your change. If you knew the cashier wouldn't get in trouble, would you shut up and take the $100 and say nothing? This one poses some problems for me, as I would look at that as karma in action (i.e. Wal-Mart losing money)and pocket it, although later I might give it to a charity just to balance out the equation.