Update on What Would You do with Found Money?

May 2011 I wrote a post about my daughter finding money at a local mall department store.  You can read the post {here}.  Here’s a recap: My daughter found $260 on the floor and turned it into an associate. She was told after 90 days had passed, if no one came forward to claim the money – it was hers.

Well, those 90 days had come and gone. The money hadn’t been claimed nor had my daughter received the money.  We knew that for sure as my niece who works at the store had been asking about it for us.  It was now my turn to step in…I wanted to know what the deal was.  I wanted to know why  hadn’t my daughter been contacted to go in and get that money?

I placed a call to the manager.  I was told, “I need to make sure I cross all my ‘T’s’ and dot all my ‘I’s’.”  The money your daughter found was turned in by the associate with her name on it, but somehow his name got on the envelope.”  I reiterated what she was told – if the money wasn’t claimed in 90 days it was hers.  I asked a lot of questions. He stood by, “I have to cross my ‘T’s and dot my ‘I’s.”  I asked if a letter surrounding the circumstances would be of value.  He told me it would be.  So – why didn’t he ask for one instead of waiting for me to bring it up?

I found myself a bit agitated over his responses.  How do you tell a 13 yr. old who did the right thing by turning the money in – that despite what she was told, she still had to wait for the manager to dot his T’s and cross his I’s?

Nevertheless, we sent the letter off in September.  Here it was now December…no word had come our way.  My to-do list included placing another call, but before I got to placing it – the phone rang.  It was a woman at Sears who worked in the Loss Prevention Dept.  She proceeded to tell me the money was free to go to my daughter.  I was asked if someone could bring her in – and to not just to claim the money – but to see the store’s Loss Prevention Department.  Sure – I’ll bring her in, I told her.  Though, lingering in the back of my mind was the question of why  would she want to show my daughter the Loss Prevention department.

To the store we went the very next day.  We met with the woman from Loss Prevention, the manager I had talked to on the phone, and a couple other Loss Prevention associates.  We were taken into the Loss Prevention Department and as we were talking we were asked if we knew about the situation that surrounded that money.  Both of us must have had a puzzled look on our faces, as the woman looked at the manager and asked him if he told us the situation surrounding the money. He said no. Me – knowing the conversation I had with this manager – I couldn’t wait to hear what we were going to be told now!

The woman proceeded to tell us – the money that my daughter found on the floor was money dropped by a criminal.  The criminal had stolen a $600 camera off the display shelf and as he was running out of the store – he dropped the money on the floor. The store was hoping he’d return for his money; thus they could get him for stealing, as his thievery was caught on tape.

I was thrilled my daughter finally was able to get the money and she was more than elated.  My only wish – regardless of the circumstances – a policy is a policy and the money should have gone to my daughter months ago…or at the very least – a better explanation of not handing it over than the one given after the 90 days had passed.