I found a man's wallet

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I'm in Miami now visiting my mom and son for the weekend.  Yesterday, my son and I went to our favorite Cuban restaurant for lunch.  While in the bathroom, I found an nice looking brown leather wallet.  The wallet had no ID in it, just $138 in cash, a Winn Dixie card, and a Metrobus pass.  I took the wallet home, showed it to my mom, and asked her what I should do.  My original plans were to let my son have the wallet but donate the money to the Haitian Relief Fund.   It was then that she pulled out the Metrobus pass and noticed a phone number on the back.  One phone call led to another and I was able to track down the owner of the wallet!!  Turns out he was a poor guy who worked at the restaurant and had no car.  If my mom and I had not made the extra effort to find him and give him back his wallet, he would have had no way to get home. 

[Dave Gray]

That's a very nice thing to do.  I would also have done the same thing.

[Defense54]

Did he give you a reward? A free Pollo en Salsa de Frijol Negro ?

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Did he give you a reward? A free Pollo en Salsa de Frijol Negro ?

His boss gave me lunch for two at the restaurant. 

[Sunstroke]

^^^ Did the restaurant manager (or the wallet owner) ask why you didn't just give the wallet to the person at the front register like normal with lost & found type stuff?

Just curious...it was the only part of the story that made me think "but...but...why?"

[jtex316]

I find it interesting that you'd want to donate this "poor guy who worked at the restaurant who had no car's" money to Haiti relief and let your son keep the wallet originally. Why would think of donating someone else's money - clearly someone who needed the hell out of that $138 if they had to take the Metrobus to and from wherever they were going? (I don't even know what the Metrobus is).

While you finally wound up doing the right thing (thanks mom), you got there by zig-zagging across doing multiple wrong things. What would your son do with a grown man's wallet and Winn-Dixie cards anyways?

I've lost my wallet before. It completely sucks the life out of you. I would find wallets and etc all the time at the bowling center when I used to work in the pro shop. I would always bring it inside to a safe place and find a way to contact the owner - never would I think about donating the contents (money) of the wallet for any reason, especially pseudo-pious ones like donating to Haiti when the wallet's owner needs that money badly, too.

Losing a wallet is something that you hope never happens to you, but it will at some point or another because everyone has lost keys / wallet / cellphone at some point in their lifetime (and if hasn't happened yet - don't worry, it will). I'd hate to think that my lost wallet with all my IDs and credit cards would wind up in the hands of a young boy to play "grown-up" with.

Sure you can make the argument that the guy shouldn't have been stupid enough to "lose" his wallet - but we've all been there before. Maybe the guy was taking a piss and just left it there? We've all left a wallet / cellphone / keys in the bathroom / lobby / wherever, and the moment you've realized you've left something behind, you're praying to whatever you believe in that you can go back and find it, or that someone "recovered" it for you.

[Phishfan]

^^^ Did the restaurant manager (or the wallet owner) ask why you didn't just give the wallet to the person at the front register like normal with lost & found type stuff?

Just curious...it was the only part of the story that made me think "but...but...why?"

I would never turn a lost wallet into a store clerk, waiter, etc. In general I feel that is the least likely way to get it back to the proper owner (especially with cash in it).

[YoFuggedaboutit]

^^^ Did the restaurant manager (or the wallet owner) ask why you didn't just give the wallet to the person at the front register like normal with lost & found type stuff?

Just curious...it was the only part of the story that made me think "but...but...why?"

Read Phish's post to find out why. 

I find it interesting that you'd want to donate this "poor guy who worked at the restaurant who had no car's" money to Haiti relief and let your son keep the wallet originally. Why would think of donating someone else's money - clearly someone who needed the hell out of that $138 if they had to take the Metrobus to and from wherever they were going? (I don't even know what the Metrobus is).

While you finally wound up doing the right thing (thanks mom), you got there by zig-zagging across doing multiple wrong things. What would your son do with a grown man's wallet and Winn-Dixie cards anyways?

I've lost my wallet before. It completely sucks the life out of you. I would find wallets and etc all the time at the bowling center when I used to work in the pro shop. I would always bring it inside to a safe place and find a way to contact the owner - never would I think about donating the contents (money) of the wallet for any reason, especially pseudo-pious ones like donating to Haiti when the wallet's owner needs that money badly, too.

Losing a wallet is something that you hope never happens to you, but it will at some point or another because everyone has lost keys / wallet / cellphone at some point in their lifetime (and if hasn't happened yet - don't worry, it will). I'd hate to think that my lost wallet with all my IDs and credit cards would wind up in the hands of a young boy to play "grown-up" with.

Sure you can make the argument that the guy shouldn't have been stupid enough to "lose" his wallet - but we've all been there before. Maybe the guy was taking a piss and just left it there? We've all left a wallet / cellphone / keys in the bathroom / lobby / wherever, and the moment you've realized you've left something behind, you're praying to whatever you believe in that you can go back and find it, or that someone "recovered" it for you.

 Is it that time of the month Jtex?   

[Sunstroke]

I would have preferred your answer without Phish's cue cards...all things being equal.

Also...was the "time of the month" response the only answer you had for JoeTex's post? There were a couple of decent questions in there as well that you seem to have skipped over..

Or, are you not as interested in questions as you are in just creating threads to inform everyone what a swell guy you think you are?

[jtex316]

I would never turn a lost wallet into a store clerk, waiter, etc. In general I feel that is the least likely way to get it back to the proper owner (especially with cash in it).

Believe it or not, this is actually the most likely way...granted when you lose your wallet you should expect all paper money to be gone from it regardless..but at least with a store clerk you can retrieve your ID cards and your Credit Cards back.

[fyo]

I was playing ball recently with some friends and we found a jacket someone had left behind. Had a wallet in it with a few hundred bucks plus a brand new credit card with the PIN letter. Yeah, what a dumbass. We found the guy's phone number (took quite a bit of work, actually) and called him, telling him that we turned his stuff in -- and how much money was in the wallet. And we told the facility supervisor that we'd talked to the owner when we handed in the wallet. That way, we figured it was less likely that the cash would up and disappear. Probably mostly because we didn't want anyone pointing fingers at us for it.

Anyway, that was my point... You can probably increase the odds of the cash being there when the owner comes if you tell whomever you hand it in to that you know how much money is in it.

[Phishfan]

Believe it or not, this is actually the most likely way...granted when you lose your wallet you should expect all paper money to be gone from it regardless..but at least with a store clerk you can retrieve your ID cards and your Credit Cards back.

If lucky. I had a friend who recently used a gift card at a McDonald's drive through. It turns out the person behind the counter was taking gift cards with money on them and slipping back a gift card with a $0 balance. Although you would think the clerk wouldn't steal the cards, no one is above taking caution.

[StL FinFan]

My mom and I found a purse left on a display table at Macy's and we immediately took it to the nearest service counter.  We did not even open it up.  However, I must add that we were in a well to do part of town and did not give a second thought to the older woman behind the counter possibly rifling through it and taking anything.  If I was at Target I would probably be more careful to whom I handed a lost wallet or purse, but I would turn it in to an employee or manager.  I also think about being accused of stealing if I pick up a wallet or purse and take it home.  You can't trust anyone.

[Brian Fein]

Tommy, have you ever lost your wallet?

I have.  Twice.  It sucks.  The first time, some kind stranger put it in the mail and sent it back to me.  The second time, not so much.  For future reference, don't bother asking your mom.  Don't give it to your kid.  Don't take anything OUT of the wallet and don't donate any money to charity.  Just do whatever you can to return it.  No matter what.

The same rule applies to a cell phone.

Imagine what your life would be like if you lost either of those items.

If you want to let your kid play with a wallet, go to WalMart and buy one for him.  They cost $7.  If you want to donate money to charity, do it on your own.

[MaineDolFan]

My mom and I found a purse left on a display table at Macy's and we immediately took it to the nearest service counter.  We did not even open it up.  However, I must add that we were in a well to do part of town and did not give a second thought to the older woman behind the counter possibly rifling through it and taking anything.  If I was at Target I would probably be more careful to whom I handed a lost wallet or purse, but I would turn it in to an employee or manager.  I also think about being accused of stealing if I pick up a wallet or purse and take it home.  You can't trust anyone.

^^Word.

My sister in law is a dectective in a very well-to-do part of Connecticut.  The type of place where very entitled people rip through town in their (insert car make here) at 60mph in a 25mph and pull a "do you know who I am" when pulled over.

Anyway, your story reminds me of a story she told me at Christmas.  A woman was shopping at Coach.  She found a purse on the floor.  She was the only person in the store except the store manager.  She picked up the purse and brought it to the counter and handed it over.  With seconds a woman came in and realized she had left it.  Instead of being grateful she ripped into the woman that found it while going through her purse to make sure everything was there.  Her iPhone was missing.  So she called 911 and wouldn't let the other woman leave.  My sister in law was in the area and responded to help the uniforms that arrived. 

Security footage verified that the woman never looked in the purse.  She picked it up, carried it to the counter and dropped it off.  Poor woman.  I bet you a buck that is the last time she tries to do anything nice for anyone.  Look what it got her.