Money found in restaurant

[konisaan]

I was having a bowl of soup at a Vietnamese restaurant I've been a regular customer at for about 4 years. After I sat down I noticed a 500 Baht note on the floor under the table where anyone walking by would not have noticed it. It was miles from the cashier so obviously some customer had dropped it. I had my soup and then went to the front to pay. I gave the woman the 500 Baht and explained (in Thai) that I had found it on the floor where I was sitting and that a customer had probably dropped it. She took the 500 Baht with a polite smile and then charged me the usual 60 Baht on top for the soup.

[1FinickyOne]

Ok - Why is this a problem? You did a good deed, and if she knew the person, maybe they will get their 500 baht back, but she is just a cashier... that is her job, to charge 60 baht for the soup - right? 

 

She is not really in a position to give you a reward for your honesty... is she? 

 

I would have expected to pay for my own soup in spite of my good deed. If she had given you the soup free, I would have been more suspicious that she was paying 60 and taking home 440 as a bonus... 

[ezzra]

Ah.. no good deeds  goes unpunished..... the true measure of good deeds

are when one act kindly and honestly without the expectations for rewards....

[Thailand]

What were you expecting?

[1FinickyOne]

4 minutes ago, konisaan said:

I forgot to point out that she was the owner. 

 

I deliberately didn't make mention of any expectations or judgement on my part. I just wanted to tell the events and let any discussion flow from there.

Your post implies a lot though... even that you are talking about it implies that you felt there was something unusual in having to pay for your soup... nothing changes - you bought a bowl of soup - I just don't understand why someone would not have to pay for their soup... the use of the words "on top" in your final sentence imply a lot... you paid for your soup - you did not pay for it on top of anything... unless you felt the need/expectation of a discount. 

 

Suppose a customer was coming out of the bathroom and began to fall and you reached out and caught them so that they didn't fall and likely hurt themselves... would you expect a free 60 baht soup  "on top" of your good deed? 

 

Everyone else seems to think that you are implying an expectation... sure, words matter. 

 

[dotpoom]

5 hours ago, kenk24 said:

Ok - Why is this a problem? You did a good deed, and if she knew the person, maybe they will get their 500 baht back, but she is just a cashier... that is her job, to charge 60 baht for the soup - right? 

 

She is not really in a position to give you a reward for your honesty... is she? 

 

I would have expected to pay for my own soup in spite of my good deed. If she had given you the soup free, I would have been more suspicious that she was paying 60 and taking home 440 as a bonus... 

You say it all..... I'm baffeled to think that this person (A) expected to get a free soup for handing in money he found?

  PS. If the money is returned to the person who lost it, does person ((A) expect the cashier (C) to pay for his  soup?....plus the fact that if the cashier (C) hands it over to whoever lost it that means that they did a good deed also....so who buys her a soup?....oh I get it...person (A) will say person (B) should buy the cashier (C) a soup.

    Having a "good heart" for some people can be a very complicated bussiness.

Edited October 16, 2017 by dotpoom

[Juan B Tong]

Obviously not an authentic Vietnamese restaurant or the money would have been noticed the instant it hit the floor.

 

After years of experience in Vietnam   I have learned that the best way to get the attention in a Vietnamese restaurant (even from servers for a glass of water) is to visibly  pull some money out

[ujayujay]

OK?!?!......and?

[worgeordie]

It must have blown off the table,I left it as a tip ,as i always do

 

regards worgeordie

[tandor]

28 minutes ago, konisaan said:

Quite good Vietnamese food. Reasonably priced.

..i bet you regret starting this one.

[Lucky mike]

Giving means without strings attached !  Better being a giver...

[ThaiWai]

8 hours ago, ezzra said:

Ah.. no good deeds  goes unpunished..... the true measure of good deeds

are when one act kindly and honestly without the expectations for rewards....

I act without the expectation of reward not lack of courtesy and appreciation.  I saved a guy's life once when scuba diving and in the process lost my watch.  If it was me I would have found the guy who saved me and offered him a new watch but that's just me.  I'm happy the guy lived.  I bought a new watch.  I have no opinion on the OP's post though,  except to say when returning property to another person avoid as many middle men as possible.  

[MrBrad]

[473geo]

I don't agree with the above. In my teenage years a group of us often went to help out farmers in harvest time, our expectation was we would get fed at the end of the day/evening. The kindness we did was to ensure the crop was safely in the Barn the same day, also saving the farmer paying casual labour. If it was business we would have expected to get fed and also received monetary reward.

Edited October 16, 2017 by 473geo

[473geo]

Not too long back I found a wallet in the bottom of a trolley airside at Suvarnabhumi

I took it along to the customer information counter, they logged the contents (cash in differing currencies about 500 usd) and gave me a receipt

The wallet also contained credit cards and my hope was the guy would get it back before having to cancel them.

I just gave my name for reference but did not expect any further communication, as was the case. I hope the guy got it back quickly is all, didn't feel I had done anything special as I would expect 99% of people would do the same.

[bazza73]

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

It must have blown off the table,I left it as a tip ,as i always do

 

regards worgeordie

I admire a really good BS artist.

[Dante99]

This story would be best if left untold.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by Dante99

[Dipterocarp]

In a perfect world you did the right thing, I would have done the same, in the past, a bag , a mobile, a wallet (especially). Now I will not touch anything in Thailand , find the manager, a policeman, Airline agent in an Airport. Point to them the valuables on the ground. Then you can't get wrapped up in a "You stole it!" scam. 

 

By the way I ride bicycles, never seen a country with so much small change dropped on the road, (along with the thumbtacks on Doi Suthep). Sometimes wonder if it is cultural thing?

Edited October 16, 2017 by Dipterocarp

[canthai55]

Wallet or purse with ID - turn it in. A single 500 baht note - why give it to the staff ?  For sure it is not theirs. Into my pocket it would go, to be donated to a worthy cause somewhere

[tryasimight]

11 hours ago, Juan B Tong said:

Obviously not an authentic Vietnamese restaurant or the money would have been noticed the instant it hit the floor.

 

After years of experience in Vietnam   I have learned that the best way to get the attention in a Vietnamese restaurant (even from servers for a glass of water) is to visibly  pull some money out

Or if a couple of English teachers were present...it wouldn't have even touched the floor!!

[tryasimight]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Wallet or purse with ID - turn it in. A single 500 baht note - why give it to the staff ?  For sure it is not theirs. Into my pocket it would go, to be donated to a worthy cause somewhere

Me too.....found money...no apparent owner....yipee!!

Thank you very much...and before the do gooders chime in...yes I would do the same with any amount of untraceable found cash.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎10‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 2:48 PM, konisaan said:

I was trying to make it clear that the soup wasn't paid for out of the 500 Baht.

 

Like I said, I didn't voice any judgment about the owner. I just tried to describe the events. However, you and a few others seem very quick to make a judgement about me. 

I don't understand.

You gave the money to the cashier saying it wasn't yours.

She charged you for the soup.

Seems reasonable to me.

 

The chances are it would never make it to the person that lost it, so you could have just said it was 60 baht for the soup and a tip of 440 baht as you enjoyed the soup so much.

If the person that lost it later came and asked her for the money, it would be up to her if she gave them the 500 and asked you for the 60 baht next time you came in, or if she pretended she didn't know about it, or just gave them 440 baht.

I know that if I lost 500 baht somewhere, I would accept it was gone and my fault.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, 473geo said:

I don't agree with the above. In my teenage years a group of us often went to help out farmers in harvest time, our expectation was we would get fed at the end of the day/evening. The kindness we did was to ensure the crop was safely in the Barn the same day, also saving the farmer paying casual labour. If it was business we would have expected to get fed and also received monetary reward.

When I was younger I helped a farmer with a lot of things. The reward was that I got to be friends with the family and their friends. They fed me too.

[evenstevens]

Always abided by the saying    Finders....Keepers,  unless i knew the source which the loss  could be returned to

but still a very noble gesture on your part

[Berkshire]

21 hours ago, Dipterocarp said:

In a perfect world you did the right thing, I would have done the same, in the past, a bag , a mobile, a wallet (especially). Now I will not touch anything in Thailand , find the manager, a policeman, Airline agent in an Airport. Point to them the valuables on the ground. Then you can't get wrapped up in a "You stole it!" scam.

That's just paranoia, not exactly a healthy state of mind.  Seek mental help!

[elgenon]

Sorry for going off topic OP but I am looking for good Vietnamese restaurants. What is the name and where is it?

No I don't expect to find 500B . Good food is enough of a find.

[elgenon]

Sorry, forgot to turn on Notification