| Author |
 Replies: 92 / Views: 10,329 |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
899 Posts |
I believe most people don't know coins. That said, had you simply told the cashier you'd give them a dollar for the tip jar if they'd give you the coin - I seriously doubt they would have stopped and thought about how they could turn the 10 cents into $5.
|
|
Valued Member
 United States
462 Posts |
Again, to them it's $0.10. They're not going to go out and try to sell it for its silver content. Also, it may have $1.65 in silver in it, but no one collecting silver would pay that price for it. Since we all collect coins it's hard to be objective because to us it's a coin to collect. To others, like the person who put it in the tip jar (and please don't say someone put it there to spark their interest in coin collecting), it's just a dime. For all we know it could've been someone's change from the register that they received and just dumped in the tip jar, which is not that far fetched.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1109 Posts |
Without weighing in on it toooooo much, KisNap, it seems like you're trying really hard to justify your actions. That usually indicates a sense of guilt. Just an observation. I'm not going to beat you over the head with my view on it, but suffice it to say, I think you should have at least asked. In all likelihood, and especially if the employee is not a coin collector, they'd have said "A dollar for a dime! Sure! Sucker..." I doubt this is the worst thing you've ever done or will ever do on this planet, but maybe next time, just ask first.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
462 Posts |
Agreed. Had she been there I would have asked, but after standing there alone staring at it for a minute (which dosen't sound long, but when you're standing there it's a while) I just decided to swap the dollar for the dime. Imagine how impatient you'd get if you had to wait a minute for a webpage to load. I didn't take it because I was frustrated with how long it took, I simply had time to think it over and rather than start up a conversation with her once she returned I gave them a tip which I would not have otherwise left for DD employees.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3283 Posts |
Whatever dude, you took something out of their tip jar without asking. They probably would have switched for a dime if you asked. You should try engaging people face to face, it's actually quite nice. The "imagine how impatient you'd get if you had to wait a minute for a webpage to load" totally cracked me up. Lets just say I know what generation you reside in. I once asked a bank teller if I could buy her halves in her tray, there was about 10 in there, one which did not have a copper stripe on the rim. She put the sweet Walking Liberty half on top and we both gave each other a huge smile when I gave her 5 bucks for the 10 halves. Moral of the story: People are nice if you allow them yo be. Edited by upstate
04/25/2013 3:18 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2203 Posts |
I disagree that the coin was stolen. If she had taken the coin and that was it, then it would have been stolen. But she replaced it with more money than the face value of the coin, and in the end, she actually gave the tip jar more than it had before.
I do agree, however, that waiting to ask the clerk if it would be okay to trade the dime for something else would have been the better thing to do. That's what I would have done. Regardless of what I leave behind, I don't like the idea of putting my hand into a tip jar when nobody's looking.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10038 Posts |
By definition, a tip jar's contents, once placed there, are the property of the employees who will receive the money. To take something without the permission of the owner is a definition of theft.
Good intentions do not nullify this definition.
No amount of stating special conditions that may have been present will nullify the definition.
The minimalist value of the items in question do not nullify the definition.
The idea that it could be looked at as a trade does not nullify the situation b/c the item was still taken without the express permission of the owner.
Had it been a take a penny leave a penny jar, that's different b/c people are expected to leave OR TAKE pennies. There is no designated owner of the pennies in this type of dish - hence no one need to give permission to take them.
And since you are not the US Government, you are not legally allowed to steal.
BTW - I know brutal honesty can be harsh - especially when typing. So I am adding that I know I am not perfect either and have made more than my own share of mistakes. I am just thankful they can be forgiven I Jn 1:9
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2203 Posts |
The New York Times has a column every Sunday entitled "The Ethicist", which deals with similar questions. I'd love to see this appear there!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2480 Posts |
The question posed in the original post isn't even a moral gray area. It was stealing. The poster reached into a jar of money not belonging to him/her, took a coin, and replaced it with less than fair market value. More than one mistake in there... An ethical gray area for a similar situation *might* have arisen if the OP asked an employee if he/she could exchange the Merc dime for another dime or some other amount of money less than fair market value. If that were the case, we could have an interesting discussion of ethics. But as presented, no... it was just stealing.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
KisNap, you have been a member for nearly 4 years now and you should know by now that your behaviour is TOTALY unacceptable to the good people on this site.  Why did you post this in the first place? Were you bragging or seeking redemption? *** Unfriendly Remarks Removed by the Staff *** |
|
Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
I used to bartend a while and there was a tipjar behind the bar there. Had someone seen something like that I would have swapped it out for them. Chances are I'd make a lot more money off you keeping you happy and coming back then off the coin espically if its a common merc which isn't a huge deal price wise.
However I would have had a big problem with someone reaching into the jar because I don't know that's all you took out. There aren't vegas style cameras everyone to prove it, and I really wouldn't want to go through tapes anyway. Obviously this isn't exactly the same since how much are you really going to tip on donoughs anyway, but the sentiments the same.
You did take something that didn't belong to you, its likely they couldn't have cared less it was a merc, but its almost certain they would have cared you were digging in the jar. While you certainly shouldn't be drawn and quartered for it, the only tip jars your hand should be in without permission is your own.
At the very least just ask if you could take the dime for a dollar. Had they turned around and seen it who knows how they would have reacted, but its safe to safe it wouldn't have been with joy.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
253 Posts |
By virtue of your asking the question, you realize something was not right with what you did. Since you wanted the dime, you should have told the waitress about it and asked if you could buy it from her and offered her a fair price for it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
8516 Posts |
Who knows, she might have turned around and been bummed out that somebody had taken her merc. I agree with others, you know you did wrong or you wouldn't have asked. Just go back and tell her what you did and give her another buck. You'll feel better about yourself.
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2189 Posts |
Everyone makes mistakes in judgements, that's how we learn. Had the OP felt completely at ease he would have not even posted his poll. I stop in a little mom and pop store every day for coffee, always throwing my small change in the "take a penny,leave a penny tray". one morning I saw a wheatie in the penny tray, I told the owner, thats a Wheat cent and she said oh thanks, my husband always goes through the change at the end of the day. she took it out ( I did not see her replace it with another). That kind of bugged me....and that was not even a tip jar. I suggest the OP go back and drop off the silver dime in the tip jar, and let it be. Life Lesson learned. Just my opinion. RK |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
648 Posts |
Might as well add my input, ..You didn't exactly steal, but, you didn't exactly do the right thing.
Waiting for her to come back would have been the right thing to do, IMO.
And as for this thread, it should've never been posted because this is the type of thread were people get rambling about their opinions, thinking they're right, and then fights start and people say things that they don't mean. This thread does nothing for the hobby and it wasn't requesting for help about a coin, therefore, it was a ridiculous post.
|
| |
Replies: 92 / Views: 10,329 |
First Page
Previous Page
Posted 04/24/2013 12:50 pm
