GILFORD — People often use “what if” scenarios to work through ethical dilemmas. It’s not every day that those “what ifs” suddenly materialize before us in daily life.
What would you do if you found a bag of money that wasn’t yours?
Sonja O’Brien of Greenville was visiting friends who live on Lake Winnipesaukee when she stopped at the Gilford Hannaford to grab dinner supplies around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Her group saw a large truck from Brink's, a private security company, pulling away from the entrance with its back door open. She and her companions unsuccessfully tried to flag the truck down, though it stopped and closed the door before leaving the parking lot.
Near where the truck had been parked was what O’Brien called in a Facebook post “a fat bag of money.”
“I was in shock,” O’Brien said, “It was right by the front door and people were walking past it, even over it.”
O’Brien said the money was in a labeled Brink’s bag and looked to be stacks of one dollar bills wrapped in bundles by the hundred. She later learned it totaled $1,000.
O’Brien said her 15-year-old son was with her and immediately said, “we have to bring that into the store.”
After taking a moment to collect herself, O’Brien brought the bag to the customer service desk. The attendant, who O’Brien described as a young man, was stunned.
She said he thanked her and said he had never heard of this happening before. A nearby employee, perhaps a shift leader, according to O’Brien, offered her a $20 Hannaford gift card out of gratitude, which she said wasn't necessary.
Then, a manager arrived. When they heard what O’Brien did, they offered her a $100 gift card.
“The manager said to me, ‘no, you’re getting the 100 dollars,’ and told me to enjoy our dinner,” O’Brien said.
She described the experience as surreal and random, but one she felt good about.
“Afterwards, we walked around the store dazed for 20 minutes, trying to shop,” O’Brien said.
She encouraged others to do the right thing in similar situations: “You shouldn’t keep money that’s not yours. If you didn’t work for it, it doesn’t belong to you.”
Hannaford media representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Brink's has declined to comment on the matter.
(1) comment
Wow! Still good people in this world.
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