a lost phone

So last week at work, while we were recovering the store, I found a Blackberry.



It was tucked underneath a pair of green Tommy boxers in the wallet area, which I was recovering. I thought it was a co-worker's, so I asked, "Did any of you guys leave a Blackberry here?" No one had, so my friend (the closing manager that night) took it and called the owner of the phone to come pick it up the next day.



Next day at work, I'm at the registers when he approaches me and tries to shove some cash in my hand. I'm like, "What are you doing?? It's going to look like we're stealing from the cash registers!" He said, "No, no... I got a tip and I'd feel bad if I didn't share it." I found this really weird because like... if we provide great service, we get a customer compliment and not a tip! So finally he says, "Oh! It's from the girl who lost her phone. She gave me $20 as reward money. That's why I'm giving some of it to you now!"

But even hearing that made it awkward, because we would have returned her phone no matter what. Add that to the fact that we don't accept tips (that's just weird!) at work. I mean, all I did was pick up a pair of boxers to find the phone. So in the end, I felt it was just too weird if I took some of the reward money.

I'm thinking she's so grateful because nowadays when people lose their things, they don't expect to get them back (like a wallet or camera or something). But then finding that phone and returning it to its owner was just pretty much part of our job... it's like if a customer forgets his bag, we would keep it for him behind the counter until he comes back. It's just part of our customer service, I guess. Accepting more money for that wouldn't feel right.

I'll just accept my reward in karma points, thanks :D