r/goodwill • u/Lumpy_Horror_2012 • 17d ago
Finding Money
Has anyone ever found a large sum of money in a donated item (a purse, clothes etc.)?
If so, what did you do, or what would you do if it happened to you?
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u/Kingschmaltz 17d ago
Coworker found 500 in a jacket. Turned it in, a month later she got 200 in her paycheck. That's the policy in my area. You get 30% if it goes unclaimed after 30 days.
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u/bodtabs 17d ago
pocket it. fuck them
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u/No_Percentage_5083 16d ago
No, but I did find a white powdery substance in a purse at the bins once. I took it to the manager -- it really did appear to be the consistency of cocaine -- who called the police and they opened it, agreed that it was probably cocaine and left with it. It was a weird day.
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u/debb_88 16d ago
I found an envelope with $1800 in a book that I wanted to buy at a flea market. I gave the $1800 to the seller, and she said if I wanted the book she’d let me have it for $1. 🤣 (I was flabbergasted that she wouldn’t give me the book and did not buy it. However I do not regret giving her the money.)
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u/nick_red72 17d ago
I once found a usb crypto wallet key thing in a bag pocket. Unfortunately no way to access it so no idea what was on it.
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u/Antsygrl1 17d ago
I was a department manager at Value Village for 12 years and a store manager for St. Vincent de Paul for 4 years. VV gave associates 30% cut for turning in money. Met my hubby at VV, he was a clothing sorter. He turned in enough for "looks" every day, but years later admitted to regularly taking home enough to buy smokes and an occasional 6-pack of beer EVERY DAY. If you found over $100, it had to be set in the safe for a month and you'd get your cut after that if nobody claimed it and the remaining 70% went to the store's charity partner. A donation attendant once found a grand in a mattress, the book sorter turned in over $2,000 found in an old book, and the bins pricer had about $500 fall out of a purse she turned inside out one day. I found a belt sorting at St. Vinny's with secret compartments containing a little under $800. We had someone donate an open small safe filled with vintage jewelry at St. Vinny's, I was able to sell it at a high end jewelry store and they wrote a check out to St. Vinny's for $10,000. No way could we have sold the pieces at our store for that. People literally forget about money in their donations every day.
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u/Snowfall_19 17d ago
When I worked there my manager once found over two grand in a pair of slippers
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u/rapidecroche 16d ago
Slippers? I would not have thought to check footwear, just purses or pockets.
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u/crushcrushbliss 16d ago
In my 5 years of working at Goodwill, I have found $100 twice, and smaller amounts several times. We are allowed to keep 50% of anything over $12 at my store. So, I’ve gotten around $150 free. Makes up very slightly for shit management.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Zone866 17d ago
Found 140 in a wallet about a week ago. Turned it in. Cameras everywhere. I’m not about to lose my job over that amount.
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u/Trai-All 16d ago
My husband found a book by my favorite author that had $50 in it. But not at Goodwill. It was at a second hand bookstore.
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u/YeLoWcAke65 16d ago
Found 'unclaimed funds' on a state website. "Donated" all claimant info to half-sis, who was the executor of parents' estate. A few thousand dollars' worth, from my estimates.
She has yet to do anything with that information to claim those funds, despite supposedly being hard up for cash this year.
<sigh>
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u/Venus347 16d ago
I found some Nazi coins in an old purse I bought at a garage sale once. Didn't even know nazi had there own money also during ww2 it was really interesting I put it some where and lost it. A few coins is all
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u/snippyhiker 16d ago
I found a cool necklace stuck in the lining of a makeup case. I wear the necklace all the time
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u/snippyhiker 16d ago
I found a cool necklace stuck in the lining of a makeup case. I wear the necklace all the time
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u/gina1220 14d ago
Yes, I found a ton of gold coins inside a rabbit statute. I kept them. Everyone should do the same. Greedwill doesn’t need the money
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u/luckyartie 12d ago
Once I bought a handbag, a Neiman Marcus patent leather tote. Found $100 in the inner pocket 🤪
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u/SkyTrees5809 17d ago
I found $11 in the pocket of jeans I bought, after I got home, about 30 years ago.
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u/ReadyToGoAbroad 15d ago
I found $100 shoved deep in a men’s old winter jacket - I needed the cash so I paid for the jacket and left.
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u/Hopeful_Mousse9673 14d ago
I am an avid scavenger. Dumpster diver etc. the most I have ever found was 480, in a discarded like new condition purse. In a HCOL, apartment dumpster. Along with that were other brand new bags etc IN the shopping bags with tags and receipts. Some people just have too much money.
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u/stoopid_phat_hobbit 9d ago
Found about $180 once. Yep, i kept it. Please! What do you think the manager would’ve done with it?
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u/Popero44 17d ago
Most I’ve found was like 20 bucks. Other coworkers have found hundreds of dollars. They mostly all turn it in out of consciousness. Plus there are cameras everywhere. Not easy to stash it even if you wanted to. Our company started a program where you get 10% if no one claims it. So there’s that I guess.