Scoring a rare, valuable item for a reasonable price at Goodwill is already a steal. Finding money inside is hitting the jackpot. However, it’s not entirely uncommon to discover cash in these pre-owned items, such as wallets, purses, rockets, or even books. After all, they were once someone’s prized possession. This begs the question: what does one do in this situation? One woman was shocked to find rolls of cash in her thrifted $10.98 Goodwill vintage piggy bank.
How much did this woman find in her Goodwill piggy bank?
While sitting in her car, avid Texas-based thrifter Katrina (@miles8katrina) unveils her most recent find: a pink 1976 Universal Statuary Corp Floral Piggy Bank from Goodwill.
“Just got back from the thrift store. I thrifted this piggy bank for $10.99,” she says, gushing with excitement. But the piggy bank came with another surprise.
“And listen,” she adds. When she shakes it, muffled sounds jumble in it. “It sounds like there’s something in it. It kind of sounds like plastic or toys,” she continues.
Then, the content creator holds the piggy bank with the opening facing her and twists the bottom plug to reveal plastic bags, confirming her original assumption.
Next, Katrina decides to fish out the plastic bags, and each pull forms a long plastic rope of bags tied together.
“What the heck? It sounds like plastic. So, I don’t know what it is,” she says. “I do know this piggy bank is worth a lot of money.”
Finally, at the end of her rope, she picks it up and takes a closer look. “No freaking way! Holy [expletive],” the thrifter gasps at the rolled up cash. Afterward, the content creator reaches inside and shows a couple of cash bundles tied with a hair tie. “Not plastic. It’s wads of money!” she squeals excitedly. Upon closer examination, she notices several of them.
Essentially, Katrina was incredulous, sharing in the caption, “ I just thrifted a piggy bank for $10.99 and found $2,028 cash! WTF is this a prank or something?!?”
Out of guilt, she followed up with a question in the comments section, “Should I call the store?”
Viewers demand keeping the cash
Katrina’s clip amassed 2.9 million views. In the comments section, viewers responded to her dilemma, urging her to keep it.
“Do NOT call the store. that is yours. goodwill is an incredibly greedy and corrupt company. blessings to you!!” one viewer recommended.
“Don’t return anything. People will tell you to return it. Don’t listen to them!!!” another echoed.
A third agreed, “PLEASE this is YOUR money. You thrifted it. Do not return that money! Do not. Not to a greedy corporation!! No no no.”
“girl that’s a christmas miracle. dont tell the thrift shop they are the worst!” a fourth pleaded.
Instead, Katrina ended up listening to her conscience, writing, “I called the store in case someone donated it [by] accident.”
Does Goodwill have a policy?
Typically, stores vary in their policies. However, it is ultimately up to the customer whether they return the money, though there may be consequences.
“If a customer finds cash in merchandise they have already purchased, it is up to them to check their conscience… But people should not knowingly walk out of Goodwill with property that does not belong to them — even if it is hidden inside of other merchandise that they purchase. This harms Goodwill’s mission, and by extension, the people Goodwill serves,” Goodwill Spokesperson Chris Fletcher told The Tennesseean.
Whenever this happens, Goodwill attempts to find the item’s donor. Moreover, this applies to employees as well. If the amount is $20 or under, it is split right away. On the other hand, anything over it is divided if the money hasn’t been claimed within 30 days.
Although the laws about this differ, there are potential legal consequences. Since this can be considered theft, a person must attempt to locate the original owner or turn it in to law enforcement, according to The Sun. If the money isn’t claimed within a certain time frame, they may allow the finder to keep it.
@miles8katrina I just thrifted a piggy bank for $10.99 and found $2,028 cash! WTF is this a prank or something?!? #thriftstorefinds #piggybank ♬ original sound – Miles8Katrina
The Mary Sue reached out to Katrina via email and TikTok comment as well as Goodwill via press email.
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