Question

You are a valuable member of the student store staff. You handle many of the cash box transactions, moving the daily cash between the store and the office, where it is held overnight. You remember that you needed to have cash to reserve your spot on the senior trip today, and your wallet is empty. You have the money at home, but forgot to pick it up this morning. You can’t ask your friends because they don’t carry that much cash, and no one is at your house to bring it over. You know how the money is moved around through the student store, and could "borrow" the money from the cash box until tomorrow, and nobody would probably know. How do you proceed?

Answer 1

Taking money from the cash box would be stealing—it would be unethical. Instead, I would call a family member or a friend and request someone to lend me the money. In case this does not work, I‘d call the concerned organizers and try to convince them to allow me to bring in the money the following day.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

I can put a call through to the organisers of the trip explaining that I have cash but it's not within reach and that if they reserved the spot for me, they'd get the money as soon as I can access it. Given that I am a valuable member of the student store staff, that reputation should count in times like this.

To borrow money from the cashbox would be a huge ethical risk and can easily be termed mismanagement of funds especially where the store policy does not allow such.

My value in the store lies largely on my integrity and the trust they students have invested in my person.

I'd rather miss the road trip than make a regrettable unethical decision.

Cheers!