By PEANDRA PRATT
FOR Tiffany Eldon, a 29-year-old clerk at The Linen Shop, the day started like any other when she opened the company safe to get out the bundle of $1 bills to make up the cashiers’ floats for business.
The company, like so many, changes money at various times throughout the week, so it was not unusual for her to pick up the bills. Except a few weeks ago, the bundle turned out to be a little different. And her actions on the surprising discovery earned her the praise of her shop colleagues, the gratitude of the Royal Bank of Canada branch where the Linen Shop banks and the relief of one particular teller.
Instead of a bundle of 100 $1 bills as expected, Ms Eldon found $100 bills instead. She nearly fell off her chair when she realised she was holding $10,000 rather than the $100 she was expecting.
Sue Pyfrom, the accountant at The Linen Shop, on Bay Street in downtown Nassau, had not noticed the bundle of $100 bills because of the way that the bundles were wrapped.
“Sue just assumed the bills were $1 bills so she just put them in the safe overnight as she always does,” Ms Eldon, who has been working at The Linen Shop full time for 12 years, told The Tribune.
The next morning, on discovering the higher denomination bills as she was making up the cashiers’ floats for the day, she immediately called Mrs Pyfrom at home to find out why there was so much money. “Sue thought that it was a wrong number as Tiffany was babbling on about $10,000,” said one colleague. “Anyway, they all soon realised that a massive mistake had been made, and Sue told her to go to the bank with the shop boy, Will, and give them the wrong bundle back.”
“I went to the bank immediately and gave them the money back,” Ms Eldon said. “The teller who gave them the money the day before came out and she hugged me. She said she had been up all night crying because she was short so much money. I didn’t want her to lose her job.”
Ms Eldon’s managers and co-workers were not surprised by her honesty and actions. The senior buyer at The Linen Shop, Gloria Raine, described her as “reliable and trustworthy”.
“Tiffany, and all of the staff here, are conscientious,” Mrs Raine said. “Tiffany is a long-standing employee who has taken on any facets within this business, from dealing with customers to managing the money. She’s a valuable employee and us allowing her to deal with the money shows that we have confidence in her.”
Royal Bank of Canada gave Ms Eldon a gift basket on Tuesday, thanking her for her honesty in bringing the $9,900 excess error to light.
Ms Eldon puts her honesty down to being a product of her character and upbringing. “Honesty was something I was raised on. My parents taught me a long time ago that if something doesn’t belong to me then give it back,” she said. “And I’m a Christian so I live my life every day trying to be honest.”
Comments
DDK 7 years, 9 months ago
Good for you, Ms. Eldon.
hallmark 7 years, 9 months ago
Wonderful, young lady.
alfalfa 7 years, 9 months ago
Nice to see that there are still some honest people out there. Kudos to you Ms. Eldon.
Islandboy242242 7 years, 9 months ago
Nice job. Honesty is the best policy. RBC prob would have figured it out eventually leading to a much much bigger problem and 2 or more lost jobs.
SP 7 years, 9 months ago
................ Truly a breath of fresh air in this pirates haven we call the Bahamas .............
"Sue told her to go to the bank with the shop boy, Will, and give them the wrong bundle back.”
What's with "Will" being labeled "the shop boy"?? Hope "Will" isn't a grown man being treated as a "boy"!
arussell 7 years, 9 months ago
I had a mix up a couple months back with Scotia Bank for almost 3,000 dollars I return it back to the bank and only got a thank you.
truetruebahamian 7 years, 9 months ago
Sp, they didn't call the shop girl, so what's the problem?
SP 7 years, 9 months ago
Go figure!
DillyTree 7 years, 9 months ago
It's so refreshing there are honest people out there in this corrupt pirates den we call the Bahamas these days! Well done, Ms. Eldon, and thank you!
licks2 7 years, 9 months ago
There are many honest people in this nation. . .they are just not among the politicians. . .among whom they will think that everybody is "slimy and slick " like they are. This is no big deal. . .especially since she is a Christian. . .this is common practice among many of us!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 9 months ago
What an awesome story!!!!!!! ............... more stories like this must be put in the public domain ................... we are not just a nation of thieving rogues
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