It haunts me that I actually did it. I was a kid on my own, early twenties, I felt mad at the employer and thought no one knew I had the spare key – this was long ago before cameras were everywhere. It was terrifyingly easy, I left the place unlocked and open and took all the money I could grab from this restaurant. I thought leaving it open would make it seem like the employees fault a bit, it wasn’t “breaking” and entering.
I was never caught. The money got me through a rough time but I’ve always felt absolutely terrible about it and in retrospect an old friend once said a few people sort of suspected I did it. Cops were called, I was questioned but “what were you doing at midnight on this date?” Was easy to answer “I was asleep in bed with my boyfriend, why what happened?” That was that, I wore gloves and just was not caught. The business wasn’t impacted much overall. Obviously I never did anything remotely like that again. I don’t think I’ve ever told a soul.i wish there was a way to let go of the guilt.
Comments
You can anonymously give them the money back…
You could leave them an anonymous packet with the amount of money you stole.
Go to the restaurant place a large order and leave a generous tip.
Lol idk you ate that.
Forgive yourself and help someone who is struggling like you were.
Dont feel bad companies thrive off stealing this is just capitalism. Pay it forward and help where and when you can.
Dude, these employers are stealing money from us with these wack ass wages. They filed an insurance claim and got to write it off, don’t feel bad.
The fact that you know that it was wrong and you feel guilty about it is penance enough, in my opinion.
You admit that you were wrong, don’t try to justify it, and didn’t make a habit of doing it. And that is what makes all of the difference. You are a decent human being, who, during a time of stress, made a poor decision. It happens. To literally every single one of us.
See, if you actually took delight, or some perverse pleasure in knowing that you got away with it right under their noses, or felt like it didn’t matter anyway, because YOU needed it, and therefore were entitled to it, that is what would make you just a piece of shit.
I think doing some sort of karma restitution can help your feelings. You need to turn your life a little bit towards helping others. Learning to listen better. Perhaps learn some empathy skills. By turning your life towards other people, you can erase this type of debt. At least it worked for me.
It’s over. Don’t ever return the money or make restitution in anyway shape or form. This is how you get caught. Move on.
Help someone out who is in the same situation you were. Lots of “angel groups” on FB.
To those saying OP can just give the money back anonymously… well, not really. This sounds like it was at least 20 (perhaps more like 30) years ago by the way OP describes it, so it’s unlikely they have any way to track down the business owner. The business owner probably received a payout from their insurance company – and from a legal standpoint, giving the money could be considered admission of guilt. OP would also need to take inflation and opportunity cost into account when determining how much to send, which adds another complication. OP, if you feel you must get rid of the money, consider donating that amount to a charity instead.
Do you want to make amends? Return the funds with interest.
Pray, ask God’s forgiveness, and obviously never do that again.
You were young, desperate, and human. The guilt shows you’ve grown. Maybe it’s time to forgive your past self and let the lesson guide your future.
Don’t sweat it. You’re human and you handled the cops. It’s not something you’ll make a habit of and no one got hurt.
It’s too late to go back on your decision, but maybe you can make up for it by looking ahead? If you feel guilty, you know, how many years later, it shows that maybe it’s not greed that motivates you (at least not currently)
it’s on you just remember would u want someone to still your money life is hard
Turn yrself in they blamed the black guy.
Did this. I worked 8, 9, sometimes 10 hour shifts with NO lunch break, never got paid OverTime; worked there for multiple years and did not have sick days or vacation days, etc.
I took about $300 over a period of 8 months. Never got caught and I regret nothing.
Just forgive yourself and move on. Not something you should dwell on too much
How much was it?
Forgive yourself and move on.