Etiquette for Lost Money on the Bathroom Floor

Brian writes the following:

I walk into the bathroom at work. I notice money laying by the foot of an occupant in the stall. What is the ediquite for notifying the unknown person that he has dropped money?

Generally, talking in the bathroom – at least for men – is strictly forbidden. Something like cash on the ground certainly presents an exception to this rule, and opens the door for the bare minimum of conversation required to convey the message.

A wrinkle though! This particular cash is at the foot of somebody in a stall. In this case, you should wait until the very last second until trying to alert the person to their mistake. Talking into a stall is different than talking to someone at a sink or urinal. So wait as long as you can because they may notice the cash all on their own when they start to tidy up for example.

Thing is, you’ve got to leave the bathroom eventually, and people can be busy in a stall for quite some time. If you’ve finished your business, thoroughly washed your hands and made sure you don’t have a wad of food in your teeth, it just might be time to say something. A simple “dude, don’t forget that twenty” will suffice (or maybe “dude in the middle stall” if there are multiple simultaneous poops occurring).

And if it’s only a dollar, or some loose change, you might want to consider not saying anything at all.