The Canadian Press
CALGARY—The staff at a Calgary bakery may have been flattered but mostly were worried on the weekend when a customer using a debit machine bought $49 worth of baked goods and left a whopping $525 tip.
Workers at the Sidewalk Citizen didn’t notice the generous gratuity until they were cashing out at the end of the day.
They suspected it might have been an error, so they held onto the money—hoping the customer would come back to claim it.
Owner Aviv Fried said since most people go over their statement at least once a month, the bakery was prepared to hang onto the money for that long just to be on the safe side.
They also contacted the Royal Bank, which managed to contact the customer and determine it was, indeed, a misunderstanding.
Customer Pat Benedict said she’s grateful for the vigilance of the bakery staff.
“They said, ‘Do you know you left about a $525 tip?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t know I did that,’” noted Benedict, who returned to the bakery for her refund on Tuesday.
“Somebody is looking after me, I’d say,” she added.
“It makes me feel good.”
Benedict said it’s a lesson for everybody to slow down a little bit and know what you’re paying for before you hit the OK button on the debit machine.
