I remember seeing a saying about "Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking" or something along those lines. That thought has been ringing in my mind since yesterday.
On Saturday, I finally got a chance to get out of the house for some me-time. I had been given a gift card to the fat girls' store for my birthday, plus I had a $25 off coupon and I wanted to scoop some decent workout clothes. After humming and hawing, I picked out a tank top with a built-in bra (yah...like that little bit of material is going to hold the girls in), a pair of stretch capris and a bunny hug (or hoodie for you non-Saskatchewanites). After the sales chick rung everything through and used the cards/coupon, my total came to $8.61. I was so tickled at this great deal that I didn't even stop to do a mental calculation.
After I got home, I emptied out the shopping bag to start removing the tags. As I grabbed the receipt, I noticed something was amiss...the sales chick had forgot to ring in one of my items. The bunny hug was $46, the pants were $30 and the tank top was $30, but only one of the $30 items had been rung through. My first thought was, "Woo hoo! Score!". My next thought was that my parents raised me to be honest and that the right thing to do would be to go back down to the store and pay for the missed item.
If I were to return to the store, I'm pretty sure the sales chicks would look at me like I had grown a second head - why the eff would I come back and pay for the item when I could have gotten it for free? Also, I don't think anyone is going to give me a round of applause or a medal for doing the right thing...it all has to do with character. As I write this, I'm unfortunately leaning more towards just keeping the clothes and not saying anything and there are a ton of "pros" running through my mind to justify my decision - the clothes are way overpriced as it is, it's not like I consciously stole the item, it's not hurting the sales chick herself (moreso the company) and so on and so on.
I'm curious - how many of you would keep the item and not say anything and how many would do the right thing and return to the store to pay for it?
I would like to say I would return it. But truthfully I would keep it. It isn't stealing if you didn't do it on purpose :)
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure the exact thing has happened to me before. I think if I would have noticed it before driving home, I would have said something, but once I was home, I was too lazy to go back.
ReplyDeleteThis happened to me with a more expensive item of clothing. I never returned to the store, but wish I had, because everytime I put on that item of clothing, I felt guilty....knowing that I hadn't paid for it. After keeping it for 10 years, I finally packed it up and donated it to the Sally Ann this year...still felt guilty! It wasn't worth it. Jiminny Cricket was yelling at me to listen to that little voice in my head:
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Fairy: You must learn to choose between right and wrong.
Pinocchio: Right and wrong? But how will I know?
Jiminy Cricket: [watching] How'll he know!
The Blue Fairy: [to Pinocchio] Your conscience will tell you.
Pinocchio: What are conscience?
Jiminy Cricket: What are conscience! I'll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today...
Pinocchio: Are you my conscience?
Jiminy Cricket: Who, me?
Jiminy Cricket: Now, you see, the world is full of temptations.
Pinocchio: Temptations?
Jiminy Cricket: Yep, temptations. They're the wrong things that seem right at the time... but... uh... even though the right things may seem wrong sometimes, or sometimes the wrong things,
[chuckles]
Jiminy Cricket: may be right at the wrong time, or visa versa.
Jiminy Cricket: [clears throat] Understand?
Pinocchio: [shakes his head] Uh-uh. But I'm gonna do right.
Jiminy Cricket: Atta boy, Pinoke! And I'm gonna help ya!
The way I see it, this is good karma shining down on you.
ReplyDeletereturn the item, your integrity is not worth $30
ReplyDeleteThis has happened to me a few times. Once, I forgot to pay for a bag of flour under my cart at Superstore. I noticed when I got to my car, so I went back in and paid for it. Another time I forgot to pay for a $1 chocolate bar or something (it was under my purse) and I didn't notice until I got home. I'm pretty sure the gas to take me back there would be over a dollar, so I didn't pay for it. Another time I noticed a more expensive item hadn't been rung up when I got home. I called the store and they said keep it.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to you would be to call the store and ask what they want you to do. If they are really that cheap to make you go back there, they will feel stupid. On the other hand, you never know what is really going on. I had a friend who worked at Northern Reflections -- a store with very little traffic. They had to sell a certain amount a day and it was very tough. $30 could make or break the budget that day.
If they tell you to keep it & enjoy, then you can do so guilt-free.