Cashier forgot to ring up an item and just put it in my bag - what would you have done?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Target and the cashier did not charge me for a HDTV mounting device. It was about $100. I felt a little guilty, but I was not going to drive all the way back there for that.

This comment shocks me a little. Like $100 is so insignificant. Not just to you pp, but to everyone saying "It's not worth my time", is there a dollar amount threshold where you would feel guilty and return?

And, as a follow up, what if the store overcharged you $100? Would you go back for that correction? What is the de minimus you would not return for a correction?

I'd go back if it was over $300 if the guilt got too much for me. For overcharges by the store, I'd probably go back if it was $75 or more.

[Anonymous]

Years ago, I was erroneously sent TWO of the same item from a now defunct website (worth about $250 each)- I only paid for one. I called them and told them and asked for a return postage label, and they said no, I would have to go to the post office and pay for shipping. No way on earth I was being so inconvenienced for their mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Years ago, I was erroneously sent TWO of the same item from a now defunct website (worth about $250 each)- I only paid for one. I called them and told them and asked for a return postage label, and they said no, I would have to go to the post office and pay for shipping. No way on earth I was being so inconvenienced for their mistake.

In this case, I would have kept both items too. You tried to have it cleared up, so I agree, why should you be further inconvenienced?

[Anonymous]

Reviving an old topic here but to summarize.. Large home improvement store, this was the perfect storm so to speak. I checked out in the nursery area had all of my items. There was a large item on top of stuff the cashier appeared to have rung it up and even helped move it over to a flat bed cart to scan the things under it. I thought the cashier told me $348.XX total made sense in my head. I could not see the credit card check out screen due to sun glare to the point the cashier had to hit buttons on her cash register and even pushed buttons for me as she knew where the "done" button was. -- well we get home my wife asks me for the receipt in case we have to take the big box item back for return as I usually throw them away or leave them in my pocket for the washer machine to eat up. We notice we were only charged $48.xx for the entire purchase. This was definitely an instance of me noticing it and not saying anything. I would be scared to death of them stopping us at the door.

Now going into buying this item we really could not afford it but it was a necessity and I even told my wife at the aisle that we will find a way to make this work and that God has always provided for us. And this happened. I am wrestling with myself as this is not a pack of gum. This is one of those big box stores and I do not think they would allow it to be a slap on the wrist to the cashier. Is this a windfall or a test? And yes I a morally torn, I would not be here if I were not. My wife was upset at being charged $20.00 for a plastic gas can at the store so she said do what you want but chalk it up to them price gouging for a gas can. There has been a gas shortage in our area the last couple of weeks due to hurricane Harvey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reviving an old topic here but to summarize.. Large home improvement store, this was the perfect storm so to speak. I checked out in the nursery area had all of my items. There was a large item on top of stuff the cashier appeared to have rung it up and even helped move it over to a flat bed cart to scan the things under it. I thought the cashier told me $348.XX total made sense in my head. I could not see the credit card check out screen due to sun glare to the point the cashier had to hit buttons on her cash register and even pushed buttons for me as she knew where the "done" button was. -- well we get home my wife asks me for the receipt in case we have to take the big box item back for return as I usually throw them away or leave them in my pocket for the washer machine to eat up. We notice we were only charged $48.xx for the entire purchase. This was definitely NOT an instance of me noticing it and not saying anything. I would be scared to death of them stopping us at the door.

Now going into buying this item we really could not afford it but it was a necessity and I even told my wife at the aisle that we will find a way to make this work and that God has always provided for us. And this happened. I am wrestling with myself as this is not a pack of gum. This is one of those big box stores and I do not think they would allow it to be a slap on the wrist to the cashier. Is this a windfall or a test? And yes I a morally torn, I would not be here if I were not. My wife was upset at being charged $20.00 for a plastic gas can at the store so she said do what you want but chalk it up to them price gouging for a gas can. There has been a gas shortage in our area the last couple of weeks due to hurricane Harvey.

Making a correction to this line as I did not notice it at the time it happened.

This was definitely NOT [i]an instance of me noticing it and not saying anything. I would be scared to death of them stopping us at the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I noticed at the time, I would say something. If I didn't notice til I got home (as in your case), I'd consider it karma. Given how many times I've been charged for two of something I only got one of, I figure it all balances out.

That's for the supermarket/ discount store, of course. If it were a high-value item, like the ladder or hard drive, I would go back, because otherwise the employee would likely end up paying for it out of his/her own pocket, and that's not right.

Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I usually consider myself anything but high-minded and moralistic in most things. But jeez -- so many people say "great -- you got something for nothing and no one knows"?? Character counts most when no one's watching. That's what I'm trying to teach my sons anyway.

Totally agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Since you really didn't notice, PP, I think it could be acceptable not to say anything. But if it is something you will worry about karma for, I'd call the store and "confess." Still, I would worry the cashier would get in trouble for the mistake and not take that back because I wouldn't want a poor cashier to get in the suds over my guilty conscience. Then I would donate an approximate amount to Doctors Without Borders or something so I could feel good about the item.

Yesterday I was at CVS and was buying a $50ish item the cashier scanned but it didn't take. She didn't notice and was so grateful when I told her. I got the impression she could have gotten in a lot of trouble for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reviving an old topic here but to summarize.. Large home improvement store, this was the perfect storm so to speak. I checked out in the nursery area had all of my items. There was a large item on top of stuff the cashier appeared to have rung it up and even helped move it over to a flat bed cart to scan the things under it. I thought the cashier told me $348.XX total made sense in my head. I could not see the credit card check out screen due to sun glare to the point the cashier had to hit buttons on her cash register and even pushed buttons for me as she knew where the "done" button was. -- well we get home my wife asks me for the receipt in case we have to take the big box item back for return as I usually throw them away or leave them in my pocket for the washer machine to eat up. We notice we were only charged $48.xx for the entire purchase. This was definitely NOT an instance of me noticing it and not saying anything. I would be scared to death of them stopping us at the door.

Now going into buying this item we really could not afford it but it was a necessity and I even told my wife at the aisle that we will find a way to make this work and that God has always provided for us. And this happened. I am wrestling with myself as this is not a pack of gum. This is one of those big box stores and I do not think they would allow it to be a slap on the wrist to the cashier. Is this a windfall or a test? And yes I a morally torn, I would not be here if I were not. My wife was upset at being charged $20.00 for a plastic gas can at the store so she said do what you want but chalk it up to them price gouging for a gas can. There has been a gas shortage in our area the last couple of weeks due to hurricane Harvey.

Making a correction to this line as I did not notice it at the time it happened.

This was definitely NOT [i]an instance of me noticing it and not saying anything. I would be scared to death of them stopping us at the door.

This is absolutely not a windfall. If you choose not to pay, that's on you but keeping the item is not the right thing to do and you know it.

[Anonymous]

This has happened multiple times to me at grocery stores and places like Target and Home Depot. If I catch it when I'm there (in the store or parking lot), I go back inside and pay for the item. If I catch it at home, I make a note of it/save the UPC code and pay for it when I am next at the store.

It's stealing. Whether by your error or the atore's, you are taking an item that you know you didn't pay for. Why not just do the right thing? What example are you setting for others/your children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was at a discount department store today buying several items of clothing. All around $20. The cashier was a little scatterbrained, and kept walking back and forth between his station and the security device removal area, and the bagging area. Between all the walking back and forth I thought (but wasn't sure) that he may have forgotten to ring up an item. He was taking a while, so I was also screwing around on my phone at the time. I paid and left.

Later I checked the receipt and saw that he had indeed forgotten to ring up one of my items, so essentially I got it for free.

Would you have said anything?

Whether it was at the moment it happened, or found out later, I have and would again.

[Anonymous]

When this has happened to me, I've called the store to let them know and asked them if I should come back. Sometimes they say yes (and the I go back at my convenience), sometimes they say no.

[Anonymous]

Welp --- I ended up going back to the store and letting them know. I ended up paying $328, which I fully intended to do in the first place. However, I believe the cashier was fired. I know I did the right thing but I hated to be the reason someone lost their job. When I went, I tried to find the girl that originally checked me out but she was not at the register. Legally I know I did the right thing, I found out that it is illegal as in theft and my wife pushed it out of the store, no way I would risk $328 for my wife's freedom or dignity from being arrested. I could not take that chance even knowing they let the girl go. One of the girls at the customer service counter, they made it a big issue with multiple employees, said thank you for being honest most people would have kept it with no repercussions. The manager and another girl seemed more concerned with the cashier that "missed" scanning a lawnmower than us actually returning it.

Still, I know it was the right thing to do. It was right as a Christian, morally and legally. But with jobs hard to come by I hate hate hate that she lost her job.

Man, all I wanted to to was get up mow my grass and watch some football. /sigh

[Anonymous]

In the past I would have considered it a "freebie." As I've aged I realize that anytime I used such an item I was aware that I came by it dishonestly. It wasn't worth it. Now I go back and pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I noticed at the time, I would say something. If I didn't notice til I got home (as in your case), I'd consider it karma. Given how many times I've been charged for two of something I only got one of, I figure it all balances out.

That's for the supermarket/ discount store, of course. If it were a high-value item, like the ladder or hard drive, I would go back, because otherwise the employee would likely end up paying for it out of his/her own pocket, and that's not right.

How would the employee end up paying for it? At a big store they will have no idea which cashier may have missed a big ticket item and if they did not ring it up, there is no record of it.

There are cameras. I worked for a chain that had a big ticket item go missing. All the footage of the checkouts was reviewed by a guy in another state. Once he found the error, the employee (not me) was fired. Then we were all retrained. That sucked.