Ethical Dilema...What would you do????

[drjeff]

Okay, here's the scenario that happened to me twice this past saturday and I didn't even realize it until Sunday when I looked at the receipts!

Saturday afternoon I take the kids out for some Mother's Day shopping and to get their growing feet some new boots for hiking season. Things were a bit busy in the stores, and relatively speaking the kids were about as good and cooperative as an almost 2 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 year old can be while out shopping with them close to nap time I was buying multiple things at each store that we went to and will readily admit that I was paying more attention to keeping my kids in sight than the credit card receipts I was signing.

Sunday AM, I'm going over the receipts, and it turns out that at both REI where I bought 2 pairs of kids hiking boots and 3 pairs of kids hiking socks that they didn't charge me for 2 pairs of the hiking socks (and I know that the guy at the register saw them and placed them into the bag) and then at Golfer's warehouse where I bought a golf shirt and some golf balls for my mother, the girls at the register didn't charge me for the shirt, even though once again she placed it in the bag!

I feel guilty even though it was their error at both stores, and frankly had my kids not been there I would have been paying attention to the credit card receipts and pointed their errors out to them.

What would you do??

 

[wa-loaf]

At least if you go back to REI you'll get some of that back via your dividend. I'd go pay, but it'd be a tougher choice if it were a Walmart or something.

 

[davidhowland14]

i personally would keep them, but given this statement

and frankly had my kids not been there I would have been paying attention to the credit card receipts and pointed their errors out to them.

you seem to want to return and pay.

 

[snoseek]

Hell no keep it and consider that your lucky shirt socks whatever. If you noticed on the spot I'd say different but that is just their mistake. REI will get by just fine without you correcting their mistake. Small independant shop, restaurant, store.. would be different but to me REI and WAL-MART are both the same kind of animal and I am willing to take any advantages over modern capatalism I can get.

 

[andyzee]

Is this a trick question?

 

[Hawkshot99]

Getting stuff for free is one thing if you steal it, but you did not, so no worries.

 

[mondeo]

I've struggled with the question too, but where I've come to is that it's the stores fault for not having the best employees. I shouldn't be the one training employees to make sure they scan everything, it's the management that should be. If the store does a good job at it, then there are relatively few occurrences, and it's not a big deal. The store sucks and it happens a lot, the store probably deserves to lose money. In general, it follows my theory of making companies pay for bad business practices.

Now, if it were a store I knew was run well, I liked, etc. I might make an exception, due to the fact that I'd figure it was one of the rare occurrences that the store didn't really deserve to pay for.

 

[Dr Skimeister]

Have you ever performed a service in your practice that didn't get invoiced? If so, did the client come back and point out the error?

 

[riverc0il]

This is an interesting quiz because it invites cognitive dissonance in which some folks may say that they would do the "right thing" hypothetically but in reality may "not get around to it" or "unintentionally forget about it" or something along those lines.

I think it would depend on the value of the item and perhaps my relationship with a given retailer to be honest. If it was a $3 water filter from Walmart as part of a bigger purchase, I would probably just shrug that one off as cashier error. If it was a significant purchase, I probably would seek out the retailer by telephone and ask them what they wanted me to do. For a pair of socks, it wouldn't be worth my while for their error.

 

[andyzee]

I've struggled with the question too, but where I've come to is that it's the stores fault for not having the best employees. I shouldn't be the one training employees to make sure they scan everything, it's the management that should be. If the store does a good job at it, then there are relatively few occurrences, and it's not a big deal. The store sucks and it happens a lot, the store probably deserves to lose money. In general, it follows my theory of making companies pay for bad business practices.

Now, if it were a store I knew was run well, I liked, etc. I might make an exception, due to the fact that I'd figure it was one of the rare occurrences that the store didn't really deserve to pay for.

Agreed, these days stores days stores pay the minimum wage that they can, they get what they pay for. As a result they get employee apathy, the customer gets reduced service. I would look at it as a perk of the apathetic corporate world whose only concern is nickles and dimes.

 

[ckofer]

Have you ever performed a service in your practice that didn't get invoiced? If so, did the client come back and point out the error?

I've had clients do it.

My answer: I would not make a special trip for it but I would take the kids for the return. The 2.5 yr old may not grasp it but the 4.5 yr old probably will. This can be a valuable ethics lesson for the kids.

 

[drjeff]

Have you ever performed a service in your practice that didn't get invoiced? If so, did the client come back and point out the error?

Good point Doc! I'm SURE though that my wonderfull front desk staff has NEVER EVER forgotton to bill for something (Your's too I'm guessing)

 

[drjeff]

This is an interesting quiz because it invites cognitive dissonance in which some folks may say that they would do the "right thing" hypothetically but in reality may "not get around to it" or "unintentionally forget about it" or something along those lines.

I think it would depend on the value of the item and perhaps my relationship with a given retailer to be honest. If it was a $3 water filter from Walmart as part of a bigger purchase, I would probably just shrug that one off as cashier error. If it was a significant purchase, I probably would seek out the retailer by telephone and ask them what they wanted me to do. For a pair of socks, it wouldn't be worth my while for their error.

For reference sake, the socks were $5.95 a pair and the shirt was $39.99, and I still paid REI almost $100 for the other items I bought, but my golfer's warehouse bill was just over $20 for the golf balls.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

It depends..I've been given change back for a $20 even though I paid with a $10..if it's a little mom and pop store..I'm honest about it but if it's at Wal-mart or something I let it go..At an un-named ski area..I was given $10 too much cash back when I paid with a $100 and I just let it go..

 

[Warp Daddy]

Do the right thing if you believe honesty is the best policy and you want to give your kids a great example - BTW U can AFFORD it Doc

 

[drjeff]

Do the right thing if you believe honesty is the best policy and you want to give your kids a great example - BTW U can AFFORD it Doc

No according to my wife

BTW, I'll post what I did/didn't do tommorrow afternoon.

Also for reference sake with our current gas prices:uzi:, the stores where I made the purchases are roughly a 45 minute drive each way from my house in an area where I hadn't been to shop since Christmas time.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

No according to my wife

BTW, I'll post what I did/didn't do tommorrow afternoon.

Also for reference sake with our current gas prices:uzi:, the stores where I made the purchases are roughly a 45 minute drive each way from my house in an area where I hadn't been to shop since Christmas time.

You can always mail them the money..:lol:

 

[wa-loaf]

No according to my wife

BTW, I'll post what I did/didn't do tommorrow afternoon.

Also for reference sake with our current gas prices:uzi:, the stores where I made the purchases are roughly a 45 minute drive each way from my house in an area where I hadn't been to shop since Christmas time.

You can just call them up and read the sku #'s to them and charge it over the phone.

 

[deadheadskier]

hmmm, would depend on the value of the item and the time needed to rectify the situation. The right thing to do ethically would obviously be to return to the store. In the same regard, the right thing for the store to do would be to offer a discount on the items equivalent to the cost of your time and gas used in returning to the store. The latter probably never happens.

I've never had this come up except for when I notice it at the check out aisle in which case I always point out the cashiers error.

This story reminds me of back when I was a little kid and would go grocery shopping with my mother and great grandfather. He grew up in the depression and was very frugal because of it. He'd bring a calculator with him and add up the receipt just to be sure the store wasn't taking more money from him than the items actually cost.

 

[ctenidae]

There may be an entertainment benefit to trying to explain what you're doing. While they should have charged you for the socks and the shirt, I'm sure you'll find that dumb looks are, in fact, still free.