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Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Okay, so let’s say you are at, say, Target. And you are buying a bunch of stuff and are busy making sure your kids don’t climb on the checkout belt, drinking your Starbucks, reading US Weekly, talking on the phone, etc. as the cashier is ringing up your purchase. You have the usual assortment of crap you don’t need necessities on the list your brought (ha,ha,ha) and your total is well in excess of $100 (as is the rule at Target). But when you got home, you realized that you didn’t get charged $16.99 for the blue step stool you bought for your 4 year old son (*). So what do you do? Do you go back to the store and explain you didn’t get charged for you? Or do you just say screw it and keep the free stool?
I personally would keep the stool. I’m busy and don’t want to have to drag my kids back to Target(**). And in all the situations like this when I have tried to “do the right thing”, it’s turned into the biggest production ever. Let’s take the case of Chrysler. Long before I met B, I drove a leased Jeep Liberty (aka a gas guzzler). Well I turned it in early to get a Jeep Grand Cherokee (aka an even bigger gas guzzler). So all was well until a few months later when I received a check in the mail. From Chrysler. For like $700. It referenced my Liberty. I had NO clue what it was for as I hadn’t overpaid or gotten any sort of rebates or anything. So I called. And called. And called. Spent hours on hold, getting transferred between departments, getting frustrated, annoyed, etc. I think at one point I was so frustrated I also almost in tears. Turns out no one at Chrysler had any idea why I got the check and there was no record of them sending it. In fact, they didn’t even show any record that I had ever turned in the Liberty and gotten a new Grand Cherokee? Say what??? Which is super odd since I received bills for my new car, but whatever. So what did I do? I gave up. I cashed that check and kept the money(***).
Now that we have discussed my lack of morals, tell me, what do you do when the cashier forgets to ring up something you bought? Or the price is totally wrong and in your favor? Mention it or just let it slide?
(*) Clearly this post is totally hypothetical
(**) And yeah, if was charged 2x for one item in error and didn’t realize I would so go back. And act all pissy about it. I know, I know. I am a horrible person.
(***) Some lady on the phone told me to. She insisted that Chrysler doesn’t just send checks to people for no reason. I beg to differ and can’t help wonder if these checks were part of the reason a government bailout was necessary. Yep, it’s all my fault the auto companies almost went under ;).