Hypothetical Poll #5a Options

[impala454]

Ok Since #5 ended up a lot more lopsided than I thought, here's probably a better one that might spur more discussion.

Situation (directly from a real situation posted on another forum I frequent):
You walk into a Gamestop store, to pick up Rock Band (full set, with all instruments, retail $160) for the 360 and Okami ($40 retail) for the Wii. You take them up to the register, and the cashier gives the total: $86. What do you do?

[Seeker]

take the items and leave duhhhh, this poll is lop-sided too

anyone who doesn't take the items and leave is a moron, who cares if you're ripping off a faceless corporation who can stand to lose a few bucks, all you're doing is getting all the shit for the price they should have charged you before 200% markup

[Oasis]

It really depends on the store. If it's a mom and pop store, I'd let them know they rang it up incorrectly. If it was a large chain like Walmart, I ain't telling that minimum wage crackhead illegal immigrant cashier shit

[James]

If I actually noticed it? I'd tell 'em, but I don't pay attention to the price of items being rung up. My morals are a little different from everyone else though /shrug

[pysex]

i wouldn't notice


usually i pay whatever it is for an item i want

[DaveFireDancer19]

Im with James...if I notice, then Id say something...I guess we're the only ones with morals

BF and I shop at a local place and Id hate to rip them off...

[pysex]

Im with James...if I notice, then Id say something...I guess we're the only ones with morals

BF and I shop at a local place and Id hate to rip them off...

you and james wouldn't cheat a store out of their money


that doesn't mean the rest of us don't have morals

you can't just say a person doesn't have morals based on hypothetical situations...i know for sure it would be based on the choice that person made at that moment in time...

since working in retail i can tell you that EVERY single person that cheated our registers never came back to "fix" the problem....NEVER...NOT ONE...and usually it wasn't the customer's fault

[The Fanatic]

It take the items at the price rung up. This teaches both the clerk and the store a valuable lesson in quality control.

[Mommy]

A similar situation happened to me. I told the cashier. I don't want anyone to lose their job. It was at Disney World so it was a major corporation.

One time, I went to Dillard's and bought $100 worth of clothes. I decided a few days later that I wanted to return one item. I noticed the transaction hadn't hit my account yet, but that wasn't too weird to me seeing as how I was with Texas Tech Federal Credit Union at the time. I couldn't for the life of me find the receipt, but that didn't matter since Dillard's puts these stickers on each tag that they can scan and bring up the whole transaction. I went to Dillard's and they scanned it. The cashier told me the items were removed from the inventory like it was purchased, but the items were not actually charged. I told the lady that I know I had the receipt somewhere, and I could bring it back if they needed proof I purchased the items. She said it didn't matter. I would never be charged for items. I just had to keep the item I wanted to return. So I got $100 worth of clothes for free *woot*

[impala454]

Im with James...if I notice, then Id say something...I guess we're the only ones with morals

See this is what I think brings up the interesting part. Is it really morally wrong to pay the amount the cashier asks you to pay?

[Mommy]

See this is what I think brings up the interesting part. Is it really morally wrong to pay the amount the cashier asks you to pay?

If you know it's the wrong amount, then yes. When I worked at Best Buy, if a price came up on the screen that seemed suspicious, we were supposed to get a physical check of the price by going back there and checking the price on the tag. Sometimes items would ring up for a penny that were supposed to cost hundreds of dollars. We could lose our jobs if we rang up something for considerably less than it cost.

[jonathan83]

See this is what I think brings up the interesting part. Is it really morally wrong to pay the amount the cashier asks you to pay?

if it makes you feel guilty and you know it's wrong, of course.
not to say i wouldn't do it, though.

[THECHICKEN]

If its game stop and i am getting thier shit at a discount... i pay... then go get as much more as possible...

then ebay it

or burn it

whatever, as long as they're getting fucked

[impala454]

We could lose our jobs if we rang up something for considerably less than it cost.

So why is it the fault of the customer or immoral if this happens? And how far up the chain do we go on this supposed immorality? What if, after double checking, an Xbox 360 still rings up for $50? Is it still immoral to purchase it? What's the difference between the cashier making the mistake and the inventory guy making the mistake? How about the advertising people? Or even the corporate people? Is it still immoral for the customer to take advantage of their mistakes?

IMHO stores making mistakes like that in my favor is just dumb luck, and a sign to the store that they need to either hire better employees, or pay them enough to make sure they care about their job.

Here's another one, how about gas? What if you pull up to a gas pump, stick your card in, and when you're done filling up you've put 20 gallons of gas in but it only charged you $15. Do you go in and tell the attendant and pay the correct amount, or just finish the transaction and leave?

[Mommy]

So why is it the fault of the customer or immoral if this happens? And how far up the chain do we go on this supposed immorality? What if, after double checking, an Xbox 360 still rings up for $50? Is it still immoral to purchase it? What's the difference between the cashier making the mistake and the inventory guy making the mistake? How about the advertising people? Or even the corporate people? Is it still immoral for the customer to take advantage of their mistakes?

IMHO stores making mistakes like that in my favor is just dumb luck, and a sign to the store that they need to either hire better employees, or pay them enough to make sure they care about their job.

Here's another one, how about gas? What if you pull up to a gas pump, stick your card in, and when you're done filling up you've put 20 gallons of gas in but it only charged you $15. Do you go in and tell the attendant and pay the correct amount, or just finish the transaction and leave?

Yeah... that happened. I forget where, but the pump was supposed to be charging something like 3.79 and the gas attendant accidentally entered in the amount with decimal point in the wrong place so people were lined up for blocks to get $.38 gas. No one said ANYTHING until the cops showed up because the crowds were creating traffic jams. If I were there, I would sneak in and tell the person working there. You know that she got fired all because of a small mistake that anyone could make. I think that's partly the reason our country is going down the toilet. No one looks out for anyone anymore. It's every person for themself. In fact, I watched this video a few days ago. I think it applies here too http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/0...ref=videosearch

In the case of the Best Buy incident, if the employee spoke with a supervisor or manager before allowing me to purchase a 360 for $50, then yeah, I would buy it. I just want to make sure that I am not getting anyone into trouble. A cashier would lose their job over something like that, but not a manager, at least at a corporate store.

Everyone thinks ethics is relative. It's not. There is a definite right and a definite wrong. Sometimes, it's not very obvious what is right and sometimes it is. Still, there is an ultimate right and wrong. This is a case , though, where it is definitely wrong to take advantage of someone like that and people know it. In the case of the man with the Ferari, it's wrong then to keep the money, but I might anyways. I would feel bad about it though. The more I think about it, seeing the person drop it would probably make me want to give it back even though it's obvious the man could wipe his ass with $100 bills

[The Fanatic]

It is not my responsibility to make sure that retarded employees ring up the items correctly. If they ring up items incorrectly maybe they deserve to get fired because that means that they could possibly make many more careless mistakes and end up costing the company even more money in the future. It is their job as a cashier to note the price of items that are scanned and not randomly assume that the price that comes up is correct.

[THECHICKEN]

If an employee makes gas $.38 and doesn't find out until police show up because of TRAFFIC JAMS, they deserve to be fired. And it is not wrong to make a purchase of an item at the price it is offered for. I don't give a shit if its a complete mistake, the point is that i was offered to pay for it at a certain price and i am accepting it. Sure its wrong to get someone fired... but if its just a computer error, im am not morally obligated to make sure i am charged more, and i doubt a cashier will be fired for ringing up items and missing a computer error. Maybe if they are grossly stupid they will get fired(like the gas station person), but that is rightfully so.

[Mommy]

Well, I guess if we are going by that logic then, it's not our responsibility to help some old guy that walks across the street and gets hit by a car.... (see thread in NPR)
Really, this is why our country is going to shit...
We point out when registers ring up the wrong price to charge us too much, but not when it's to our advantage?

[impala454]

It is not my responsibility to make sure that retarded employees ring up the items correctly. If they ring up items incorrectly maybe they deserve to get fired because that means that they could possibly make many more careless mistakes and end up costing the company even more money in the future. It is their job as a cashier to note the price of items that are scanned and not randomly assume that the price that comes up is correct.

this was pretty much the exact response I had saved up in anticipation to what she'd say, but you beat me to it

[impala454]

reminds me of this:
http://www.techsans.net/forums/index.php?s...4&hl=hd+dvd

I guarantee someone lost their job or got in trouble at corporate over this. Do you care about that person's job as much as the cashier's?

[Mommy]

I don't mean to throw religion into the mix, Chuck, but aren't you Christian? It seems to me that your belief system is pretty much the same as mine, but I just don't post on religion too very often. I believe there is a judgment day and that we will be judged for all the wrong we do. Don't you think that God would see that as wrong? Ok, so screwing over a corporation may feel kind of nice I admit, but screwing over an employee at a low-paying job? That's kinda cruel!

[impala454]

Jessica, I don't see it as wrong at all. All I'm doing as a customer is bringing my items to the counter, then paying the total I'm given. I don't see it as me screwing over anyone. If someone did make a mistake, I don't see how the customer could be in any way held accountable.

It's just how I see it anyways. No, I don't think God sees that as wrong.

[THECHICKEN]

Well, I guess if we are going by that logic then, it's not our responsibility to help some old guy that walks across the street and gets hit by a car.... (see thread in NPR)
Really, this is why our country is going to shit...
We point out when registers ring up the wrong price to charge us too much, but not when it's to our advantage?

Because calling 911 for a person getting hit by a car is the same as paying for what comes up on the register...

Ever going to go to the tax office when they up your taxes on land too high? How about when its too LOW?

Somehow i doubt you fear god enough to go have the tax office RAISE your taxes when you KNOW they undervalued your land. You're reference to the man being hit by the car in regards to this situation is irrelevant and useless. Its not stealing, nor even dishonest, to pay for what you are offered in a store. If you feel like you want to pay the extra because you can afford to, and want to cut the store a break (like a nice tip) then you by all means can. Hell i have told a black jack table he wrongfully paid me before, and given the money back, that doesn't mean i think its "sinful" to keep the bank error in my favor.

[Oasis]

For people saying they'd pay the cheaper price if it was rung up wrong because it isn't their responsibility to correct the cashier, I guess if they screwed up and rung it up for twice the sticker price, you'd pay that price...correct?

[THECHICKEN]

For people saying they'd pay the cheaper price if it was rung up wrong because it isn't their responsibility to correct the cashier, I guess if they screwed up and rung it up for twice the sticker price, you'd pay that price...correct?

Of course not, because i wouldn't accept that price offered to me.

[chook]

There is a difference between a good deal and knowing that it is wrong. I always beleive morality and legality are often exclusive.

To me Illegal immigrants being in this country is Illegal and I can't find moral objection.

Some business accounting practices are quite legal, but are really immoral.

[Spectatrix]

I would ask the cashier to double-check the items. I believe that knowingly paying an incorrect, lower price for items is effectively theft.

Yes, the cashier has a responsibility to make sure things are rung up correctly, but they are human... they will make mistakes and miss things. I have absolutely no problem with getting an employee in trouble if they deserve it (crappy customer service or what have you), but I'm usually game to help them out if they're friendly and trying to do a good job, but make some goof.