Its maffs innit.

[Biff]

I've just come back from the garden centre, where I noticed a couple of books that were on offer - 15% off.

I went to the cash desk with both books, paid, left, then got to the car and checked the receipt. The arse serving had multiplied the 15% discount by 2, and gave me 30% off each book!!

I took them back of course.
Yeah right.

[Sniper]

Good on ya. So where was this errrrr, bargin bin :devil2:

[bugjuice]

careful, the cops could follow your trail and get you for it! They went after the gas station lot..

I've managed to get 'free' stuff before, thru simple confusion of the till jockey in one form or another. I rarely mean to do it. May be it's just me.

One time, thru simple confusion, I filled up my bike with BP 98, got 3 bottles of V for 5 bucks, went to pay. They aren't 5 bucks for 3, so fumbled around for cash, didn't have the change and no eftpos. So one back, I'll have the two and gas. Paid over the top (which I knew), he gave me the change, then gave me back my money in one hit. Not realising until I went to get more gas later in the day, I had more money than I started the day with, and still a bottle of V to go!

[jrandom]

I got some free smoked salmon from the Mad Butcher once, thanks to a lovely overworked blonde girl at the till.

I ate it quickly in the car on the way home, with a vague sense of disquiet.

[Biff]

I got some free smoked salmon from the Mad Butcher once


Cannabalism?

[Lou Girardin]

So in the spirit of the cheap gas thread, are you giving the money back?
Or are you going to take advantage of their mistake and risk getting a criminal record?

[Biff]

So in the spirit of the cheap gas thread, are you giving the money back?
Or are you going to take advantage of their mistake and risk getting a criminal record?

Yes........

[Lou Girardin]

Yes........

Good on ya.
Don't give the suckers an even break

[Virago]

Reminds me of an experience my father had a few years ago. He went to a bookshop sale, there was a table of books marked "$1.50 each, or 2 for $1.00".

Tries to talk to shop manager, but no joy.

"But I only want one book".

"That's $1.50, sir".

"But if I take another book, it's 50 cents less?"

"That's right, sir."

Dad picks up another book at random, pays his $1.00. As he leaves the counter, he reaches around the counter and drops the unwanted book in the waste bin. He then walks out, followed by a string of "Hey you..." type comments from the shop staff.........:blink:

[Big Dave]

I ate it quickly in the car on the way home, with a vague sense of disquiet.


Were they out of tartare sauce and lemon?

[Yokai]

Dude - the missing money is likely to come out of THEIR wage packet... If you notice the mistake, take it back, or at least phone up and check... The best thing about it is that you make friends, people realise you are a good guy/gal...

2 examples (though I'm hyper-square so...)

At a Christmas shopping extravaganza back in the UK I spent over 100 pounds on wrapping paper at paperchase. I gave the girl at the till a 20 and she gave me change for a 50... I didn't even notice. My gf noticed and when we were outside the shop she said "hey look - you got given extra change there!" I went back in and queued, gave the money back. Transpired that she would have had to pay the money back out of her own wage packet, and as a temp 1 day a week holiday worker that would have been a chunk of the wage... Well worth the extra time to get that feeling of helping someone out!

Second example - last year my gf bought me a pair of draggin jeans and a triumph t-shirt from a store on Kyber Pass Road in Auckland (just down from the motorway bridge, and next to Eden Electro Platers)... She got me a womens cut by accident. Went in and exchanged them later for a mens cut. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, the price was different but no-one checked. I finally get to come home and figure this out (about 2 weeks later) and phone Lou and email him and let him know and am all about to pay the extra, and he's very nice and lets me off... That guy gets a lot of kudos from me - I recommend the staff and service to all my friends, and when I get a licence that allows me to ride a bigger bike than my 250, I'm buying a new bike there.

Just a thought - these people have to make a living, and you were willing to pay the advertised price - if you notice the mistake, live honestly... Karma, dude.

:hitcher: <-- HAHAHA! I didn't know what that tag was called - that's funny!

[Lou Girardin]

Second example - last year my gf bought me a pair of draggin jeans and a triumph t-shirt from a store on Kyber Pass Road in Auckland (just down from the motorway bridge, and next to Eden Electro Platers)... She got me a womens cut by accident. Went in and exchanged them later for a mens cut. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, the price was different but no-one checked. I finally get to come home and figure this out (about 2 weeks later) and phone Lou and email him and let him know and am all about to pay the extra, and he's very nice and lets me off... That guy gets a lot of kudos from me - I recommend the staff and service to all my friends, and when I get a licence that allows me to ride a bigger bike than my 250, I'm buying a new bike there.
:hitcher: <-- HAHAHA! I didn't know what that tag was called - that's funny!

Aaawww shucks yokai:o , honesty deserves a discount

[Biff]

Dude - the missing money is likely to come out of THEIR wage packet.....


Sorry mate - I don't buy that he'll have to pay it back out of his own pocket. And an example of a temp in the UK telling you that their employer would have made her pay it back (which is against the law in the UK, if proven to be a genuine mistake - I know this for fact. ) doesn't convince me that the local garden centre in NZ operates the same as a garden centre at the other end of the globe.

I probably would have gone back in, but I couldn't be arsed to run accross the car park in the pouring rain in order to queue again for the sake of $6.

[Hitcher]

I can't do this stuff. Must be something Calvinistic in my genes. Knowingly taking something for which you know you should have paid more for, must still be theft. I always point out errors (if I spot them) to retail assistants, such as their inability to do simple arithmetic or failure to charge for the second bottle or red wine or desserts. Ask yourself how you would expect your customers to treat you if the situation was reversed...

[In The Breeze]

There was a time that I wouldn't have mentioned a thing to them but these dya I would and have done several times. Better karma

[Yokai]

Sorry mate - I don't buy that he'll have to pay it back out of his own pocket. And an example of a temp in the UK telling you that their employer would have made her pay it back (which is against the law in the UK, if proven to be a genuine mistake - I know this for fact. ) doesn't convince me that the local garden centre in NZ operates the same as a garden centre at the other end of the globe.

I probably would have gone back in, but I couldn't be arsed to run accross the car park in the pouring rain in order to queue again for the sake of $6.

That's your call, mate... I know that $6 is a lot to me though at the moment, and I'm not a spotty oik in a garden centre...

As for being illegal - I doubt that anyone who is in that situation is willing to go to the mat for it... Just cos it's illegal doesn't stop people doing it... But hey!

It's just my 2 minor local currency units

[Biff]

Ask yourself how you would expect your customers to treat you if the situation was reversed...

My fault - my problem. I ensure all of my staff are suitably trained for the positions in which they are employed. As a bare minimum employers should ensure that their staff have a basic knowledge of maths if they're job revolves around dealing with it.

I may tell them next time I'm there, I may not. Depends if I can manage to sleep at night knowing that I'm now branded a thief.

[Yokai]

My fault - my problem. I ensure all of my staff are suitably trained for the positions in which they are employed. As a bare minimum employers should ensure that their staff have a basic knowledge of maths if they're job revolves around dealing with it.

I may tell them next time I'm there, I may not. Depends if I can manage to sleep at night knowing that I'm now branded a thief.

Wow, Thieves have brands? Like Honda and Yamaha or like Cattle?...

Dude - if that's how I made you feel that's not what I meant. nah - I'm sorry - I don't think that you're a thief, because that requires malice aforethought, and I know that you'll likely remedy the situation in your own way - like nipping back in when you need some potting mix or something... or spending more money at that particular branch...

It's just my take that if someone knows about it at the time, then it is their responsibility to remedy the sitch...

[Ixion]

I can't do this stuff. Must be something Calvinistic in my genes. Knowingly taking something for which you know you should have paid more for, must still be theft. I always point out errors (if I spot them) to retail assistants, such as their inability to do simple arithmetic or failure to charge for the second bottle or red wine or desserts. Ask yourself how you would expect your customers to treat you if the situation was reversed...

I just say "$X.xx ? Is that correct, please ? " If they get defensive and assume I'm querying an overcharge , then I just quietly accept their assurance that it is indeed correct , and not feel gilty - they had a chance to correct it. If they are sensible, and recheck , then I willingly pay the correct amount.

If the shop person seems very young and out of his/her comfort zone, I may be a bit more explicit " I think you are not charging me enough"

And , yes, a lot of retailers and such like try to make staff make up any cash shortfalls. It is of dubious legality, and if the person is in a union (unlikely, alas), the union will take a dim view of it. But a young shop assistant is not in a strong bargaining position and will often accept very dodgy conditions rather than risk their job. A rat bag employer can always trump up some reason to sack a kid.

Join the union folks, in solidarity is strength.

[Yokai]

Join the union folks

Are there going to be meetings??


Sure

No meetings *blam blam blam blam blam*

[F5 Dave]

I can't do this stuff. Must be something Calvinistic in my genes. . .

I'm feeling Calvinistic too.

[jrandom]

I'm feeling Calvinistic too.

Me, I'll do anything for a tuna fish sandwich.

I'm kind of stupid that way.

[Lias]

Me, I'm scottish, so If they undercharge I walk away grinning, and if they overcharge me even a cent I'll raise hell :-P

That being said if its a place I got to regualarly and know the staff (like the food kiosk downstairs at work) I'll tell them they undercharged me or whatever if I notice at the time.

I think my best score was going into a PC store (PC general.. this was years ago), and ordering a bunch of parts, which includead a motherboard, cpu and ram. They offered to put the CPU/ram in the board and configure it for me for free, which I accepted (I could have done it myself but this was back in the 486 days when you actually had to put a bit of effort into putting a CPU into a motherboard.. Lots of jumpers to set etc). Then went to pay for it all, and my eftpos card's limit wasnt high enough, so I took off down to the bank, got out cash, and came back. When the sales dweeb rang it all up, he just scanned the price on the outside of the motherboard box, and didnt charge me for the CPU or RAM.. Was about $500 worth if I recall. I remember thinking it was cheap as I paid for it, but it wasnt until I got home and looked at the invoice that I figured out what they'd done.

[Skyryder]

Dude - the missing money is likely to come out of THEIR wage packet...

That would be an offence under the Wages and Saleries Act.

Sounds to me like the checkout operataor has not been trained properly. If the Garden centre will not train their staff to operate the cash register accuratley that is there problem...........not their customers.

Skyryder

[Yokai]

That would be an offence under the Wages and Saleries Act.


Quite possibly it's an offence under the Wages and Salaries Act. (yr) here but that doesn't negate the fact that it happens.

Yes I think it's bad training. Yes I think that it is the Owner/Franchisee 's fault, but I also think that it is a matter of Karma...

<shrug> never been one for not sorting that stuff out as soon as possible...

[Beemer]

I remember getting $5 too much change once when Colin Morris had his shop in Wellington. I walked all the way back because he's a nice guy and I'd feel guilty about ripping him off, but the guy who had served me was so rude I wished I hadn't bothered! I said "You gave me $5 too much change" and he just grabbed the $5 out of my hand and said "big deal!"

But lately I seem to get the opposite - bought a cheap CD at the Warehouse ($4.97) in Palmerston North and handed over $5 - "it scanned as $9.99" - but they let me have it for the cheaper price. Two days later I bought a double CD for $12.99 and paid by eftpos. Didn't notice until I got home that I'd been charged $14.99 and it wasn't worth the petrol travelling the 50kms to complain so I emailed them. Got a call a few days later to pop in for a refund next time I was up there - so I got my $2 back and the girl who served me also gave me a bar of chocolate as an apology, so that wasn't too bad. If I'd paid for the CDs with other items and not noticed, I could have been overcharged by $7 so it pays to check.

I did once get away with something for free, but the staff in the shop had been SO rude I didn't feel very guilty! I was living in Whakatane and had ordered something from a shop in Rotorua. It took weeks to come in so when it arrived I headed over there on the Friday night to collect it (no offer to post it). The two women in the shop ignored me and my mother for more than five minutes then one turned around and said "did you want something?" I explained that I was there to collect something I'd ordered so she went to look for it. Five minutes later she said it wasn't there, so I explained someone had called to say it was there and she reluctantly went out the back again to find it. She brought it out, dumped it on the counter and then went off to serve someone who had walked in after us! The other woman had disappeared so I had no choice but to wait for her. I paid by VISA and in those days it was the old zip-zap machine with carbon copies. She was incredibly slow serving me and spent most of her time talking to the other woman when she came back. I signed the docket and left the shop, vowing never to buy anything there again. When I got home I found all three copies of the VISA documentation in the bag! I figured that they had my name and phone number and they would call me to point out their mistake, but they never did. I certainly wasn't going all the way back there after they had been so rude, so I figured that was their punishment!

Normally I do point out at the time (if I notice it) that I have been undercharged or given too much change because we live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and I'd feel dreadful if they thought I was trying to rip them off! Most people are really grateful when you do so, but I wouldn't go out of my way if I noticed it later.

[poorbastard]

Its from the fault of the staff at the counter. How often do you make mistakes that cost you something. Sure makes you learn not to do it so much doesn't it. I had a job where I had to pay the loss of the till at the end of my shift if there was any. Was in my contract tho.

[Lou Girardin]

Me, I'll do anything for a tuna fish sandwich.

I'm kind of stupid that way.

Cannibalism now?

[Lou Girardin]

Its from the fault of the staff at the counter. How often do you make mistakes that cost you something. Sure makes you learn not to do it so much doesn't it. I had a job where I had to pay the loss of the till at the end of my shift if there was any. Was in my contract tho.

Were you the only person who had access?

[F5 Dave]

Me, I'll do anything for a tuna fish sandwich.

I'm kind of stupid that way.


Cannibalism now?

Nope, Classic Calvin & Hobbes