Its maffs innit.

**Yokai** · 24th November 2005, 15:42

Originally Posted by Biff

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** · 24th November 2005, 15:53

Originally Posted by Hitcher

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** · 24th November 2005, 16:02

Originally Posted by Biff

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** · 24th November 2005, 16:10

Originally Posted by 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...

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** · 24th November 2005, 16:18

Originally Posted by Ixion

Join the union folks

Are there going to be meetings??

Originally Posted by speakingforIxion

Sure

No meetings *blam blam blam blam blam*

**F5 Dave** · 25th November 2005, 14:16

Originally Posted by Hitcher

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

I'm feeling Calvinistic too.

**jrandom** · 25th November 2005, 14:26

Originally Posted by F5 Dave

I'm feeling Calvinistic too.

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

I'm kind of stupid that way.

**Lias** · 25th November 2005, 15:12

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** · 26th November 2005, 06:26

Originally Posted by Yokai

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** · 26th November 2005, 12:33

Originally Posted by Skyryder

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...

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

**Beemer** · 26th November 2005, 15:10

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** · 26th November 2005, 21:28

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** · 29th November 2005, 15:41

Originally Posted by Fish

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

I'm kind of stupid that way.

Cannibalism now?

**Lou Girardin** · 29th November 2005, 15:46

Originally Posted by 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.

Were you the only person who had access?