You gotta quit getting cash back . . .
Modern Ethics I Fail The Tests
- Thread starter pharmer
- Start date
I had gone shopping at a Walmart Neighborhood Store. Had purchased a large amount of food and sundries. When I got back to my car, I checked my receipt to see what I was charged for a particular item. No problem there, but in looking for it, I did not see the price of something else, a package of paper plates. They were literally right in front of me, so I went back in and went to the service counter. I said I think I didn't get charged for these. She looked at me funny and then studied the receipt. She then pointed out that, yes, I had been charged for them. Then she looked at me and asked if I had come back in just for that. When I told her that was the case, she didn't thank me for being honest. She said, "Weird.", shook her head and walked away. This is in a wealthy neighborhood, but someone being honest over a $3 item just totally reset her hard drive. They EXPECT you to try to get something for nothing and take every advantage you can find. Altruism and personal responsibility are foreign concepts to them.
ACORN
Member
Duly noted
16 months to prepare and this is it????
OP
Dually noted 
Joe
Joe
One comes to mind from the late 70's as gas stations phased out full service. I cleared the pump, tanked up and waited on the attendant. There was still someone roaming the lot to handle transactions so I thought quick when he arrived, cleared the dial and asked which grade of gas I wanted. I was still in my teens and pinching pennies with a new girlfriend so I told him never mind, it was cheaper down the street. Maybe 5 plus bucks it was over half a tank. I honestly never lost any sleep.
Deserved. In all fairness, I’m still working out the vagaries the new forum, but I really like it. Way easier to navigate on my phone now. It shows older but apparently similar threads below the last comment on the page, and I commented before I realized how old it was . . .
03hemi
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Character is defined by what you do when nobody else is looking.
However, if money or whatever is just laying there and nobody's around to question if they lost "something" then the universe is blessing you imo.
Did a garage sale run and left my wallet on a table at a trailer park. Trailer was owned by a young woman with two young kids. When I realized what I had done I tried to back track with no success. There was $500 in that wallet. Credit Cards, ID's everything. Went to the DMV got another license, then went home to face the crab cake and get CC's cancelled etc.
That young woman walks up on my front porch, almost 15 miles from her trailer. It's a $400k house
. She hands me the wallet. I started crying, gave her a hug and a $50 bill.
Someone who had very little did a magnificent thing.
I think about that every time I get involved in finding anything.
In MacDonalds I got my order and much more change than I deserved. I let the cashier know I thought a mistake had been made and I got back more money than I deserved. You could have heard a pin drop in that place. I got the correct change and ate my food and left. Honesty is an investment, integrity is your ticket to whatever comes next.
That young woman walks up on my front porch, almost 15 miles from her trailer. It's a $400k house
. She hands me the wallet. I started crying, gave her a hug and a $50 bill. Someone who had very little did a magnificent thing.
I think about that every time I get involved in finding anything.
In MacDonalds I got my order and much more change than I deserved. I let the cashier know I thought a mistake had been made and I got back more money than I deserved. You could have heard a pin drop in that place. I got the correct change and ate my food and left. Honesty is an investment, integrity is your ticket to whatever comes next.
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In my Walmarts I'm pretty certain the CS clerk would just keep it. I consider found cash fair game for small amounts.
We accidentally walked out without paying for something and discovered it in the parking lot. When I went back in to pay they had to call a manager because that had never happened before. They didn't know what to do.
We accidentally walked out without paying for something and discovered it in the parking lot. When I went back in to pay they had to call a manager because that had never happened before. They didn't know what to do.
ACORN
Member
Believe it.
Walmart has cameras everywhere.
Any found money has to be turned in.
It’s a fireable offense.
Not worth your job to keep a buck or two.
ACORN
Member
I’ve done the same.
I went to the grocery store and bought two of those little scented candles.
When I checked my receipt at home only 1 had scanned.
I went back the next day and told the cashier to scan another candle twice to make up for the one from the previous day.
To quote Ralphie, the cashier looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.
In my youth I tended to be outgoing with store clerks, especially if they happen to be attractive women. I was in my 20s and had bought a weeks worth of groceries. At the check-out I was chatting up the clerk. I wrote a check for the groceries, and went on my merry way. The next day, I opened up my checkbook, and there was the check.... I called the manager of the store and told him what had happened and that I would be right over with the check. I told him that it was not the clerk's fault, that I had distracted her. When I got to the store, and gave the manager the check, I looked for the clerk, but was informed that she had been fired. No amount of apologizing and pleading helped to rectify the problem. I have felt like a heel over that for the last 50+ years.
I had a good customer who called me and asked when I planned to send an invoice for 1500 parts we had shipped two months ago. I apologized, thanked him for his honesty, and offered to give him a discount. He refused and said, that’s ok - just send the invoice!
Later that same year my highly skilled and organized shipping department did the same thing! Again!! Needless to say, I got another phone call.
Back in the early 80’s the ship I was on was docked in Charleston South Carolina. Sunday morning, scheduled to sail at noon, went ashore for a few items. Walking back to the ship I find a wallet in the gutter with quite a bit of cash and about $800 worth of checks.
There was a payphone nearby, I dialed the operator and explained to her I had this gentleman‘s wallet, could she place a collect call to his residence and explain the situation.
The man’s father answered the phone, I explained that I had found his son‘s wallet, but I was pressed for time to get back to my ship before sailing. We decided best thing to do would be to turn it over to Charleston, PD and his son could then collect it. Before hanging up I gave him an inventory of the contents.
The nice operator had stayed on the line and then rang the police, I asked if they could send someone to pick up the wallet.
A patrol car showed up and the officer seemed quite put out to have to deal with this. Demanded my identification, and an explanation of what I was about. When I did hand the wallet over to him. I told him I’d like a receipt, his response was that it wasn’t necessary. I then informed him that I been in touch with this gentleman’s father on the phone and he had a complete inventory of the wallets contents. The officer became very irritated with me and asked me what I was telling him. My response was “Nothing except that this gentleman‘s father has a complete inventory of the wallets contents.”
I wished the officer a pleasant day and went back to the ship.
Kevin G
There was a payphone nearby, I dialed the operator and explained to her I had this gentleman‘s wallet, could she place a collect call to his residence and explain the situation.
The man’s father answered the phone, I explained that I had found his son‘s wallet, but I was pressed for time to get back to my ship before sailing. We decided best thing to do would be to turn it over to Charleston, PD and his son could then collect it. Before hanging up I gave him an inventory of the contents.
The nice operator had stayed on the line and then rang the police, I asked if they could send someone to pick up the wallet.
A patrol car showed up and the officer seemed quite put out to have to deal with this. Demanded my identification, and an explanation of what I was about. When I did hand the wallet over to him. I told him I’d like a receipt, his response was that it wasn’t necessary. I then informed him that I been in touch with this gentleman’s father on the phone and he had a complete inventory of the wallets contents. The officer became very irritated with me and asked me what I was telling him. My response was “Nothing except that this gentleman‘s father has a complete inventory of the wallets contents.”
I wished the officer a pleasant day and went back to the ship.
Kevin G
Between your post and Loretta Swit’s recent passing, I was reminded of the MASH TV episode where Hawkeye takes Radar into the Officers Club, but not before pinning one of his Captain’s pins on Radar’s collar. When the Bartender questions the bars and the corporal stripes….. Hawkeye says it’s a new rank - Corporal Captain; haven’t you heard of a Sergeant Major?
Maybe the writers got the idea from real life - someone like you and your Buddy.
The Last Standing Knight
Member
True. But only to a point.
I believe I have recounted this story here that occurred in June of last year and I know the person involved very well.
The person had just left a large grocery store after a heavy rain on his way to work. As he passed a vehicle parked near him, he noticed a strange piece of paper under it.
The piece of paper was a $100 bill.
He could've just stuck the bill in his pocket and walked away. However, this would be against his own personal code. He began jotting down the vehicle info to track its owner. While doing so a woman and a small child came out of the store. The woman was crying. He asked her if it was her vehicle and she stated it was. He then asked her to check if she lost anything. She stated she had lost $100...her family's grocery money.
He handed the bill back to her. Wished her a good day and went about his business. The woman was crying tears of joy in the parking lot as he left. He asked for and expected no thanks. All he considered was he was there at that point and time to do exactly what he did. I can tell you that under the same circumstances, he would do the exact same thing again.
Re: Self-checkouts at WM:
Very late one weekend in December of 2010 I was working on one of my older cars and it needed a battery. (I’d been drinking beer since noon…which is my excuse for being corruptible). So I yanked it out and headed for WM about 11PM….found the battery I needed and hauled it to the check-out lines which had only One self-check operating that late.
I tried to pay for the battery and turn in the dead one for the environmental fee…and the self-check menu was confusing …so I pushed the button and an attendant showed up a couple minutes later. She noticed the 9-yr old failed battery had a little round sticker on it which said “9/01” … and, misreading the meaning of that sticker, she punched a bunch of buttons on the machine…. and said, “Oh, this old battery is only dated Sept First….it’s got a 5-yr warranty….. and handed me a receipt for “No Charge” and wheeled-away the old battery that was nine years old.
Being the Christian that I am…. I went out to my truck with the new battery and never looked back.
I guess I’ll have to explain that to St. Peter also.
(I.E. the clerk didn’t realize that “9/01” was Sept 2001…. Not Sept First of 2010 ..only a few months prior.)
Very late one weekend in December of 2010 I was working on one of my older cars and it needed a battery. (I’d been drinking beer since noon…which is my excuse for being corruptible). So I yanked it out and headed for WM about 11PM….found the battery I needed and hauled it to the check-out lines which had only One self-check operating that late.
I tried to pay for the battery and turn in the dead one for the environmental fee…and the self-check menu was confusing …so I pushed the button and an attendant showed up a couple minutes later. She noticed the 9-yr old failed battery had a little round sticker on it which said “9/01” … and, misreading the meaning of that sticker, she punched a bunch of buttons on the machine…. and said, “Oh, this old battery is only dated Sept First….it’s got a 5-yr warranty….. and handed me a receipt for “No Charge” and wheeled-away the old battery that was nine years old.
Being the Christian that I am…. I went out to my truck with the new battery and never looked back.
I guess I’ll have to explain that to St. Peter also.
(I.E. the clerk didn’t realize that “9/01” was Sept 2001…. Not Sept First of 2010 ..only a few months prior.)
HARLEY0
Member
Hey when you see someone that needs a buck or two you could help them out with the cash you found!
OP
Last time I gave a buck to a cardboard sign "homeless, hungry, help me" fellow working a busy intersection, I caught him coming out of CircleK with a 12-pak on my way back. Cured me on the spot. Joe
