Dear Urban Diplomat: is it wrong to let a big box store undercharge me?
My husband and I were at a big box store looking for office chairs recently. They only had floor models of the one we liked, so we negotiated a 25 per cent discount. I went to pay while my husband wandered off to another section. Somehow, the cashier charged half of the after-discount total. We just about got the chairs for free. I said nothing, paid and left. When I told my husband the good news, he said he was disappointed in me. I argued that it’s not like I caused the under-billing, and besides, big box stores are awash in profits. Deep down, I know he’s right, but in a way, so am I. Right?
—Chair Lift, Leaside
Deep down, on the surface and everywhere in between, you are wrong. Though your transgression wasn’t as egregious as a blatant five-finger discount, you still knowingly left with an overly fat wallet. Whether the store can handle the financial hit is irrelevant. Plus, who knows if the cashier won’t get reprimanded or fired for it? Without being dramatic or sulky, tell your husband that you were wrong, and discuss your options. You could go back and explain, in which case they might let you off the hook for honesty (this should not be your motivation), or donate the difference to a worthy cause. A more realistic plan: don’t do it again.
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-chair-lift/&title=Dear Urban Diplomat: is it wrong to let a big box store undercharge me?&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/urban-diplomat-chair-lift.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_276037" align="alignright" width="292"] (Image: Andrew Van Pernis)[/caption]Dear Urban Diplomat,
My husband and I were at a big box store looking for office chairs recently. They only had floor models of the one we liked, so we negotiated a 25 per cent discount. I went to pay while my husband wandered off to another section. Somehow, the cashier charged half of the after-discount total. We just about got the chairs for free. I said nothing, paid and left. When I told my husband the good news, he said he was disappointed in me. I argued that it’s not like I caused the under-billing, and besides, big box stores are awash in profits. Deep down, I know he’s right, but in a way, so am I. Right?
—Chair Lift, Leaside
Deep down, on the surface and everywhere in between, you are wrong. Though your transgression wasn’t as egregious as a blatant five-finger discount, you still knowingly left with an overly fat wallet. Whether the store can handle the financial hit is irrelevant. Plus, who knows if the cashier won’t get reprimanded or fired for it? Without being dramatic or sulky, tell your husband that you were wrong, and discuss your options. You could go back and explain, in which case they might let you off the hook for honesty (this should not be your motivation), or donate the difference to a worthy cause. A more realistic plan: don’t do it again.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
Forget that. You paid what what the cashier asked.
Enjoy your chair with a clear conscience.
the cashier asked for the wrong amount, and the buyer knew it. Not honest at all, how can you have a “clear conscience” when you know you’ve cheated someone?
Agree with Tina. It might have come out of the cashier’s salary. Taking advantage of someone else’s mistake is not always the right thing to do.
I believe it’s illegal to debit an employee’s salary for invoicing, cashier or other financial errors. (Some employers will try to get away with it anyway.) But it could easily been considered sufficient grounds to fire the employee with cause.
Donate the difference to a worthy cause? What difference would that make? If I kill someone to take his wallet, then donate the content of the wallet, would that make it better?
Management should be entering correct sale’s pricing into the computer prior to the store’s opening to prevent any error’s. There may have been an additional price change that neither the cashier nor the customer were aware of.
You take this as a win and move on with your life.