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Clerk Error, My Gain

gringo_nordestino
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Neo_Geo

Neo_Geo

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Posted (edited)

FWIW, I'm taking a neutral stance on the matter. It's not like the guy robbed the place! I think y'all are a little bit harsh on him. It was, after all, the store's fault in providing the opportunity. He didn't sneak behind the counter and change the dollar sign to a percent sign. He simply had a mistake in his favor. And I agree that if you don't know a "$" from a "%", you should be diggin' ditches or scoopin' poop at the zoo - NOT workin' in retail!

 

I may or may not have done the same - it depends on the situation. The store, the clerk, who's around at the time. Would it be embarrassing for the clerk to have me point out the error in front of whoever is around - I think I'd be hesitant to do that because the mistake might otherwise go undetected and pointing it out might cause the clerk to get fired.

 

Karma is at work here one way or another... The GPSr might break down on him the day after the warranty runs out and he'd have to pay $150 to Garmin to get it fixed! :blink:

Edited by Neo_Geo
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gringo_nordestino

gringo_nordestino

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Neo Geo...good one...got a gooooood laugh.  My opinion on the matter....can't really say for sure but I know if more people were as honest as most of you are representing, this country would definitly be much better off.  But before you chastise these guys, check your past...no rattlin' bones?  ...

I've been on both sides of the fence but finally decided which one I liked better. When I was a kid I deposited 100.00 in the bank. My statement came back 700.00. I waited for them to catch it in an audit they didn't. A lot of time passed and they never caught it. I was home free. So I went to the bank and said "Hey, you guys made a mistake."

 

In the past there have also been times when a clerk has handed me too much change and I kept it. But it bugged me so the next time it happened I corrected them and they thanked me for it. Some of them have it come out of their check.

 

The bottom line is we don't always do the right thing, but we do know what the right thing is and should be willing to own up to it. The most annoying thing about a hypocrite is that they are right.

You just reminded me of something. When I was 9, I found $1600 cash in the school parking lot. It was a parochial school, so when I took it to the principal, he sent me to the Parish church. When I told them what happened, they said they would hold it to see if someone would claim it, and if not they'd give it back to me. No one ever did, but when I asked for it, I was told it had been sent "to the poor kids". Maybe this was me getting a nice favor in turn.

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

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1st on the list: took advantage of local marine shop to the tune of $150.  I'm no longer proud of that and I'm gonna have to make up for it.

So I will take a group of underprivileged kids geocaching. Then, when I post on that, we can resurrect the "are all geocachers white" thread.

You mean there are white underprivlidged white kids? Man...and here I thought white trash was just an expression for when you disagreed with someone.

Edited by Renegade Knight
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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

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...You just reminded me of something. When I was 9, I found $1600 cash in the school parking lot. It was a parochial school, so when I took it to the principal, he sent me to the Parish church. When I told them what happened, they said they would hold it to see if someone would claim it, and if not they'd give it back to me. No one ever did, but when I asked for it, I was told it had been sent "to the poor kids". Maybe this was me getting a nice favor in turn.

You were screwed on that one. It used to be that way, you turn in money if it wasn't claimed you got to keep it. It built a reward into the system in that you could do the right thing and sometimes things worked out to your benifit and sometimes the owner got lucky. Somewhere along the way this all changed and money turned in is claimed by big brother. I'd bet that if 60 minutes did a test of these types of things and someone turned in 1000.00 and someone else came along to claim it right down to an exact description of where it was lost...Most of the time nobody would actually get any money back.

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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

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If markup is 5-10% then I don't understand how RadioShack is still alive.

There must be something which has 50-80 % markup

It is called volume sales. Besides, about the only thing radio shack sells anymore is cell phones.

 

80% in retail I do not know were anyone gets the idea that it does happens, it may in some over priced store in Beverly hills were people have more money than brains. :)

50% may happen in the clothing industry becuase the stores need to carry a size range, they cannot buy just say a Medium shirt, they have to buy a size run. Some of which will have to be discounted at the end of the season. A size run may be 1xs, 2sm, 2md, 2lg, 1xl. with hard goods (Non clothing) a retailer can order just one of an item in most cases, unless it is something real cheap then they may have to buy a dozen per order.

 

I always hear people that have never been in retail claim that retailers make a high mark up.

 

VR12. go start a retail store, then tell us all your big markups in the land of fantasy B)

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vr12

vr12

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Posted
If markup is 5-10% then I  don't understand how RadioShack is still alive.

There must be something which has 50-80 % markup

It is called volume sales. Besides, about the only thing radio shack sells anymore is cell phones.

 

80% in retail I do not know were anyone gets the idea that it does happens, it may in some over priced store in Beverly hills were people have more money than brains. :)

50% may happen in the clothing industry becuase the stores need to carry a size range, they cannot buy just say a Medium shirt, they have to buy a size run. Some of which will have to be discounted at the end of the season. A size run may be 1xs, 2sm, 2md, 2lg, 1xl. with hard goods (Non clothing) a retailer can order just one of an item in most cases, unless it is something real cheap then they may have to buy a dozen per order.

 

I always hear people that have never been in retail claim that retailers make a high mark up.

 

VR12. go start a retail store, then tell us all your big markups in the land of fantasy B)

Volume sales in RadioShack ? :)B)

 

BTW markup doesn't include rent, it just markup - difference between buy and sell

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reveritt

+reveritt

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Posted

What a bunch of self-righteous windbags on this thread! If a store quotes the wrong price for something, it is their error--not yours. Caveat vendor. I don't believe I would have taken advantage, but I am not faulting you for doing so.

 

Of course, if you knew they were making a mistake, and you then brag about it on an Internet forum, you kinda deserve what you get. Did you expect congratulations?

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aka Monkey

+aka Monkey

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Posted

A person who knowingly takes advantage of a mistake is dishonest. It's as simple as that. I'm guessing the people that are defending it are probably just as dishonest.

 

There have been times when I've been undercharged for things (it happened just a few days ago at lunch when my beverage wasn't on the bill). I invariably bring it to their attention, and not only are they always grateful for my having done so, they often don't charge me for it anyway.

 

Of course, it's a purely selfish act. It makes me feel like a better person for having done it. I'd feel pretty miserable about myself if I didn't. But then again, that's me, and I can't expect every to have the same morals or values that I do.

 

The Golden Rule applies pretty well to this situation. How would you feel if it was your store?

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reveritt

+reveritt

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...

The Golden Rule applies pretty well to this situation. How would you feel if it was your store?

If it were my store, I would take responsibility for making sure that prices were properly marked and employees properly trained. I would not expect the customers--on whom I am making a profit--to be responsible for correcting my mistakes.

 

It's a bit of a gray area. If the good were mismarked at too low a price, and the buyer did not know that, nobody would criticize him for taking advantage of a good deal. If he cheated--by switching price tags, for example--he would clearly be in the wrong.

 

In this case, however, a clerk mistakenly quoted too low a price, and the buyer was aware of the mistake. What are his obligations? Legally (I believe) he is in the clear if he takes advantage. Ethically, he isn't exactly on the high ground.

 

Some have argued that since the store is still making a profit (maybe), then it's OK, but the ethical question is completely separate from whether the store makes a profit. It depends only on whether you think that both buyer and seller are entitled to try and get the most benefit they can out of the transaction.

 

Do you think that the seller is obliged to tell the buyer "hey--you're paying too much. you can get a better deal somewhere else?" If not, then why is the buyer obligated to tell the seller "hey--you're making a mistake. You should be charging me more?"

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Team Chevelle

+Team Chevelle

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Posted
If it were my store, I would take responsibility for making sure that prices were properly marked and employees properly trained.  I would not expect the customers--on whom I am making a profit--to be responsible for correcting my mistakes.

 

This wasn't an issue of things being mismarked or employees not properly trained. This was an issue of him apparently asking for a discount of some sort, getting a $30 one verbally, and then having the personally accidentally write down 30% instead of $30 on a piece of paper. It was a mistake -- an accident -- not a mismarked item or untrained employee.

 

In this case, however, a clerk mistakenly quoted too low a price, and the buyer was aware of the mistake.  What are his obligations?  Legally (I believe) he is in the clear if he takes advantage.  Ethically, he isn't exactly on the high ground.

 

I don't think he misquoted -- he quoted $30. He miswrote -- and the buyer was aware. I agree that I don't think he has any LEGAL problem here. And I agree that ethically, he has issues. <_<

 

Do you think that the seller is obliged to tell the buyer "hey--you're paying too much.  you can get a better deal somewhere else?"  If not, then why is the buyer obligated to tell the seller "hey--you're making a mistake. You should be charging me more?"

 

Because making a MISTAKE is different then just having different prices on items. They aren't the same thing at all. If Staples has a printeer for $200 and WalMart has the same one for $180, then it is my job, as a customer, to compare prices. That's the way it works. But if I am in WalMart buying it and the personally accidentally makes a mistake and gives me $40 back from my $200 for the $180 printer, then it IS STILL MY JOB, as a good person, to tell them that they made a mistake. I see the burdens of finding the best deal and of truth both falling on the responsibility of the buyer actually.

 

- John...

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gringo_nordestino

gringo_nordestino

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This was an issue of him apparently asking for a discount of some sort, getting a $30 one verbally, and then having the personally accidentally write down 30% instead of $30 on a piece of paper. It was a mistake -- an accident -- not a mismarked item or untrained employee.

 

- John...

I did not ask for the discount. The Clerk offered it when I saw the sticker was $499 and I said I would shop around first before buying it. That's when he offered $30 and wrote 30% on the hold ticket.

 

I've done enough good deeds in my life to sleep well at night. I ain't losing any sleep over this one. you guys are entitled to your opinions, as I am to mine. Like I said, only people I care about have opinions about me that I care about.

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