sausagewinkle
Fish Herder
This was a fun thread to read 
Certainly cant be classed as stealing! Their mistake, there problem
Certainly cant be classed as stealing! Their mistake, there problem
Ssshhh, Don't Tell Anyone
- Thread starter Noahs ark6
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Noahs ark6
Fish Herder
absolutely sausagewinkleThis was a fun thread to read
Certainly cant be classed as stealing! Their mistake, there problem
My two penn'orth?
Legally it is not, in my opinion, stealing. The OP has taken their selected items, and effectively asked P@H for their price for the contract of sale. The assistant has offered a price (albeit incorrectly calculated), the OP has accepted that price, and the contract has been executed. The reason for this is (in this country at least) that price stickers on shelves are NOT an offer of a contract, they are an advertisement. If you were to take an item to the checkout, and be asked for more than the price sticker, the retailer is acting legally in insisting upon the price being asked for at the checkout. The price sticker is not legally binding. However, the consumer could also make a complaint about false advertising.
Years ago, I used to sell domestic hardware, and we sold spares for old fashioned oil lamps. A customer came in, and asked for a partiuclarly expensive glass lampshade, at the time it was about £75, and this was 20-odd years ago. It had a clear price sticker, stating the price. The customer told me that the shade was too expensive, and offered me about £40. I refused and replaced the item on the shelf. The customer then said that he definitely wanted the item, so I took it back off the shelf, and asked for £80. THe customer certainly didn't like this, told me that I was acting illegally. Because I had replaced the item on the shelf, I had ended negotiations for that contract, at which point I was able, in the new negotiations, to ask for any price I chose. IN the end, he paid me the £75.
However, IMHO, it is dishonest of the OP not to have pointed the error out, because they new full-well that an error had been made. They would have been quick to point out the error had it been too much. Whilst it is true that P@H can certainly afford it, it is equally dishonest whether it happens at a large chain store, or at a small independent retailer. Whether it is morally acceptable to take advantage of the error is down to each individual.
Legally it is not, in my opinion, stealing. The OP has taken their selected items, and effectively asked P@H for their price for the contract of sale. The assistant has offered a price (albeit incorrectly calculated), the OP has accepted that price, and the contract has been executed. The reason for this is (in this country at least) that price stickers on shelves are NOT an offer of a contract, they are an advertisement. If you were to take an item to the checkout, and be asked for more than the price sticker, the retailer is acting legally in insisting upon the price being asked for at the checkout. The price sticker is not legally binding. However, the consumer could also make a complaint about false advertising.
Years ago, I used to sell domestic hardware, and we sold spares for old fashioned oil lamps. A customer came in, and asked for a partiuclarly expensive glass lampshade, at the time it was about £75, and this was 20-odd years ago. It had a clear price sticker, stating the price. The customer told me that the shade was too expensive, and offered me about £40. I refused and replaced the item on the shelf. The customer then said that he definitely wanted the item, so I took it back off the shelf, and asked for £80. THe customer certainly didn't like this, told me that I was acting illegally. Because I had replaced the item on the shelf, I had ended negotiations for that contract, at which point I was able, in the new negotiations, to ask for any price I chose. IN the end, he paid me the £75.
However, IMHO, it is dishonest of the OP not to have pointed the error out, because they new full-well that an error had been made. They would have been quick to point out the error had it been too much. Whilst it is true that P@H can certainly afford it, it is equally dishonest whether it happens at a large chain store, or at a small independent retailer. Whether it is morally acceptable to take advantage of the error is down to each individual.
Well i work for a chain store, it might not be p@h and as a general rule, i *hate* being classed as anything like them... but we have people stealing stuff all the time, less so now we have so much cctv but more through people just being dishonest. Like taking sponges out of boxes and putting the box back on the shelf.... to save £3.49.... its disgracefull.
But more to the point, maybe the company i work for does make a lot of money... i sure as heck dont see any of it! I can guarantee that everyone here who is working is earning more than i do. I get paid pittance for having to deal with fishkeepers because whilst the minority that find this forum are generally lovely people... the majority of people are just rude, uncaring and generally hard work. And tbh i dont care what people spend personally as we dont get any kind of bonus out of it, im advising people the equipment they need, if it costs a lot... its unfortunate....
But when we are down in money at the end of the day... or the till and pdq dont add up or there are any slight errors... who do you guys thing takes the fall? Who has to spend hours trying to work out whats happened or put the money in out of our pockets.
Yes, the staff member makes mistakes... everyone does.... but dishonest people just make me really sad because i just dont understand why anyone would do it...
That aside, was it the P@H at heeley retail park? Because i was chatting to someone else on another forum about it and that was where they shopped and the same thing happened to them!!
But more to the point, maybe the company i work for does make a lot of money... i sure as heck dont see any of it! I can guarantee that everyone here who is working is earning more than i do. I get paid pittance for having to deal with fishkeepers because whilst the minority that find this forum are generally lovely people... the majority of people are just rude, uncaring and generally hard work. And tbh i dont care what people spend personally as we dont get any kind of bonus out of it, im advising people the equipment they need, if it costs a lot... its unfortunate....
But when we are down in money at the end of the day... or the till and pdq dont add up or there are any slight errors... who do you guys thing takes the fall? Who has to spend hours trying to work out whats happened or put the money in out of our pockets.
Yes, the staff member makes mistakes... everyone does.... but dishonest people just make me really sad because i just dont understand why anyone would do it...
That aside, was it the P@H at heeley retail park? Because i was chatting to someone else on another forum about it and that was where they shopped and the same thing happened to them!!
In this instance, I think the problem will only come to light at a stocktake, but that is a valid point to make - those of you who said that it doesn't matter because it's P@H - the chances are that in similar circumstances, it's the employee who kops it.
smokeyjo
Fishaholic
i really think this has gone a bit far now. if he hadnt realised walked out got in the car and gone and realised a few hours later would u say anything? ive worked in a supermarket for the last 2 years and if u make mistakes its your fault u should be paying attention to what your doing. i think a big chain like p@h can handle the cost of this mistake. and stock takes are taken every 6 months at the earliest so if they do find out chances are they wont know who made the mistake anyway so i think this girl will still have her job and he r pay at th end of the month
It's a case of what is reasonable. If the mistake had been realised hours later, then it's probably not reasonable to expect someone to drive back to the store to put it right (although it has happened to me in my shop). However, nothing stopped the OP from pointing out the mistake, apart from a desire to profit from the employee's error. Yes you're right, in this instance, the chances are the employee will not pay financially. But in the instance of someone handing over too much change, or not putting the correct amount into a pdq machine, yes the chances are that the employee will have to pay. It is NOT the big corporate machine that will take the hit, it is the employee, who has the same struggle to pay the rent/mortgage every month as you and I do.
smokeyjo
Fishaholic
yeah we will all be in fishkeeper hell lmao enjoy ur freebies its not like it happens often anyway lol
TropicalLad21
Fish Crazy
I can't believe a thread that should be taken lightly has turned into such a serious debate, why don't those of you who think it's so wrong get of your high horse - it's £18 for gods sake, it's not like he's cracked open the safe and done a runner....!
Had it been the other way around, and you'd been overcharged by £18, you'd all, every single one of you, without exception, been straight back to the shop to get the error sorted. And the chances are you'd be posting about it on here as well. You can't have it both ways, if overcharging is wrong (which it is) then deliberately taking advantage of undercharging is also wrong.
I'm sorry if that offends you. I may well be on a high horse, but the high horse is standing on the moral high ground, and the view is fantastic!
TropicalLad21
Fish Crazy
At the end of the day, it was the cashier's fault not his - if the cashier is too stupid to not notice such a mistake then he shouldn't be working as a cashier. Likewise if your overcharged and you don't relise it is your own fault not the cashiers as you havn't checked your change.
I am fine with the moral position I've taken on this. I don't feel smug when someone undercharges me, nor do I feel guilty, because 9 times out of 10 I wouldn't notice until I got home, and I would think "How silly, how hard is it to scan something?". If it is so dishonest and so wrong not to point out the error, how can you say "If the mistake had been realised hours later, then it's probably not reasonable to expect someone to drive back to the store to put it right" - surely it is the honourable thing to drive back and correct the error? But no, many wouldn't, including, I imagine, the majority of people preaching from the moral high ground about how dishonest it is not to correct the mistake made by the cashier.
The chain store in question has overcharged me and others before, so let's consider it balanced out. Karma is restored, etc etc.
The chain store in question has overcharged me and others before, so let's consider it balanced out. Karma is restored, etc etc.
creeker
Fish Addict
Well put Lock! So true.
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