Accidentally didn't pay..

[Epilepsyhelp]

So I went shopping for my friend's DS first birthday. I bought a few little outfits in M&S, I was vaguely aware that I'd spent maybe £70. Added some food bits in as well, went to the till.

I watch the guy ring everything up, carefully taking things off hangers etc and scanning them all. Came out at £58. Ooh, I must have added wrong, I thought.

Headed home, wrapped them all up, put the receipt away in case something didn't fit. Handed gifts over.

I was thinking about it later and thought, I'll check the receipt. A whole outfit wasn't scanned.

AIBU not to go back and explain/pay? Maybe this should be in WWYD - I feel guilty but it's five days later now!

I would generally try to rectify, and have had to go back to a petrol station to pay after the police phoned me up.

No way however would I tolerate tude or aggressive behaviour from the staff and certainly not any attempt to criminalise me. The petrol station people were very nice about it actually (Heartlands services on the M8), but if I ever get treated the way people have described in Tesco or M&S then their CEO will be getting a snottograph the next day explaining why I and anyone who listens to me won't be darkening their doors again, and wondering whether their attitude encourages dishonesty in otherwise honest folk.

"When you price an item you look at the cost of sales, and decide whether it's a suitable profit to stock at the price te market is willing to pay for it. You don't add a bit on for shinkage"

So how does shoplifting (not that the OP was about that) add to my shopping bill?

Prices go up to cover costs of theft and other (non insured) losses

money.cnn.com/2010/10/18/news/economy/store_theft_drain_on_your_wallet/
"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Store theft added $423 to the average American family's shopping bill this year according to a new report on retail theft released Tuesday."

yes i know its USA and its 2010....

The petrol station employees should ask if you have fuel, when I worked in one we were drilled to ask it to everyone, and whenever I've been to one I'm always asked. But I also think it's silly to not state that you have petrol.

The Unscanned item I wouldn't worry about. I'm one of those compulsively honest people who would've pointed it out if I'd noticed at the time, but as you didn't and it wasn't your mistake I'd leave it.

Easy - ring and explain.

Talking about Ikea - actually now I think about it ...I've done worse than this. But by accident and I never confessed after I realised a year or so later cos didn't think in the circumstances I should ...
Ordered Ikea kitchen and they told me to take some bits away with me (inc some lights) and at the same time I bought some other stuff in store. Order arrived a month or so later - hundred or so items with a couple of wrong items/duplicates ...and another set of lights. They were going to collect/replace but I ended up having to go to store anyway (120 mile round trip - not Ikeas fault) so took the things back and got a refund...
I had intermittent problems with the lights ...I thought they were faulty - going through my receipts I realised I had in fact only paid for them once -the once they had refunded me for! (Had paid for the other stuff I returned though)...seeing as they were telling me they weren't faulty and I was reading reviews that others had had the same problem and so was looking to replace them anyway I thought it was actually fair - except I found out what the problem was (they came with dodgy bulbs) so I still have them

Little red sparkle-
I'm saying they don't add a bit on for shoplifting. I am not privy to their accounts but it seems most likely to me (as someone who does this for a living, albeit not in retail) that they would write off these losses. This impacts profits, not sales price. So the consumer isn't paying for it.

I don't have direct experience but would be interested if anyone could explain, technically, how the consumer ends up paying for shrinkage. As I say, I don't believe they do.

Forget it. It wasn't your fault.
If you go back, you could get the assistant into a shedload of trouble. It'll be written off in a few days, anyway, as they have their annual stockcheck very soon.

I was a bit too honest today. I went to a shop and bought jeans. When the total was less than I expected, I glanced at the receipt as I walked away from the till. The cashier was about to serve the next customer when I said 'sorry -you've only charged me for 3!' She looked in my bag and said 'you've only got 3'. I felt a bit stupid after that.