Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To keep these clothes that weren't charged for?

465 replies

MinecraftWonder · 29/09/2015 20:03

Yesterday I went shopping and picked up a new coat each for the dc (at Matalan if it's relevant)- total cost was £45.

I got to the till, went in my bag and didn't have my purse Angry Blush
So I apologised, said i'd nip home and the man on the till put them behind the counter for me.

Returned a couple of hours later and picked up some packs of pants by the till when I was queuing, which were a fiver. Handed them over and asked for the coats behind the till that had been put by for me (this was a woman). She put everything in a bag for me, I paid with my card and out I went.

Anyway, it's only tonight I've pulled them out of the bag along with the receipt - and I have a receipt for £5.05 (the pants and a 5p bag charge). The coats weren't charged for. I didn't even check the amount at the checkout, just stuck my card in and paid.

WWYD? I feel really guilty even though it wasn't my fault. I don't know if the second person who served me just made a mistake or thought maybe they were already paid for (but why would they be?!). They've not got security tags on so one of them must have taken them off.

So keep and look at it as good luck or be honest and go back and pay for them? Opinion is currently divided in my house!

OP posts:
JeffsanArsehole · 29/09/2015 20:05

I would go back and pay

I won't judge you for not going back though I fear you will get toasted

TeaPleaseLouise · 29/09/2015 20:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ToffeeForEveryone · 29/09/2015 20:05

Depends if you want to go back to that Matalan? Blush

Usually I would say if they miss something when ringing through that's their problem, but because it's so much compared to what you paid, I think I would go back if it was me.

LoveChickens · 29/09/2015 20:06

I would think 'result!'

StealthPolarBear · 29/09/2015 20:06

Go back, as uou would if the error had been in their favour

BeautifulLiar · 29/09/2015 20:06

I wouldn't go back. Love it when stuff like this happens to me :)

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 29/09/2015 20:07

She probably thought you'd put the bag behind the till to browse other shops or go back into matalan. I'd go back and pay, because I hate feeling guilty. The choice is yours, though, it'll depend entirely on your own moral compass. There will be an even split of people who would return and people who wouldn't.

99percentchocolate · 29/09/2015 20:09

I would go back - the person who served you may have realised later and be worrying about it. They could get in a lot of trouble if management realises.

TamaraLamara · 29/09/2015 20:09

You know what the right thing to do is, otherwise you wouldn't feel guilty.

Is it ok to profit from a genuine error on the part of the staff? In my mind no, it's not. Spinning it as 'good luck' is a bit cheeky.

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 29/09/2015 20:10

If it had been a small independent shop I would go back without question at all.

The fact that it's a big corporate chain is tearing me between thinking 'result!' and feeling guilty.

Which is making me question my morals even more - so it's ok to 'steal' from big shops but not from small ones? The rich deserve it, the poor don't?

My moral compass is all over the bloody shop!

OP posts:
sleepyelectricsheep · 29/09/2015 20:11

If it was an independent shop you should go back.

But a huge store like Matalan?

Nah, it was their mistake and it'll make no difference to them.

A major store randomly refunded me on a £100 item I bought. I assumed it was out of stock, but then the delivery truck appeared anyway.

I did actually mention to the delivery driver that I wasn't sure it had been paid for by I've heard nothing from then since. Am I going to chase it? Am I fuck. If they ask for the money they can have it. Until then ...

They are a global company making billions, it's nothing to them.

99percentchocolate · 29/09/2015 20:12

Don't think of the chain, think of the person behind the till.

Senpai · 29/09/2015 20:12

You should go back, that's 45 missing from the till and merchandise at the end of the day, which is higher than what's considered an acceptable margin of error. You could get the employee in trouble if they start scanning the security cameras to account for losses.

sleepyelectricsheep · 29/09/2015 20:13

There's a difference between knowingly stealing and benefitting from their error IMO.

blibblobblub · 29/09/2015 20:14

Based on having worked for Matalan and them being twats, I'd say keep 'em Grin

Morally though you probably should go back...

MumOfTheMoment · 29/09/2015 20:19

I would probably umm and ahh about going back for a few days then decide I had left it too long and not bother.

ShowOfHands · 29/09/2015 20:23

Either you are the sort of person who is happy to keep something you didn't pay for (it isn't luck or a 'result' or any other justification people use, it's theft) or you aren't. Whether it's a chain or an independent store is irrelevant. Either your moral code allows you to take something that isn't yours or it doesn't.

londonrach · 29/09/2015 20:28

Nomally i wouldnt but in this situation i would as they did you a favour holding the items. The till would be down as a result and i suspect somene might lose their job over this. You feel guilty. Just go back and do the right thing.

Bakeoffcake · 29/09/2015 20:29

I wouldnt go back, as it's an extra trip to the store and it wasn't your fault.
I'd phone the store and tell them what happened. Hopefully they'll let you off

londonrach · 29/09/2015 20:31

Good point bakeoff id phone first too.

hopelesslydevotedtoGu · 29/09/2015 20:32

From a big chain making millions? I wouldn't think twice about it, I'd keep it.

The sales person won't get in trouble, the store won't notice that any stock is missing and unpaid for until they do a stock take. When I worked in a shop on Saturdays this was every quarter. To be blunt, they will assume the unaccounted for stock was shop lifted (i mean by someone purposefully stealing it), lots of stock must go missing, I doubt they will bat an eyelid.

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 29/09/2015 20:34

But for the people saying the till will be down and the staff member will get in trouble - that won't happen.

They weren't scanned, weren't on the receipt. They were just put in the bag. The till will be right and it will be a case of stock just 'disappearing' surely - so on an individual level then victimless.

OP posts:
beardsrock · 29/09/2015 20:35

I wouldn't think twice.

Keep schtum.

Bearbehind · 29/09/2015 20:36

The till won't be down- they clearly hadn't scanned the items through the till.

The fact the OP paid by card means the till would have taken whatever amount the total was.

One thing that would bother me is that Matalan use a loyalty card system which has your name and address so if anyone read this and recognised the story they'd know exactly who you are.

I'd be very tempted to have kept quiet after it happened as they obviously don't know it happened because if they did they would have charged you- but as you've named the retailer on a public forum and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that you'd be found from this, I'd tell them.

hopelesslydevotedtoGu · 29/09/2015 20:37

What do you mean, the till Will be down?

The till has no record of these coats, according to the till record these coats are still on the shop floor.