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:
tiggytape · 30/09/2015 07:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Justaboy · 30/09/2015 08:06

tiggytape Fully agree with that!

Prettyeyedpiratesmile · 30/09/2015 08:09

senpai the till won't be down. Nothing's been rung up. OP for what it's worth, it's not your error.

Justaboy · 30/09/2015 08:11

Sapele LOL!, it makes me think.

I pop into the relationships board sometimes and there you can see partners who have been morally stuffed by their partners. Poor trusting partners who trusted their partners to keep their marriage vows.

Is this any different in principle?.

TamaraLamara · 30/09/2015 08:55

OP for what it's worth, it's not your error.

Is it right to knowingly profit from someone else's error, though?

Branleuse · 30/09/2015 09:27

you didnt steal it. You were given it

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 30/09/2015 09:29

Justaboy...that baffles , seriously. How on earth is this situation the same as that or comparable in any way?

OP posts:
Jinglebells99 · 30/09/2015 09:44

In this situation, I would go back and back for the coats. Were they in a bag? I wonder if the second cashier assumed you had already paid for them and had left them behind to collect later? If you'd said, those coats are mine, maybe she assumed you'd already paid for them. There could well be cctv footage of the cashier handing them to you. If the shop is far away, I'd ring and offer to pay for them over the phone.

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 30/09/2015 09:46

They weren't in a bag Jingle - just folded on a shelf. I can't remember what I said - 'I've got two coats behind the counter too please' is most likely.

OP posts:
TamaraLamara · 30/09/2015 09:53

As she passed the bag over, did you not notice that she didn't take the costs out of the bag and scan them?

riverwalk · 30/09/2015 09:54

Tbh I don't think the store will appreciate you going in and asking them to take the money. It makes them look inefficient that they never scanned them in the first place. Look on them as a little gift from Matalan. They made the mistake, not you.

Bearbehind · 30/09/2015 10:04

The earlier points about finding you through an IP addresses is completely irrelevant, as I pointed out earlier, Matalan have your name and address from your loyalty card.

It's very likely the member of staff who originally held the items has mentioned it to someone to ask if they were collected and they've realised you didn't pay for them.

Also many retailers employee people just to search for their name on social media etc, to look out for bad press- it wouldn't be hard to find this thread and identify which shop this happened in, then find you from their records.

Are you aware that big companies circulate CCTV images of shoplifters internally?

They might think you'd done this on purpose- I wouldn't want my face showing up on a list of dishonest people.

If, like many people, you'd thought, oh well, forget it then that's one thing, but all this public hand wringing has actually made it so much worse.

mileend2bermondsey · 30/09/2015 10:12

Well OP as you have now seemingly got over the guilt of stealing, why don't you get more proactive with your money saving and just start shoplifting instead? It's the same thing.

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 30/09/2015 10:15

Bearbehind - the 'fear' of being tracked down, CCTV checked, branded a shoplifter etc is negligible to me, because I think it's so so unlikely. It's not even on my radar tbh.

I'm not handwringing Hmm I just thought it would be an interesting talking point, which clearly it is.

OP posts:
Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 30/09/2015 10:16

Good idea mileend, i'll get straight on that.

OP posts:
MoonSandwich · 30/09/2015 10:17

Riverwalk of all the reasons given not to take them back I think yours is the most far fetched Shock. I'm sure the OP would love it if she could convince herself that she would be doing Matalan a favour if she kept the coats.
I can't help having more respect for the 'result' posters than the posters who try to justify why it's ok to keep something that isn't your to keep.
Id take the back because it's the right thing to do - I wouldn't do it because I'd be worried about be accused of stealing and I wouldn't do it because I cared what Matalan or the shop staff thought of me -
In my head I know what's right and wrong and I find life's easier if I roughly try and do the right thing.

standclear · 30/09/2015 10:21

If you take home something you haven't paid for (however it happened) then of course it is stealing.

mileend2bermondsey · 30/09/2015 10:22

Good, good Minecraft because if you are happy to dress your children in stolen property because 'it's their fuck up' then then the only thing stopping you from atively stealing is the risk of being caught. Having morals or doing the right thing just isn't coming into it for you is it? Stop being such a wuss and start stealing properly. Imagine how many free coats you could have in the future!

standclear · 30/09/2015 10:23

It's wrong to take advantage of people's mistakes. Otherwise, the next step is "oh I found a wallet in a taxi, I won't bother returning it".

MoonSandwich · 30/09/2015 10:23

I think there is zero chance of the OP being tracked down for unintentionally not paying for the coats Confused - I think that line of thought is a complete red herring.

The only issue the OP has is whether she feels comfortable keeping something that isn't hers.

Bearbehind · 30/09/2015 10:28

I think there is zero chance of the OP being tracked down for unintentionally not paying for the coats confused - I think that line of thought is a complete red herring.

Really Hmm

I'd bet quite a lot of money that this thread is on someone at Matalan's head office radar by the end of the day.

Internet searching for company names is a part of many corporate entities day to day work.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 30/09/2015 10:33

This thread is fucking ridiculous. Some seriously questionable morals. As soon as you realised you had two coats you hadn't paid for you should have gone back and sorted it out. By not doing so it's theft in my eyes. Anyone who thinks that this is appropriate behaviour should really have a look at themselves. Ridiculous.

countingdown · 30/09/2015 10:36

One word...karma!

Original poster
MinecraftWonder · 30/09/2015 10:39

Like I said mileend, i'll get on it. Thank you for your considered and helpful post, it really contributed.

I have some kittens to go stamp on now but i'll be back shortly Smile

OP posts:
JackSkellington · 30/09/2015 10:44

Oh OP, stop trying to justify it, it's theft. It can't be viewed as anything else. The real question is, do you want to keep the items, or not?

Also those mentioning security, very unlikely OP will be reported/tracked by police, Matalan execs, etc. from this thread, but she could be in for a surprise if she returns without bringing the stock back. Only worked retail PT while studying, but I'd be surprised if there weren't CCTV cameras monitoring the tills. It will be easy to figure out what happened, especially when the original colleague confirms the reserved stock was not paid for.