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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have made DD give back the vending machine freebie?

278 replies

BlowDryRat · 04/05/2021 19:02

DH thinks I am.

I allowed DD to buy some crisps from the vending machine at the swimming pool after her lesson. I paid for one packet. It dispensed two. I made her give the second one back to a nearby member of staff.

The leisure centre staff look after the vending machines and could restock it, so it would have felt dishonest to walk off with both packs. I wouldn't be bothered if it wasn't obvious who to give it to.

Was I right or a right mean mother?

OP posts:
Original poster
BlowDryRat · 04/05/2021 22:19

That's not a bad idea @ChubbyMsSunshine but the vending machines there only take card.

If it salves anyone's outrage, both DC used to enjoy searching all the lockers for stray 20p's while waiting for the other one to finish changing. They've forgotten that particular post-swimming pastime, thank goodness.

OP posts:
Loyaultemelie · 04/05/2021 22:20

Exhaustedforever is right, why is nobody more interested in the key point of this thread (sorry OP) there are actual chip vending machines somewhere out there!

Original poster
BlowDryRat · 04/05/2021 22:23

It's ok. I'd be excited but it sounds like chip machines were a back-in-the-day thing that will no longer exist.

OP posts:
FrangipaniBlue · 04/05/2021 22:24

@viques

Many years ago I lived in Notting hill (before it was the stomping ground of the rich and famous) and there was a chip vending machine. Put your money in, it cooked chips. Simple, delicious. One night I was waiting for the bus to go clubbing up west and wanted chips. Just as the machine was about to dispense them my bus arrived. I shouted to someone that they could have the chips if they wanted and got on the bus. Chipless.

Since then I have believed in the cosmic karma of vending machines, sometimes they go against you, at other times you are rewarded. It is random, like life itself.

I can't get past this !!!

Vending machines with COOKED CHIPS???

Whaaaaaaaaattttt?????

MikeWozniaksGloriousTache · 04/05/2021 22:30

I think your thinking was in the right place I would have let her keep them. I’m shocked the staff even took them off you, especially if they knew they were a child’s “freebie”. They won’t have the keys (from experience of working in a leisure centre, we didn’t even interact with the vending machine people they came and went every week or few days).

ForeverBubblegum · 04/05/2021 22:34

Whilst I agree you owe her more crisps, boring old 'bought by your mum' crisps will never be as good as vending machine freebies. In the same way apple's from a shop are boring and eaten under duress, whereas the apple's scrumped from the neighbours tree are the most delicious treat, and totally worth the risk of a telling off. Were you never a kid?

Chimboo · 04/05/2021 22:40

Hahaha - erm, I give back change if I’ve been given too much, I tell restaurants if they’ve missed something off the bill, I put money found in the street in charity boxes if I haven’t seen who dropped it....but if a vending machine pops out a freebie? ‘tis miiiiiiiiiine

Thatisnotwhatisaid · 04/05/2021 22:49

I would have kept it personally.

3CCC · 04/05/2021 23:04

@BlowDryRat

Blush oh dear. The staff there already think I'm a nutter for various reasons.
I'm intrigued! What else have you done?

Yabu its one of life's small pleasures. Especially when vending machines are known to be temperamental

3CCC · 04/05/2021 23:06

Where I go in France there is a pizza vending machine which dishes out hot pizza. Never tried it but imagine

They also do baguette 🥖 vending machines over there

BarbaraofSeville · 05/05/2021 04:13

@Exhausted4ever

Everyone seems to be missing the most important part of this thread. There are chip vending machines?!?
I know! I can't believe the OP slipped that gem in and so few people picked up on it. That is genius.

I'm in the 'I'm usually far too honest for my own good but even I would keep a vending machine freebie' camp and I admit to doing an eye roll at the 'trans man who has long hair and sometimes wears a skirt' but having googled Man Friday movement, add a well done to the OP on that score, I'd forgotten about the good work done there.

SD1978 · 05/05/2021 04:24

Vending machines are stocked and usually controlled by an external company, not the staff on site. Hence when it goes wrong, they tell you to call the number on the machine. Staff member probably thanks you for their gift......I would have given it to my kid.

daisypetula · 05/05/2021 04:34

At the moment with COVID they probably were told to bin them.

voovayclickwot · 05/05/2021 04:44

There are times when vending machines don't vend, and it's too faffy to complain, so if I got a double vend, i would just see it as evening out.

itsgettingwierd · 05/05/2021 04:55

Seriously?????

Vending machine extras are known as one of life's little bonuses.

They make up for all the times you get nothing out and no one can help you because they don't own the machines and you can't prove you out your money in.

twinkletoesfairynose · 05/05/2021 05:15

I would have let her keep it, explain to her this is a gift/being lucky etc and use it as a prime teaching tool to pay forward that good luck and explain about karma

Sweetener12 · 05/05/2021 05:24

I absolutely loved it when it happened, haha!

Ohfudgeme · 05/05/2021 05:35

The staff would have just eaten it and not put it back in.

Cissyandflora · 05/05/2021 05:36

@lolacola77

You sound a pain in the arse tbh. It was a little perk that you sucked the joy out of.
Got to agree with this.

Is there more you want to tell us op? Why do you normally hide from the staff? I’m intrigued!

Fatladyslim · 05/05/2021 05:57

I wouldn't have returned a gift from the vending machine but I do always give back money if I have been overchanged (?) and have never once been thanked for it! The Range gave me £5 extra once, I realised when I got out of the shop. Went back in to tell them and give it back and they made such a thing about it, so I thought they misunderstood and that I was asking for extra money back. No just annoyed that I dared point out a small error Hmm

HomeSliceKnowsBest · 05/05/2021 06:01

Oh God OP, how odd.

Embracingthechaos · 05/05/2021 06:01

I would also like to know why they think you're a nutter! Please share Grin

But yes, I'm afraid I have to agree with the others - you were being utterly miserable.

KM38 · 05/05/2021 06:09

@BlowDryRat You’ve just ruined one of life’s little joys in my opinion 😂🙈 surely everyone knows that a vending machine freebie is a gift from the gods? 🤔🤣

Like when I was a kid and mini Jaffa Cakes came out and you opened the wee tray and there were 7, not 6 🥳🥳🥳 made up for the sad day that there was only 5 😢

Also, the leisure centre staff definitely ate them 🤣

KM38 · 05/05/2021 06:16

Also...isn’t half the fun of a vending machine TRYING to make it double vend? 😅🤣 like you go to the machine because you want a packet of Quavers but there’s a stuck packet of Hula Hoops that some other poor soul has cried over getting stuck there - so obviously you go for the Hula Hoops and aim for the double?!

No? Just me? 🐷🤣🤣

Cissyandflora · 05/05/2021 06:26

@KM38

Also...isn’t half the fun of a vending machine TRYING to make it double vend? 😅🤣 like you go to the machine because you want a packet of Quavers but there’s a stuck packet of Hula Hoops that some other poor soul has cried over getting stuck there - so obviously you go for the Hula Hoops and aim for the double?!

No? Just me? 🐷🤣🤣

This plus throw my full body weight at the machine a few times from as far away as possible. This sometimes results in dislodging a few extra treats. I give them to my wee boy and tell him this is how it’s done son. And you should see my joy if I find a 10p in the rejected coin box! Pure delight.