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Original poster

I tried to steal £40 odd pounds from BP petrol station and I feel guilty.

31 replies

Nikkiglass · 16/02/2015 22:09

Hi,
This had actually happened to me today. I went to a BP gas station and filled $76 worth of fuel. Gas Station attendant asked me to pay $25. I haven't said any thing and paid $25 and walked out. I knew at that point she was charging me less, but I kept quiet.

The attendant realized while billing the next customer that she made a mistake. By that time I was in my car. She came running out furiously said I had filled $76 worth of gas.

I said to her I haven't noticed the bill, I knew I was lying at that point. Went back and paid the bill. If she hadn't realized that I paid less, I would have driven out without paying the full amount.

Now I feel guilty and feel ashamed of myself why I have like that. Can anyone suggest me what I can do to get rid of this guilt? I know in future I will not do this again.

OP posts:
AyMamita · 16/02/2015 22:25

Eh, win some, lose some. Personally I'd say your biggest mistake was not leaving fast enough Grin

lougle · 16/02/2015 22:26

Well at least now you know you have a conscience and won't do it again.

Joyfulldeathsquad · 16/02/2015 22:27

Don't worry about it!

thefirstmrsrochester · 16/02/2015 22:33

AyMamita Grin
Don't feel bad, I usually fill up, queue and pay in a complete daze so your reasoning is perfectly plausible.

springydaffs · 17/02/2015 00:56

Hang on, you lied and you know it. I think that's the problem here, your conscience is battering you, you feel ashamed, regardless what it's about.

I'm not sure it's relevant to say I've done this and not felt bad - I saw it as a treat (selfish I know). But hey, you are forgiven, fully and totally, on all possible fronts, inside and out. You made a mistake, you won't do it again. Now leave it behind you and go forward with your life.

If that isn't enough for you then ask God to forgive you. When you do ask, know that he does forgive you completely.

I don't know if you have kids but if one of them does something wrong and says sorry, you'd be mortified if they were tortured by it and couldn't accept forgiveness. It would hurt you to see them tortured. Well, God's like that. The perfect parent xx

emotionsecho · 17/02/2015 01:48

You should feel guilty you knowingly attempted to steal from the petrol station, but learn from it, don't do it again, reprimand yourself, ask for forgiveness and accept it and come out of it wiser and better.

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 04:21

Yes, op...it's OK to rob someone as long as you leave the scene of the crime quick enough to not get caught.

At the end of the day, she would have checked CCTV, contacted the police & got the outstanding that way. If not, that poor attendant would have been out of pocket by over $50.

It was a difference of $51, which is massive...especially as you KNEW that is what you used, to lie about not noticing means that at the stage you had intent to deceive.

The guilt will go eventually! Can't say I have much sympathy!

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 04:22

Don't feel bad, I usually fill up, queue and pay in a complete daze so your reasoning is perfectly plausible. It's not really, because op says I said to her I haven't noticed the bill, I knew I was lying at that point.

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 04:24

I don't know if you have kids but if one of them does something wrong and says sorry, you'd be mortified if they were tortured by it and couldn't accept forgiveness

The things is, is that kids, to a point, don't know any better. Op knew she was lying, yet continued with her lie.

If she had left, she never would have gone back, and as I pointed out, that attendant could well have had her pay docked.

capsium · 17/02/2015 07:24

You have had a very direct encounter with your own human fallibility. This is why Christ died for us, for our salvation. If we were perfect, He would not have needed to do this. He forgives us because we need it.

Your part is to accept His forgiveness.

Lovelydiscusfish · 17/02/2015 08:01

Is docking they pay of the attendant in this situation standard practice in all petrol stations? I didn't know this, and am guessing many people don't. It seems horrendously unfair, and must make their finances very precarious, as I'm sure it happens a lot.

In my experience lots of people are happy to knowingly profit from the mistakes of big companies (BP, Tesco, Argos etc) as they feel it is a victimless crime, in a way. I know this is not true, but the losses are spread- it is not theft in the same way as taking £40 out of an individual's purse would be, in my opinion. Except when you factor in the issue of the attendant being charged. I'm sure (most) people wouldn't act in the same way if they knew this.

OP, we all fall short at times. As others have said, (if a Christian - I'm not sure whether you are), from a faith point of view, you've sought forgiveness, it has been granted, now accept it, forgive yourself, move on. Try to remember this situation and arm yourself the next time you encounter temptation.

It might (whether Christian or not) make you feel better to make a point of doing something good for others, which you wouldn't otherwise do, to redress the balance?

Chertsey · 17/02/2015 08:06

This is why chip and pin machines are good/bad. I'm sure quite often when I buy petrol, I have no idea how much I've actually been charged Blush

ScotsWhaHae · 17/02/2015 08:29

No big companies take errors out of staff wages.

Frequent errors might lead to investigation and disciplinary procedures but they aren't docked out of their wages for an error.

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 08:41

Lovelydiscusfish In many places it is common practice where the company has no way of getting the money. My friend worked in a petrol station & was told that unless a car simply drove off, any discrepancy in the till was her liability.

I worked in a pub that practised the same thing too.

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 08:42

No big companies take errors out of staff wages. Oh but they do!

ScotsWhaHae · 17/02/2015 08:54

No they don't. Big companies don't.

Small set ups, who knows?

emotionsecho · 17/02/2015 10:49

As the OP is talking in $'s I would surmise is not in the UK therefore no-one can definitively pronounce on the Terms and Conditions of the Garage Employee's contract. The OP, however, gave no thought whatsoever to the possible implications for the employee.

differentnameforthis · 17/02/2015 11:11

ScotsWhaHae I have heard of companies who do it. My friend worked for a large chain, I worked for tesco (albeit years ago) and it was written into our contracts.

So please, don't tell me it doesn't happen.

capsium · 17/02/2015 11:31

Thankfully the OP was stopped though and there were no detrimental consequences.

We can be thankful for God's mercy that,even though the OP very nearly did give into her temptation, she didn't actually steal, she was stopped from doing this. Just as we would stop our child from doing something harmful.

She has the opportunity to learn from this. As does the cashier, she will probably be extra vigilant. So good can come from this experience.

Our own fallibility can surprise us sometimes but it shouldn't. We all have to be in our guard to keep ourselves from wrong doing. People can be easily tempted.

ScotsWhaHae · 17/02/2015 11:37

I've worked for tesco too (checkout supervisor, there and other retailers) it was in no way written into any contract. In fact a checkout had to be over twenty pounds out before they would look into it further. Patterns would be observed and investigated as and when they were spotted.

Most major retailers work in the same way. Human error is accounted for, and not always to the company's detriment.

Like I said some small set ups might operate this kind of policy. It's a shitty thing to do but needs to be written into contracts and written up and signed by the employee every time the employer recoups an error from an employees wages in this way. And even if they do all that the employer can't take the full whack in one go out if it's over a certain percentage of their wage.

Gileswithachainsaw · 17/02/2015 11:45

i can't believe you would do this tbh.

mistakes are one thing but you knew.

disgraceful behaviour

capsium · 17/02/2015 11:56

People can be stupid and selfish, Giles. I would take a guess most of us have been selfish in some way or another. Even if this is doing less work than we could and letting a team or family member work harder to compensate. In effect we are stealing their time/energy.

The OP is sorry. Hopefully she can now move on and learn from this experience.

julker · 17/02/2015 12:01

If it makes you feel better go back with chocolates or something and apologise properly, stick with the 'I didn't realise' story but say it has been playing on your mind and you wanted to apologise properly - might help with the guilt

springydaffs · 17/02/2015 23:39

Giles!

Are you for real??

Get over yourself, lovely. I dread to think how you cope when you make a hideous mistake. That's WHEN btw, bcs you will. Or have.

ljomrs · 10/03/2015 20:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.