What Do You Do When a Cashier Gives You Too Much Change Back?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/09/05 22:30:10

Related Topics: Money, Candy, Vote, Shopping, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Store, Survey, Groceries, Image, Normal, Times, Store, Etiquette, Images

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1,733 votes
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	Give it back	1,312 votes	76%
	Take the money and run!	421 votes	24%

What can we say? We're gaga over groceries! While we shop for our favorite snacks at the store, we often wonder if our grocery store etiquette is the same as others. Do most people sneak in samples at the candy bins while deciding whether or not they're going to buy the goods? What do you do when the cashier gives you too much change? And is it normal to go grocery shopping three times a week? We're finally going to find out.

Take our 8-question "Gaga Over Groceries" survey to have your vote count in the stats -- and have fun shopping!

+34

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Barefoot Peace and Love∞ijm... 2012/09/07 22:41:50

Give it back

+9
I give it back...... I run a register too.... and I wouldn't want their money to come up short....!!!!
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ProudVet to Jesferk... 2012/09/11 01:38:56

Since when is a cashier not a real job?

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clh1 to ProudVet 2012/09/11 03:21:38

+1
It is!!! You work ... You get paid... It's a job...

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Jesferk... to clh1 2012/09/11 11:30:50

If that's what one's working goal in life is, I guess you could call it a real job. But why am I getting barks about the trivialities and not the content of what I say? This all sodahead can muster?

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ProudVet to Jesferk... 2012/09/11 15:19:27

+1
Perhaps not everyone is as talented, or educated, or privileged as you. Your comment wouldn't have brought out my comment if you had left out "real job". Everyone who works considers their job a real job. All the best friend.

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ProudVet to clh1 2012/09/11 15:13:00

Absolutely. I was challenging jesferkicks statement " A good lesson for later in life in a real job where a lack of attention can cost millions of dollars or even lives." You and I agree completely.

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Christine 2012/09/11 00:35:19 (edited)

Give it back

+1
I give it back because I know they will get in trouble. Plus, its usually just something like the money getting stuck together so it could happen to anyone. I wouldn't want the cashier to keep an extra $20 if I accidentally gave them too much! Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

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Dan 2012/09/11 00:13:22

Give it back

I just feel too guilty to keep it. A lot of stores make their cashiers pay the difference.

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Steven Hahn 2012/09/10 23:55:47

Give it back

+2
Same as above. Stealing is stealing, period!!!

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Jimbo 2012/09/10 23:42:38

Give it back

I really like my local grocery store.
If it was Walmart I just might keep the extra change. ;D

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bbwolf35 2012/09/10 23:30:35

Give it back

+1
Generally they have to pay for their mistakes.

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the spoiler 2012/09/10 23:11:16

Give it back

+1
I don't want to cause anybody to lose their job

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Adam Dodge 2012/09/10 23:07:15

Take the money and run!

I'm an honest person; I've never been put in this situation before, but should this happen, I actually would take the money. College isn't cheap, and if it's only one dollar, that's only taking an incredibly small percentage of income the store makes.

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Max7 2012/09/10 23:01:44

Give it back

+3
I use to be a teller for a bank, credit union and have had other jobs that consisted in working with money. A teller or a clerk in a store could very well loose their employment for making an error such as this. I think it say's a lot about a person who returns money that does not belong to them. I also use to be a cashier while working for utility in West Virginia, a older woman gave me her bill to pay her budget amount of $21.00, she gave me a twenty dollar bill and a fifty dollar bill. I asked, "Miss are you just paying the budget amount, or are you paying more?" She got snippy with me, "I'm paying just what I gave you," a $49.00 difference. I said to her that I needed to know where to apply the $49.00 or did she need the change, and she told me that she didn't have any change coming back, I said to her, "Miss you gave me a fifty dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill," she then looked at me, in shock, as did her husband, and finally he said, we're paying the budget amount. I gave her the change. The next day, I saw her husband going to the top floor of our building, I worked in the drive-in booth. Shortly after that, I received a call and was summoned to the directors office. The customer was appreciative and impressed with the length in which I took to make sure ...

I use to be a teller for a bank, credit union and have had other jobs that consisted in working with money. A teller or a clerk in a store could very well loose their employment for making an error such as this. I think it say's a lot about a person who returns money that does not belong to them. I also use to be a cashier while working for utility in West Virginia, a older woman gave me her bill to pay her budget amount of $21.00, she gave me a twenty dollar bill and a fifty dollar bill. I asked, "Miss are you just paying the budget amount, or are you paying more?" She got snippy with me, "I'm paying just what I gave you," a $49.00 difference. I said to her that I needed to know where to apply the $49.00 or did she need the change, and she told me that she didn't have any change coming back, I said to her, "Miss you gave me a fifty dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill," she then looked at me, in shock, as did her husband, and finally he said, we're paying the budget amount. I gave her the change. The next day, I saw her husband going to the top floor of our building, I worked in the drive-in booth. Shortly after that, I received a call and was summoned to the directors office. The customer was appreciative and impressed with the length in which I took to make sure that his bill was credited properly, he shared that I could have taken the $49.00 and is wife would never have been the wiser. The director said that the customer wanted to reward me for my honesty, and I shared, that wasn't neccessary, because I was just doing my job. The director informed me that he had shared the same thing with the customer, but that he insisted on speaking with me. The customer asked if I had children, at the time they were little, and he asked if he could have my home address, I said yes. This customer would come by the utility company and bring me fruit baskets, on Valentine Day, every holiday I got gifts, my children got gifts, and this customer did this until I relocated in 1969 to Ohio. You never know how honesty will affect the person who was at the short end of the stick. Honesty is the best policy.
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wes 2012/09/10 22:34:21
MrsB 2012/09/10 22:22:02

Give it back

+2
BUT. There was one time that the lady was a bitch to me, so I didn't give it back to her. I waited until the next day and then took it to the store with my receipt and gave it to a manager. Horrible, I know.

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Flyingbug 2012/09/10 22:17:04

Give it back

I used to work at a McDs. The policy was that you would be written up or terminated if your cash drawer was $2.00 over or under. So I know that the supermarket cashier or bank teller is under similar pressure to be accurate.

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Christine to Flyingbug 2012/09/11 00:45:04

Wow, that's horrid! Two dollars?! I work at Publix and we are supposed to get in trouble if our drawer is off by $10 not $2!

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scarfy 2012/09/10 22:11:17

Give it back

+4
I go out of my way to give it back and it's always appreciated.

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Robert Strobel 2012/09/10 22:10:35

Give it back

If I notice it I do.

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dimwit 2012/09/10 22:06:10

Give it back

+3
Surprised by the question. If you see nothing wrong with stealing a dollar, what's to stop ou from stealing a million if given the chance?
Like Captain Redlegs said in the movie Outlaw Josey Wales, "Doin right ain't got no end"

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bosshog 2012/09/10 22:01:27

Give it back

+1
NEVER, IF THERE DRAW IS SHORT IT COMES OUT OF THERE CHECK

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red 2012/09/10 21:42:41

Give it back

I wonder some times, who taught them how to count? I do try the cherries and grapes. There is nothing worse than having to pay good money for a sour product that looks good enough to eat, but isn't..

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Christine to red 2012/09/11 00:46:25

+1
Yeah, that's ok, I would check the cherries too

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Allen 2012/09/10 21:33:52

Give it back

+4
It's unethical to take the extra money, although it may be tempting to do so.

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fisherman 2012/09/10 21:28:55

Take the money and run!

when i go shopping the first thing i put in the basket is my beer . so thats the last thing that gets on the checkout belt . this one time i noticed that the brew didnt come up on the register read out . i told the doofus that he didnt get the beer . so einstien takes the whole order and re-rings and still didnt get the case of beer and gives me back $ 7.00 too much change for the fifty i gave him....whats an old fish gonna do , go to the store manager and tell him ," hey ...pizza face over there is f***ing you big time " ? i just left with my free beer and extra seven bucks .

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wes to fisherman 2012/09/10 22:38:57
sami 2012/09/10 21:28:12

Give it back

+3
I would give it back because they could lose their job ...

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The Rock n' Roller Chick 2012/09/10 20:50:49

Give it back

Unless i don't realize until i'm out of the store, then its just kinda akward

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Marcy B... to The Roc... 2012/09/10 20:59:43

+5
Once I went through the drive through at the bank and was given like $65 too much cash back. My sons were in the car with me, grade school age, so it was a good lesson for them to see mom going back to return the money. If in doubt, do the RIGHT THING.

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pjbfny 2012/09/10 20:50:21

Give it back

Assuming, of course, I actually USE cash

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Oltom 2012/09/10 20:48:35

Give it back

I have the same thing at my bank!

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Steamtrain 2012/09/10 20:32:16

Give it back

The only change I get is Cash Back on my debit card. They don't make mistake on that (so far).

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ed 2012/09/10 20:27:00

Give it back

+1
Many employers asked the employee to make up the shortage in the drawer so it wouldn't be right to keep money but that cashiers going to have to take out of her pocket and replace so no I' always give it back if they give me too much. but I've also had to return to the desk because the cashier shorted me

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nightowl 2012/09/10 20:03:52

Give it back

+3
If there's a discrepancy either way (and I catch it), I always speak up...

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Twinky 2012/09/10 19:59:42

Give it back

+5
Always, taking the money would be stealing.

I would expect if someone short-changed me, they would give me the rest of the money if they realised, I'll offer them the same courtesy.

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glass_butterfly ~YSU~ 2012/09/10 19:48:30

Give it back

+3
Even if it's a few cents. That's the way I was raised. One time a cashier gave me back a $1.05 over my change and we didn't fine out until we were home. I thought I was so cool that I had an extra dollar in my pocket and when I told my mom she drove me all the way back and made me go inside and give the money back. In was (in my 9 year old head) the most embarrassing "walk of shame" ever.

Now that I'm older I understand the importance of being honest and that intentionally or unintentionally it was stealing and that was wrong. No matter how small the amount.

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squire 2012/09/10 19:45:02

Give it back

+6
i rushed in the bank cashed a check for 170.00. the cashier put 1700.00 in the envelope which i didn't know until i got hom. it was a friday evening, and visions of sugar plums danced in my head. i thought about the cashier, and knew she'd get fired if the money was not recovered; and took the cash back that monday. they all fainted and i felt really good about bringing it back.

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☆FritzW☆ 2012/09/10 19:42:31

Give it back

+6
I'm a believer in Karma and I know what goes around, comes around. That mistake the cashier made in giving too much change back.. .just might be the one that she or he loses their job on. Not on my watch at least.

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jim.caputo.35 2012/09/10 19:27:32

Give it back

+4
In many stores (and banks too), when the cashiers come up short due to human error, their jobs are at risk. You have to be a cruel, heartless bastard to be willing to put someone out of work just so you'll have a couple of extra dollars in your pocket.

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Dan Hood 2012/09/10 19:23:45

Take the money and run!

Unless it was something obvious like a $100 for $1 in change, I probably wouldn't notice. If I noticed, I'd give it back, but chances are that I didn't.

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