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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His Love to lynn 2012/09/10 16:17:39

I rather do give it back, For no reward..only the morals of honesty. If we do something to be given something in return, we are not giving sincerely. But is a form of manipulation to do for the reasons you have said.

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Mr.Right to lynn 2012/09/10 16:58:50

Kudos to you for doing the right thing. That's nice. For the record I am one of those people who doesn't believe in karma, cosmic justice or "whatever goes around, comes around".. I wish that were true.....but it's not. One should do the right thing because it is the right thing, not because of some religious dogma or being rewarded in the afterlife (or even later in this life) or other such nonsense. The good we do and the bad we do (generally) have little effect on what happens later on reward or retribution-wise.

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jim.cap... to Mr.Right 2012/09/10 19:36:35

It can have an effect when the day comes that you need help from people who know you and know what you do and they have to make a decision about whether you're worth their time and effort.

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overdog001 2012/09/10 15:59:53

Give it back

+1
Give it right back. That cashier has to account for every penny in the drawer at the end of their shift, and pay what's missing. So you're not shafting "the man", you're shafting that low-wage cashier who's just trying to make a living like the rest of us.

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George ... to overdog001 2012/09/10 16:01:52

exactly

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Sarina 2012/09/10 15:57:27

Give it back

I have done this before and the people are always happy to receive there money back. I was at the bank the teller gave me 200 huundred dollars extra and I returned it back, because it was not my money and I would hate for someone to lose there job over a mistake.

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anne.k.murphy 2012/09/10 15:49:13

Take the money and run!

+1
It really depends for me. If it's a small-family owned corner market, I give the money back. If it's a huge, high-markup chain like Kroger then of course I keep the money with no guilty conscience at all. The real question should be do grocery chains rip the customers off with their incredibly high markups, especially on produce (healthy foods)? ;)

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overdog001 to anne.k.... 2012/09/10 16:01:02

Maybe the store did rip you off. But the cashier/clerk didn't, and that's who has to pay if their drawer is short at the end of their shift.

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George ... to anne.k.... 2012/09/10 16:04:31

+2
the problem is that the cashier has to account for every penny in the drawer at the end of their shift, and pay what's missing. So you're not shafting "the man", you're shafting that low-wage cashier who's just trying to make a living like the rest of us.

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Ken to anne.k.... 2012/09/10 18:42:02

+1
This is skewed logic that theft (which is what this: taking something not yours and fully knowing it) is justifiable so long as the victim can handle the loss - in your sole judgment of course. Your own statement is nonsense in so many ways I don't know where to begin. The "small family owned corner market" typically has a far hgiher markup than a major chain (you know, the one that employs tens of thousands of people like Kroger). By your logic then you should be stealing from the small market instead. Please think over your view on this and determine whether you really believe stealing is justifiable at all.

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dj 2012/09/10 15:47:39

Give it back

I never had that happen, but if it did and I noticed it right away, I would give it back.
If I got home and noticed it I would keep as it would never be more than $1.00 and the gas would cost more than that to take it back.

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BERYL 2012/09/10 15:42:01

Give it back

+2
Normally I am very honest, but I didn't give the money back on 1 occasion. The cashier was nattering to the cashier next to her. I loaded my shopping on the belt and waited. She nattered. I tried coughing, which didn't work, then said "Excuse me I have a bus to catch". She glared at me and put the 4 items through. I gave her a £10 note. She gave me the change I expected plus my £10 note. I said "Excuse me" and she rolled her eyes at her mate, didn't even look at me, and snarled "What now?. I said it didn't matter and walked out.

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wgossett99 to BERYL 2012/09/11 15:56:38

I have had it happen to me a few times (probably 3 at the most) and always have given the money back. But if I had been treated as you were, I would have been sorely tempted to keep the change.

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Santiago Paez 2012/09/10 15:37:34

Take the money and run!

+1
50/50

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Miranda 2012/09/10 15:32:22

Take the money and run!

+2
Not intentionally because I know how much it sucks to be short on your register, but I rarely count my change that's given to me, so I don't normally even realize it until I'm home digging around for money later.

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mytstar 2012/09/10 15:29:24

Give it back

here is the thing....I rarely count my cash back unless I get the sense that the cashier is a ditz and doesnt know what they are doing....but I seldom use cash.... anyhow I have had situations before where the cashier doent have a clue how to figure out your change when you offer to give them the some coins to make it simple...they get totally lost and have no idea how to do the math

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Sunny 2012/09/10 15:20:16

Take the money and run!

In this cruel world, it's not your fault some people can't count it happened to me once and I didn't even realise til I was home

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DANNY59 2012/09/10 15:13:48

Give it back

Taking something that isn't yours will someday come back and bite you in the butt.

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Mr.Right to DANNY59 2012/09/10 17:01:11

really?

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DANNY59 to Mr.Right 2012/09/11 11:22:16

That's what I think. You get what you give in life.

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critter171 2012/09/10 15:13:21

Give it back

i gave it back to the lady it was not much over....

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the d*ck 2012/09/10 15:12:35

Take the money and run!

Happened a couple times...
It's actually a cheep lesson on how to count money correctly...

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jo jo 2012/09/10 15:09:35

Give it back

I give it back...it is not mine and the right thing to do. Also, they have to reconcile the money in the cash register with what it should have. It could affect their job.

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cass 2012/09/10 15:06:07

Give it back

Most of these stores make the cashier pay for shortages..If you knowingly accept it.Its like stealing really..

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dairyshark 2012/09/10 15:05:18

Give it back

Pissed because I wrote a good response and it failed to post. Give it back because people who run those registers are responsible for the count.

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PapaBC 2012/09/10 15:04:26

Give it back

I always try to give the extra money back.

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Dasher 2012/09/10 15:03:04

Give it back

I give it back, but one time it was quite a hassle. I bought some fast food one day, and the worker gave me too much change back. It tried to return it, and the clerk got flustered and didn't know what to do, and called the manager. So it took about 5 minutes to correct a simple mistake of the clerk.

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silverhorn 2012/09/10 15:01:50

Give it back

+1
#1 it's stealing. #2 the cashier will have to make up the difference in the register. #3 karma

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engineer 2012/09/10 15:01:44

Give it back

It's wrong to take the money!!!!

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anne.k.... to engineer 2012/09/10 15:51:58

+1
Then it is also wrong for grocery chains to charge incredibly high prices on food. $5 for a pint of raspberries (non-organic) or $1.79 for a medium-sized avocado is highway robbery. Makes my day when the clerk gives me too much change back with prices like that!

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lovelygoddess101 2012/09/10 14:59:50

Take the money and run!

I never check if they give me the right amount back unless it's a major amount XD So, I don't even know if I've been in this situation before lol

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Rdtourist 2012/09/10 14:59:37

Give it back

+2
Better stated, are you a thief or not?

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Oscar 2012/09/10 14:55:16

Give it back

+1
Taking advantage on someone detriment is not right. Honesty is better.

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concerned dude 2012/09/10 14:54:00

Give it back

+1
it is a clear question of honor and ethics. If you have none of either you will probably take it and run so it appears that the 25% of people who answered that way are morally and ethically bankrupt when it comes to doing what is right.

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anne.k.... to concern... 2012/09/10 15:54:53
concern... to anne.k.... 2012/09/10 16:22:04

grocery stores are businesses. They are not morally and ethically bankrupt to want to help their employees and their families by staying in business. Food is in more abundance and at lower costs than ever before.You can go to a farmers market this afternoon and get phenomenal value. The poor have more access to more food, charity, programs than ever before in most places around the world.

Do not confuse what a business charges with stealing. You are trying to say that it is right to steal because a successful enterprise is expensive and that is warped.
If coffee is too expensive for you don't drink it and save. I don't go to Starbucks for that very reason.

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Jen S. to anne.k.... 2012/09/10 16:51:16
Mr.Right to concern... 2012/09/10 17:03:30

Or the other 75% are lying which is even less ethical or moral!

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concern... to Mr.Right 2012/09/10 18:38:03

I'm sorry you do not believe there are ethical people in the world but please don't project your ethics on those of us that don't like to steal what is not ours when we get too much from a cashier.

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jere.chievres 2012/09/10 14:48:31

Give it back

+1
I dont need to steal, I am not a Democrat.

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