[Funny] How much is honesty worth?

Dave

Dave

Staff member
I can tell you. $50.67. That's how much it would have cost myself or another person. Let me explain.

Went to Wal-mart for dinner Tuesday night. We didn't have anything in the house and there were a few things I needed to pick up like dog food, cat food, Dave food. And toilet paper. After all that food things were just going to happen.

The couple in line in front of me to pay were talking the ear off of the cashier. They were nice, just old and wanting to talk so I was patient. Amusingly, they were trying to get her to get involved with the Greater Omaha Barbeque Society. Yes, they are called GOBS. I remember that because it amused me.

Anyway, they left and the lady starts ringing me up when we realize that the couple left a bag on the turntable thing. So I grabbed it and said, "Be right back!!" and then took off. I caught them at their car - barely - and then sauntered back in, joking with the Salvation Army people at the front door. When I got in, the cashier was nowhere to be seen, but at her line was a new person ringing people up merrily. My cart - and all my stuff - was sitting at the end of the row, all bagged up. The new cashier said, "Did you catch them? That was very nice of you! Have a great day!" and then she went back to ringing people up.

I sat for a bit and then realized that everyone thought I'd already paid! So like the hell of a guy that I am, I spoke up and let them know I hadn't yet paid. Apparently, the cashier had thought I wasn't coming back or something - who knows? - so she cancelled the order and left everything sitting there. I had to be rung through again, but I figured that it would be better than some poor lady losing her minimum wage job over a drawer that was $50 short.

And that's how much honesty is worth.
 
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Dei

Dei

The week of Thanksgiving my husband and I found $65 on the ground in the grocery store and the customer service lady was shocked that we turned it in instead of keeping it. It makes me sad that people find that shocking. :/
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

Man...and I still feel quilt for absent mindely steeling a bag of potatoes years ago. They were at the bottom of my cart! i didn't realize they didn't get rung in.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
I can think of numerous excuses ranging from evil, to selfish, to merely desperate.
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Oh sure, but those are all excuses. From my point of view, if I go back and find they've bagged up all my goodies, of course I'm going to say something. I owe for those things. To leave without paying for them would be a short-circuiting of our commercial relationship, and it would be unnatural to think of it otherwise.

Now, if the manager had insulted my wife, or was cheating his customers somehow, I might not make a deal out of ringing up a $20 for $10, but I would probably still call out missing the entire order. He (or his staff) would have to do something pretty significant for me to feel getting away with all that merchandise without paying was somehow adequately compensating me for some sort of trouble I endured.

I know there are people out there who wait for and seize each and every opportunity to tip the scales, their attitude being one of, "Hey, if I end up accidentally paying less for something, then that's on you for not catching me." This attitude really bugs me on a fundamental level. It reveals to me that the other person holds all other people in contempt, that everyone else is viewed as a lesser being and therefore subhuman so it's ok to take advantage of them. No it's not, cut it out.

--Patrick
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

I absolutely agree with PatrThom and Dave.

Of course, if this wasn't Crap-mart USA, I'd expecft the manager or head cashier to reward your honesty and giving ad iscount - I know I've had it happen at least twice, after problems with checking out.
 
David

David

Best I ever did was run back into a 99 cent store when I noticed in the parking lot the cashier handed me back one too many quarters.
 
Bones

Bones

Bubble181 said:
I absolutely agree with PatrThom and Dave.

Of course, if this wasn't Crap-mart USA, I'd expecft the manager or head cashier to reward your honesty and giving a discount - I know I've had it happen at least twice, after problems with checking out.
Click to expand...
I always love this thinking, "I didn't take the chance to steal from you when I had it, I deserve a discount!"
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Bones said:
I always love this thinking, "I didn't take the chance to steal from you when I had it, I deserve a discount!"
Click to expand...
The reasoning is "Giving incentive to act good instead of only punishing for doing wrong".
If you find a wallet on the ground, do you bring it to the police? I know I've done so several times. Mostly I don't hear anything about it afterward. Once I got a thank-you card and a coupon for a restaurant (apparently the person who lost his wallet worked there, though I have no idea). The ticket validating machine in the tramway doesn't work: do you go tell the driver, or just think "free ride!"?
No, I don't give it back because I hope I'll get something out of it. If that's my reasoning, I'm probably better off keeping the cash in the wallet. it's still nice to get something besides the feeling of a good act for the day.
It's like DRM: I'm perfectly happy paying for games, but I don't like pirates having a better experience than me because of crappy DRM - ideally, it'd be the other way 'round.
In-game: in almost any morality-bound game, the "Evil" path will give more return in the short run but closes off some paths later on. In games where being a goody-two-shoes doesn't have any redeeming qualities, the amount of people playing Light/Good/Tears/Life/... is horribly low.
A way to make Karma visible.
Or, just plain logically: most people are self-interested. Most people lack the fortitude to do good "for the community". Giving people an incentive to do the right thing is useful, as it causes more people to do the right thing. The more people do so, the more chances of it happening to you (e.g. you get your walelt returned with the money in it). The more people see that it can work as long as most/everybody is "good", the less chance of people being selfish and being "bad". Which improves society as a whole.

A hundred years ago, people were "good" because otherwise you'd go to hell. Religion as a basis for morality is severely in decline (or gone almost completely, in Western Europe). It's been proven time and again most people lack the qualities to set up a personal morality system that works without an outside influence. Citizenship and neighbourship are nice, but playing on people's selfishness just works better.
 
Bones

Bones

Despite your block of text it remains exactly as I said, "I choose not to comit evil where is my karma reward?" Personally I don't feel like anyone should expect to be rewarded anything extra for choosing not to commit petty larceny when given the chance. If I was the store owner or even just a clerk I wouldn't want people to steal from me, and by the same I would never rationalize stealing from someone else. If I found someones wallet I would turn it in, just like I would hope someone finding mine would do the same.
 
Bones

Bones

not going to lie GasBandit, I am sitting at work putting out fires and trying to keep my company running smooth, Had to be here early, roads suck, tired from lack of sleep, and then you post that and cause me to have a minute long laughing fit. Heck, I still have a huge shit eating grin on my face. My boss thinks I need more time off, that I just finally snapped because of the laughter. Thank you, geniunely thank you for that.
 
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