Was This Stealing ?

[Joshua_me]

I was at my local supermarket (Publix) this afternoon looking for something for dinner.

I was over at the meat counter, perusing the freshly made, pre-packaged dinners. (It's fresh, you bake it in the oven... kind of thing)

One of the entrees was chicken breasts, wrapped in a pinwheel with fresh spinach and ricotta cheese. I'd looked at these before, but they are always priced around 10 to 11 dollars which always struck me as a bit pricey for two pieces of chicken.

*Anyway*, I was looking through them and there was one in the cooler that was marked "Twelve cents". ( ) Obviously, it was supposed to be $11.12, or something, but through some error in weighing or pricing, 12 cents is what the label read.

I kind of laughed to myself at the concept of something costing that little, but thought, "what the hell" and put it in my cart. I figured the cashier would catch it, and after which I'd just say that I hadn't noticed it, or something.

Well, long story short (too late, Josh !) the cashier didn't catch it and just rung it up with my other items.

So... Did I just steal something ? I merely paid what the item was marked, nothing wrong with that, right ? I didn't change the label or stuff it into my backpack or anything.

What do you think ?

 

[Corny]

Technically no.
Ethically yes - you knew that this could not be the right price, and you "abused" the system/exploited the error of the person who tagged it wrong.

 

[Scrub]

There loss was your gain.

They marked it wrong, not your fault.

I don't consider it stealing. You paid the price marked.

 

[wastingmymind]

You had intent.

 

[milboy]

lol reminds me of the time I ate at a brand new opening Mexican restaurant here in NC. My waitress barely spoke English and it was her first night ever as a waitress. Food was ok. The bartenders didn't know how to make drinks, we witnessed the boss telling them how to make margaritas. Anyways, the waitress left out a lot of the items we had ordered off the check. We really paid for way less than what we should have...but trying to explain that she messed up to someone (her) with very poor English would have been difficult!

Sorry about hijacking your thread to rant & rave about my experience...but NO you did not steal. I wouldn't ever consider that. Publix is overly priced anyway. Fock them.

 

[milboy]

In fact I would have went to the self check out lane haha!

 

[gsdx]

You had intent.

No, he didn't. He paid the price listed by the store. It was their error, and it's not theft.

 

[alley]

Sounds like a great, tasty dinner...my invite must've been overlooked...I'm wonderful with desserts.

 

[justright25]

Sadly when items get "mispriced" like that at a store, it is typically a case of internal theft. It happens more than people believe. The store personnel will price items incorrectly and buy them after their shift. It is theft whether or not you pay nothing or a portion of the correct price. The ethics of the situation is no less murky than outright theft. Now if the price of an item was incorrect and you did not know until you get to the register, then it is the store's fault and they should carry the loss.


***Disclaimer: I worked for Wal-Mart for 4 years but no longer work in retail but do work with customers wanting something for nothing as part of call center operations for a major telecom.*** Some are owed credit a lot are not.

 

[Ranchman]

Be sure to remember to tell it in confession

 

[milboy]

That was my very first thought - we must both be co-bad boys?

haha yeh we must be!

 

[kevbo]

Well, you knew it was wrong, but you did it anyway.

Either way, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it if it were me...

 

[sixthson]

While stealing is wrong, this is not so much about stealing as it is about what is right and wrong. You knew the price was wrong and you took advantage of it.
If a clerk unintentionally overcharged you on an item without your noticing, would it be right for the store to keep the money once they discovered the error? Would you want them to take advantage of the mistake?

You know this anyway. Your conscience has told you.

 

[Telstra]

if you ask them is this item 12 cent and if they say yes, its yours.

 

[LilBit]

Ethically, it's murky territory, but from a legal standpoint, I'd have to say that you're in the clear. As a matter of fact, if the store tried to charge you more than the marked price, they'd be guilty of false advertising.

 

[looseliam]

What my poll response doesn't tell you is that I was using a piece of chicken.

Anyhoo, no you didn't steal.

My friend and his brother bought two round-trip tickets to Madrid for $30 ea. British airways made a mistake on its website. The price was quickly changed, but they honoured his ticket purchase.

 

[Yooper]

If you were in Michigan, the law is clear. (The Consumer Pricing and Advertising Act [Public Act 449 of 1976, M. C. L.])

The customer is legally entitled to purchase the item at its lowest marked price. In addition, the store cannot 'catch' the error and try to mark it up. They MUST give you the lowest marked price. You would not, however, be subject to receive the error 'bounty,' as you were not harmed by the error. If you had gotten to the Register and the clerk said to you 'Sorry, this is marked wrong, I have to charge you $12 a pound not 12 cents' and then gone ahead and done that, the store would be subject to a minimum $250 fine.

You win.

 

[chatolandia]

I had an issue like that but with a return

I got the full price, when I ordered it on sale, 50% off

so I called them, they said it was OK

(they really couldn't do anything, as they have said)

But I did point out the mistake, so I am in the clear


I hear they have great shopping in Hell...

 

[GL]

There loss was your gain.

They marked it wrong, not your fault.

I don't consider it stealing. You paid the price marked.

i'm with scrub on this one.

 

[G-Lexington]

You took advantage of their mistake. If you hadn't noticed it before you bought it, it would be a mistake. Since you did, you took advantage of them. But since they're a company rather than a person, it's easier to do.

Lex