If the cashier accidentally gives you more change, do you return or keep the money?

[shimmeryns]

Return and tell

Keep

Something else

[Static_In_The_Attic]

Somethings in life are a two way street & when it comes to money it should be that way as well. If a cashier short changes me I’m proud to let them know. On the other side of things if the cashier gives me a little extra I do the right thing & hand it back. I went to my bank to make a deposit & I’m at the drive up window & I wanted a hundred dollars cash back. The bank teller hands me a sealed envelope along with my ID & I drive off. Seconds later I pull my car over after saying to myself the envelope felt a little heavy. I open the envelope & I was right it had a thousand dollars in it. I drive back around the building & the bank teller asked me if everything was ok & I tell her she gave me a little bonus. A month later I went to the same bank but a different branch location & when I went inside to make a deposit with one hundred dollars back the same thing happened. I open the envelope in my car & I started laughing. I walked back inside & I was greeted by the branch manager & I told her it must be my lucky day.

[nightdrot]

Always let the cashier know and return it. It is just basic decency and the kind of thing I would hope that someone would do for me were the shoe to be on the other foot.

Besides, being a cashier, particularly in the busier stores, is no easy thing and the people behind the til are under a certain amount of pressure. To exploit that is needlessly cruel.

The old Golden Rule applies..."Do unto others and you would have them do unto you." That goes for cashiers, too. It makes life better that way.

[shimmeryns]

Completely agree!

[nightdrot]

Thank you - and thanks for the thumbs up.

[DaMack999]

I been a cashier at gas station and it ain't type of job you want as a career trust me. Pay is lousy and you just wish for shift to be over with not to mention the horrible customers complaining all day long.

[nightdrot]

@DaMack999 No doubt. Indeed that is why I wrote: "Besides, being a cashier, particularly in the busier stores, is no easy thing and the people behind the til are under a certain amount of pressure. To exploit that is needlessly cruel."

Frankly, I just would not have the heart to take advantage of a hard working person's honest mistake.

[Unknown4Reasons]

If I catch it immediately, then I tell them so they can correct it.
I would like to say I return it and tell them no matter what, but I can't lie: I feel that my social anxiety would make it too difficult to return the money if I've already walked away... Therefore, I would end up just keeping it - possibly donating it somewhere if I feel too guilty.

[shimmeryns]

I never really thought people would have social anxiety in non-personal interaction with a cashier.

Do you mind explaining what exactly happen when someone is experiencing social anxiety? Can I, as outsider, able to tell?

[Unknown4Reasons]

Not everyone experiences social anxiety in the same way, but for me I find it very difficult interacting with anyone I'm not close to. I feel very panicky and shaky during non-personal interactions - even with simple ones such as saying hello to a bus driver or asking a barista for a coffee.

In my case, people who know me can tell I'm experiencing social anxiety because my voice will become more wobbly, I'll stutter a lot, and I have a few nervous ticks (playing with my sleeve, running my hand through my hair, etc...) Also, I might wander about as if I'm lost or visibly 'nope out' of the possible encounter (basically, I'll walk towards a situation with a purposeful stride, panic and turn right back around). And afterwards, it's very easy to tell because my breathing will become noticeably ragged as I force myself to calm back down and might possibly be whispering encouragement to myself ("I think I did well") - but I usually try not to let people see that.

Unfortunately, not everyone experiences social anxiety the same way or has the same symptoms as I do - or the same coping mechanisms for that matter. So, as someone on the outside, you may not be able to tell at all. I know a lot of people try to and succeed at hiding their anxiety very well.

Does that help?

[shimmeryns]

You explained it perfectly well, thank you.

I have no problem with non-personal interactions, I find them very easy to do. However, I'm not really good at being a total social butterfly all the time. I can maintain for a while but I feel like too much social interactions draining out my energy. Not exactly a type social anxiety, if I compare to your explanation.

Why non-personal interactions cause social anxiety to you? Is it because you're afraid of their reaction? Did something happen before, maybe?

[Jooying]

I will return it to that poor kid. I used to be in service industry for quite a while, and I do have experience which I give out wrong amount of change and ended up being blamed by my supervisor...
I want to keep myself thinking in their boots, it’s going to be hard for them, so I definitely don’t them to be blamed.

[shimmeryns]

Completely agree. It's nice to read opinion like yours, where you think about the consequences for the other person. Sometimes people just keep the money without thinking what their action could do to the other.

[razelove]

I'm keeping it. If she can't keep track of her till, that's her problem, not mine. I had to learn to keep a till quick, even if it means short changing ten people, and keeping the bill you're given next to the register so they can't say it was a 20.

[OlderAndWiser]

I tell them that they gave me the wrong change and I return the money. . . unless they argue and insist that they could not have made a mistake.

[Jonny_]

Depends when I catch on, i've a bad habit of just putting my change into my pocket without even checking it. If I discovered later i'd feel a bit awkward going the whole way back to do it. Weirdly I actually work on the financial side and they do get in trouble if they do this, there's a threshold tills are allowed to be out by over the course of a day. They get in trouble if it has lost or gained too much, those things are always investigated incase of theft or overcharging and it happens a lot usually from errors like this.

[shimmeryns]

I always diligently check. Not because I'm afraid they might give me extra, but sometimes they give me less. Doesn't always happen though, it just happened to me today where the cashier accidentally gave me more as he was busy talking.

[brilliant135]

I've worked as a cashier many moons ago. As such I know they are accountable for the correct amount of cash to be in the drawer at the end of their shift and usually they make minimum wage.
If I get more change than what I should have, I will return it, no question.
I would hate it if he/she would have to cover the shortage from their own pocket or even worst, they lose their job.
Some employers have policies on this and they can terminate an employee, because they don't know if it's an honest mistake or theft, especially if they don't have security cameras.

[shimmeryns]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts as someone who used to work as a cashier.

I never keep the extra change if I'm aware of the mistake, I will feel really guilty about keeping it.

[brilliant135]

Good for you, I think people who try and do the right thing are much happier and feel so much better about themselves when something like this happens.
But if you don't realize that you were given more change than you were owed, then you didn't do anything wrong, in my opinion anyway.
Cheers

[shimmeryns]

Thank you for your kind words! I actually do feel better returning the money. One time a lady who worked at the cashier, also the owner of that small convenient store, was shocked at my honesty. She told me many people would just walk away and take the money.

[brilliant135]

That's very true and the truth is, most of those small convenience stores that are family owned, struggle and make very little money. The profit margins are very small and they are in stiff competition with big stores like Walmart. The family works very hard, usually seven days a week and never taking time off to go on vacation, simply because they really can't afford to or they can't trust employees not to get tempted to short change them.
So when someone like you comes along and returns the extra change, you made her day and probably her week, she won't forget that for a while.

[l_michelle]

Integrity... can't beat it! I paid $20 for gas one time & put the nozzle on auto while I cleaned my windshield & I ended up getting a full tank of gas bc the cashier had mistakenly forgot to set the pump. I went back in & let her know & paid for the extra gas. She was super grateful bc she'd have gotten that money taken out of her check & wrote up. It may have been her fault but it was an honest mistake & to be wasn't worth the trouble she'd gotten in. Either way... it was my responsibility to make the mistake known, otherwise I wouldn't have been honest. I have integrity & lots of people don't nowadays.

[scholastic_vibez]

As a rule of thumb, as smaller company such as CVS, Walgreens could potentially get a cashier written up they’re short more than $10, and the gap could be even small for a convenience store. Now for a larger grocery store chain, especially if it’s normal for the customers to spend $100 - $300 or more in an average purchase probably won’t usually write someone up even if they incorrectly gave away $20 - $30 because the profit margins are so high.

[shimmeryns]

Does that mean you return the money for smaller store and probably won't for big store?

[scholastic_vibez]

Well you should return money to both ideally, but it’s definitely more critical to return money to a smaller store, speaking from experience as someone that has done cashiering.

[Daniela1982]

Cashiers are responsible for their receipts. If they come up short the money is taken out of their paycheck. So if you keep the money you are screwing them, and Karma may take issue with it too.

[shimmeryns]

Yes I believe in karma too.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes , i was at this little gift shop, inside of Jefferson Hospital not far from me
and this elderly Man made a mistake and gave me extra money back so i
told this one lady and she said , she was glad i was so honest and they would
keep a eye on him cause he was elderly. Now someone else would take a
advantage of that poor elderly Man.

[shimmeryns]

Thank you for being kind! I also have experienced the same thing and the small shop owner was suprised at my honesty. I just think it is not right to keep the money when I'm aware of it.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

You're Welcome , Yeah i feel bad cause these elderly people are volunteering their
time at them small gift shops located in Hospitals , it's sad for the people
who are dishonest and take advantage of them. :/

[zed-789]

I keep it but only from big corporations. They make so much that extra $20 doesn’t mean shit. And employees rarely get fired unless u give wrong change often or is already suspected of stealing. Loss prevention has a way they handle that so the business won’t collapse off something like that. That’s y places like Walmart don’t trip even though people steal products all the time.

[LightEnd]

The cashier could get fired over being short in his/her register. Just because they make a mistake and I'm 20 dollars richer. Whoopdiefuckindoo. Is not worth this minimum wage employee loosing their job. If I notice and can correct the problem inam preventing potential major problems for the cashier. If I keep the 20 or so bucks it's not really gonna make a huge difference in my life.

[andreasderjuengere]

If that cashier runs his -or her- own business... I'll be honest.
If it's in a 'supermarket': I'll keep the money.
Sure: the individual person may suffer some consequences - but I did not ask this person to work there. When it comes to consumerism, I use 'the system' as-is and take my advantage. So would they do on me as well.

[cheapshotbob]

i would return it now but when i was younger i kept it nt sure what changed but i dont keep it anymore.

[shimmeryns]

Why did you choose to keep it when you were younger?

[cheapshotbob]

i had things i wanted to get and money was tight so someone mistake was my gain , thats just how i saw it. but now i dont see it like that but there is no real reason but thinking they might get that money took from there pay check which means less money for them if they had a family.

i felt guilty i guess

[shimmeryns]

That's alright, I appreciate your honesty.

[cheapshotbob]

thanks and i try to be honest now which is why i dont have many followers im too honest i think lol

[ArrowheadSW]

Tell them, and return it. I have done that a few times. Usually they don't believe that someone is being honest and not keeping it! LOL

[shimmeryns]

I also experienced the same thing haha!!

[lilyanony1]

I would return it there's a saying about easy come easy go. Karma. And most often what you take usually when it comes around it hits a lot harder

[shimmeryns]

I completely agree.

[Anoniemus]

Return and tell most of the time (I don’t if they’re rude). If they undercharge me, it’s not a big deal because it happens and I’ve done it.

[shimmeryns]

If they're rude, I think it is a good reason not to give back the money. Next time it will teach them to treat customers nicely.

[bubbles328]

Depends normally in first instance I give it back but I once kept going to the same shop. The cashier kept giving me too much, I kept telling him and giving the money back. In the end, I gave up and began keeping it. Someone wanted me to have that money clearly and I am not going to help people with their mistakes repeatedly.

[shimmeryns]

That is strange. Why would any cashier intentionally giving extra change everytime? They have to pay back the missing amount on cash register from their pocket money, or worse get fired by repeating the same mistake 🤔

[bubbles328]

they didn't do it on purpose just by accident over and over again

[beebella]

Honestly, I don't even count the change until I get home. 😂

[shimmeryns]

What if they accidentally give you less. Has it happened to you before?

[beebella]

I don't think so. 🤔 I probably wouldn't care too much about that, tho. 😅

[mrfoox]

Okay, depends on how much it is probably. If it's an big amount I would notice, but just a dollar or similar, most likely wouldn't notice. I don't keep close eye on change. Plus, use card lately, but yea

[morimeme1]

Honestly I rarely count it and trust the cashier so I wouldn't notice a few cents here or there. But if I did I would give it back cause I am painfully aware they would have to pay it back from their own pocket at the end of their shift.

[MORPHEUS_12]

I have always told them they gave me too much because I know at the end of that cashier's shift their till will come up short. Now I was in a convenience store in Mexico and the clerk thought she was going to screw over a gringo and she short changed me close to $6.00 US. I went in and complained and her manager made her close down her till and reconcile it to give me back my money.