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

Question

Static_In_The_Attic · Accepted Answer

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 · Accepted Answer

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.

Unknown4Reasons · Accepted Answer

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.

Jooying · Accepted Answer

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.

razelove · Answer

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 · Answer

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_ · Answer

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.

brilliant135 · Answer

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.

l_michelle · Answer

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 · Answer

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.

Daniela1982 · Answer

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.

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

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.

zed-789 · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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

ArrowheadSW · Answer

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

lilyanony1 · Answer

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

Anoniemus · Answer

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.

beebella · Answer

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

bubbles328 · Answer

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.

mrfoox · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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.

Apple1996 · Answer

Who the fuck uses cash nowadays? I always use my card so I dont ever get change back. The few times I do use cash I don't even count the change so I wouldn't know if they gave me more anyways lol

oldguyincanada · Answer

If I notice right away, return it. If I am already gone, then it would cost me more in effort than it would be worth to go back.

I would not notice often any more, as I don't often check the change, I just stuff it in my pocket/wallet.

Then there is the case of people not smart enough to convince that they made an error in my favor. I don't argue with people, if they want to be right, I let them be right.

miley19 · Answer

I wouldn’t even notice sadly enough, the calculation part of my brain is not working

R_ūshī · Answer

I usually return them. I've kept the change before tho. It was purely for personal satisfaction tho. I like to trick people or to think that I've tricked them. lol

matchrestore · Answer

Maybe I'm too trusting, but I never check that I was given the correct change. So... I guess by default I'd keep it?

Trolloween · Answer

If I even noticed I would return it but I don't tend to count change so I may have accidentally kept it many times

Primrose21 · Answer

Practice Honesty in all ways. Plus I would feel bad if the cashier would have to patch up the lost money.

Finchie40 · Answer

I would return it , we all make mistakes and I am not going to be the reason someone loses their job for coming up short in a register

SydneySentinel · Answer

Give it back, if I can. I don't know they will get in trouble if their cash drawer is short. Everyone is human and makes errors sometimes.

btbc92 · Answer

I always return it, it can be considered stealing and get the teller in seriois trouble. Rather not. I don't want what's not mine.

pajamasam · Answer

It depends really, like 50 cent I dont even think about it. But if it's a dollar or more then I make sure to return it.

DeeDeeDeVour · Answer

This has happened to me several times.  Each & every time, I returned the excess back to the cashier/clerk.

disgustingweebtrash · Answer

I always 100% without a doubt return the money hehe

ChiTown33 · Answer

In principal i return it. But i'm not going to lie, the grocery store i frequent i get over charged a lot. And it's one of rhise rhings you don't notice till tou get home and look at the reciept. And are you going to drive back up rhere for 2 dollars? No. So i might be inclined to not say anything in this situation because i've been overcharged so many rimes in the past.

nomazi · Answer

Return it, but I usually don’t count it. If I notice it’s more than usual, I’ll let them know though.

Pink2000 · Answer

I never count my change when I get it back so I wouldn’t know but if I did happen to notice then I would tell them

pawan_jasoria · Answer

I would definitely return the money which not belongs to me.

Bee-Hatch · Answer

Keep it. Its not like I sit there counting my change. I probably wouldn't know

arabgoddess · Answer

My conscience tells me to return it.. Honesty is the key!

EleanorRigby · Answer

Return it. I don't want the cashier to get into trouble because of me.

ShadowofRegret · Answer

That never really happened to me before, but it would only be right to return it I think.

0oGreyo0 · Answer

I don't need other people's money and i don't want people getting into trouble so id give it back.

Éire1995 · Answer

Return it. if the register is down money they might take it out of the employee's wage.

jmzero · Answer

Having worked in retail things like money sticking together and the like happen. A clerk can get in trouble if there till is off, even if they never have other issues. Always return it if you notice before you leave the lot.

Sutol · Answer

I usually don't count my change, I like to trust that they'll give me the right change.

blondfrog · Answer

Depends how much it was. If they give me a few cents more I'd keep it if it's like a dollar or more I'd return it.

Ianto · Answer

Besides the obvious ethics, my personal motivation is that, did I not, I would have to accept that I was a thief.

the_sinner · Answer

I always return them because I know the cashier doesn't earn a lot and if there's a mismatch while tallying then the manager might cut it from the cashier's salary so I don't want that to happen ever.

SimpleRhubarb · Answer

If I noticed while the cashier was giving me the change, I'm sure I would return it. If I had already left the store when I realized they gave me extra, I would just keep it.

Browneye57 · Answer

If I catch it I return it. Honesty isn't about who's looking or whether you'll get caught or not.

Greta_lover · Answer

Largely depends on the business and if the cashier might get in trouble.

Drumlin2001 · Answer

I have occasionally given it back, other times kept it. Withba new baby i'd be more inclined to keep it. Also, i find the service in most shops these days not to be very good. I'd see the change as compensation for wasting my time

MtnDrew · Answer

It does depend on the situation. If it's an employee of a company like McDonald's or Walmart for example. They messed up. No sweat off my brow. But if it's a self owned operation/ma pa store. Example: the snack shop at my work is independently ran by this older lady. Definitely correct the error

ultimatecatfish · Answer

In most situations I would return it. If the store tried to cheat me or behaved like punks then I would not

DaMack999 · Answer

Be a good samaritan and return. Otherwise they get in trouble.

Quidthonian · Answer

It depends when we discover the mistake. If I left the shop, then I'll keep it.

DWornock · Answer

That rarely happens. Therefore, my policy is to be honest. Over a lifetime, the insignificant amount that I can gain by being dishonest is of far less value than the reputation and trust from people that honesty gives you.

Duckysback · Answer

Am I seriously the only honest person here?

Victrixen · Answer

If I looked at my change at the register and noticed it then, give the difference back. It really depends if the amount is large enough to warrant you coming back.

IAmCole · Answer

Return it. And I'm very thankful when my customers do the same. I'm a cashier, so it's always a relief when a customer hands me back money on the rare occasion when I accidentally make a mistake counting change.

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

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