My wife and I went to Wal-Mart last night and bought a new 27" television. It was an early Christmas gift to ourselves Well turned out that the first one we brought home was defective, and I had to take it back for an exchange. The cashier made a HUGE mistake, and I didn't catch this until I went home. She gave me the reciepts and I just put them in my pocket--thinking nothing of it because they were really busy due to the holiday season and I wanted out of there When I got home I realized that the woman not only gave me the $200 TV I bought, but she also gave me a gift card for the full amount of the TV.. She mistakenly gave me the exchange AND refunded all my money too! I of course didn't feel right about this, and could have easily said FREE TV, and spent the money she gave back. However, this morning I went right back to Wal-Mart and gave the card back to a few managers... After I explained what happened, they were so shocked to see that I brought their money back to them.. One said that this close to Christmas most people would have just kept the money and the TV, and commended me on returning it to them. The way I see it is that it wasn't my money to begin with, and I had not right to keep it. My $200 is the 27" TV in my living room The $200 card was there's and not mine, and the right thing to do was give it back... Just wanted to share

Squeak

Hi Squeak, Glad you did the 'right' thing.

Happy holidays to you and your family,

Scott

You did good! My wife would have made me take it back too.
DonM

Not only did you do the right thing, you may have also saved someone's job. Merry Christmas.

Gary

I've given excess change as well as gone back when they have not charged me for something on more than 1 occasion. Squeak, you get 2 thumbs up for doing the right thing....in the end you have to face the man in the mirror each morning and is what counts for doing the right thing.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Hi Squeak,

The measure of a man is not what he does when someones looking, but what he does when they're not looking.

Good for you!

rp

Squeak,

Thank you so much for sharing that story with us. I really needed to hear that after spending the day at the mall shopping. I was cut-off and yelled at by a lady who backed up traffic at a stop sign (about 15-20 cars) while she and her daughter put on make-up. I make the fatal mistake of honking my horn after about 45 seconds. She then proceded to put the car in park and flip me and my family the bird for about 5 minutes.

Thanks for restoring my faith in people and the notion that fundementally people ARE good!

Al

Right is right and you did the right thing. My wife and I have sometimes come upon similar circumstances and done the same thing. Yes, in spite of all we read and see in the media there still is plenty of good in the world.

Peace on earth to men of good will. You shall find Him...

Hi Squeak, If there were more like you, we would all live better.

Great Holiday, John C.

Squeak,

Aren't you in the legal profession. Lawyering or something like that. I think you'd better find another job. Honest lawyers have to struggle as hard as bricklayers and musicians to get by. There must be something eaiser you can do. As always, ha! ha!
Boo

Brickboo,
I do work at a law firm, but I'm not a lier ooops I mean a lawyer. Sadly to be an attorney you have to give up a big chunck of your honesty. You don't win cases by playing completely by the book and playing nice with counsel Well bottom line is what's right is right.. It wasn't my money and to keep it would be completely dishonest and wrong. I'd do it again (even if it were more than 200 bucks)...

Squeak

I had a similar experience with something I bought at Montgomery Ward several years ago. They gave me double the refund coming to me on an item I took back. It was a clerical error and I didn't realize it until I got home and actually counted it up. Of course all these thoughts pop up in your head about keeping it, using it to pay bills, buy something you need, etc., but like you Squeak I just shoved those thoughts out of my head and straight away went back and showed them what occured and like your situation they were utterly amazed (jaw dropping astonished) that I would bring the money back. They thanked me profusely for returning the $200 odd dollars to them and in doing so I would never have nor linger to have a guilty conscience if I'd kept it. The right thing to do is ALWAYS right!

Best regards,
Mike

Squeak: Today we all really found out what kind of a man Squeak is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Christmas of 2003--you did just that.
AR
J

I would have gone back to the store and thrown the gift card in the bell ringers pot for charity.......................

..... nice job squeak .. Merry Christmas to you and the family....
t.

yep ,you did the right thing,you will be able to sleep good tonight,mike

THE WEIRDEST THING JUST HAPPENED. Ok I was reading this post and I'm just like "Oh that's so nice etc." And I wondered what I would have done in that case. Later that night I went out to buy a hockey stick right after that. It was a 2 peice stick. It turns out the cashier only charged me for the blade of the stick and not the shaft (which would have cost me another $80)I'm looking at the reciept wondering if I should go back and tell them or not. And then I thought of this post...I just had to tell them. So i went in and told them that i wasn't fully charged and I paid the additional $80. Just wanted to share that with all you guys. HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Yep! These things seem to happen. It´s nice to see I´m not the only(fool) taking that money back

Me too had few years back simiral situation but not that much money. I bought a cd-player (About 100 usdollars) got by mistake all my money back! Got out of the store wondering, something went wrong... At my heap of junk (someone did actually call it car) I counted my money and went back. Ever since I allways get discounts and stuff. It was a very small store those days and it still is but nowhere I get as nice service.

So it does pay back to be nice and good every now and then

When things like that happen to me, I feel like it's a test from God (crazy christian).
Up here in Canada we have the hated GST (the Goods and Services Tax). I asked a heating contractor what was the final bill after installing our new furnace. He gave me a price if I paid by cheque and a price, minus the GST, if I paid by cash. I chose the full price by cheque. (That money belongs to the government). If everyone paid their taxes honestly, their taxes could go down.
Starkeeper