Consumer Ethics: Honest Abe

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Friday January 25, 2008 · 8:16 PM PST

2008/01/25 · 20:16

As an alternative to the knock-down, drag-out candidate diaries, I thought I’d share the details of an argument I had with my spouse yesterday. Hey, it couldn’t be any worse, right?

We were at the drive-thru window at Taco Bell, when I reached into my wallet to hand over the $20 bill I had taken as cash back at the grocery store the previous evening. The young man at the window then proceeded to count me change for a $50. My husband shifted nervously as I protested vigorously, knowing there was no way I had mistakenly given him $50. I can’t even remember the last time I handled a fifty-dollar bill. A less-honest youth might have said, "Sure lady, here’s the change for a $20" and pocketed the difference. Instead, he conferred with his manager and then came back and explained that his drawer had just been counted, and I had in fact given him a fifty dollar bill. And he gave me my change. The only explanation possible, since I almost never carry cash, is that the Safeway checker had given me a $50 instead of a $20. I dug in my purse for my receipt just to make sure I hadn’t actually keyed in $50 cash back without realizing it. But no, it said $20. The Safeway checker had goofed. And then the argument began.

Poll

26 votes Show Results

When given excess change, do you return it?

26 votes Vote Now!

When given excess change, do you return it?

Not if it was a small amount.

1 vote

Not if it was a really large amount!

0 votes

Only if I thought I might get caught.

0 votes

If it came from a megacorp, never!

2 votes

Always, even if I have to argue to make them take it back!

13 votes

Depends upon the situation.

10 votes

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