Is "cashier error" considered theft?

[skrogman]

Say you got home after shopping and started putting your groceries away and noticed that a couple of items did not get scanned, were not on the receipt.  Your reaction?  Do you make the correction with the store?  Do you say "Bonus!!"?  Is the decision different depending on what the item is?  If your steaks did not scan, is that different than if your little cup of yogurt didn't?  Now, be real...we know that we are a community of people here clicking for pennies to help with the bills or for some reason.

 

[queenofnines]

Well considering I rarely check the receipt and self bag, this would never happen to me with groceries...

[Nancy5]

I sadly have to agree, I seldom or never check the receipt.

[crazyzoo]

If I am not self checking I watch the cashier closely things often do not scan the price they are suppose to be and being in my favor or not I always correct them

[lvstephanie]

I think it would still be considered theft regardless of the item albeit an unintentional theft. I'd probably go back and let them know whether or not it was in my favor. I'm thinking, though, that if it was a few cents missed from the cup of yogurt, they'd probably just let me keep it while the steak they'd pay more attention to. I think the smaller the store is (like a mom & pop convenience store in a small town), the more willing they are to give the benefit to the customer, whereas larger companies (like Walmart) probably has policies that they must follow tying their hands as to what the employees can and cannot give to the customer.

[hawkeye3210]

There has to be intent for it to be considered theft, so it wouldn't be theft.

[Garydh]

Interesting moral question.  Did you go back and show the receipt and say you forgot or the system did not scan the steaks I bought here? Personally I found the scans in fact have overcharged and did not give me credit for my coupons are downloaded card for the store I was to get credit from. But again I will look closer from now on. Have a great day!

[paints]

Say you got home after shopping and started putting your groceries away and noticed that a couple of items did not get scanned, were not on the receipt.  Your reaction?  Do you make the correction with the store?  Do you say "Bonus!!"?  Is the decision different depending on what the item is?  If your steaks did not scan, is that different than if your little cup of yogurt didn't?  Now, be real...we know that we are a community of people here clicking for pennies to help with the bills or for some reason.

 

Turn the question around. If you noticed that a couple of items scanned twice and you got charged for more than you bought, would you go back to the store and tell them about it, or would you say "Bonus for the store!!"

There ya go. If you would complain about an error in the stores' favor, then you should complain about an error made in your favor.

[msmoneybags48]

This question is moral.  Being honest would help the cashier out.  However, there could be problems if you returned and explained that there were a couple items in your basket that was not scanned.  Natural question would be to ask the cashier how he or she let this happen.  I would not say anything.

[Phx0808]

I was given someone else's bag contain brown sugar, pineapple, and maraschino cherries. It was around Easter time and I took it back and they said Happy Easter, and refused to take it back.

[vickysue]

i watch all of my items being scanned. Sometimes catch mistakes and it can save money. I bought 6 avacadoes  (3/$1.00) and the cashier hit the wrong button and it cme out as $166.00. Scared the cashier and a manager had to come  and overide it. But also one year when we had a food wagon i bought quite a few boxes (10 lbs each) and we left for the showand was gone for a week. In the mean time i went over the reciept and found they had not charged me for a box ($50.00) i was on pens and needles until we could get back to town so i could pay for it. And they didn't even know i had it. I could have kept it  and they wouldn't have known. But that is not me and besides the store was good too me.   

[gramev64]

I try to watch when the cashier scans the items to make sure it is the right price, if too much I say something, if not enough I question it.  Sometimes the stores don't keep the prices up to date.

[Sendmicheck]

That never happen to me.  I check my bags before leaving the stores.

[jwallbank]

I would consider that answer to be "NO" My wife was a cashier for years and an excellent on at that (not prejudice) and I know that she has made an error a time or two. If it does not scan and you got it for free, I would not consider that theft, I don't check every item off my receipt when I get home, and really - Who does?? If a cashier scans something and it does not wind up in your bag, that could be considered an error because it could of got caught up under a bag or something on the tray and never got to the intended area, this is also not theft, just an error. Now if I was missing quite a few items that I payed for and never got I would maybe consider it Theft and return to the store and Complain, if I happened to catch it. I guess I look at the best in everyone and don't consider them trying to Get me at every turn.

[Clandestine1]

It might be considered theft to some but I really don't think you can get prosecuted for the cashier's error. Even if you do try to correct the error most of the time the people at the store don't care. So you can take it as a bonus.