Diane Day 5

TITLE: Saving the Cashier By Being Observant



Date: February 15, 2010



Explanation of the act: Normally, when I am purchasing anything, I bring the merchandise up to the cashier, have it wrung up and be on my way. Do I watch what the cashier is doing? Never. Do I check my receipt? Never



Event: I went into a Hallmark store to buy wrapping paper and a card for a gift I was giving. For some unknown reason, I had a pretty good idea of what the items were going to cost. Probably because I had limited cash in my wallet and at some deep Freudian level I knew I had to be careful about what I was spending. As the cashier was ringing the items up, I noticed that she was not charging me enough. At first, she didn’t believe me, but as she looked closer, she realized she had made a mistake.


Reactions: She was grateful that I pointed it out to her. I’m not sure what would have happened at the end of the day, but at least she was not in a position to have to explain that she undercharged someone. In this economy, store managers are most likely looking at the bottom line carefully.



Would I do it again? Yes

Cost: If I had not pointed the undercharge, I would have had about 2 extra dollars in my pocket.
Effort: Being observant.

Time: 2 minutes