Doing the Right Thing as I Have Been Taught
In a society where honesty has never been the norm, being truthful and considerate can make a lot of difference. What does one do when they return from shopping and find they didn't pay for something? In this article, I share my experience and my perspective in such a situation.
It had been quite a while since I went shopping, and I was running out of some things. I made my list and prepared myself to go shopping, and since I couldn't trust the economy and its inflation, I reimbursed my debit card with more money than I thought I needed. I expected some prices to be way higher than I remembered.
I got to the supermarket, and before even thinking of looking around for things that I may not have thought of, I went straight to gather the things I came for first. Afterwards, I took that walk around and gathered a few things, like spray-starch, that I hadn't thought of but would fit in with the money I had brought along. Man's got to look sharp, you know. And then I was off to the cashier to checkout when I had finished.
The cashier I went to seemed to be a little tied up with more than just running the transactions for customers at that time, and so he was a little too quick in processing them. I didn't mind, since I wanted to be checked out quickly anyway.
It got to my turn, and in a jiffy, he was done. He gave me the bill, but to my surprise, it was less than I had anticipated. I figured I may have been wrong with the prices from the start, so I paid and didn't think much about it. More so, he didn't seem like he had time for me to think things through.
I got home, and as usual, I brought out my things to be certain that I got all that I paid for and didn't forget anything. I cross-checked with the receipt I had been given. Something was off. The spray-starch I picked wasn't on the receipt.
I was wrong about the prices of most of the things I wanted to buy, and that was why the bill was less. I just didn't think the cashier missed something.
It was already a little late at night to go back and pay for it, and so I thought to go back in the morning. But then I thought that they probably ran shifts, and then I wouldn't meet the cashier who ran my transactions. Surely, I would still be able to pay, but the cashier may have already been in trouble at the end of the shift. Since it wasn't far anymore, I decided to go back to that same cashier, hoping to meet him, and then pay for the spray-starch.
I got there, but it turned out the cashier had not realized. I explained to him that I had been here before, that he had made a mistake, and that I was there to pay for the spray-starch. He and his colleagues, and some other customers around too, all had faces telling them that they were surprised. They thanked me for being very kind and considerate, especially for returning as quickly as I could. I didn't say much after that, and I returned home.
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These people, who were surprised, had no idea just how disturbed I would have felt to ignore the cashier's mistake and move on with my life. It wasn't my doing after all, but my mind wouldn't have been at peace for a very long time.
I had been taught well by my mother to never take things that didn't belong to me, especially when they could make another person unhappy. It has always stuck with me, and it will never leave me.
Thinking deeper about it, I could have "gotten" that cashier fired. It wouldn't have been my fault, per se, but I would have hurt someone if I had done nothing about it.
This kind of thing happens often. And, because of my moral upbringing to be fair and thoughtful, I end up building good relationships with people most of the time. Some vendors may upgrade me to an esteemed customer because they know they can trust me. They never need to remind me about a payment because I come back to remind them if I don't make the payment immediately. They never have to worry, and I never have to bother about sleepless nights.
On the flip side of things, I could earn myself a bad reputation. And you know what they say about bad names. I detest having a bad name. Imagine being flagged as a shoplifter simply because of a mistake that I could have done something about.
...with Redmi Note 10 Pro
So this kind of honesty still exist? it's rare to see people who could do that kind of thing in our country. You're building a good name for yourself . if 80% of people are like this, the world will be better.
We're naturally inclined to be selfish; all of us. It's perspective and understanding that makes all the difference.
If only just enough people in the world could be kind and considerate, we might as well be living in the garden of Eden again.
How have you been, Mary?
https://leofinance.io/threads/view/maryjacy/re-maryjacy-86wge4kh
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It's a good thing that you displayed honesty even when no one was watching. That's a good trait.
Have a nice day ✨
Thank you, wongi.
I hope you have a great weekend.
I will.✨
Truth is not many people would have acted like the way you did. So many would have said it is their luck and would keep the money. Why you showed to be different from the large group of people. I believe the universe would find a way to reward you for your honest.
If the tables were turned, there's really no one that would want to be on the other end of that "luck." I'd rather do onto others what I'd like them to do to me.
I'm glad you remembered me and came around, brother.
Nice one Olu, the good ones still exist. I tell people all the time the world isn’t so bad and we’ve still got a lot of good and honest people but for a reason or 2 they doubt it. You’re an example.
People forget sometimes that the goodness we do isn’t necessarily for the other person but for ourselves. Like you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself cos right from my childhood, I’ve been told not to take what doesn’t belong to me. My brother and some friends and I, went to buy gum and some things I don’t remember 😅. We were at the stadium then and the woman gave us more change. We took it back and even then she was surprised. She looked proud and it made me happy.
You going back that early didn’t give the attendant any trouble and he’ll use you to advise others. Kudos Olu 👏
Hey,I noticed you used Threads back in February. The user interface works better now, maybe you want to give it another try!
It's sad that being good isn't a norm around.
That act of returning the charge to that woman was such a big deal, but many wouldn't see it that way. She would have been so grateful.
Thanks for coming around, man. And yeah, I've used Threads before. I'll give it another try.
So true man, I don’t understand where the world is going. It’s bad. Do try Olu, you’d love it.