Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Tell me...

How many honest people do you think are left in the world?
Tonight one of my profs, who works at the prison, was asking us what we'd do if we found a wallet with $100 in it, and comparing our response to that of the prisoners. He also asked what we'd do with a briefcase with one million cash. Answers and discussions were vivid. And we also knew there was a difference between what we say we'd do, and what would happen when it came down to it - those who asked for too many qualifiers - "well, is there ID?" "What about x"...what about y...the more qualifications you make on the statement, I think, the more you're trying to justify what you're tempted to do wrong. I thought about giving the $1M to charity. Easy to do in the hypothetical, I suppose!
I headed to the grocery store on my way home from class, to grab a couple items with which to bake cookies. I told the clerk the code for a bulk item, and he heard me wrong by one number. One number that made a five dollar difference in my purchase - from regular raisins to Craisins. (mmmm Craisins.) I corrected him, and he said, "Wow, you didn't have to say anything." "Well, much as I'd rather pay for regular raisins, I'm afraid I did."
I'm not the only one who'd do this, am I?

2 comments:

Laura said...

What are Craisins? :)

And no, your not the only one who does this. I always try and make sure I do the right thing when I find money/get undercharged etc. I'm always worried that whoever undercharges me is going to get into trouble.

j.sterling said...

i always say something.. or at least try to do the right thing. they overpayed me at work in my check by double the amount. i called them immediately, and they wouldn't have even caught it they said. i can't live with that kind of dishonesty inside me, you know?? t hat's the shit that eats you up inside.