I ask for the manager and I tell him the story. He checks the system
and says the transaction messed up and it didn't go through. He then
proceeds to get a cashier to run the transaction and walks away. No
"thank you for being honest", "how about a free orange apron", etc.
He just walked away.

I sign the slip and I say to myself "the next time I buy a nail gun
compressor setup and the transaction messes up I will donate the 300
bucks to charity before I come back here." BTW the guys picture is
no longer in the person in charge spot on the wall of the that BORG.

Larry C


Please don't take this as a insult to you, Larry. It's more a
commentary on the direction our society in general seems to be heading.

This is a symptom of a growing problem that seems to get worse with
every generation. Most guys in here seem to be the 40 and over crowd.
The latter half of the generation X seems to be the last generation
that doesn't feel slighted if we're not praised for simply doing the
right thing.

Anyone younger was brought up having their egos coddled like a bottle
of nitroglycerin. No one could be told they were "wrong." Everyone
got a trophy just for participating. Now adults in the workplace,
they have to be praised and rewarded just for showing up to work. An
average job is now considered excellent. The internal satisfaction of
finishing an assignment isn't enough to satisfied the ego of one who's
self-esteem is a house of straw, built by years of superficial,
unearned praise. They must now receive awards for simply finishing an
assignment, regardless of the quality of work. The bare minimum is
seen as the goal, instead of the starting point.

So now, we feel insulted if no one makes a big deal out of the fact
that we were simply honest. What used to be the baseline from which
we'd assess one another's character, has now become something we
expect to be exalted as extraordinary.


-MIKE-


You have the generational thing wrong with me, I am 45. I totally agree
with you about people can't handle being told they are wrong. I deal
with it in my professional life all the time.

I didn't go back with the idea that I would get something in return. I
went back because it was the right thing to do. It was just a little
disheartening that the manager didn't even acknowledge the fact that I
did come back. My comment was more of a point how someone could become
fed up or jaded, not that I was hoping for something in return for doing
something honest and correct.

Larry C

I figured you were over 40, and I wasn't trying to single you out. Your
comment just sent me on that tangent. You're just out of GenX and I'm
just in it, if you use '65 as the cutoff.

I see these attribute a lot in my peers, and you and your peers get to
enjoy dealing with it in your subordinates. :-)



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "Ed Edelenbos"
wrote:
I never go back to get someone in trouble or get a thank you. I go back
because I have something that isn't mine until I have paid for it.

And that, my friends, is the essence of the matter in two simple
sentences.

Well said, Ed.

Huh? I must have gotten that from my wife, then. (grin)

Ed

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Feb 26, 5:18 pm, "Perry Aynum" wrote:
I bought a couple sheets of plywood and a nice new 10" saw blade at the
BORG, and maybe another $5 item. When the clerk scanned the cart, I guess
she only scanned the plywood, even though the other stuff was in plain
view.

I didn't pay attention until I was pushing the cart out the door, and
glanced at my receipt.

Would you have gone back and informed them of the mistake?

Absolutely.

Ditto. If you didn't pay for something that left the store with you it's
stealing. It doesn't matter if they didn't catch it at checkout. What if
someone was helping you do some work at home and was using your tools. They
discover when they get home that they still have your tape. Heck, you
didn't keep track of it so it's now theirs, right?! Wrong!! You'd expect
them to give it back. The fact that the loser here is a corporation makes
no difference. Your the one who's either honest or a crook. Even if you
feel cheated by a product or service. That only means that you should do
business elsewhere. It's not yours to even the score.

On Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:18:38 -0500, "Perry Aynum"
wrote:

I bought a couple sheets of plywood and a nice new 10" saw blade at the
BORG, and maybe another $5 item. When the clerk scanned the cart, I guess
she only scanned the plywood, even though the other stuff was in plain view.

I didn't pay attention until I was pushing the cart out the door, and
glanced at my receipt.

Would you have gone back and informed them of the mistake?



No question about it, yes! And I'm not a big BORG fan.

On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:19:19 +0000, Larry C wrote
(in article ):

You have the generational thing wrong with me, I am 45. I totally agree
with you about people can't handle being told they are wrong. I deal with
it in my professional life all the time.

I didn't go back with the idea that I would get something in return. I went
back because it was the right thing to do. It was just a little
disheartening that the manager didn't even acknowledge the fact that I did
come back. My comment was more of a point how someone could become fed up
or jaded, not that I was hoping for something in return for doing something
honest and correct.

Larry C

Gotcha completely. I grew up where politeness was the norm. and the courtesy
of a "please" and "thank you" was an indication that people acknowledged each
other's dignity and appreciated effort made towards them. It costs nothing
yet it purchases a great deal.

Some may say my ego is out of kilter but I get irked if I hold a door open
for someone and it is simply taken for granted. I don't want payment, or even
a formal thank you. Eye contact and the hint of a smile is all it takes to
make me think the gesture was worthwhile. It may not be Zen but it IS the
cement of the common bond of humanity.

Returning what is in effect a great wadj of cash merits slightly more, I
would have thought - at least a few minutes personal attention and the effort
being made to show that your gesture - and the time, trouble and personal
expense incurred in making it - is appreciated by a fellow participant in the
Game.

Isn't that a reasonable expectation in what passes for civilized society?