I found myself in one of those moral dilemmas you might debate when playing psychological games. You know, the type of game where your friends bet on what you would do and you’re supposed to give your honest answer to see who knows you best.
When shopping with one of my girlfriends the other day, my goal was to find a long necklace to wear with my ‘going out’ tops. After the ritual snacks and catch up chatter, we found a store with a whole wall of them. We spent a while there, but believe it or not, nothing was quite right. We moved on to another store to help my friend meet her goal of finding the perfect pair of jean shorts. While waiting for her in the change room I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
Gasp! Loss of breath, then a long slow “Ooooooh, Nooooooo!” I had walked out of the store with a necklace hanging off my arm! I tried on so many that I was using my arm to hold them and with all the typical distractions I didn’t even notice that this one was still there.
My girlfriend was excited for me. She said it was clearly mine now, AND it was really pretty. When I told her I was going to take it back to the store she thought I was nuts. I absolutely had to though, there was no doubt in my mind. She really tried to talk me out of it and even went so far as to laugh at me and say that I was really funny. I stuck to my feelings and made her walk back with me. I wasn’t planning on the kind of return stolen merchandise situation a mother makes her child do. I had no intention of reporting myself or apologizing! I just casually walked back into the store, put the necklace down on the first table I saw and left. I’m proud of myself that I didn’t cave to her pressure. For now, I can breath easy. What would you have done?
Brie says
Glad to see you all feel the same way as I do. I just recently saw a man go up to a cashier and give them money back saying as he left he had realized they gave him too much change. It’s always great to see those shining moments!