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Ethics: Is this stealing?
Scenario: My wife works for a large big box retailer. A long-time cashier, 10+/- years, at her store got fired earlier this week for stealing.
The chain has a rebate program where you can get a certain percentage of your purchase back to you in the form of a store gift card, good only at that chain. When a customer would check out she would ask if they wanted their receipt. If they said yes she'd give them their receipt. If they said no, she'd pocket the receipt and cash in the rebate and get the gift cards for herself. Then spend them in her store, which seems incredibly dumb, but I digress. Anyway, is that stealing? (In YOUR opinion, absent opinions or conclusions from others.)
The company feels it's stealing, as is their right. She does not feel it is because the customer was offered their receipt and chose of their own free will to decline. She sees it as no different than finding a dollar bill on the sidewalk.
What say you? Who's right?
1) Yes, this is stealing.
2) This is kind of a gray area.
3) No, this is not stealing.
4) Undecided/Other.
Side note: I believe she was just fired, and no charges were pressed. I don't know if this would be technically illegal, but the legal aspect is not part of the question anyway. Ethics is the question.
ETA: No, it was not my wife that was fired.
Scenario: My wife works for a large big box retailer. A long-time cashier, 10+/- years, at her store got fired earlier this week for stealing.
The chain has a rebate program where you can get a certain percentage of your purchase back to you in the form of a store gift card, good only at that chain. When a customer would check out she would ask if they wanted their receipt. If they said yes she'd give them their receipt. If they said no, she'd pocket the receipt and cash in the rebate and get the gift cards for herself. Then spend them in her store, which seems incredibly dumb, but I digress. Anyway, is that stealing? (In YOUR opinion, absent opinions or conclusions from others.)
The company feels it's stealing, as is their right. She does not feel it is because the customer was offered their receipt and chose of their own free will to decline. She sees it as no different than finding a dollar bill on the sidewalk.
What say you? Who's right?
1) Yes, this is stealing.
2) This is kind of a gray area.
3) No, this is not stealing.
4) Undecided/Other.
Side note: I believe she was just fired, and no charges were pressed. I don't know if this would be technically illegal, but the legal aspect is not part of the question anyway. Ethics is the question.
ETA: No, it was not my wife that was fired.