What would you have done in this situation?

[Shell Beau]

I was at a store the other day with my mom. I had no intentions of purchasing anything. But I saw these Madame Alexander dolls in a cabinet. They were old, like 1979 and 1984, etc. There were 3 left. The price on their stand read $5.95. I was shocked because these are usually $80 -$100 dolls. So I asked the lady the price. She looked at them and said they were $5.95. I couldn't believe it. My aunt collects these dolls so I grabbed them and bought them for her. As I was purchasing these dolls, I asked again if that was the correct price. She said yes. I told her I couldn't believe they would be so cheap. Well, I went to lunch with my aunt and gave her the dolls. She was floored. Very excited! Later that afternoon, the owner of the store called me (she had my number b/c if you buy something, you are put in a drawing for a prize) and she told me that those were the incorrect prices. That, instead, they were $75 a piece. Well, I bought all three and had already given them away. I would have NEVER EVER spent that much money on those dolls. She insisted that I bring them back or pay full price. I told her that it was her employees mistake and that I could not ask for the dolls back as I had given them as a gift. But I also couldn't pay that much money for them either.

So, what would you have done? I felt bad for her being out of the money, but I didn't want to be out of the money either. I wouldn't spend that much money on a doll.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. What you did. Their mistake, not yours.

If you still would have purchased them at $75, that is a different issue, but since you said you wouldn't have, their mistake.

[Shell Beau]

9. My aunt would pay that much for those dolls, but not me! The

only reason I did buy them because they were so cheap (or so I thought)!

[SOteric]

2. Do you still have the receipt?

[Shell Beau]

5. Yeah, I kept it!! And my mom is a court reporter and asked the

judge that she works for what the law is. The law would protect me, the customer! But the owner threatened me with suit.

[SOteric]

10. Keep it in a safe place.

It's their mistake. You did more than the standard effort at inquiring after the price. They sold them at that price.

If she tries to take you to court that receipt will get her claim thrown out.

And if she phones again, suggest that she try to get her monies out of the lackwit who sold them to you at the incorrect price. That's where the fault belongs, not on you.

[idgiehkt]

18. I think it wouldn't be worth it to bring a suit.

that would be absolutely crazy and stupid. Let them, then they'll have to pay court costs. Maybe you can bring a counter suit for haraassment or something and get even more money, lol. You gave them a chance to correct the error.

[billyskank]

23. No indeed, it would be frivolous

[billyskank]

3. No way would I take them back

It's just tough luck for them.

[Shell Beau]

13. Thanks! I did feel bad. I would hate to be that lady and realize

that someone sold my expensive dolls at such a cheap price. But I would have eaten that cost and NEVER ever call my customer.

[billyskank]

19. I am astonished that the store owner dared to call you

Really, she had no business doing that at all.

[Shell Beau]

24. She dug in the drawing box to get my info, because

otherwise, she would have never known. And the lady who checked me out remembered my name because her daughter's name was the same.

[jpgray]

4. I probably would have paid the money

But I would have no problem with someone not doing so--employee mistake, not your fault.

[Shell Beau]

7. I contemplated it! I felt bad for it, but the lady was very rude to me.

[jpgray]

11. Yeah I wouldn't feel too bad about it

[pagerbear]

6. That sales clerk is out $207.15.

You are under no obligation whatsoever.

[Shell Beau]

8. That is what I think! But I feel bad. The owner said that the clerk

was just part time and didn't know any better. I told her maybe you should hire people who do!

[idgiehkt]

22. duh. if you are working in a shop that sells Madam Alexander

dolls and you don't know what those are you should be fired.

[Fleshdancer]

39. did the clerk write the wrong price on pricetag?

If so, then the owner needs to reconsider whether having a part-time employee set the prices on antiques and/or collectibles is a wise decision. In this case, it's obvious that it wasn't.

[Shell Beau]

41. The price tag was just for the stand the doll was on. The doll

had no price on her. :shrug: Which makes it an even stickier situation.

[Fleshdancer]

44. not really since you asked repeatedly

Now she knows not to put merchandise on the shelves without prices and leave the store in the hands of the part-time employee that probably doesn't set the prices in the first place. The owner should be angry with herself.

Out of curiosity, I wonder if this store owner would have called you if her store had accidentally sold you merchandise at too high of cost. Would she have dug through the bowl for your contact information in that situation? My guess is no.

[Shell Beau]

45. Good point! I never thought of it that way!

She told me she didn't know how I could sleep at night!! She was very rude!

[Fleshdancer]

48. what a drama queen!

The pricing of HER merchandise in HER store is HER business...um, literally. :D

Others in this thread think the cashier is at fault but I disagree. The part-time employee relies on the price listed and if that isn't very clear or if the merchandise is placed on the shelves without a price, then how does one expect the employee to know what to charge?

[Shell Beau]

50. Again, a very good point! I hope that the employee didn't

lose her job!

[WilliamPitt]

12. Not your mistake, not your problem.

Keep the receipt.

[Shell Beau]

14. Don't worry!! I did!

[nini]

15. Depends on if the clerk has to eat the cost or lose their job

If that was the case I'd bring them back and get my money back - I'd hate to have the clerk lose their job over anything. I wouldn't do that though unless I had written proof the worker is protected.

If not, keep them - to hell with the owner - that's what they get for not marking their merchandise correctly and keeping their staff informed.

[Shell Beau]

21. I do hope nothing happened to her employee! If anything, they

went over the merchandise in the store. It was a small store. I can't imagine that the lady didn't know the prices on the stuff. And even after I asked 3 times. If I were her, I would have checked on it if the customer is blown away by the price. Especially when I told her these were expensive dolls. And even more so that they were old which ups the value.

[nini]

29. I agree .. you're not doing anything wrong since you asked repeatedly

it's a tough call and obviously the fact you're bringing it up shows your compassion for the employee :D


As far as a lawsuit from the owner. She had nothing to base it on. Don't let her scare you.

[Shell Beau]

36. I am not scared. I think she was lying to me because she

said that she had 3 days to get her merchandise back by MS law. I asked her what law is that. She didn't know. And as I said earlier, my mom is a court reporter and she asked her judge. The judge said that the lady was way off. There is a law but it protects the customer.

[Kali]

16. yuck - how awkward, but I don't see how any of it is your fault

what was the deal with the price on the stand? that sounds like owner's fault not clerk.

[Shell Beau]

25. That was the price of the stand. Not the doll. But the dolls

weren't marked.

[Kali]

33. oh - that makes sense, I guess

bleh. gotta go with the thinking below - "legally" you are totally in the clear, ethically - yeah it's a bit hazier.

To top it off - if she was rude to you...I feel your confusion, totally - is this anything you could talk to your aunt about? (How awkward to ask about possibly taking a gift back!!! Did you mention that to the store owner?) perhaps there is some way everybody could work together so that things are a little more fair? I don't know.

[Shell Beau]

35. I mentioned it to the store owner and she said

well you just got them today! Which was totally beside the point. Point is is that I gave them away. I feel just as unethical about asking for a gift back. :shrug:

[Kali]

42. On asking for a gift back...NO! only if you were super close to the

person and they would grasp the situation, not MY Aunt, that is for sure, but maybe my sister....

I just suggested it as a way to possibly settle your mind. Truly it WAS the store owner's responsibility, and she needs to take it as a lesson to be learned - probably cheaper than many other possibilities that I can think of.

[MadHound]

17. Frankly I would keep them

If there was indeed a mistake, then it was their mistake, not yours. Keep your receipt, and if these people try to sue you, they will be laughed out of court.

I think what's really going on here is that your persistant questioning of the price prompted the clerk or somebody at the store to get out their price guide. After picking their jaw up off the floor they decided to make this last desperate attemt to get more money out of you. I've seen similar things happen before in the flea market/antique biz.

However I can guarantee you that you won't be winning anything in the drawing you entered.

[Shell Beau]

26. I know!! We actually joked about my name being ripped up!!

Oh well!! I guess I would do the same if I were them. But I wouldn't have called a customer either. I was shocked.

[MadHound]

49. Through the mid eighties and early ninties

I did a bit of antique/collectible dealing on the side. This generally involved going on buying trips through SW Missouri, where they didn't know the value of what they were selling, and then bringing the items up to resell in Columbia, St. Louis and other markets where they would fetch a higher price. More than one dealer in SW Missouri would refuse to sell to me again after I had bought a particularly pricey item for next to nothing. After I was out of the store, either somebody would clue them in, or they would look it up for themselves and discover their mistake. Next time I would swing by they would show me the door. Oh well, there was always another shop or auction a block away.

I never felt guilty about this because the cardinal rule of such establishments is to know the value of what you're selling. If you don't know the value, don't sell it until you do:shrug:
SW Missouri dealers finally came around and started upping their prices in the early ninties. A smart move perhaps, but lately I've noticed that when I go down to Springfield Mo, there are fewer and fewer flea markets and antique shops. Booneville St. once had wall to wall shops, now they're all vacant, as are all the shops on Commerical St. There are a few scattered throughout the rest of the city, but their prices are high, probably higher than actual market value, and they don't look like they're getting much business. I'd probably have to head down to Arkansas or Louisiana to get those type of rock bottome bargains again.

But now I just collect for myself, lighters, old computer gear, vinyl, and various other things. I'm not a manic collector, but I've always found it wise to have a stash of collectibles on hand. It has bailed me out on more than one occaission when I was short on cash, and if you keep your ear to the ground, such investing can be more profitable than the mainstream markets(though I invest in those also). Hell, I sold my entire comic book collection back in early '92, right before the bubble burst, and made a killing. It was big enough to put a hefty down payment on my first house, which then carried over to a hefty down payment on my current(and hopefully last house).

But yeah, dealers tend to get more than touchy when they feel like they've been burned. Pay no attention to it, and if you really want to stick it to them, go back in a year or two and burn them again, because anybody who has made that sort of mistake once is bound to make it again.

[bigwillq]

20. It's their loss

not yours. They were the ones to make a mistake.

[petronius]

27. Legally, I imagine you're in the right - I think your ethical position is

a bit hazier. To me, it boils down to whether you knew/suspected that you were taking advantage of a mistake, or whether you honestly believed that the owner had made a conscious and informed decision to sell the dolls for that price. If you knew the price was a mistake, or that you were benefiting from a clerk's ignorance, then I'd say you have an ethical obligation to pay the money...

Either way, the store owner need to learn to put prices on items, not on display shelves, since items frequently are moved by shoppers or shelved incorrectly...

[Shell Beau]

30. I get what you are saying. I thought that since they were so cheap

it was because there was no box with them. I wasn't trying to take advantage and if I hadn't given them away, I would have taken them back. It is a bit tricky!

[Deep13]

28. Store owner is out of luck. You even asked if the price was a mistake.

Maybe the cashier should have called the owner. Maybe the owner should have put the right price on the items. Either way, you acted in good faith.

[ohiosmith]

31. Odds are they didn't know the real value until after you made the

purchase and they checked because you twice questioned the selling price. The owner likely paid pennies for them at an estate or yard sale

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. In my judgment, you have no responsibility. You inquired far more times

about the price than should be required, and were repeatedly told that's the correct price.

If the store owner can't accept that, then the store owner should have made sure that the pricing stickers were correct first and/or that she trained her people properly.

It's not like you put the stickers on there.

And even if you hadn't inquired at all about the price, all the responsibility would still be on the store owner.

If the store owner calls again, threaten a suit for harassment.

[Fleshdancer]

34. You confirmed the price with the employee twice before purchasing

You already made the ethically responsible choice when you confirmed the listed price before purchasing. At this point, the issue is between the store owner and the employee and I'm shocked that you received the phone call in the first place.

[Shell Beau]

38. I know and that she had to dig through the prize drawing box

to get my name and number. I would personally be out of the money before I would call a customer and do what she did.

[Writer]

37. I think the store owner already crossed your boundary by simply...

calling you. That number was meant for a prize drawing only, NOT for personal contact. Furthermore, you do not owe her even a phone call. You made the purchase, it's their foolish error. Case closed, in my opinion. And you have one lucky aunt!

[Shell Beau]

40. That is what I told my aunt!! I said that they may be evil dolls now

though!! :P

[ceile]

43. Their fault. The cashier should make up the difference.

If the woman is that upset, it should come out of her employee's next paycheck. She had no business calling you.

[asthmaticeog]

46. Once the transaction is complete they legally belong to you.

When the employee quotes a price, that's a contract, even if the price is incorrect. The law assumes the employee is acting on behalf of the owner, so legally, there's no recourse to them.

However, since you *knew* the price was likely to be wildly wrong, you do have ethical culpability in screwing the owner of the store out of a fair price. If you feel badly, you should either suck it up and pay the difference or explain the situation to your aunt and see if she won't relinquish them.

[Shell Beau]

47. I did think the price was crazy. But I don't know a whole lot about

these dolls. Were they defective? Was it because they didn't have the box they came in? I thought I was probably getting some crappy dolls but at $5.95, who cares? I trusted that she was right.

[asthmaticeog]

60. I hear you.

What to do is really a matter of conscience for you at this point, I think.

[Shell Beau]

61. It is hard. If I still had the dolls, there is no question I

would take them back. But I can't ask for a gift back either. And I would never have bought them if I knew they were really that high. It is tricky!

[asthmaticeog]

65. Yeah, that's why it's called a dilemma.

From the Latin: "dil" = this, and "emma" = sucks donkey shit through a leper's dick.

[Shell Beau]

68. Eww!! But

:rofl: :spray:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

51. That's her tough luck.

The transaction was completed. PLUS, the price tag read $5.95. To sell them at another price would be false advertising.

It's nice to know what my old dolls are worth... :-)

[Shell Beau]

53. Do you have some Madame Alexander dolls?

My aunt has tons because those were the types of dolls she played with as a child. Anyway, she said the price was just for the stand that the dolls were on! The dolls weren't marked!! Keep your dolls in good shape. They are pricey! :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

56. My mom bought them for me when I was a kid...

I know she spent around $30 per doll, back in the 1960s.

I have a number of them from the International collection. Of course, the fact that I actually played with them probably lowers the value of my collection considerable, though I took good care of them. :-)

[Shell Beau]

57. I ruined every doll I ever had! I would get scissor happy

with their hair! All my dolls ended up bald! x( Oh well!

[RevCheesehead]

52. I had a similar situation at our local ShopKo.

They had the entire Star Trek movie collection (boxed) marked at 99.99. I took it up front, and it rang up on the computer as 199.99. Someone had put an incorrect label on the box. But when the manager came over, she said, "regardless of the real price, it's labeled at 99.99, and we have to sell it to her at this price."

I got an extremely good deal, and they sent someone back to pull the rest of the movies off the shelf to re-label them.

So, I think what you did is legal and legit. :)

[Shell Beau]

54. Wow! You did get a good deal! And lucky for you the

person honored that price!

Thanks!! ;)

[AirmensMom]

62. You sure did luck out!

I've had that happen ... well, sort of. The shelf would be marked with one price and then they ring it up for a higher price (I won't mention the store). When I catch them, they tell me the price on the shelf is wrong. That's when they lose the sale.

[RevCheesehead]

66. Wally World does that *all the time.*

Some of the stores have been caught ripping off consumers (I mean, more than usual). I always watch them. Actually, I avoid them as much as possible, and go to ShopKo. It's a great store. :)

[AirmensMom]

69. No ... REALLY?

:rofl: I wasn't mentioning names, you know. :rofl:

We don't have a ShopKo or I'd be tempted to try them. :D

[RevCheesehead]

70. It ain't a highly kept secret, ya know!

;)

I even catch the local mom 'n pop grocer at times. Fortunately, I have a pretty good memory about prices. So I challenge them, "those lemons were marked 3/$1. They rung up at .75 each." Now, they don't even question me, they just ring up the price I tell them. :D

[trof]

64. Same thing happened to me with a pair of shoes.

Sperry Docksiders at an outlet store.
Display pair had price card of $29.95.
Damn good price.
When I brought them to checkout they rang up at $39.95.
At that price I didn't really want them.
Showed the clerk the card price.
She called the manager and he said "Our mistake. You get them at $29.95."
Needless to say, I've been back to that store.
:-)

[RevCheesehead]

67. Exactly!

That's the way to build customer loyalty! :)

[trof]

55. Many business have errors and omissions insurance.

Or she may be able to write it off on her income taxes.
Miz t., a VERY honest and conscientious lady, agrees with you.
You confirmed the price at least twice.
That's enough.

[Shell Beau]

58. Thanks!! That makes me feel better!

:)

[Joe Fields]

59. That's just hard cheese for the shop owner!

You asked twice. Their mistake. End of story. And do NOT feel guilty about the situation.

[AirmensMom]

63. You did nothing wrong.

Really ... I mean, you TRIED to tell her and she brushed you off. Just keep the receipt.