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Getting the Hook Up or Stealing?

August 13, 2007 6:38 PM

few days ago, I was annoyed to find that, although I thought I had finally broken my cats of their habit of chewing through cables, they had chewed through my guitar cable, meaning that I couldn't play my electric guitars. So, the next day, I went down to the music store and bought a new cable. When I came home and plugged it in, everything seemed to be ok for a few minutes. Then, something strange happened: music was coming out of my amp, but I wasn't playing it. In fact, there was singing. And it was in Spanish.

After tinkering with the new cable for a little bit, I determined that the new cable was fucked up--there was some shielding issue and, under the right circumstances, it was picking up radio frequencies. So, today, I took that cable back to the store so that I could get it exchanged. I'm telling you this as background for a story in which I was either a stand up citizen or a completely uncool dork. I'll let you decide.

So, I went to the store, walked up to the clerk, and explained my situation. He was really nice and eager to help, but I also got the sense that he was high. At the very least, if he wasn't high then, he has been high for a large percentage of his life. What I'm trying to say is that he seemed spacey and vaguely incompetent. But, again, nice. Anyway, I told him about the radio thing and said I'd like to exchange my cable. He said that wouldn't be a problem, took my old cable, asked for the card I used to pay for it (I didn't have my receipt anymore, so I thought this was normal), had me sign something, and then said "Thanks."

There was this awkward pause where I stared at him and the old cable, now lying on the desk, and this credit card slip. I was thinking "Did I miss something? I said I wanted an exchange, right?" Anyway, he stared at me, too. Finally, he said "I credited that back to your card. Oh, wait, did you want to exchange that?" And I said "Yeah, please." So he walked me over to where the cables are, pulled one out, handed it to me, and said "Have a nice day." Now I'm thinking "Wait, if you credited the first cable back to my card, I haven't paid for this cable." And then I sort of wondered whether he knew what he was doing. Was he giving me the cable? Or was he just completely incompetent. After another few seconds, I finally said "So, should I pay for this, then?" Because, goddamnit, I felt bad taking advantage of this guy if he was just an idiot--I didn't want him to get in trouble or anything. And if he was just hooking me up, he certainly hadn't made any effort to communicate that fact to me.

When I offered to pay he said something like "Oh yeah, sure. That way my inventory won't be all screwed up." Like all he cared about were his inventory numbers, not the fact that he was giving me free merchandise.

So was he giving me the cable? Was I just not cool or hip or with it enough to understand that? Or would it have been stealing?

Why do I stress over this stuff so much?



7 Comments


Santi said:

You sir are a stand up citizen.

August 13, 2007 7:34 PM



kristin said:

I probably would have done the same thing. Not because I dislike things that are free, but because of the off-chance that he was not trying to give me something free and would suddenly erupt into some drug-induced rage when he realized I was leaving without paying. Not that a cracked-out Papa John's employee has ever done that to anyone I know.

August 13, 2007 8:48 PM



tRJ said:

I can pick up radio with one of my wah pedals. I always thought that would be a cool trick at a live show.

August 13, 2007 10:56 PM



TheExpat said:

Meh. Do you know how much those cables cost to make? It's not even stealing. And if they're so crappy that you can pick up radio signals on them, they should be paying you to use them.

And speaking of payment, that dude probably gets paid minimum wage to get bitched at all day by a bunch of weekend-warrior meth-head types much less honest or friendly than yourself. Your candor, despite however incoherent he seemed to be, probably influenced how he proceeded with you, and you should have just took it. If you were in his shoes, would you care about a $.12 cable?

August 14, 2007 5:41 AM



frank x. said:

SO the other day I was at Best Buy (not for CD's because that kills indie record stores) to buy Tetris for the DS and Wario Ware for the Wii. When I went to pay, I saw the kid scan Tetris, take the games out of the box and then I stopped paying attention so that I could focus on how incompetent he was and how I didn't like him for making me wait in line more than I had to. When I had to pay, I noticed he said it was $30 total. I then realized he hadn't charged me for the $50 Wii game. I kept my mouth shut, paid and walked out. The reason I don't feel bad is that, since the kid never got scanned the Wii game, his drawer won't be short at the end of the day. The game will assumed to have been shoplifted, and since Best Buy is a big box store, they have a part of the budget dedicated to that. No single person will be punished for this mistake (this is also how they comp their friends stuff). I decided to assume that fortune had rained down on me and randomly given me Wario Ware. Yes I know I basically stole the game, but I think that it balances out with the fact that I never steal music (not even burning CD's). Damn you Ismael for making me feel guilty! And give up your Wii code!

August 14, 2007 9:50 AM



Vice said:

The poor clerk probably had several highly important questions on his mind at that moment, such as "Just how high am I right now?" and "Has anyone ever been this high before?" And maybe even "Just take it, dude. You look dangerous."

August 14, 2007 12:40 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Mr. X.,
Jesus Christ, dude, what's happened to you? I remember when you used to be a stand-up individual. Now you tell me about you essentially shoplifting a game and, not only that, you fill your anecdote with excuses and rationalizations? For shame, dude, for shame.

Stealing isn't cool--it doesn't matter if it's Best Buy or some mom-and-pop store. It doesn't matter if the guy gets in trouble or if Best Buy is insured against such losses. Ultimately, you and consumers like you will pay for that insurance in the form of higher prices.

To say nothing, of course, about the toll this will take on yor immortal soul.

August 16, 2007 2:38 AM



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