View Full Version : Should we have to pay when our children damage something in a store?
Renee1979
10-12-2008, 14:41
Now to be clear, I am not talking about letting my kids go nuts in an expensive store and walking away when they break something because they were not being supervised.
I was just down at my local IGA where like many stores, they have packets of lollies kept at kid height under the registers. My daughter aged 2 was picking up packets of life savers while I was paying for my groceries, although she was not even attempting to open them, the woman serving me said to her "Don't you break them, I don't want your mummy to have to pay for them". I was very quick to point out to her that I would not feel obligated to pay for something aimed at children put at their eye level, at a place where I am going to have to take my eyes off my kids to pay for my groceries.
Has anyone ever been made to pay before?
biscotti
10-12-2008, 14:46
IGA's are usually independently owned and if I was the shop owner, then yes, I would expect parents to pay for breakages :yes:
And as a parent, I would offer to pay anyway :yes: it's just good manners.
We were in a clothing shop once and my DS was right next to me where there was some stupid decorated champagne glasses. He bumped into them and I had to pay. So ridiculous. They had these glasses in a clothes shop, the last place I would have expected and they were right next to the change room where the kids toys were kept both my sister and I didn't even notice they were there and I always scan a room to make sure their is no breakables. They didn't charge cost price either.:no::no:
MissBrightside
10-12-2008, 14:47
No I never had and i agree that you shouldn't have had to if your daughter did drop it. It's a pack of life savers for crying out loud.
The other week I was in Dusk (the shop that sells candles and lots of breaky things) and this woman knocked a couple of things off with her bag and smashed all over the floor. Straight away she said to the girl working there do I have to pay for that. The girl in the shop said no it's ok.
i always wondered whether they made people pay for broken things.
maisymum
10-12-2008, 14:49
Now to be clear, I am not talking about letting my kids go nuts in an expensive store and walking away when they break something because they were not being supervised.
I was just down at my local IGA where like many stores, they have packets of lollies kept at kid height under the registers. My daughter aged 2 was picking up packets of life savers while I was paying for my groceries, although she was not even attempting to open them, the woman serving me said to her "Don't you break them, I don't want your mummy to have to pay for them". I was very quick to point out to her that I would not feel obligated to pay for something aimed at children put at their eye level, at a place where I am going to have to take my eyes off my kids to pay for my groceries.
Has anyone ever been made to pay before?
My parents use to own a gift shop with many fragile things on the shelves, there was a sign at the front door saying
"Nice to touch, lovely to hold, but if it's broken, consider it sold!"
If it was an accident that was fine but many parents did let there kids run around the shop unsupervised......But in answering your question, my son once opened a chocolate at the front counter like you said and before the lady could say anything i did the same thing, i pointed out they shouldn't bee at the kiddies eye level!
Yes, if my son were to break something I would pay for it.
WarriorMummy
10-12-2008, 14:53
most shops send back broken items- some send them back saying they were broken in transit
my ds1 opened and ate a chocolate and the local lolly shop- i paid for it, i just put the empty wrapper on the counter with the rest of the stuff i was buying
at a shopping centre such as woolies or iga- if he opened a choc then yeah we'd put up the wrapper but if it was a pack of lifesavers that 'broke' - nu uh i wouldnt pay
Hollywood
10-12-2008, 14:59
I would always pay for something if DS broke it, and I consider it my responsibility to watch him carefully, regardless of whether they were at kids level or not.
shelle65
10-12-2008, 15:01
Yes you should have to pay for items your kids break.
I don't think it's the shop owner's responsibility to make sure everything is out of kids' reach. They would lose a large amount of display/storage space if that were the case.
That said, I don't see how a 2 year old could break a pack of lifesavers, sounds like the cashier was just being a bossy b*tch.
kirstenriley
10-12-2008, 15:02
I would always pay for something if DS broke it, and I consider it my responsibility to watch him carefully, regardless of whether they were at kids level or not.
:iagree:
FiveInTheBed
10-12-2008, 15:02
thats why I go through the lolly free check out at woolies...
I think they should put stuff at check out "UP" at big people height!!
Its hard enough going shopping with kids, getting all the food on the conveyer belt and wrestling with them at the same time.
I am forever saying "just look with your eyes...not with your hands!!"
I most probably would offer to pay for something they were playing with and broke, but if it was an accident or in their way...I would explain I am Strapped for cash and they really should've had it up higher:p
When I worked in retail we had a rule for displays..The gap between them should be wide enough for a mother with a pram!!
There are soooo many shops I don't even go into cause I'm scared of breaking something from simply walking in the door!
Maybelline
10-12-2008, 15:04
I worked in a lingerie shop...the amount of parents that would come in and let there kids go crazy was insane!!!!..we sold $400 bras etc..and theese kids put there dirty fingers all over them..some parents even had the nerve to ask me to watch there kid..NO WAY!!!! It really did bug me the way some parents would allow this to happen...
Ej has pulled down a bottle of some wine which smashed everywhere while walking up an aisle in a supermarket bottle shop - I really expected the lady to make me pay but she didnt which was lucky as I really didnt too much extra money at the time
WarriorMummy
10-12-2008, 15:17
$400 bra??? who the hell would take their kid to a store where $400 bras are sold??
who would spend $400 on a bra???
TinyStar
10-12-2008, 15:17
I generally try to avoid knick knack shops or anywhere that my children could do a lot of damage, because I would feel obligated to pay.
But supermarkets who are trying to profit from mums by putting stuff down where kids can touch it, open it, take it, lick it :eek: make me really cranky. I try to teach my kids not to touch unless they are told they can, so what sort of message is it if I then buy whatever it is they have touched and let them have it?
If the goods have been "sampled" I consider it fair enough that I pay, but if they break a chocolate in the split second it has taken me to notice then it can go on the supermarkets profit shrinkage.
I also think if the supermarkets lose too much stock by putting those choc displays at kid height then they will eventually get rid of them. :devil: So if we all put the broken chocs back, then hopefully sooner rather than later the displays will go.
WorkingClassMum
10-12-2008, 15:20
If it's lollies at the cash register - bait level - then no - I won't pay.
If it's a gift shop - then I'd offer to pay.
many years ago (hmm I was only early 20ish) I watched a mother let her kids eat Twisties and a Turkish Delight and throw the wrappers on the floor, and then drink from a bottle of cordial.
So I collected the rubbish and the bottle and waited for her to go through the check out and I placed the wrappers and the bottle on the counter and siad "Here's the stuff your kids ate and drank". She paid and glared daggers at me. Pfft WTF.
I think it really depends on the situation but i would more than likely pay for something if my DD broke it.
DD picked up and dropped a bottle of milk at woolies a while ago and it went everywhere...the checkout girl was so lovely to us and got the cleaner to mop it up and saying oh don't worry about it at all and sent someone to go get me another bottle. I offered to pay for the one we had broken but she wouldn't hear of it.
As i said depends on the circumstances.
Oh and i wish all shops had some kind of rule as to how far apart their aisles or racks etc had to be as there are some shops that i wouldn't dare to take DD into cause we would get stuck in the aisles and she would be able to touch everything without having to even reach!
SassyMummy
10-12-2008, 15:25
I think it depends.
I mean, in your case, if your child was playing with them and damaged them, then yeah. Just because they're kid-level doesn't mean you're void of responsibility. You knew she was touching them. You could have stopped that.
Sometimes you go into a shop and they have an unsturdy display... if you so much as brush against it lightly, it falls over.
In that instance, I think the staff of the shop are at fault for putting up something ridiculous that can be so easily damaged by even the most careful of people.
If you deliberately handle stuff, or your children do (if you don't know about it, then you're just not watching them closely enough IMO), and damage it as a result... then yeah, you should expect to pay.
Seacretsquirrel
10-12-2008, 15:31
My DD is almost 2 and I havn't had this problem yet :D However i agree if it is a choc or something that might get broken but not opened I would leave it but if she opened it I'd buy it (not sure if she'd get it though as that might lead to "accidental opening of all sorts of things).
As for shops with breakables I avoid them like the plague I can't go into the "House" shop here cause I literally cannot get through the door with my P&T pram too bad if I actually wanted to buy something - guess they miss out on my business...
If DD did break something in one of these shop I'd pay but hope like hell she didn't break anything expensive (hmm note to self stick to unbreakable shops)
Oh and parents who let their kids eat chips etc and don't pay for them irks me too (I take snacks for DD or will pay if she needs soemthing) Although she did sit in the trolley and eat half a carrot once - so I guess I got away with not paying for a half a carrot:shame:
prideNJoy
10-12-2008, 15:34
And as a parent, I would offer to pay anyway :yes: it's just good manners.
I consider it my responsibility to watch him carefully, regardless of whether they were at kids level or not.
I don't think it's the shop owner's responsibility to make sure everything is out of kids' reach. They would lose a large amount of display/storage space if that were the case.
:iagree:
Cordelia
10-12-2008, 15:37
mmm..... why shoudl someone else cover the costs for your child ruining something? I think it's a bit like stealing....
mum_I'm_hungry
10-12-2008, 15:43
I would always pay for something if DS broke it, and I consider it my responsibility to watch him carefully, regardless of whether they were at kids level or not.
:iagree:
MountainGirl
10-12-2008, 15:52
After you apologise to the storekeeper, you should offer to pay.
Renee1979
10-12-2008, 15:54
[quote=SassyMummy;3327306]
I mean, in your case, if your child was playing with them and damaged them, then yeah. Just because they're kid-level doesn't mean you're void of responsibility. You knew she was touching them. You could have stopped that.
???
When did I say that I let my child continue to touch them??? My eyes were off her for two seconds while I entered my pin number and then she was told to put them back, which she did, unharmed.
Thanks for the opinions people, I was just wondering what the proper social edequite is as I am fortunate enough to not have had my children "break" anything yet. I guess from now on I will be doing my shopping at Coles where my children have moved away from the tempting checkout items when I have to pay attention to collecting change or entering pin numbers : )
Harlequin
10-12-2008, 16:00
Yes you should have to pay for items your kids break.
I don't think it's the shop owner's responsibility to make sure everything is out of kids' reach. They would lose a large amount of display/storage space if that were the case.
That said, I don't see how a 2 year old could break a pack of lifesavers, sounds like the cashier was just being a bossy b*tch.
:iagree:
Honestly, the only time a person shouldn't pay is if a display isn't sturdy and falls, as Sassy said.
If I broke something by accident in a store I would expect to have to pay for it, same goes for my daughter.
SorenLorensen
10-12-2008, 16:03
in no way would i feel obligated to pay.
your DD is 2, they want to put things at a level that a 2 year old can reach then they are taking the risk of letting children touch it.....they want children to notice them....they want children to want them.....they WANT parents to buy them....so they put it at that level so if they choose to take that approach then they have to accept the cons....they cant just have the pro's.
quite simply if they want to put things at my child's reach to entice them into asking for it then they can suck it up and live with the fact that they may touch them.
:wave:
When I was in retail, we worked on (what I thought was law) that if anyone broke something, they could be charged wholesale price for the item, not the retail price...dunno if that is true though...it's what we did.
I believe MY child MY responsibilty, if I do not watch her and she breaks something, I will pay for it.
Just me though.
If DS broke something I would offer to pay for it.
I am responsible for restraining him when we are out!
crazyaboutbubs
10-12-2008, 16:13
I don't think it's the shop owner's responsibility to make sure everything is out of kids' reach. They would lose a large amount of display/storage space if that were the case.
Sometimes you go into a shop and they have an unsturdy display... if you so much as brush against it lightly, it falls over.
In that instance, I think the staff of the shop are at fault for putting up something ridiculous that can be so easily damaged by even the most careful of people.
If you deliberately handle stuff, or your children do (if you don't know about it, then you're just not watching them closely enough IMO), and damage it as a result... then yeah, you should expect to pay.
:iagree:Why should it be someone elses responsibility if you or your children break something?
mummeeto2
10-12-2008, 16:16
in no way would i feel obligated to pay.
your DD is 2, they want to put things at a level that a 2 year old can reach then they are taking the risk of letting children touch it.....they want children to notice them....they want children to want them.....they WANT parents to buy them....so they put it at that level so if they choose to take that approach then they have to accept the cons....they cant just have the pro's.
quite simply if they want to put things at my child's reach to entice them into asking for it then they can suck it up and live with the fact that they may touch them.
:wave:
That's the reason I hate Target. You have no choice at the checkout but to line up in their small checkout aisles with all the lollies in VERY easy reach of kids in prams/trolleys. :thumbsdown: Doesn't matter how many times I've asked my kids not to touch & smacked (lightly) their fingers they still do :hair:
Now, I wait at the end of the display part til I can go straight to the counter, I'm still in the line, but there's a big gap between us & the ones in front (hope that makes sense). Most people are good about it when I explain that I don't want the kids right beside the lollies while we wait to be served.
sockstealingpoltergeist
10-12-2008, 16:17
I'm pretty sure that the law is that if something is "accidently" broken in a shop that you do not have to pay, say if you accidently bump into something or your child does, or drops something.
I dont think this would include opening things though.
However I am sick of child unfriendly shops. Parents are big consumers, shops should be set up to cater for everyone, if you can't get through properly with a trolly or pram I'm sure that those in wheel chairs have a really tough time. This is when lot of stuff gets damaged IMO, because you can't get through easily.
In the case of freya, I would have refused to pay for the glasses unless it was a glass wear shop and my child deliberately pushed the display over.
Harlequin
10-12-2008, 16:23
in no way would i feel obligated to pay.
your DD is 2, they want to put things at a level that a 2 year old can reach then they are taking the risk of letting children touch it.....they want children to notice them....they want children to want them.....they WANT parents to buy them....so they put it at that level so if they choose to take that approach then they have to accept the cons....they cant just have the pro's.
quite simply if they want to put things at my child's reach to entice them into asking for it then they can suck it up and live with the fact that they may touch them.
:wave:
I'm pretty sure every single store has items at 2yo level, and not just lollies. Otherwise they'd just be wasting floor space.
If you put everything at waist height because parents can't be buggered watching their kids I don't think 'little people' would be too happy about it. (by little people I mean people with dwarfism)
delirium
10-12-2008, 16:27
I would pay if one of my kids broke something. I do agree though that many places aren't child friendly. When DS was a little baby, I had him in a 3 wheeler, which aren't that big in comparison to the Emmaljunga ones. I don't know how many times in a store I couldn't get thru the aisle or I knocked a box. The worst was when I got death stares by staff. Loike hellloo, make the bleeping aisle WIDER!! :banghead::hair:
Sheer Bliss
10-12-2008, 16:28
In that situation, I think the checkout operator was just being rude. I dont' think they should have to make sure EVERYTHING is out of a childs reach, BUT having lollies there is targeting children, and hoping for tantrums and parents that will give in. If something gets damaged there, it's bad Karma IMO.
I'd usually offer to pay if one of the kids damaged something, but it would depend. The local Big W have dodgy checkout aisles, and i am forced to use the pram/wheelchair aisle only as the pram won't fit in any other. I DO watch the kids, but if they have delicate easter eggs in that aisle at pram height, and as i tell the 3yo not to touch and the 1yo grabs something and drops it - meh, again they are asking for kids to see them, so I won't offer to pay. If they broke a toy while we were in the toy aisle, or a plate in the plate aisle, then i'd offer to pay.
I also avoid gift shops when i have the kids. With 2 kids in a phil and ted pram, i don't have enough eyes to shop AND watch the kids as much as they need to be.
ETA: I'll also admit i knocked a heap of pencils an notepads off a shelf in a newsagents once too, and i offered to do nothing about it. I knocked them with the pram as i was having to back the pram back down one aisle, around the corner and back down the other aisle to get out of the shop! The had crammed so much into the last aisle that they had completely blocked the exit (that is always there). they had no signs saying the shop had been changed, and i had been in there many times before, and had no probs. It was frustrating that they had done that, and maybe it wasn't polite not to do anything (any other time i would have) but too bad.
If my DS breaks something because I haven't been supervising him properly, or he's managed to grab something out of the way, then I will insist in paying. It's what you do.
But Supermarkets HIRE and PAY companies to advise them on where and how to place goods to get maximum sales.
They deliberately stack and display lollies and toys at check outs, at child height, to get your children to pester you into buying them.
In those circumstances I won't pay for it - they've put those items there with the express aim of getting your children to grab them and go "mum, mum, mum, mum, mum....." at you until you buy it.
If it breaks in those circumstances, then shame on them for manipulating you and your children. They can cop the cost then.
NibbleCurlynBub
10-12-2008, 16:34
Yes, we should.
Just as I would expect to pay for something I damaged.
Its not the poor shop owners fault.
SorenLorensen
10-12-2008, 16:44
I'm pretty sure every single store has items at 2yo level, and not just lollies. Otherwise they'd just be wasting floor space.
If you put everything at waist height because parents can't be buggered watching their kids I don't think 'little people' would be too happy about it. (by little people I mean people with dwarfism)
"can't be buggered watching their kids"
sorry but i don't have eyes in the back of my head. i am not perfect and don't pretend to be. if i walk my child down an isle that has things she wants to touch then i make sure i have my eyes on her at all times and hold her hand (lolly isle, toys and biscuits) or i simply do not go down the isle.
while at a check out (this is where i am not a perfect mum) i have to watch DD, pay,and unpack and pack my groceries into the trolley all with in a space that is wide enough to fit a trolley and that's it.....yes sometimes i have to take my eyes off DD to do some of these things.
its not that i cant be "buggered" watching her its just that i have only 2 sets of eyes and 2 sets of hands.
and i guess i see a difference to stacked shelves along an isle being at all heights and a check out with lollies, children's books and children's magazines all at their eye level and you don't
UmmInayah
10-12-2008, 17:01
I used to work in a tobacconist. It was heaps cluttered with lots of stuff everywhere (easy for children to bump into things and break them.)
I don't remember any children actually breaking anything, but a lot of the time children would come in unsupervised and it was a pain in the butt to have to tell them to be careful.
Anyway, I would pay for whatever my DD broke. It is hard to have to watch them all the time, but I don't think it is fair for a company/shop to miss out on money all because some child broke it. It would be great not to have to pay full price, and just cost, but meh..
Ana Gram
10-12-2008, 17:17
Yes, you should pay.
When DD was younger she was in the trolley so there was no touching. When she was too big for the trolley, I would put her between the trolley and me in the aisle, so again, no touching.
mum2bubba
10-12-2008, 17:20
I don't think I'd pay if I was in a shop where the aisles weren't wide enough or if things were at eye-level and the kids could reach them. If they don't want things broken they should re-arrange their store maybe.
I actually went into a store a few weeks ago (one of those cheap $2 stores) and the aisles were the about the width of a pencil, I had to leave the pram outside the aisle to get something. Hayley was getting a bit upset because I wouldn't take her down the aisle (the pram wouldn't fit because the aisle was too narrow and had boxes and things all over the floor) I said (loud enough so the owners could hear) "well, I can't take the pram down here because I can't fit, maybe they should clear all the boxes and things off the floor and make the aisles a bit more wider" :rolleyes:
rynosmum
10-12-2008, 17:31
Yes, we should.
Just as I would expect to pay for something I damaged.
Its not the poor shop owners fault.
:iagree:
mum2bubba
10-12-2008, 17:36
ETA: I'll also admit i knocked a heap of pencils an notepads off a shelf in a newsagents once too, and i offered to do nothing about it. I knocked them with the pram as i was having to back the pram back down one aisle, around the corner and back down the other aisle to get out of the shop! The had crammed so much into the last aisle that they had completely blocked the exit (that is always there). they had no signs saying the shop had been changed, and i had been in there many times before, and had no probs. It was frustrating that they had done that, and maybe it wasn't polite not to do anything (any other time i would have) but too bad.
Our stup!d post office is like this. When you go in and have a pram or trolley (or even a wheelchair) its really hard to get out because they have heaps of displays and things and there is always a long queu (sp). Once I went and payed some bills and I went to go out, this lady was in the way (it was the only way I could get through with the pram) I said (politely) "excuse please" (twice) and she rolled her eyes and tutted. And I said "well sorry, I can't get through" I know its not her fault its the staff at the post office that don't make it easy for people to get out.
Chickadee
10-12-2008, 17:38
Not having read the whole thread, I'd probably offer to pay if DD broke something.
On the flip side, I handed DD two packs of strawberries and the gold coins to pay for them, to hand to the cashier. DD dropped one box of strawberries on the floor where they spilled out, and she was visibly upset over it. The cashier instantly reassured her and told DD to get another box while she gathered up the spilt ones, and then only charged us for the two we walked out of the store with. That was above and beyond I think, and I was very impressed!
Thankfully, I haven't been in that situation yet, but most certainly I would apologise and offer to pay if my two year old broke something.
However, my 40 year old :p DH was in a Chemist recently and swung around and broke a glass Angel ornament, being absolutely mortified, he apologised profusely and brought his wallet out to pay for it. The Chemist woman said, 'no need, we are insured for all breakages and we'll just glue it back together anyway', what the........ glue it back together. So anyway, they wouldn't take payment for it, even though my DH was more than happy to pay.
sam's mum
10-12-2008, 18:02
If my DS breaks something because I haven't been supervising him properly, or he's managed to grab something out of the way, then I will insist in paying. It's what you do.
But Supermarkets HIRE and PAY companies to advise them on where and how to place goods to get maximum sales.
They deliberately stack and display lollies and toys at check outs, at child height, to get your children to pester you into buying them.
In those circumstances I won't pay for it - they've put those items there with the express aim of getting your children to grab them and go "mum, mum, mum, mum, mum....." at you until you buy it.
If it breaks in those circumstances, then shame on them for manipulating you and your children. They can cop the cost then.
:iagree:
poor shopkeeper :eek: :barf:
as if it is an accident that the lollies are put right where the kids can get at them. :rolleyes:
I would always pay for something my kids broke. Thankfully it's never happened, but I do tend to keep a strict eye on my kids at the shops, and always make sure I leave the trolley or pram out of touching distance of everything if I need to take my eyes off my kids.
I don't think I'd pay if I was in a shop where the aisles weren't wide enough or if things were at eye-level and the kids could reach them. If they don't want things broken they should re-arrange their store maybe.
I don't really get this way of thinking. It's still your choice to go into that store. If the aisles aren't wide enough for my pram, I don't go in - and I let them know that I'll be going elsewhere because of it. And I think that stores have the right to assume that parents will control their kids and keep them from touching things at their height. After all, if parents can't control their kids, they shouldn't take them shopping.
To the OP, that woman sounds like a cow - surely it'd take a lot to break a pack of life savers. She should have left the parenting to you and given you a chance to get your DD to put them back, instead of acting like your DD was holding something more valuable and breakable.
I try to teach my kids not to touch unless they are told they can, so what sort of message is it if I then buy whatever it is they have touched and let them have it?
Why would you let them have it? :confused: I would buy it, then throw it away (or give it away).
NibbleCurlynBub
10-12-2008, 18:31
as if it is an accident that the lollies are put right where the kids can get at them. :rolleyes:
Lollies aren't very breakable.
After you apologise to the storekeeper, you should offer to pay.
:iagree::yes: It's just polite and common courtesy... your child, your responsibility!
jimmysmummy
10-12-2008, 18:54
Yes.
People should take responsibility for their and their kids' actions.
If I was at a friend's house and my child broke an ornament, even if it was at a child's eye level, I would offer to pay for it. It's common courtesy.
If you are going to put lollies purposely so that my child sees them and you choose to do that at the one part of the store where I WILL be distracted trying to give you money for the items I chose to purchase then I think that it would be ridiculous to expect me to then pay for it.
Anywhere else I would pay for it...no question.
For me, I'll take responisbilty for my child and the store can take responsibility for silly decisions that they make too.
Renee1979
10-12-2008, 19:48
If you are going to put lollies purposely so that my child sees them and you choose to do that at the one part of the store where I WILL be distracted trying to give you money for the items I chose to purchase then I think that it would be ridiculous to expect me to then pay for it.
Anywhere else I would pay for it...no question.
For me, I'll take responisbilty for my child and the store can take responsibility for silly decisions that they make too.
THis was pretty much my line of thinking too. They put the stuff there so that our kids will want to buy it and throw tantrums until we give in. I just don't want to contribute to that. I supervise my kids well (hence the lifesavers were not opened) but do need to look away to complete my transaction. I figure that the profit they are making by mothers giving into tantrums must be covering opened/damaged products or they would have moved the displays by now.
Lollies aren't very breakable.
No I disagree - things like life savers and boiled lollies are breakable and their packets can be ripped open making them unsaleable.
And, after all, lollies in the check out aisle is what the OP asked about when she started this thread.
NibbleCurlynBub
10-12-2008, 20:01
The checkout lollies are usually chocolate bars and gum now.. Probably why.
I would still expect to pay for it though, yes.
Most Woolies have the choccie bars up higher now and magazine stands on the floor now though.
SorenLorensen
10-12-2008, 20:14
The checkout lollies are usually chocolate bars and gum now.. Probably why.
ummmm...:confused: chocolate can break and both can be opened
i think that if a parent is in a shop n not watchin their kid then yea they should have to if it was failure on their part to be responsible parent, but in ure circumstance na i dont think u should have, my DD does that all the time, we go to the local IGA and all the lollies are lined on my knee height along one length of the shop and the front of the shop, so if u want to go anywhere in the shop u have to go past ALL f the lollies and ice creams, i dont see why they cant put them slightly higher, i refuse to apy for anything that my DD gets hold of if the shop has them that low that i'd have to bend right over to the ground to get to, its unfair on toddlers to have them in a shop n be teased by the shops.
Now to be clear, I am not talking about letting my kids go nuts in an expensive store and walking away when they break something because they were not being supervised.
I was just down at my local IGA where like many stores, they have packets of lollies kept at kid height under the registers. My daughter aged 2 was picking up packets of life savers while I was paying for my groceries, although she was not even attempting to open them, the woman serving me said to her "Don't you break them, I don't want your mummy to have to pay for them". I was very quick to point out to her that I would not feel obligated to pay for something aimed at children put at their eye level, at a place where I am going to have to take my eyes off my kids to pay for my groceries.
Has anyone ever been made to pay before?
Yeah I think it's polite and its standard practice really.
tyler's mum
10-12-2008, 20:26
Yes i think we should tyler broke a mug in shop once i was not happy cause i didnt have much money that day. Lucky it was only $4.90 i paid for it because i felt it was the right thing to do.
THis was pretty much my line of thinking too. They put the stuff there so that our kids will want to buy it and throw tantrums until we give in. I just don't want to contribute to that. I supervise my kids well (hence the lifesavers were not opened) but do need to look away to complete my transaction. I figure that the profit they are making by mothers giving into tantrums must be covering opened/damaged products or they would have moved the displays by now.
You know I think if it 'touch wood' should ever happen to me I would ask if they want me to pay for the lolly (that they could only make closer to my child by handing it straight to him/her :rolleyes:) gave my child or if they want me to buy the $200 dollars worth of grocery that I am TRYING to buy. :D
ummmm...:confused: chocolate can break and both can be opened
I think I'll do some research on that and let you know how it all turns out. :D (probably a few kilos heavier..)
melbryan
10-12-2008, 21:07
I think you really have to put yourself in their place. If you onwed the shop and found things broken and that was your profit then that would be unfair. In saying that my kids ripped open a wiggles bandaid packen I paid because I wouldn't expect them to sell a ripped packet.
I don't take my kids into expensive shops or shops that my pram can't fit down the aisle. I don't cope well with being stressed out shopping. I have to watch 3 kids all at the same time so it works out easier to wait till DH comes home and go late shopping. It's quicker and there is less hassles.
pixiemum2
10-12-2008, 21:52
I would pay for something my son broke. I also consider it good manners. I have to watch my kid like a hawk all the time in shops as he has octopus arms that want to grab everything. Even when paying I still watch him.
Its common courtesy. If your kids break it or eat it - you offer to pay. It was not good manners for the cashier to point that out over a packet of lifesavers that hadn't even been damaged, but someone else having poor manners doesn't exempt you from doing the right thing.
It might be that the store has had a problem with children 'sampling' the merchandise without any discipline from the parents and so they're getting assertive.
oh this is a no brainer!
Of course you should pay for something your child damages.. :rolleyes:
HappyLittleChappy
10-12-2008, 23:07
oh this is a no brainer!
Of course you should pay for something your child damages.. :rolleyes:
Yep agreed.
It doesn't matter where the shops put their lollies. If they're down low then they're at 2yr old height, if they're put up high they are at trolley childs height. What do you want them to do!?
FiveInTheBed
10-12-2008, 23:09
hmmm...just curious after reading all the replies in here...
how many people pay for an apple or pear for example that they may accidently knock and have fall on the ground whilst picking out their fruit &veg!?
Do you pick it up and put it in the bag with the rest or kick it out of the way?
(hmmmm maybe I should start another thread?)
Its kinda similar though isn't it?
hmmm...just curious after reading all the replies in here...
how many people pay for an apple or pear for example that they may accidently knock and have fall on the ground whilst picking out their fruit &veg!?
Do you pick it up and put it in the bag with the rest or kick it out of the way?
(hmmmm maybe I should start another thread?)
Its kinda similar though isn't it?
I leave it on the floor. it was an accident. kids are not having an accident but a deliberate act of investigation that goes bad LOL..
its good to teach your child responsibility too.
but i dont think i have dropped fruit more than 5 times in my whole life at shops.. but no i dont pick them up off the floor i leave it there. I would never put it back on the shelf - yuk
Whispers
10-12-2008, 23:30
If a child eats something in a shop then yes the parents should pay however if they accidently break something Im pretty sure you arnt legaly obliged to pay for it. Acciendents happen and most stores have insurance to cover for this
FiveInTheBed
10-12-2008, 23:31
I leave it on the floor. it was an accident. kids are not having an accident but a deliberate act of investigation that goes bad LOL..
I think it depends on age.
And the circumstance.
Fair enough if they deliberately pick up a packet and open it...but if they, say a 2year old, (when mum has got her attention diverted for two seconds) go "ooohhh..shiny red - whats that?" and touch, and accidently knock the display and it rips or squashes - I see that as similar to the fruit thing.
jmho
...and one of the reasons I go grocery shopping on my own (when I can) and leave my three (3.5yo and two almost 2yo's) at home with dad!!:p
SomewhereOverTheRainbow
11-12-2008, 00:06
$400 bra??? who the hell would take their kid to a store where $400 bras are sold??
who would spend $400 on a bra???
:laughing: just what I was thinking!!
If it's lollies at the cash register - bait level - then no - I won't pay.
If it's a gift shop - then I'd offer to pay.
many years ago (hmm I was only early 20ish) I watched a mother let her kids eat Twisties and a Turkish Delight and throw the wrappers on the floor, and then drink from a bottle of cordial.
So I collected the rubbish and the bottle and waited for her to go through the check out and I placed the wrappers and the bottle on the counter and siad "Here's the stuff your kids ate and drank". She paid and glared daggers at me. Pfft WTF.
:yelclap:Well done!! I used to work at woolies and the amount of stuff you would find opened in the aisles was terrible. Would constantly see parents letting their kids eat lollies and then putting the wrappers on the shelf again. Sidenote, but we also found dirty nappies hidden amongst baby clothes a few times. Who the hell changes their childs nappy and leaves it in the middle of the shop?? :banghead:
Anyway, I agree with most of the above. Although in supermarkets if something is broken by accident they usually replace it and you don't have to pay...say a packet of flour is knocked off the shelf etc. It is probably more smaller businesses that I would feel more obligated to pay in. I would still OFFER to pay in a supermarket but know from experience that all the broken stuff gets written off anyway and replaced and there is always lots and lots of breakages in transit, packing etc.
SweetSerenity
11-12-2008, 08:07
My view on it, even lifesavers, I would still pay.
Yes they have them on the childrens level etc, but I still see it as my responsibility as a parent to stop my child from touching/breaking things he shouldn't.
I would be more happy to pay for a packet of lifesavers my DS broke then a breakable object that's much more pricey $$$$$ :p In either situation I would pay as I see it as if my child didn't break it then it would still be a sellable item...
Just the way I am.
RoarsomeMum
11-12-2008, 08:35
EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!
Very timley thread.. I just back from safeway.. had Roar in the Trolley seat (sit up with legs out type) and I had teh trolley pushed forward so I could unpack and she was away from displays.. somehow she managed to pull down the EFTPOS payment point.. it fell to the ground and shattered. NOW they want me to Pay $495 for replacement.. :o:crying::eek: I hope we can compromise..
I'd pay for lifesavers! (but not sure I can afford this.. Damn, Damn, DAMN!!!)
delirium
11-12-2008, 08:59
EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!
Very timley thread.. I just back from safeway.. had Roar in the Trolley seat (sit up with legs out type) and I had teh trolley pushed forward so I could unpack and she was away from displays.. somehow she managed to pull down the EFTPOS payment point.. it fell to the ground and shattered. NOW they want me to Pay $495 for replacement.. :o:crying::eek: I hope we can compromise..
I'd pay for lifesavers! (but not sure I can afford this.. Damn, Damn, DAMN!!!)
oh you poor thing :hugs: That's a lot of money at this time of year.
Someone brought up an interesting point about insurance. I wonder how many businesses accept money for breakages (which is totally understandable)... then claim on insurance??
My view on it, even lifesavers, I would still pay.
Yes they have them on the childrens level etc, but I still see it as my responsibility as a parent to stop my child from touching/breaking things he shouldn't.
I would be more happy to pay for a packet of lifesavers my DS broke then a breakable object that's much more pricey $$$$$ :p In either situation I would pay as I see it as if my child didn't break it then it would still be a sellable item...
Just the way I am.
:iagree: Our kids are our responsibilty no matter what the situation :) If every child broke a packet of lifesavers, it would cost the shop owners alot of money :yes:
EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!
Very timley thread.. I just back from safeway.. had Roar in the Trolley seat (sit up with legs out type) and I had teh trolley pushed forward so I could unpack and she was away from displays.. somehow she managed to pull down the EFTPOS payment point.. it fell to the ground and shattered. NOW they want me to Pay $495 for replacement.. :o:crying::eek: I hope we can compromise..
I'd pay for lifesavers! (but not sure I can afford this.. Damn, Damn, DAMN!!!)
Oh no!! Would they have some kind of insurance for this?
hmmm...just curious after reading all the replies in here...
how many people pay for an apple or pear for example that they may accidently knock and have fall on the ground whilst picking out their fruit &veg!?
Do you pick it up and put it in the bag with the rest or kick it out of the way?
(hmmmm maybe I should start another thread?)
Its kinda similar though isn't it?
Hehe, actually, I do exactly that, I will pay for it along with the rest of the fruit/veg :)
delirium
11-12-2008, 09:23
Completely OT, but I had to comment on your avatar frenchstar. Is it photoshopped, cos he is one of the cutiest babies I have ever seen :cloud9:(except for my son of course :laughing:;))
RoarsomeMum
11-12-2008, 09:26
I never even THOUGHT of insurance!!! thanks guys I will def look into why they not claim throu there and change me the excess fee if there is one.. :hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs: THANK YOU!!!!!
Completely OT, but I had to comment on your avatar frenchstar. Is it photoshopped, cos he is one of the cutiest babies I have ever seen :cloud9:(except for my son of course :laughing:;))
Aw hehe, thanks...he is pretty cute, he was only 4 or 5 days old there. Dh does photography so he may have played around with the colours or something, I'm not sure....but he really is that cute, definately not airbrushed!! LOL :goodvibes:
EcstaticEmE, good luck with it :fingerscrossed:
FiveInTheBed
11-12-2008, 09:45
Hehe, actually, I do exactly that, I will pay for it along with the rest of the fruit/veg :)
really?!
Even if it is all schmooshed and not edible?
Well good on you for being so honest!!
...I don't ...I chuck it in the bin they have their for the lettuce leaves etc...or gently kick it out of the way so nobody slips on it:o...:D
Shops have breakage insurance. So if they ask you to pay for something that gets accidentally broken, they still claim it on insurance as well, so they get paid for it twice.
We don't pay.
DH's mum and dad owned a shop, so DH has always said about insurance.
If it's something small that the kids can still have, like a chocolate or something I'll buy it anyway...
But not if they accidentally knock over some glasses or something...
More stuff gets broken in transport and stacking than gets broken by customers.
Lol....yeah, welll it's only happened a couple of times, and I think it's actually been me who's has dropped the said piece of fruit....not that I have ever dropped an apple hard enough to *smoosh* it hehe. If it were too smooshed to pick up then I wouuld probably ask them to clean it up and apologise so that noone slips or whatever....I do suppose it would depend on the degree of smooshiness :p
FiveInTheBed
11-12-2008, 10:02
aaahhh...so you are yet to drop a quarter of a water melon Katie!!:p
schmoooossshhhhyyy!!!
I'd say an 8 out of 10 on the schmooshieness scale:laughing:
(off to deliberately schmoosh up a banana for the kids in a smoothie now...)
Lol, no watemelons yet.....
Hmm, smoothie sounds good....extra smooshie:yes:
In the situation you describe, no you should not have to pay if your son damaged the product. The reason for this is that the supermarket should bear some responsibility and , since it is well known that children, babies and toddlers will frequent the store, not to put items that are very eye catching to them in places whereby the guardian will be preoccupied and at easy reach to the child. I don't believe that in expressing this I'm expressing a need for them to keep all things out of a child's reach. But in my mind they cannot pretend that they do not contribute to the problem by putting lollies at registers; since you need to wait giving time tempation to the child, they are close to child reach thus giving easy touch tempation to the child. You are focused on making sure the right prices go through and then getting money out or card; thus giving the child access without you looking tempation.
I don't think these supermarkets are niave in why they put the lollies where they do and they do so for the Nag power. As such need to bear responsibility if a child grabs one.
As for lollies on the normal shelves, no you should bear the responsibility because you do not have to stand there and you should not be as preoccupied.
Renee1979
11-12-2008, 14:31
If my child had broken something in any other part of the shop I would not have questioned if I would have to pay for it. My point in starting this thread is that shopkeepers puposfully put products aimed at children at their level at a place where you will have to get distracted. Short of handcuffing my children to myself, they will have to behave themselves for two seconds while I enter in my pin and this particular store did not have trollys or room for prams to wheel them out of harms way.
Someone suggested I put myself inthe shopkeepers shoes, If I were in them I would move the lollies if I did not want them touched. Someone else mentioned the poor shopkeeper if every child ruined a lolly, well maybe that would make them realise that there is a better place for the lollies, such as the lolly isle that is less than 5 meters away. And I really don't think it can be compared to steealing, stealing is a criminal offence as it is intentional, even if it was my child's intent to break/eat something, they are too young to be criminally reasponsible.
Having a psychology degree, I am aware of the research done into how to get the most of of customers when they walk into a store and it is really no coincidence that these products are placed there.
As for the eftpos machine, you poor thing. Did you question why the machine was not secured? I think Safeway = Woolworths and if so the machines should be secured to the stands attached to the registers. What if it had been knocked off by the teller while they were handeling bags and fell on a child's head? Let them know that if you are paying for the machine, you expect to recieve the original receipt so that it cannot also be claimed on insurance.
I am aware of the research done into how to get the most of of customers when they walk into a store and it is really no coincidence that these products are placed there.
I could not agree with you more - I am completely with you.
These shops engage consultants to tell them where to place products like you describe so that parents are subject to pester power.
Manufacturers pay the supermarkets placement fees to have their goods placed in certain parts of the supermarket where they can maximise sales. For some goods this is on the eye level shelving in the aisles, for lollies and chocolates it's in the check out, at child level.
They put these things there with the express purpose of having your child grab them.
In almost any other situation I would, and do, pay - but not this one.
It doesn't make you rude or a criminal. It makes you wise to the manipulation.
trin_007
11-12-2008, 16:48
A few months ago my DH took DS to a model shop (army tanks, planes & stuff - not the other sort of models :D) . Anyway the shop assistant was yabbering on to some old bloke about nothing all that important (he had completed his transaction) and DH was waiting to ask a question about a product he wanted to purchase and it was taking forever. Anyway, at one point he turned around and DS had tried to open a box containing a stupid plastic barn house thing that DH would never use in a million years, and DS had torn the box a bit when he opened it (he's only 3) and the shop made DH pay - FULL RETAIL - for this stupid barn!!!!:banghead:
DH was so p***sed with DS for trying to open the box and p***sed off with being made to pay for it, and I was p***sed off with DH giving him the credit card to pay for it. I think I would have told them to get over it and be more attentive to their customers. Grrrr......
Thankfully I haven't encountered this situation with DD yet, but my parents own a homewares shop which I've worked in on occassion. If a customer breaks something accidentally, I never make them pay but if someone were to break something intentionally then I'd have no problem with making them pay. That said though, my dad has advised his staff to make sure the shop is pram/trolley friendly - ie area's wide enough for a pram or trolley to go through with 2 little arms sticking out either side without being able to touch too much. They also(as often as possible) put light breakables up high(ie. plates and glasses) and heavier breakables down low(ie. big vases with thick glass that aren't easily broken).
I think it really depends on the situation but i would more than likely pay for something if my DD broke it.
DD picked up and dropped a bottle of milk at woolies a while ago and it went everywhere...the checkout girl was so lovely to us and got the cleaner to mop it up and saying oh don't worry about it at all and sent someone to go get me another bottle. I offered to pay for the one we had broken but she wouldn't hear of it.
As i said depends on the circumstances.
Oh and i wish all shops had some kind of rule as to how far apart their aisles or racks etc had to be as there are some shops that i wouldn't dare to take DD into cause we would get stuck in the aisles and she would be able to touch everything without having to even reach!
:iagree:it depends on the circumstances, and the item. I would not expect to really have to pay for a $1.20 pack of lifesavers, aimed at a child's level, although I would offer. But an expensive item on the other hand, I would definitely feel the owner has the right to ask for the broken item to be paid for.
A little OT BUT I'll tell you what other 'manipulative technique' is driving me nuts is all the toys with "TRY ME" on them.
So I go to all this trouble to tell my kids not to touch them and they have this big 'touch me' sign. :detective:
Mum&bubs
24-12-2008, 00:12
If my kids broke something in a store, I would pay for it. It's my responsibility to be watching them and making sure they can't touch things that are breakable.
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