Friday, April 6, 2012

Honesty, the Best Policy

Last night, on my way home from work, I stopped at my local grocery store -- Metcalfe's Sentry on 68th and State -- and picked up a few items for the upcoming weekend. Like many of my shopping trips, this one included picking up a 12-pack of some good craft beer. Sentry had a nice offer on Summit Brewing Company's Spring Sampler (three bottles each of Extra Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Great Northern Porter and Maibock), so I picked one up.

After running my items across the self-checkout scanner, paying and packing up my car, I was thinking about the bill on the way home. It seemed too inexpensive. Something must be wrong.

At home I checked the receipt and saw that the $14.49 Summit Sampler rang up at $5.99.

Five. Dollars. And. Ninety-nine. Cents.

A whole $8.50 less than it was supposed to be!

I knew I had to make this wrong right. I quickly called Sentry and explained that I was undercharged $8.50 and that they needed to correct their pricing on this item. I also said that I would stop in the next morning and pay the difference.

My conscience temporarily cleared, I went for a 3-mile run and returned home to enjoy a tasty Summit Maibock -- a brewing style I am usually lukewarm to, but this one I enjoyed. it was not too sticky sweet like I find some Maibocks.

This morning I returned to the store as I said I would and, with receipt in hand, I explained the story again. The person working the desk said she couldn't ring up the transaction because this was a liquor department sale and that business could not be conducted until after 9 a.m. She thanked me for my honesty and said that she would honor the price that I paid for the sampler.

Yes! Inexpensive beer is the next best thing to free beer!

While this may be a simple story, it brings a few things to mind:
  1. Thank you, Mom, for raising me with this honest ethic. This was all your doing and I am proud to have it.
  2. Metcalfe's Sentry is a good store with good people. I have shopped there for years and will  continue to do so.
  3. Summit Brewing Company makes good beer.
  4. How many others would do the same thing that I did? I think readers of this blog would, but others would  probably have run back and bought more samplers!
Thanks for reading and have a good Good Friday and a winning 2012 Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day!

2 comments:

  1. Love this story. Love Metcalfe's. You done good. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rochelle. Your reply warms my heart. :)

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