Retail workers have enough on their plate to have to still deal with children running riot in their stores. One would think that it’s the responsibility of parents to keep an eye on their own kids while shopping, and not leave them unattended – for obvious reasons. But some people might surprise you…
A pet store manager was left stunned when she noticed a 9-year-old had been left to his own devices while mom and dad used the self-wash station to clean the family dog. When she politely asked them to supervise their son, the manager was met with rudeness and pure entitlement. But things really took a turn for the worse when the kid destroyed $150 worth of goods in the store.
Working in retail can cause all sorts of headaches
Image credits: pressfoto/Freepik (not the actual photo)
When a child ran rampant in her store, this manager refused to let the parents get off scot-free
Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: prostooleh/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Queen_of_Meh1987
Is the “you break it, you buy it” rule actually legal?
Many of us have childhood memories of our parents telling us not to touch anything in a store. Even as adults, we tend to step with caution around fragile items. The sound of an expensive vase shattering on the floor can strike the fear of god into us, as we work out what we will have to do without for the rest of the month after paying for the thing we just broke. By mistake.
But can shopkeepers legally enforce the “you break it, you buy it” rule? It can get a little complicated, says the Express Legal Funding group. A store owner can ask you to pay for the goods, but if you refuse, there’s not much they can do right then and there.
“The only way for any retailer to seek reparations from a customer is to pursue legal action against them for the full retail price,” notes the site. “Even then, there are specific criteria that the customer must meet before a store owner can act against you.”
The store owner would have to prove that the damage to the property was intentional or a result of the customer’s gross negligence. Not the result of a simple accident.
They would also have to prove that you were fully aware that the store put the rule in effect. Not that easy, unless you were informed by retail staff upon entering the store.
Shop owners cannot legally detain you over a broken item, say the experts. “The ‘you break it, you buy it’ rule might have been around for nearly a century, but it is not legally binding,” explains the Express Legal Funding site. “A store owner can sue you for compensation over a destroyed or damaged product. However, they cannot detain you and force you to pay on the spot.”
Mistakenly damaging an item in a shop is not a crime. But a store owner detaining or harassing you unprovoked could be.
So what should you do if your child breaks something?
“Whether it was an honest mistake or a child being a little too rambunctious, the best thing is for you and your child to approach the owner of the broken item and fess up,” says Sarah Davis, etiquette expert and co-author of Modern Manners for Moms & Dads. Apologize and try to make it right immediately, she adds.
Help your child to learn from their mistake, says Carla Marie Manly, a California-based clinical psychologist and author.
“The goal is to help the child see that accidents caused by running, wild play, etc. are largely preventable but that accidents can happen even when care is being taken,” she explains.
Many praised the store manager, saying that parents should be held accountable
“You’re nicer than I would have been”: People shared similar stories
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