Yeah, I did that Beth, right after he asked me when I’d have time to help him put them up. Nope, said I. “ I do not wish to try to sort out which one’s were paid for and which one’s weren’t.” That said, there’s more coming......
He may have saved $500 but he lost a friend. If he stole from them, he will steal from you. And if he knowingly walked out of the store without paying for the other blinds, he did steal them as surely as if he had broken in in the dead of night and hauled them off. He must know that you are a Christian and would never condone stealing. I think he lost more than he gained.
It's easy to judge a person's actions before considering possible reasons. If this person is your friend, then they surely have good qualities as well. It doesn't matter if it's a quarter or a million dollars, it's still considered the actions of a thief. Thieves aren't evil or bad people, they may have any number of issues which allows them to take from others. As a friend, I would be more prone to show grace, before hard judgement. Try to help them find the root of their problem and come to the conclusion jointly that the situation needs to be rectified because stealing in stealing. Jesus didn't kick the thieves off of their crosses and neither would I. Maybe God can use you to help someone who has fears or financial burdens you are unaware of ...before they really do something stupid with complications far beyond a simple return to the store. Or maybe they just need to get their heart straightened out.
To me his actions were made clear when he boasted happily about it. That's enough for judgement to be made.
Ya see, that’s kind of the problem I am facing. He’s an American and has been in this country for nearly 40 years but has people from his same homeland surrounding him who pretty much keep him aligned with his heritage in regard to culture. Where he comes from, a price tag is nearly irrelevant since practically everything is negotiable. So, on one side of the coin, he believes he has been blessed but on the other side, he knows the laws here extremely well and knows that the tag on a product is pretty much absolute unless specified otherwise. When all the dust settles, there are a couple of things I have to examine about myself. Am I upset because I hate lying, cheating and stealing or is it that my ego has caused me some anger because my own integrity has been bruised? If I take God out of the equation (heaven forbid) I am left with a self analysis that it is I who have fallen short because I’m making it about me and my feelings and what I am perceived to be rather than whom I believe myself to be. If this is indeed a test, it’s a good one!
@Bobby Cole and who is telling you you can't be angry. The man blatantly had no regard for you as a friend when he did what he did. He was not looking for your approval either. You have probably heard God doesn't like ugly so let God handle it. I see no reason for you to analyze yourself because of something he did. He was wrong, you know that, period.
No..you need to make him pay. Contact the manager let ..manger tell him they found the error and need to be paid.
I probably should stay out of this thread; but I totally agree with your statement, @Gloria Mitchell . The truth is that this man has done this kind of thing (in a small way) over and over with me, during the years that we have known him. Neither he nor his (now sadly passed away) wife were proficient with selling things online, and they would always send me pictures and ask me to help them sell whatever item it was, promising me a small commission for helping them. Each time, there was some reason not to give me any commission , some story that they sold it some other way, or only got part of the price they wanted, or just some reason. I soon realized that this was never going to go anywhere, but it didn’t cost me anything to help advertise the item, so I just did it for them, knowing that nothing profitable would ever come of it. We probably found the best tenants for their rentals , also, because they always asked me to post pictures, and then Bobby would meet the people and show the property. Again, there was always some reason not to give me any commission, even though my advertisement obviously resulted in a tenant (and a good tenant) for them. Bobby would do maintenance work, and not get paid; always some excuse. Now, Bobby not only does the repairs, but he collects the rents, so he can pay himself for whatever he does, and that has worked out fine for him. After losing his wife unexpectedly about a year ago, Hosa has been struggling to start a restaurant business that he knows nothing about, and Bobby has been trying very hard to help him be able to at least get the restaurant open’ but this may. Just be the situation that causes Hosa to lose Bobby’s help and respect.
I fear involvement with this man will only pull you both down at some point. This incident is a calling card ....cut ties with this person.
If the finder of "Lost" property has knowledge of the rightful owner, but still keeps it, that is a crime, "Mislaid" property is to be given to the business, etc., it was found in and "Abandoned" property is just that. In Ohio if I am walking in a store and see a wallet on the floor, since that would be lost property, I have no legal obligation to turn it in to the store, but States vary of course.