To pay or not to pay...

Photo - Sketa Oz

Never in a million years, would I expect anyone to question whether or not they are going to pay for something.

Alas, today I have learnt, yet another life lesson - Integrity is not always taught and sadly, it will be our younger generations that will suffer.

Photo - Sketa Oz

Okay... so I’m minding my own business doing the veggie shopping in a particularly, fine fruit shop, in the city. I spot a young mother who races over to grab a single, solitary banana.

Curious as I am, I continue my shopping - keeping an eye on her; me, very interested to know why she might want - just one banana.

The young mother, swiftly bolts around to the other side of the strawberries to meet up with her partner who is now pushing the pram with a young child (given she is aware, I am inadvertently watching her). She hovers about her pram for a good while, pretending to do something. She is getting agitated as I now suspect she is going to flog the banana, so she can feed it to the child.

With my radar ears, I hear the partner say, “you know you’re going to have to pay for that”. She looks annoyed at his comment.

I wander over to the staff on the counter, to get ready to pay for my fruit. Small as it is - I think, no way is she going to get away with this bit of shoplifting for personal gain. I pause, look intentionally at the couple and say, “how about you go first”.

The young mother gives in, gets her purse and angrily pays for the banana. She quickly storms off - grabbing the pram from her partner. I stand at the counter - mouth gapping, totally shocked as to the blatant gall and lack of integrity, some people have today.
Unbelievable! ​

Would you have made her pay or would you have looked away? Was I wrong?