The Tell-Tale Tote Bag

Hannah’s mother wanted the Elizabeth Arden perfume set for Christmas, and the big red tote bag that came with it  — FREE!  Hannah schlepped to the mall, an experience she detested.  At the Elizabeth Arden counter she asked for the special gift set, and the clerk took the big stuffed tote bag down from the display and explained, “And you get this lovely tote bag for free!”  Hannah explained that the red tote bag was why “Mom” was so precise in her gift demand this year.  As the clerk tried to up-sell, Hannah was thinking, “How do I walk out of the store with this big red bag without security wondering whether I paid?” Two distracted souls finished their transaction, and Hannah walked out with the perfume set in a bag and the FREE big red tote in the other.  “I have my receipt,” Hannah repeated because she was thinking that she did not want a Jason Bourne moment of, “You, with the red bag, stop!”

When Hannah got home she got out the perfume gift set to wrap for her dear mother.  She was going to wrap it separately and place it in a moving box with the big, red tote bag and wrap the big moving box as well to give Mom the thrill of the hunt on Christmas morning. But, as Hannah lifted the perfume set from the store shopping bag she spotted another tote bag in its folded form, tucked neatly into the bottom of the bag.  Honest Hannah let out an expletive because now she had to go back to the mall.  She was angry – ditzy clerk! So, she put everything into the moving box to walk away from it and calm down.  But each time she walked back into the room, the moving box was a reminder that she had TWO tote bags.  So, she took pillows from her bed and put them on top of the moving box so that the tale of the two red totes would be hidden. But, the tote bags would not be silent.  They kept pounding.  Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of the beating heart was alive and well thanks to cosmetic counter offers.

The next few days were filled with Hannah rationalizations:

  • “If I take it back, I will have to pay $2.00 for parking.”
  • “It was a free gift, after all.”
  • “This is not my fault.  This is the clerk’s and the store’s fault.”
  • “What is the big deal anyway?”
  • “How many people would actually take this back?”

Hannah then turned to her friends for advice, but only the ones she knew would agree with her, “Let is go,” they said, “It’s no big deal!” “This is THEIR problem!”  “It was FREE!” Still the totes in the box under the pillows kept beating away.

The cost of the parking was an obstacle, so Hannah called the store.  There was utter silence on the other end, followed by, “I’m sorry.  I am so surprised that anyone is this honest.  Come back.  We’ll pay your parking and give you a free gift.”  Hannah declined the free gift, but dismantled the pile of tote covering and schlepped back to the mall to return one tote.  She went to the counter and spoke with the woman who had answered the phone.  Hannah handed her the tote, and the woman gave her parking validation. “How about a free gift for your trouble?” the clerk offered. “No, just want to return the tote,” Hannah replied.  The clerk said, “No, really, all you have to do is buy this set and you can get a free . . . ,”  Hannah turned and ran.

Like a looped tape, these unresolved issues bounce around in our heads until we cannot take it any longer.  Get rid of that baggage, or at least the extra red tote.

About mmjdiary

Professor Marianne Jennings is an emeritus professor of legal and ethical studies from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, retiring in 2011 after 35 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and the legal environment of business. During her tenure at ASU, she served as director of the Joan and David Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics from 1995-1999. In 2006, she was appointed faculty director for the W.P. Carey Executive MBA Program. She has done consulting work for businesses and professional groups including AICPA, Boeing, Dial Corporation, Edward Jones, Mattel, Motorola, CFA Institute, Southern California Edison, the Institute of Internal Auditors, AIMR, DuPont, AES, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Motorola, Hy-Vee Foods, IBM, Bell Helicopter, Amgen, Raytheon, and VIAD. The sixth edition of her textbook, Case Studies in Business Ethics, was published in February 2011. The ninth edition of her textbook, Business: lts Legal, Ethical and Global Environment was published in January 2011. The 23rd edition of her book, Business Law: Principles and Cases, will be published in January 2013. The tenth edition of her book, Real Estate Law, will also be published in January 2013. Her book, A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success, and a Very Large Rabbit, a fable about business ethics, was chosen by Library Journal in 2004 as its business book of the year. A Business Tale was also a finalist for two other literary awards for 2004. In 2000 her book on corporate governance was published by the New York Times MBA Pocket Series. Her book on long-term success, Building a Business Through Good Times and Bad: Lessons from Fifteen Companies, Each With a Century of Dividends, was published in October 2002 and has been used by Booz, Allen, Hamilton for its work on business longevity. Her latest book, The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse was published by St. Martin’s Press in July 2006 and has been a finalist for two book awards. Her weekly columns are syndicated around the country, and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Reader's Digest. A collection of her essays, Nobody Fixes Real Carrot Sticks Anymore, first published in 1994 is still being published. She has been a commentator on business issues on All Things Considered for National Public Radio. She has served on four boards of directors, including Arizona Public Service (1987-2000), Zealous Capital Corporation, and the Center for Children with Chronic Illness and Disability at the University of Minnesota. She was appointed to the board of advisors for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators in 2004 and served on the board of trustees for Think Arizona, a public policy think tank. She has appeared on CNBC, CBS This Morning, the Today Show, and CBS Evening News. In 2010 she was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Business Ethics by Trust Across America. Her books have been translated into four different languages. She received the British Emerald award for authoring one of their top 50 articles in management publications, chosen from over 15,000 articles. Personal: Married since 1976 to Terry H. Jennings, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Deputy County Attorney; five children: Sarah, Sam, and John, and the late Claire and Hannah Jennings.
This entry was posted in Ethical Dilemmas. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.