Don’t steal.

That’s a rule that most people try to follow, but it’s not necessarily stealing if a store insists on giving you something for free.

Right?

In today’s story, one man tries to refuse the free gift, but the store won’t leave him alone.

Let’s see what happens…

I repeatedly tried telling the Big Box hardware store that the lawn mower waiting for pickup was not my lawn mower. But they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

It all started with me purchasing a lawn mower at a big box hardware store. In the interest of keeping them anonymous let’s just call them Rob Lowe, or, Lowes for short.

I walked in one day looking to finally purchase a new mower, and I was in luck as they had a smoking deal on a “display” model.

Unprepared to be going home with a new mower that day I didn’t bring my truck. So I simply asked if I could set it aside and come back in a little bit with my truck.

It wasn’t long before he came back.

I returned maybe 30 min later and picked up my mower and headed home. This should be the end of the story but weirdly, it isn’t.

Fast forward about 2 weeks later and I get a call from Lowe’s informing me that my mower is ready for pickup.

Confused I replied “pardon me?”

So they reminded me that I ordered a mower about 2 weeks ago and it just arrived and is awaiting pickup.

OP tried to do the right thing.

Now I know most would have seized the opportunity right there but I decided to be a good person and I explained to the employee that no, I didn’t order a mower; I bought a floor model and set it aside to pick up later, which I did.

The employee thanks me, apologizes for the confusion, and says he’ll update the order.

That wasn’t the end of it!

Welp, one week later they call again, same thing, and I once again explain why it’s not mine.

They did this once a week for 3 weeks straight, and after the 3rd time I tell the wife I swear if they call me again I’m going to pickup “my mower.”

At this point now I’m just excited. I’m watching my phone, hoping they’ll call, because in my mind I’ve earned it at this point and I want my free mower!

Well low and behold week 4 hits and guess who calls!

He still wasn’t sure the mower would be free.

I am now ready to accept my free mower, but I’m also unsure how this is going to play out.

I don’t know if it’s paid for. I don’t have a receipt, and it seems like a long shot.

So I simply tell the employee I’m so sorry I haven’t been in yet to get it, but I got called out of town for work and just got back and with that said I have no idea where I put the receipt.

The employee kindly replies “oh no worries! It’s paid in full so all you need is a photo ID matching the name on the order.”

Perfect!

His wife didn’t think he’ll really get a free mower.

I call the wife to let her know I’m picking up our new mower.

She just laughs, still positive that once I get there they won’t have a mower to give me.

But you’ll be happy to know I pull in, tell customer service I’m here for my mower, show them my ID, and next thing you know some guy on a tow motor is loading a brand new, in the box, unassembled mower into the back of my truck and off I go.

Still have that mower today!

He ended up having second thoughts.

I thought about returning the original afterwards, but I just got nervous it would somehow raise the alarms.

Then I was going to sell it on marketplace, but shortly after all this I had bought a new house and my best friend put in a lot of hours helping me move and he too had been looking for a new mower so I just gave it to him instead as a thanks for helping me.

I still ended up with a brand new mower for essentially 60% off and then was also able to pay for movers with the original one so it was still a win win.

I genuinely tried telling them it wasn’t my mower, but they insisted it was, and it would be rude to refuse their offer.

It turns out that he is far from the only person who has gotten something for free from a big box store.

This person also had a similar situation happen.

While this reader didn’t exactly get something for free, it was practically free.

Sometimes this glitch happens online too.

One reader shared their own ending to the story.

If a store insists on giving you something for free, even if it’s by mistake, it can get to the point where it seems rude not to accept the free gift.

Or at least, more annoying.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.