Moral Dilemma?

Today at Costco we were in the food line waiting for our delicious running-errands-with-mom-childhood-nostalgia pizza (fine, I was the only one getting delicious pizza, Christian thinks it's gross because Christian is a snob--he did get a gelato though, which everyone knows is a snobby thing to get xoxo). There was an old man in the line right next to us ordering a salad (who knew they had salads, and more importantly, who needs to know they have salads when there is pizza??), as I had nothing else to look at whilst awaiting my culinary delights, I observed silently as he completed his transaction.

The old man ordered one salad and two drinks--oh cute, wife-sharing possibilities--and handed the man at the register a ten dollar bill. When he was handed back his change the man glanced at it and said "that was a $20." That was not a $20, I thought, but waited. The young man at the register looked confused, glanced at the receipt and, clearly unsure of what to do said "oh . . . that's weird," followed by a quick "sorry about that" as he handed him an additional ten dollar bill. Judging by the look on register boy's face, he was not at all sure that the old man was right--which he wasn't. But what was he to do? Should he have argued with an old man at the front of a crowded Costco line? I sure wouldn't want to. Enter disrespect for the elderly and massive doses of social embarrassment.

Still though, Costco just forked $10 big ones over. That could buy you some serious goods at Costco, like three huge cartons of raspberries, or a three month supply of soy milk. Here's the real question: malicious intent or honest confusion? Sure, old people can be forgetful--well, all people can be forgetful--but maybe, just maybe he was taking full advantage of the strained social setting he knew would be created by his assertion. Probably not, but maybe.