9YO Breaks $150 Worth Of Goods In Store, Parents Shocked When They Have To Pay For It

Retail workers have enough on their plate to have to still deal with children running riot in their stores. One would think that it's the responsibility of parents to keep an eye on their own kids while shopping, and not leave them unattended - for obvious reasons. But some people might surprise you...

A pet store manager was left stunned when she noticed a 9-year-old had been left to his own devices while mom and dad used the self-wash station to clean the family dog. When she politely asked them to supervise their son, the manager was met with rudeness and pure entitlement. But things really took a turn for the worse when the kid destroyed $150 worth of goods in the store.

Many of us have childhood memories of our parents telling us not to touch anything in a store. Even as adults, we tend to step with caution around fragile items. The sound of an expensive vase shattering on the floor can strike the fear of god into us, as we work out what we will have to do without for the rest of the month after paying for the thing we just broke. By mistake.

But can shopkeepers legally enforce the "you break it, you buy it" rule? It can get a little complicated, says the Express Legal Funding group. A store owner can ask you to pay for the goods, but if you refuse, there's not much they can do right then and there.

The store owner would have to prove that the damage to the property was intentional or a result of the customer’s gross negligence. Not the result of a simple accident.

So what should you do if your child breaks something?

Help your child to learn from their mistake, says Carla Marie Manly, a California-based clinical psychologist and author.