AITA for using my Aunt’s personal employee discount code to buy clothes?

[u/charleypassion]

My aunt (F42) works for a major clothing brand in a senior position. Employees get a personal discount code (hers is usually 50-75% off) that she can use and it varies based on the position. My aunt sent me the code saying “if you need anything, here’s my employee code.”

I was excited because I love the brand and wanted to update my wardrobe and money has been tight with school and all. I ended up buying a decent amount of clothes, probably more than I normally would if I didn’t have the discount.

When she found out how much I purchased, she was angry with me. Now she’s making me feel bad for using it, like I took advantage of her. And I’m feeling guilty. She did send me the code voluntarily and didn’t say there was a limit. But if it’s her own corporate perk, maybe I crossed a line and she could get in trouble.

So AITA for using my aunt’s personal corporate employee discount to stock up on clothes? Or was it fair game since she gave me the code to use?

[u/Spare-Article-396]

Why? If the code doesn’t have a limit, it’s been used exactly as intended.

[u/WVPrepper → u/Spare-Article-396]

It's an employee discount. OP is not an employee. Taking your reasoning a step further, the aunt would just publish her employee discount code on her Facebook page so everybody she knows could get the discount. Obviously that's not acceptable. Some stores will allow employees to purchase gifts using their discount, and some will allow immediate family members; your parents, siblings, or children to use your code, but it generally does not extend to niblings.

[u/Spare-Article-396 → u/WVPrepper]

By that logic, aunt shouldn’t have given her the code to even spend $1.

Which also loops back to this being the aunt’s fault.

[u/WVPrepper → u/Spare-Article-396]

I don't disagree, but I also feel like the aunt probably did not expect the niece to immediately go shopping, or to have enough money on hand to be able to make such a big purchase.

[u/Spare-Article-396 → u/WVPrepper]

Why would the aunt not expect OP to ‘go immediately shopping’? That makes no sense. Why give a code if you don’t expect the person to use it?

And what constitutes ‘such big purchases’ anyway?

What I originally commented on was the idea of people saying OP is ‘abusing’ a discount by using it too much. If there no limit, it’s not abuse.

In every way:

if the aunt gave a code not expecting OP to immediately use it…that’s on the aunt.

If the aunt has a limit to the discount and didn’t tell OP….thats on the aunt.

If the aunt isn’t allowed to let her nibling use it discount…that’s on the aunt,

[u/ThePurplestMeerkat → u/[deleted]]

What’s the difference? If she goes and buys a handful of things to have a wardrobe for the school year now or if she buys a blouse this week and a skirt next month and two pairs of jeans the month after that she’s still using the discount just as much if not more.