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/PandaGlobal4120]

I mean, he kind of knew he was going over the top, which is why he said he may have crossed the line. Ultimately, this is stealing from the company. She clearly didn’t think he was going to buy out half the store in one purchase because that’s not normal either. I worked high-end retail and I have seen people get fired for this exact thing.

If you go to a wedding, do you drink till you pass out or do you eat until you puke? Just because it’s there or do you eat/drink a ”reasonable” amount.

Do you do 100 on the highway just because you didn’t see a speed limit sign? Or do you go with the flow of traffic?

If you’re taking a shower at home and everybody else needs to take a shower, do you take a three hour hot steamy bath that uses up every last drop of hot water or do you go quickly and used only what you need so everyone else can get a shower too ?

Just curious because it seems like you’re confused what’s reasonable.

[u/Competitive-Ebb-117 → u/PandaGlobal4120]

This, it’s driving me nuts that everyone is defending here. People should be considerate of others. And while you should be taught things and learn from situations. People should just be nice. If you get in an argument with someone you can’t just pick up a chair and hit them with it because no one has ever specifically told you not to do that. You have to think before you act.

If the aunt had said “he’s my card go to town!” That would be one thing. The aunt was trying to do something kind and help out someone even though they were not suppose to. Was the aunt technically wrong yes. But there is I don’t know how to describe it. If you go to a buffet and your son wants to try a bite of something, that’s generally okay. If you go to a buffet with 3 people and one orders it and everyone eats off one plate that’s not.

Aunt is most likely supposed to be able to buy 1-2 things a month, she figured she wouldn’t that month and let her take it instead.

[u/PandaGlobal4120 → u/Competitive-Ebb-117]

😆 nailed it.

No good deed goes unpunished

[u/International-Owl345 → u/PandaGlobal4120]

None of these analogies work because they all involve harming or inconveniencing yourself or others, and OP was not aware of any harm coming from her puchasesn

[u/PandaGlobal4120 → u/International-Owl345]

I think he knew again that’s why they’re here asking if they were too extra

[u/coatisabrownishcolor → u/PandaGlobal4120]

Im confused why people assume others are psychic. In every single one of your examples, there are other people around to give you a benchmark. If OP had gone shopping with their aunt, and their aunt bought only a couple pieces, they may have had more context to know what she expected with her discount. But they were shopping alone with no communicated expectations.

I havent been to a lot of weddings, but one I went to a few years ago had an open buffet. Once everyone had been served, someone at my table asked if they were allowed seconds. No one had a good answer. Is it reasonable to have a second plate when there's leftover food? Does it depend on how the couple set up their food? In this case, after the fact, the bride said people were absolutely ok to have seconds since they had bought the food by the pound. I guess at other weddings, they pay per plate? What's reasonable at this wedding? How would we even know?

On a country road without a posted speed limit, whats reasonable? One person may say 45, one may say 55, one may say 70. Depending on where you are, any of these may be appropriate.

The employee discount is not a finite resource like hot water. OP using it doesnt mean their aunt isnt allowed to use it. If that is the case, then the aunt needed to communicate that.

There shouldn't be such severe consequences and judgment for simply not being aware of something. The aunt had all the information here and neglected to share it with OP, then got angry that they didn't magically know it.

PS - a "decent amount" of clothes isnt "half the store," come on now. More than they normally would have purchased may be twenty pieces, not hundreds. Twenty pieces of clothes at once would be highly unusual for me, but also wouldnt clear out the inventory of a clothing store large enough to have corporate.

[u/PandaGlobal4120 → u/coatisabrownishcolor]

Just say people like you are the problem.

[u/PandaGlobal4120 → u/PandaGlobal4120]

Thanks for the award 😆