The 5 Millionth Customer: An Ethical Dilemma

Jan. 13, 2009— -- A burly young man, head shaved, holding a sandwich fresh from the deli department, walked toward the express checkout line at a suburban supermarket. It was lunch hour, and the place was crowded.

He walked up to a man dressed in work clothes, the logo of a gasoline retailer on his shirt. "Hey guys, can you do me a favor?" the man asked. "Can I jump in front of you? I'm late for a job."

Watch the story on ABC's "What Would You Do?" airing Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 10 p.m. ET

The man shrugged and let the fellow cut in front of him. The line moved slowly. "Come on!" he said in the direction of the cashier.

After a couple minutes wait, he finally reached the cashier. He put his sandwich on the counter and was about to reach for his wallet when an overhead speaker announced:

"Our 5 Millionth Customer!"

Marching music blared, strobe lights flashed and a mighty clamor erupted as cashiers and other store employees let out a cheer and shook plastic noise-making clappers.

The big guy looked around, wondering what all the commotion was about. What was happening?

He may have been clueless but the guys behind him, who let him cut in line, knew exactly what was going on.

"He stepped in front of you," a member of the group said to the man who had relinquished his spot in line.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a pretty young woman appeared carrying a bunch of colorful balloons and an oversize check.

"Congratulations," the young lady chirped. "You're our 5 millionth customer. And I'd like to present you with this check for $500!"

The cheers continued. It seemed everyone was beaming, happy for the man and his good fortune -- everyone except the guy standing behind him, the one who let him cut in line.

"What do I get for letting him cut me in line?" the man asked.

"Well, he was our 5 millionth customer," the prize lady explained cheerfully. "How about another round of applause?"

"Bull***! He cut me in line!" the man shouted over the noise. But nobody, including his beneficiary -- now $500 richer -- paid any attention.