Merry Freakin' Christmas

Today I went with my sister to one of those Christmas stores that only opens around Christmas time. You know, the ones that are filled with over priced decorations?

Anyways, there was a bunch of silly tree decorations on one wall, and I went to point one out to my sister when I accidentaly knocked a different decoration off of the wall, and watched it plumet to the floor, and shatter.

I have never in my life broken a single piece of merchandise in a store, so this was a new experience for me. I did, however, think retail had come a long way in the past, oh I dunno, century, so the idea of any retailer still upholding the "You Break it You Bought It" policy to me didn't seem logical.

Well, I was wrong.

Before the cashier even spoke after seeing the tacky Christmas ornament shatter, I could already feel what was going to come next (due to her awkward approach towards the broken decoration, and the sigh that followed - it was clear she was not fond of these experiences, as she knew what was coming next). "Yeah, um, unfortunately, if you break any merchandise, you'll have to pay 50% of what it's worth." Seriously? I mean, like, SERIOUSLY?! This thing was basically made out of popsicle sticks, nail polish, and glue, and was apparently "worth" THIRTEEN FREAKING DOLLARS. I ended up having to cough up 7.50, and immediately walked outta there in a huff, trying to stifle the anger that I didn't want to unintentionally direct towards the poor cashier.

But come on, is it just me, or does the "You break it you bought it" policy seem archaic? I work in a Starbucks, and if someone were to knock over a $1200 coffee maker, we wouldn't charge them a CENT. I do understand that Starbucks is most likely a larger corporation and has more money to cover accidental damage costs, however, "slapping a customer on the wrist" for accidentally breaking something in there store just seems absurd to me. Accidents happen. Am I wrong?