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silver_addiction | 04-12-2008 10:10 PM
A little food buying secret While at Stop and Shop (a major grocer in the northeast) today, I came across something that I hope will happen again, becsaue it is a great little trick. I was buying the annie's organic mac&cheese boxes, and I noticed in the back of the shelf that there was a 12 pack, how the gorcer receives it, not opened, just in a cardboard and plastic box with upc on the bottom. These boxes happened to be 1.50 each, which is not cheap, but I buy organic when I can. Anyway, long story short, the upc on the bottom of the box must be the same as the one on each individual box, cause the whole thing cost me 1.50 at the checkout. I don't consider this stealing as I brought an item up, and paid what the store asked me to pay. I changes no labels and altered the product in no way. I will keep a lookout for this with other stuff, I know the same thing has happened before when buying jet-dry for the dishwasher - the 12 pack rang up as a single one. It doesn't work on the five packs of tuna, as they are designed to be sold like that. This is a simple case of the stock boy storing the bulk box on the shelf for later opening. If you happen to see soups, pastas, ect - hidden in the back of the shelf, in the shipping box, try putting them in the cart and see if the same thing happens for you when you checkout. If not, just say you don't want it. Happy hunting!

Twisted Avatar | 04-12-2008 10:17 PM
Re: A little food buying secret with the way how inflation is shrinking the size of the packages.... and the price is still rising every dam week ..... I think that was a "fair" trade all things considered. T

silver_addiction | 04-12-2008 10:19 PM
Re: A little food buying secret yeah, i thought so.... I did spend 105 dollars on an amazingly small amount of food... They made out a lot better then me.

elroy | 04-12-2008 10:21 PM
Re: A little food buying secret I just returned from the grocery store [Krogers] I actually saw a 150 oz jug of laundry detergent that was $17.48 That's right $17.48 for a bottle of laundry soap. 3% inflation my ass!

Glass | 04-12-2008 10:27 PM
Re: A little food buying secret I was at the meat store yesterday.... its a meat packing place that sells direct in bulk, vacuum packed and deep freeze ready. You can buy by the kilo or in family mixed packs with prices ranging from $55 upto $195 for the major beef eater. In the 2 -3 weeks since I was there last, prices have gone up between 7% and 15% depending on what it is. Most things are up at least 10%. The family pack is now $60 and the major beef eater isn't sold anymore. Its the second similar rise this year with the family pack going up $10 since Dec. Somehow I don't think I could get a whole cow for the price of a kilo of cow but it would be nice :D

silver_addiction | 04-12-2008 10:40 PM
Re: A little food buying secret good, i can say that your arteries, and your colon will be thanking you. I can understand a little meat, but geez.... The one stipulation I can make is grass raised beef is a lot easier on the body than the corn/soy fed. same applies to farm raised fish - wild caught is a lot easier on the body than the far raised, corn fed fish.... I really don't want to start a nutritional debate though, inflation sucks, and meat will be something americans will have to consume less of. Living lower on the food chain isn't all bad....

davehorus | 04-12-2008 10:43 PM
Re: A little food buying secret What, nobody cares about cheating the businesses you buy from when you know it's the wrong price? It would be different if it were the Fed or some other organization that regularly cheats us, but isn't it good enough to just buy stuff on sale and stock up then?

silverblood | 04-12-2008 10:47 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059270) I was buying the annie's organic mac&cheese boxes, and I noticed in the back of the shelf that there was a 12 pack, how the gorcer receives it, not opened, just in a cardboard and plastic box with upc on the bottom. These boxes happened to be 1.50 each, which is not cheap, but I buy organic when I can. Anyway, long story short, the upc on the bottom of the box must be the same as the one on each individual box, cause the whole thing cost me 1.50 at the checkout. I don't consider this stealing as I brought an item up, and paid what the store asked me to pay. I changes no labels and altered the product in no way.
You knew the price wasn't right, and the store manager would have known that too. The employee who checked you out evidently didn't know or didn't care. You could say that it was an honest exchange because of the reasons you cited, but I wouldn't feel that way about it personally.

EE_ | 04-12-2008 10:51 PM
Re: A little food buying secret I pity the fools that have kids that can eat like I did as a teen. I could probably eat then, what $400 buys today...in a week! :tongue_ma:

Infidel | 04-12-2008 10:52 PM
Re: A little food buying secret You are indeed a thieving scoundrel.

silver_addiction | 04-12-2008 11:18 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silverblood (Post 1059311) You knew the price wasn't right, and the store manager would have known that too. The employee who checked you out evidently didn't know or didn't care. You could say that it was an honest exchange because of the reasons you cited, but I wouldn't feel that way about it personally.
No, I don't care. And I will be keeping an eye out in the future for more deals. I respect your personal feelings. And if this is not agreeable to you, just don't do it. I am constantly getting raped on my food purchases. So your justification is stealing from someone who steals from you is okay? Ghandi would be proud. Maybe the price wans't right, the price they py their employees 7.15 an hour for their labor..... maybe that isn't right, does that grant the employees the right to take a longer break, or eat food in the back without paying??? I mean come on man, are you for real? Who really gives a shit about these huge wall street share holding operations? I would do this to wal-mart all day every day. If it was a local small grocer or small natural foods store I would agree with you.

ajrocks | 04-12-2008 11:49 PM
Re: A little food buying secret On the other side I have bought cat, dog and tuna fish that rang up as the case price and if I wasn't watching they would have sold single cans for 3-5 dollars, so I'm not really worried about what he did. They rape us when they can. So why not rape them?

Squirrel Bait | 04-13-2008 12:02 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059339) No, I don't care. .
Dood, the karmic genie is gonna come visit you. sb

90%RealMoney | 04-13-2008 12:37 AM
Re: A little food buying secret I don't fault you at all for that. I'm always getting home and looking at my receipt, and see that I've been charged more for items, than what it said on the isle. Or, you get home and realize that small item you paid for (pack of gum or something) isn't even in your bag! I got charged $19.00 for a $5.00 item at Wal Mart once. Luckily I caught that one at the checkstand, otherwise I would of had to go back and stand in line at the return counter!

TechGuy | 04-13-2008 12:48 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by 90%RealMoney (Post 1059408) I don't fault you at all for that. I'm always getting home and looking at my receipt, and see that I've been charged more for items, than what it said on the isle. Or, you get home and realize that small item you paid for (pack of gum or something) isn't even in your bag! I got charged $19.00 for a $5.00 item at Wal Mart once. Luckily I caught that one at the checkstand, otherwise I would of had to go back and stand in line at the return counter!
The difference is that if they do it, it was a system error, if they catch you doing it, it is shoplifting. The system is stacked against you, don't temp the system with meaningless gestures.

silverblood | 04-13-2008 12:49 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059339) No, I don't care. And I will be keeping an eye out in the future for more deals. I respect your personal feelings. And if this is not agreeable to you, just don't do it. I am constantly getting raped on my food purchases. So your justification is stealing from someone who steals from you is okay? Ghandi would be proud. Maybe the price wans't right, the price they py their employees 7.15 an hour for their labor..... maybe that isn't right, does that grant the employees the right to take a longer break, or eat food in the back without paying??? I mean come on man, are you for real? Who really gives a shit about these huge wall street share holding operations? I would do this to wal-mart all day every day. If it was a local small grocer or small natural foods store I would agree with you.
I don't understand what your comment about Ghandi and justification for stealing is referring to. I can't think of a justification for stealing. Theft is wrong. It is not OK to steal from someone. It is irrelevant whether they have stolen from you. You are responsible for your behavior. They are responsible for theirs. Is that clear? And in any case, this store wasn't stealing from you, was it? You were the one stealing. Using cognitive distortions to minimize the consequences of your actions or to justify a wrong doesn't make it right.

Osaka | 04-13-2008 12:53 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silverblood (Post 1059311) You knew the price wasn't right, and the store manager would have known that too. The employee who checked you out evidently didn't know or didn't care. You could say that it was an honest exchange because of the reasons you cited, but I wouldn't feel that way about it personally.
It's a little dishonest, but it is a system failure on the part of the store manager. The employee either was poorly trained or just doesn't care. This is where the cost of treating employees like crap presents itself.

90%RealMoney | 04-13-2008 12:57 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Bank error in your favor, collect $200.00! Remember playing Monopoly? All out shoplifting is another story. It's wrong, and anyone who purposely steals something is a scum. Taking something up to the counter and paying for it, is not stealing. If it's priced incorrectly, well that goes both ways, as we all know. If you catch it at the time, and want to correct it, that's your call.

Sparky | 04-13-2008 12:58 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059339) . I am constantly getting raped on my food purchases. . I mean come on man, are you for real? Who really gives a shit about these huge wall street share holding operations? I would do this to wal-mart all day every day. If it was a local small grocer or small natural foods store I would agree with you.
To be fair, I think that regional grocery chains, like Stop & Shop, operate on fairly small margins. They have very little to do with escalating food prices. We should all hope that they can continue to afford to stock their shelves for us in the future. P.S. In your defense, the law says they have to charge you the price that is labeled. We're in the grey area here.

silverblood | 04-13-2008 01:01 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Osaka (Post 1059426) It's a little dishonest, but it is a system failure on the part of the store manager. The employee either was poorly trained or just doesn't care. This is where the cost of treating employees like crap presents itself.
The store's scanner and computer system clearly have a problem if it allows a case of something to ring up as a single item. The store's training regimen may or may not also be a factor. There are plenty of possibilities. But you are making a cognitive error similar to the one that the OP made. Why do you assume that the error has anything to do with "treating employees like crap"? What evidence suggests that is the reason behind the error? How would that justify theft even if it were true?

StackerKen | 04-13-2008 01:04 AM
Re: A little food buying secret I would have to say that's stealing...Im not judging the thief(not my place to do so) I am Just stating my opinion of the action, If the Cashier gave you back too much change would you keep it? It doesn't matter Who a person is stealing From...Its still stealing. Now, stealing to feed your family...May be a tiny bit justifiable....once....And stealing just to get a good deal.....I don't think so. But Again, Im Not Judging anyone....To Each his own.... Just Don't steal from me.

Osaka | 04-13-2008 01:26 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silverblood (Post 1059438) But you are making a cognitive error similar to the one that the OP made. Why do you assume that the error has anything to do with "treating employees like crap"? What evidence suggests that is the reason behind the error? How would that justify theft even if it were true?
An employee who was poorly treated or poorly paid, who hated his manager would be less likely to care about undercharging a customer. An employee who was well paid, well treated and liked the manager would be more likely to fix the error, if he spotted it.

silverblood | 04-13-2008 01:50 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Osaka (Post 1059462) An employee who was poorly treated or poorly paid, who hated his manager would be less likely to care about undercharging a customer. An employee who was well paid, well treated and liked the manager would be more likely to fix the error, if he spotted it.
Perhaps, and it is no doubt in the best interests of management to have satisfied and qualified and honest staff. But it has no bearing on the ethical implications of the situation the OP described.

Avalon | 04-13-2008 08:27 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Silver addiction, I don't make judgements but a situation like that would not work for me. In the last few years I have been experiencing what I can only describe as instant karma. Anytime I try and take advantage of any situation it bites me in the ass almost instantly. I have been run over by the karma bus one time too many and have leaned to submit. Also if you have kids you have to be cautious about grey lines like that. They tend to mimic us and then take it and run with it. May I take advantage of this post and insert Lennon's version of Instant Karma, not because I am chastising you but because its such a damn great song. :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqP3wT5lpa4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqP3wT5lpa4

Canadian-guerilla | 04-13-2008 08:44 AM
Re: A little food buying secret but when a product's weight is downsized from 20oz to 16oz, still using the same sized box/container and at the same time the price has gone up 10% does the manufacturer/supermarket advertise these little changes ?

Squirrel Bait | 04-13-2008 09:55 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Canadian-guerilla (Post 1059668) but when a product's weight is downsized from 20oz to 16oz, still using the same sized box/container and at the same time the price has gone up 10% does the manufacturer/supermarket advertise these little changes ?
Technically, yes. It's printed on the box sb

Abouthadit | 04-13-2008 05:24 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Who was it that said "a republic is meant for a moral people and no other"? Stealing is immoral and is contributing to the downfall of our nation. Moral relativism is a tool of the elite. The founders pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. Stealing at the check out is dishonorable.

Caligula | 04-13-2008 06:05 PM
Re: A little food buying secret It's all about ones moral level of comfortability. I, for one, do not believe that what comes around always goes around.

Eastex | 04-13-2008 06:05 PM
Re: A little food buying secret I'd have corrected the checker to his mistake.

johnlvs2run | 04-13-2008 06:25 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by TechGuy (Post 1059420) The difference is that if they do it, it was a system error, if they catch you doing it, it is shoplifting.
A lot of people sure have missed the plot on this thread. The price of the box was $1.50 for the box, and that's the price that was paid for the box by the OP. The store marked the price on the box, and has been stated already, that's the price that they had to accept. Certainly if the store had overcharged, they would have said nothing. I've never ever seen a manager or employee of a store run up to me or anyone else and say they charged too much as the price was too high, and give back a refund of the overage. In this case, as the box was $1.50, this means each can on the shelf from a box should have been 12.5 cents apiece. If the store was charging $1.50 for each can, they they were overcharging every person who bought a can by $1.37 on each can! I wonder if the store noticed THAT mistake at the register???? Anyway I'm sure all the stores have read this thread by now, and that mistake won't happen again.

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KingHippo | 04-13-2008 07:40 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Dude, if you are walking out of that store knowing that you did not pay for something, that is stealing plain and simple! Yes I know that sometimes you get over charged for stuff, but two wrongs do not make a right! I try to watch to see how much things ring up for or check my receipt right away to make sure I don't get overcharged, and when I am stores are usually good about correcting mistakes. Your logic is no different then saying that if you walk out of the store without paying for items and no one notices, then its their problem!

Caligula | 04-13-2008 07:53 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by KingHippo (Post 1060250) Dude, if you are walking out of that store knowing that you did not pay for something, that is stealing plain and simple! Yes I know that sometimes you get over charged for stuff, but two wrongs do not make a right! I try to watch to see how much things ring up for or check my receipt right away to make sure I don't get overcharged, and when I am stores are usually good about correcting mistakes. Your logic is no different then saying that if you walk out of the store without paying for items and no one notices, then its their problem!
Of course it's stealing. He is saying that theft is OK, because he has been stolen from before. Pay attention.

GreenSpirit | 04-13-2008 07:55 PM
Re: A little food buying secret If there's nobody chasing you, then it's not stealing. That's what my lawyer told me.:wink:

silver_addiction | 04-13-2008 08:02 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Thanks for all the replies! Anyway, see both sides. I didn't walk out knowing that I only got charged for one instead of 12. I usually buy in bulk, and this package was a bulk package, much like you would find in BJ's. When I got home, I realized after looking at my receipt that they only charged me for one box, and upon further investigation I saw that the UPC on the main box was the same as the UPC on the individual boxes inside. It is store error, as they should not have placed this box on the shelf. It seems like as I posted before that a stock person put it there to be opened and placed individually at some later time. I have been to the same store and have been charged twice for the same item numerous times, so I guess that on those instances they stole from me, even though they didn't do it intentionally - and I didn't do it intentionally either. I kinda regret posting this thread a I feel it has been over analyzed and taken out of context. I should not have advised people to take advantage of this system flaw. I am not advising anyone to intentionally steal - as theft by the FED and the GOV. are the main reasons I have to pay such ridiculous prices for food anyway. Again, thank you to all of you and just to let you know I am keeping the one box I paid for and giving the rest to the food pantry.

Merlin | 04-13-2008 08:14 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Osaka (Post 1059426) It's a little dishonest, but it is a system failure on the part of the store manager. The employee either was poorly trained or just doesn't care. This is where the cost of treating employees like crap presents itself.
I'm reminded of an experience I had at the grocery store several years ago. Having a taste for corned beef, I reached into the case and pulled out a beautiful flat that must have weighed 3 or 4 pounds and was priced at something like 13 cents a pound. Now this was clearly a store error because that corned beef should have cost me 6 or 7 dollars. But the label clearly said what the label said and the cashier didn't blink an eye as I paid under $2 for a beautiful corned beef flat and a gallon of milk. By the standards some of you expound I should have handed the meat to the cashier and said, shouldn't I pay much, much more for this than the price you have clearly marked on the product? I don't think so!

NOOB | 04-13-2008 08:41 PM
Re: A little food buying secret If you got home and looked at your receipt and they gave you the case for the box price you should still return it or pay them for it, but you might chalk it up to the arguments that have been presented( they overcharge you occasionally, wrong change, etc.) To actually look for this error in their pricing on cases, and try to get over,that is premeditated theft. If that is acceptable, why not steal a car from a dealer, or pocket a few wrenches the next time your at your mechanics shop. They surely have overcharged you at some point right? stealing is stealing

Libertarian_Guard | 04-13-2008 08:50 PM
Re: A little food buying secret This is an intersting thread. I serves to remind me of how we ( as people ) can always justify our actions or inactions. Not long ago I purchased a twelve pack of beer, but was only charged for a six pack. I went out the door and never looked back. I knew at that moment that I was taking advantage of an honest mistake.

Squirrel Bait | 04-13-2008 10:41 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Ya know, back in the "old" days, when everything was small communities, where everyone knew each other. Very few, if any, would have even considered doing what we are talking about here. If something was mispriced we would ask our friends, "is that what you really meant to do?" Be it the butcher, or the grocer, or the old man who ran the hardware store. People relied on each other, they were friends. People sometimes make mistakes. Now everything is so big, we don't care. They don't care!!! I really cringe when I see what "our" society has become. Everyone here has presented honest and understandable opinions. I know where you are coming from. But it is still very, very, sad. sb:bawling::bawling:

Iptuous | 04-13-2008 11:04 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Interesting views on both sides. They say 'Buyer Beware' in regards to the situation described wherein smaller amounts of food are put into the same old carton. Although I don't expect that they would put a "NOW 10% LESS" sticker on the carton, I'm sure they know they are being deceptive. (isn't all marketing deceptive?) Does the opposite (i.e. 'Seller Beware') not hold equal weight? If one is acting within the formal rules of the system and finds a way to extract gain that the other parties didn't intend/are aware of, is this any different? I find myself unsure of what i would do. I had better go to the store and find one of these situations, so that i can find out! :wink: Honestly, Squirrel Bait has identified the crux of the matter here, i think....

phideaux | 04-13-2008 11:47 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Just think how many times the cash register has gone against you in the past. You just got it all back in one transaction. :rolleyes_m:

ShirleyUGeste | 04-13-2008 11:48 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Osaka (Post 1059462) An employee who was poorly treated or poorly paid, who hated his manager would be less likely to care about undercharging a customer. An employee who was well paid, well treated and liked the manager would be more likely to fix the error, if he spotted it.
And sometimes people just make mistakes, and it doesn't have anything to do with anything else. I'm sorry, but I disagree with you, Silver Addiction. There's a difference between getting away with something and doing the right thing. Trying to justify your actions by saying the error wasn't your fault, or you paid what you were asked to pay, or that you've been overcharged on some other occassion....all of that is just rationalization. It doesn't make it right. By the way, most grocers operate on a 2% margin. That means that for every $1.00 sale, the grocer makes 2 cents. That grocer now has to sell $825 worth of goods in order to recoup the $16.50 LOSS he sustained on merchandise that you didn't pay for. How is that fair?

thorgrim | 04-14-2008 12:51 AM
Re: A little food buying secret A lot of good arguments on both sides of this debate. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable doing what silver_addiction did. If I caught it after I had paid I probably wouldn't bother trying to correct the mistake but I wouldn't go looking to do it. Others here have said that stealing is never right even if it is done to you first. To these parties I have to ask if you could somehow steal directly from the Fed and get away with it you wouldn't do it? The fed steals your hard earned money every day with inflation. If you're playing a rigged game and know it, will you still play by the rules?

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 10:50 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059270) I don't consider this stealing as I brought an item up, and paid what the store asked me to pay. I changes no labels and altered the product in no way. This is a simple case of the stock boy storing the bulk box on the shelf for later opening.
Sure, it was a mistake and it came out in your favor. Someone will end up paying for the mistake, though. Maybe not you, maybe not me but SOMEONE will have to work a little harder now to pay for your "free" mac & cheese. But don't think about that...you may get dyspeptic. Enjoy your macaroni. :thumpdown

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 11:08 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1059339) No, I don't care. And I will be keeping an eye out in the future for more deals. I respect your personal feelings. And if this is not agreeable to you, just don't do it. I am constantly getting raped on my food purchases. So your justification is stealing from someone who steals from you is okay? Ghandi would be proud. Maybe the price wans't right, the price they py their employees 7.15 an hour for their labor..... maybe that isn't right, does that grant the employees the right to take a longer break, or eat food in the back without paying??? I mean come on man, are you for real? Who really gives a shit about these huge wall street share holding operations? I would do this to wal-mart all day every day. If it was a local small grocer or small natural foods store I would agree with you.
This is exactly the same logic that says, "It's okay to cheat on my wife because she doesn't fix my dinner on time or fold my underwear correctly. Besides, it wasn't really ' cheating' it was just a 'Lewinsky'". A little cheating is still cheating and a little stealing is still stealing, not matter how you justify it to assuage your guilt. The Commandment is "Thou shall not steal." Note the period denoting the end of the sentence. There is no "...unless...". To take something that isn't rightfully yours, whether for free or for a discount you don't deserve, whether by force or fraud is stealing. You, my misguided friend are a thief.

Goldeneye | 04-14-2008 11:14 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061115) This is exactly the same logic that says, "It's okay to cheat on my wife because she doesn't fix my dinner on time or fold my underwear correctly. Besides, it wasn't really ' cheating' it was just a 'Lewinsky'". A little cheating is still cheating and a little stealing is still stealing, not matter how you justify it to assuage your guilt. The Commandment is "Thou shall not steal." Note the period denoting the end of the sentence. There is no "...unless...". To take something that isn't rightfully yours, whether for free or for a discount you don't deserve, whether by force or fraud is stealing. You, my misguided friend are a thief.
EXCELLENT RESPONSE :applause_ :applause_ :applause_ :applause_

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 11:17 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1060273) Again, thank you to all of you and just to let you know I am keeping the one box I paid for and giving the rest to the food pantry.
The food doesn't rightfully belong to the food pantry, either. Why not carry them back to the store, show the manager the receipt, explain what happened and offer to pay of the other 11 boxes. If he say's "forget about it" then the 11 boxes are rightfully yours. After all...you were WILLING to buy all 12 boxes at $1.50 each, weren't you? And if you point the mistake out to the manager, he'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Either way, you'll be a hero. Make it an opportunity to be a better person. I guess I should read the whole thread before I respond.

phideaux | 04-14-2008 11:30 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061125) Why not carry them back to the store, show the manager the receipt, explain what happened and offer to pay of the other 11 boxes. If he say's "forget about it" then the 11 boxes are rightfully yours. After all...you were WILLING to buy all 12 boxes at $1.50 each, weren't you? And if you point the mistake out to the manager, he'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Either way, you'll be a hero. Make it an opportunity to be a better person.
I think this is the win-win solution. I would bet an oz of gold that the store manager would insist that you keep the extra 11 boxes.

Iptuous | 04-14-2008 11:38 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Nobody has mentioned a similar situation where a store prints an advertisement in a newspaper for a special that, due to some error, is 'extra-special'. Many people would hold them to it. Would those that are calling the current situation stealing, call that stealing as well?

GoldRocks | 04-14-2008 11:59 AM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction I kinda regret posting this thread and I feel it has been over analyzed and taken out of context.
Don't sweat it. This place can do that sometimes. :wink:

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 12:07 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061152) Nobody has mentioned a similar situation where a store prints an advertisement in a newspaper for a special that, due to some error, is 'extra-special'. Many people would hold them to it. Would those that are calling the current situation stealing, call that stealing as well?
You can try to hold a store to a misprinted price, but courts have repeatedly ruled that stores are under no obligation to honor advertising misprints. If the store lets you have it for the misprinted price, it's not stealing because, well, they are acknowledging the mistake. I've also gone to the store and there has been a sign on the door stating that the advertised price for x y or z was a misprint and the actual price is...

qatarman1969 | 04-14-2008 12:10 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by ajrocks (Post 1059367) On the other side I have bought cat, dog and tuna fish that rang up as the case price and if I wasn't watching they would have sold single cans for 3-5 dollars, so I'm not really worried about what he did. They rape us when they can. So why not rape them?
Because 2 wrongs don't make a right...?

qatarman1969 | 04-14-2008 12:14 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by johnlvs2run (Post 1060185) A lot of people sure have missed the plot on this thread. The price of the box was $1.50 for the box, and that's the price that was paid for the box by the OP. The store marked the price on the box, and has been stated already, that's the price that they had to accept. Certainly if the store had overcharged, they would have said nothing. I've never ever seen a manager or employee of a store run up to me or anyone else and say they charged too much as the price was too high, and give back a refund of the overage. In this case, as the box was $1.50, this means each can on the shelf from a box should have been 12.5 cents apiece. If the store was charging $1.50 for each can, they they were overcharging every person who bought a can by $1.37 on each can! I wonder if the store noticed THAT mistake at the register???? Anyway I'm sure all the stores have read this thread by now, and that mistake won't happen again.
You're being sarcastic, right? You either forgot the sarcasm icon, or you win the gold medal in mental gymnastics! :bear_tongue: Clearly what happened was that each box was priced at $1.50, and that price was coded into the computer system when the scanner reads the UPC barcode. When the OP brought the case up, the teller scanned ONE of the 12 boxes in the case. He/she SHOULD have then multiplied the scanned price by 12 (the number of boxes in the case), but didn't because he either didn't know or didn't care.

Iptuous | 04-14-2008 12:21 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061190) You can try to hold a store to a misprinted price, but courts have repeatedly ruled that stores are under no obligation to honor advertising misprints. If the store lets you have it for the misprinted price, it's not stealing because, well, they are acknowledging the mistake. I've also gone to the store and there has been a sign on the door stating that the advertised price for x y or z was a misprint and the actual price is...
That is a good point. But I would be hesitant to call OPs actions theft since there was no use of force or (arguably) deception. At some point you have to chalk it up to a bad business decision (e.g. system automation and it's inherent problems) on the part of the seller and fair game for the buyer, but I'm still on the fence here. (haven't yet found a similar situation to test myself with yet:wink:)

silverblood | 04-14-2008 12:37 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061152) Nobody has mentioned a similar situation where a store prints an advertisement in a newspaper for a special that, due to some error, is 'extra-special'. Many people would hold them to it. Would those that are calling the current situation stealing, call that stealing as well?
In the case of an advertisement, the error could result from a misquote by the advertiser, or an error by the publisher. There is not a cut and dried answer. There is no rule, and law should not be the governing principle. Conscience and morality should be. People make mistakes. People also employ deceptive practices, like the old bait and switch scam. Mistakes are human, deception is wrong. A moral person will do his best to discern the situation and will act in accordance with his conscience. That is the best we can do.

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 01:11 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061207) That is a good point. But I would be hesitant to call OPs actions theft since there was no use of force or (arguably) deception. At some point you have to chalk it up to a bad business decision (e.g. system automation and it's inherent problems) on the part of the seller and fair game for the buyer, but I'm still on the fence here. (haven't yet found a similar situation to test myself with yet:wink:)
I agree that there was no force involved. I'll also grant you that there was no deception at the time the purchase was made. But at some point, the realization was made that 12 boxes were obtained for the price of 1, and it should be obvious to any reasonable person that this was a mistake, and the poster even acknowledges it: "...I came across something that I hope will happen again, becsaue it is a great little trick." The poster acknowledges he knew what the price was supposed to be: "These boxes happened to be 1.50 each, which is not cheap..." The poster assuages his guilt by justifying his actions to fit his own personal definition of theft: "I don't consider this stealing as I brought an item up, and paid what the store asked me to pay. I changes no labels and altered the product in no way." The poster acknowledges that this has happened before (so it's a scam familiar to him) and states his intent to continue the scam: "I will keep a lookout for this with other stuff, I know the same thing has happened before when buying jet-dry for the dishwasher - the 12 pack rang up as a single one." The poster admits he knows exactly WHY the scam works: "It doesn't work on the five packs of tuna, as they are designed to be sold like that. This is a simple case of the stock boy storing the bulk box on the shelf for later opening." The poster is encouraging others to employ similar deception, and even provides a convenient excuse if you're caught: "If you happen to see soups, pastas, ect - hidden in the back of the shelf, in the shipping box, try putting them in the cart and see if the same thing happens for you when you checkout. If not, just say you don't want it." The poster knows what he did was wrong - he said as much in his original post. The only question now is will the poster do the right thing and offer to pay the store back. The degradation of society into immorality affects all of us.

Caligula | 04-14-2008 01:27 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061261) I agree that there was no force involved. I'll also grant you that there was no deception at the time the purchase was made. But at some point, the realization was made that 12 boxes were obtained for the price of 1, and it should be obvious to any reasonable person that this was a mistake, and the poster even acknowledges it: "...I came across something that I hope will happen again, becsaue it is a great little trick." The poster acknowledges he knew what the price was supposed to be: "These boxes happened to be 1.50 each, which is not cheap..." The poster assuages his guilt by justifying his actions to fit his own personal definition of theft: "I don't consider this stealing as I brought an item up, and paid what the store asked me to pay. I changes no labels and altered the product in no way." The poster acknowledges that this has happened before (so it's a scam familiar to him) and states his intent to continue the scam: "I will keep a lookout for this with other stuff, I know the same thing has happened before when buying jet-dry for the dishwasher - the 12 pack rang up as a single one." The poster admits he knows exactly WHY the scam works: "It doesn't work on the five packs of tuna, as they are designed to be sold like that. This is a simple case of the stock boy storing the bulk box on the shelf for later opening." The poster is encouraging others to employ similar deception, and even provides a convenient excuse if you're caught: "If you happen to see soups, pastas, ect - hidden in the back of the shelf, in the shipping box, try putting them in the cart and see if the same thing happens for you when you checkout. If not, just say you don't want it." The poster knows what he did was wrong - he said as much in his original post. The only question now is will the poster do the right thing and offer to pay the store back. The degradation of society into immorality affects all of us.
I agree 100%. The original post was not taken out of context, and now he's just backpedaling.... I'm not judging....I'm just saying...:wink:

Iptuous | 04-14-2008 02:03 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061261) ...The poster knows what he did was wrong - he said as much in his original post...
To be fair, he didn't say anything about whether his actions were right or wrong. He simply described the facts of the matter, and in -your book- it falls under the 'wrong' category. I think it's rather grey. In my last post, i was simply saying that i have a hard time calling his action, 'theft', as many here have called it. Do you believe that his actions were -theft-?

mightyspuds | 04-14-2008 02:37 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Its simply a matter of right and wrong. If nothing else I believe every action has a reaction attached.Do something 'wrong' and it will bite you. IMO if you are going to steal at least make it a couple million. Its your reputation,what will you sell it for? Hey,to each his own,Im not going to tempt Karma. I think in retrospect the OP probably has misgivings about this now.Then again,maybe not? Whatever,its his life.He can lead it as he pleases and reap what he sows as far as Im concerned.

mightyspuds | 04-14-2008 02:44 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Something else here.What happened was a mistake.Thats one thing. Store doesnt chase me down to correct their mistakes in their favor,I dont think he is obligated to do that for them. Its quite another thing to do it on purpose,to Steal.No grey area there.

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 02:47 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061366) To be fair, he didn't say anything about whether his actions were right or wrong. He simply described the facts of the matter, and in -your book- it falls under the 'wrong' category. I think it's rather grey. In my last post, i was simply saying that i have a hard time calling his action, 'theft', as many here have called it. Do you believe that his actions were -theft-?
Yes. He took advantage of the store's proprietor for personal enrichment at the proprietor's expense, and he acknowledges having done it before, so it was no accident. I don't know what book YOU use, but that rises to the level of theft in mine. There's nothing "grey" about it when the poster describes what he did as a "trick" and can tell you exactly what he did and why his scheme worked. It's just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. Put yourself in the shoes of the store's proprietor. One of the things that makes us civilized people is impulse control - part of that is not taking advantage of others' weaknesses just because we can. That's how barbarians act. Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean that we SHOULD, and people who tolerate such injustice by calling it a "grey area" are just as bad as the ones who perpetrate the crimes.

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Iptuous | 04-14-2008 03:02 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061440) ...Put yourself in the shoes of the store's proprietor...
If i were in the proprietor's shoes, I would feel like a dumbass, and fix the problem, stat. I take it you would feel like a victim? also, note that i have not given my endorsement to this activity. I simply said that i don't know if i see it as theft. and i don't know if i see it as morally black and white as you do. When the chips are down, however, I believe that we're on the same side. On a side note, I gotta say that i love your sig! that's pretty good.

trader_eric | 04-14-2008 03:58 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061459) If i were in the proprietor's shoes, I would feel like a dumbass, and fix the problem, stat. I take it you would feel like a victim? also, note that i have not given my endorsement to this activity. I simply said that i don't know if i see it as theft. and i don't know if i see it as morally black and white as you do. When the chips are down, however, I believe that we're on the same side.
I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I call them as I see them. And I'm not saying the OP is a bad person, either. I just think the poster did a bad thing. And I still believe the OP can make good on it and should. And I'm not trying to ride you either. I just think the most of the misery in the world comes from the "grey" areas and the moral relativists who lurk there. The proprietor probably will never know until someone tells him, and after the fact there'd be no way to know what the damage was, so this really is a case where you can "get away with it" completely scott-free. I realize it's petty...after all, what are we talking about...$16.50 worth of mac & cheese...it's not exactly the crime of the century. But the real test of one's morality is what you would do if there were no chance at all of getting caught, even if it's a "little" thing. If I were the store manager, I'd feel more like an idiot than a victim, but I'd probably, on reflection, not really be angry at anyone who got over on me like that. After all, that's just the way people are now, isn't it? If I were he and the OP brought it to my attention, the poster would automatically be a hero in my book, I'd let the OP keep it as a reward, and if he ever needed anything (like a special order) you can bet I'd never forget the favor he'd done me. I'd rather be the guy who runs into the burning house to save the baby instead of the guy who just keeps walking by, pretending not to notice. By, hey, that's me. I'm just poor white trash, but at least I can pretend like I'm noble, right? Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061459) On a side note, I gotta say that i love your sig! that's pretty good.
Thanks. I think it was Groucho Marx who said it. He's my favorite Marxist.

Iptuous | 04-14-2008 04:50 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061534) ...you can bet I'd never forget the favor he'd done me.
Interesting that you chose to call it a favor rather than, perhaps an 'obligation he fulfilled' or something. I know it was probably just said for the sake of simplicity, but there's still something in that, no?... Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1061534) I'd rather be the guy who runs into the burning house to save the baby instead of the guy who just keeps walking by, pretending not to notice.
Maybe the disagreement is in the particular circumstances that various people see doing a favor as a moral obligation? In a small town environment (a preferable circumstance, i believe) the OPs actions would probably garner a bad rap that would become well known quickly. In a suburban sprawl, alone in a crowd, the OP might be seen as a clever consumer. who knows.

LiquidFactor | 04-14-2008 04:59 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Store manager fired the stockboy for stealing, and now he's living in a van down by the river. Sorry, couldn't resist.

silver_addiction | 04-14-2008 05:51 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061366) To be fair, he didn't say anything about whether his actions were right or wrong. He simply described the facts of the matter, and in -your book- it falls under the 'wrong' category. I think it's rather grey. In my last post, i was simply saying that i have a hard time calling his action, 'theft', as many here have called it. Do you believe that his actions were -theft-?
that was the intent of the original post. I never said if it was right or wrong. I really don't feel there is a right of wrong or good of bad as it is simply a matter of perception with infinite variables. What one condiders "wrong" ie. the FED, others, ie. the benefactors, may consider right. The same applies to good and bad. What is bad for one may be good to the other party. I was simply putting this information out there, do as you please with it.

mightyspuds | 04-14-2008 06:18 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1061677) that was the intent of the original post. I never said if it was right or wrong. I really don't feel there is a right of wrong or good of bad as it is simply a matter of perception with infinite variables.
I do feel there is definitely a right and a wrong,and a good and a bad. SA,you disappoint me telling you see no difference between the 2. If I knew you,based on what you just said,I wouldnt be able to trust you as far as I could throw you.I wouldnt want you around if you can justify stealing as merely an action of infinite variables,a matter of YOUR perception?? Did I really read that right??? Glad my Momma taught me right from wrong,and what a reputation is and that your reputation is the most valuable thing you have. Guess thats just a quaint outdated notion. Such a shame,then again I guess some folks dont feel shame anymore either.

silver_addiction | 04-14-2008 07:49 PM
Re: A little food buying secret MY OPINION ON THE MATTER I do have my own opinions on what is right and wrong. And good and bad. But there is no really right or wrong, as I said, it is a perception. What good for some is bad for others, and what's right for some is wrong for others. This should be common knowlwedge. Take taxes, food stamps, the FED, ect. - they both would have arguments about if they are bad/good, right/wrong based on the believer's perception. I obviously didn't intentionally do anything "wrong" as I picked up an item and put it in my cart, paid for it - and when I got home I realized that there was an error. If i intentionally did it again, this would fit many people's paradigms as "bad" or "wrong" and I fully understand and appreciate that. It is actually refreshing to see so many people with "morals" that would be viewed as "good" by the masses. After reflecting on the matter little more I have decided that I will not do this particular action again, as it perpetuates greed, which I personally have no need for as I can afford everything I need and have little desire for material possessions. Obviously I need food, clothing and shelter, but I can easlily afford these things as I live a simple lifestlye of reading, gardeing, learning, and being active outside. We live in a time when "getting one over on the system" seems to be accepted and even condoned to a degree. Our government, and the corporations that grow up around them have this tactic forever etched in their every decision, which is the sole purpose food prices are up 80% in the past 3 years. Their sole purpose is to deprive individuals of all their wealth, which is "bad" for me and "good" for them. I personally am not going to spend MY time and money driving back to this particular store to return an item that was rung up worng on their behlaf. Just as they would not drive to my house to reimburse me if they double scanned an item or charged me the wrong amount for something, which has happened in the past. I posted this for people to do as they will with it. If someone is rasising a family and in a dire financial sitution due to corruption from the government/banking/corporate giant, this may or may not be beneficial to them. Sure, you will pass judgement in them, but is that really your place? Maybe, maybe not, that is not my concern or decision, as I know that I need to judge no man, I live my life through my own paradigm, as we all do. Everyone hase reasons and justifications for their actions, and in a perfect world there would be plenty for everyone, no hunger, no war, no sick, no homeless, ect. Unfortuantly there are few haves, and many have nots. Most of this is not becasue of lack of skills, morals, dedication, perseverence - but a simple preplanned and dynamic group of corporate/banking/government elites who use any means necessary to take all your human effort and extort it for their benefit. I agree with the sentiment that in a small business, small health food chain, mom and pop, ect., this practice would be in bad character. And even with a large chain, I still have some reservations, for a company like walmart who i despise, I really wouldn't care if someone defrauded them, as they are doing to millions around the entire globe. It reminds me of people getting a feeling of satisfaction watching the neighborood bully get a beating of his own, after ridiculing or beating up people all his life. We might jump back and say, "OH MY GOD" hitting is wrong", and feeling that the people who beat up the bully are going to get "bad karma" of some other nonsense, when in reality this "karma" may just be completing it's course. I know people maintain strong feelings on certain subjects, and I think debate is great. And I also feel that a lot of people are cowards, and just type or say what they think is the "good" thing for the moment. And I am also sure people could go into a lenghty discussion attempting to refute anything I, or anyone else says, making many scenario's and what not to further their paradigm/belief system. Thinking back over this original post, I am really happy that I decided to post it, as it is a basic tenet of civilation to maintain honesty, which by doing this action again, intentionally, would be counter-productive to civilation as a whole, and that is something I personally don't have the need or desire the need to participate in. They say to lead by example, and I seemed to have forgotten that, living in a world where deceit, greed and manipulation seem to be the flavor fo the day. I want to thank everyone for participating in this discussion, and hope to have further meaningful conversation with many of the like-minded people I have conversed with and participated in the exchange of ideas with on this website.

mightyspuds | 04-14-2008 08:36 PM
Re: A little food buying secret But we all judge people every day.I wouldnt walk down the street in the Ghetto,may as well put a target on me. I wouldnt walk into the gang turf areas,I know bad people will kill you there for just being on their turf.I wouldnt invite gang bangers to live with me,judgment call ! So we all do indeed make judgment calls on people all the time.If we didnt excercise good judgment we would be in a world of trouble. SA,glad you wouldnt want to make a practice of this,that would be wrong. I also wouldnt go back to the grocery store if it was a mistake on their part unless a lot more than 15 bucks involved.Costs me 8 bucks just to drive there,FWIW.I'm Using the logic that they dont reciprocate to me when the mistake is theirs. And they do know Jolly well they make a lot of 'mistakes' in their favor,on purpose.This has been shown time and again that the 'mistakes' tend to run in their favor a large majority of the time.More than just a coincidence. I think in this instance,if a mistake,then indeed Karma has played out.

mightyspuds | 04-14-2008 08:52 PM
Re: A little food buying secret IMO,the Walmart is the evil empire argument, that they rape you,therefore defrauding them is fine,is not valid. You have a choice to not go to Wally,you have a choice to not give them your money. While I think Wally sucks,and I DONT shop there,to steal from them is still wrong.Theft is theft,and a thief is a thief in my book.I dont like thieves. Thats pretty black and white to me,FWIW.

Krugerrand | 04-14-2008 11:05 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by silver_addiction (Post 1061842) I posted this for people to do as they will with it.
What I will do with the information you've posted is keep a mental note that you are one GIM member not to be trusted. Let me paint a picture for you as a sort of parallel: Occasionally folks here will buy/sell/trade with each other for PMs or whathaveyou, because it beats paying the dealers' spreads and dealing with the middlemen. Obviously a high amount of trust is involved. I'd hate to accidentally send you an extra $300 for some deal we've made and have you decide to keep it. What a good "deal" you just got! You could even make a thread detailing what a sucker I was, and to suggest that others be on the lookout for such "deals" as you call them. You may not call this "stealing," per se, as you didn't walk up to me and dip your hand into my pocket and pull out the money, but you did knowingly keep something that wasn't yours, whether you gained it by the store's error or not (your first post clearly indicates that you've done this sort of thing before, know how it works, and plan to do it in the future... you encouraged others to do the same). One would hope that you'd have the integrity and honesty to point out the store's error to them. You may have a warped view of right and wrong, but you can at least understand the meanings of integrity and honesty. Since you already posted that you've done this sort of thing before and look out for this "deal" all the time, and that you would've simply said you didn't want the case had the checkout clerk caught you, so to speak, your whole post about not realizing the mistake until you got home is contradictory, to put it in the nicest term possible. Others would call it plain old bullshit. First impressions are rarely forgotten, and good reputations are much easier to lose than they are to gain. Shame that this was the very first post of yours I can recall reading at GIM.

Rebel Yarr | 04-14-2008 11:10 PM
Re: A little food buying secret happens once - whatever - go out looking for it - bad karma and stealing IMO.

GreenSpirit | 04-14-2008 11:17 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Avalon (Post 1059656) Silver addiction, I don't make judgements but a situation like that would not work for me. In the last few years I have been experiencing what I can only describe as instant karma. Anytime I try and take advantage of any situation it bites me in the ass almost instantly. I have been run over by the karma bus one time too many and have leaned to submit. Also if you have kids you have to be cautious about grey lines like that. They tend to mimic us and then take it and run with it. May I take advantage of this post and insert Lennon's version of Instant Karma, not because I am chastising you but because its such a damn great song. :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqP3wT5lpa4
That was great! Thanks. I think Yoko should have gotten a Grammy award for that. Is there a Grammy category for blind-folded knitting? :D

Scorpio | 04-15-2008 12:07 AM
Re: A little food buying secret just a stupid little idea of mine regarding this, if you as OP are now seeing it in a different light, and state-'I won't go back there, but I also will not do it again.........' what if you did go back there, and you did explain it to the manager, so that person was aware of what was happening, and could correct his system to make allowances for this crack in the armor? We all pay when stuff like this happens. A retailer must make up for slippage and theft through markups on other or all items as part of the cost of doing business. S

GreenSpirit | 04-15-2008 12:11 AM
Re: A little food buying secret You don't even have to do it in person. Anonymous call from a pay phone or slip a note under the door. You'll feel better.

BeeYourself | 04-15-2008 01:52 AM
Re: A little food buying secret As an employer, I can attest to the fact that there is no such thing as a well paid employee. If you pay them the sun and moon they will still want more even if the company is losing its ass each day. You have to dig deep into the reaches of a 3rd world country to find content employees and that is illegal now. I think your transaction is stealing because you premeditated it. Would I give a crap if walmart failed to charge me the right amount? Not a chance, but since you have a clue, you know the score. You must deal with that in whatever form you choose to deal with it in. If it takes on no form, then god speed. Your deals are yours to deal with alone. The wise choice is to just keep it to yourself and be happy the world favored you this time. Maybe you will need it some day.

trader_eric | 04-15-2008 01:40 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by Iptuous (Post 1061593) Interesting that you chose to call it a favor rather than, perhaps an 'obligation he fulfilled' or something. I know it was probably just said for the sake of simplicity, but there's still something in that, no?... Maybe the disagreement is in the particular circumstances that various people see doing a favor as a moral obligation? In a small town environment (a preferable circumstance, i believe) the OPs actions would probably garner a bad rap that would become well known quickly. In a suburban sprawl, alone in a crowd, the OP might be seen as a clever consumer. who knows.
Good catch. One has an obligation only insofar as one has a sense of duty - either to the law or a higher power, or another person. For example a Jew eats unleavened bread during Pesach because of his sense of duty to obey Mosaic law, whereas a Christian is free to eat a roast beef & swiss on rye. In this case, the OP really has no obligation under the law. He only has an obligation to his own sense of morality - and the only sense you have of a persons morality are the actions he takes. It's not what they say, it's what they do. In this case the OP does not think he was taking an unfair advantage of the grocer. Fine. Some of us think he was. In either case we know now a little more about this gentleman's value system and sense of morality. Why do you think he would get a bad rep in a small town for doing what he did? Because chances are better that someone he knows will find out about it. "Alone in a crowd" he will be seen as a clever innovator - just like one of the anonymous looters who threw a trash can through a window to better loot a liquor store after Katrina. The second guy through the window probably thinks the smasher was a "clever consumer". After all, the liquor store owner has been ripping us off for years and everyone else is looting anyway so I might as well get mine. Scorn is a powerful tool to keep our baser impulses in check.

Seleukus Nikator | 04-15-2008 02:01 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by elroy (Post 1059284) I just returned from the grocery store [Krogers] I actually saw a 150 oz jug of laundry detergent that was $17.48 That's right $17.48 for a bottle of laundry soap. ...
come on, you forgot to mention it's concentrate and does three times as many loads. or maybe you didnt notice.

Professur | 04-15-2008 02:44 PM
Re: A little food buying secret http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/e...en/01262e.html The rules as it stands in Canuckistan. If there's no price tag on an item and it scans for the wrong price, the purchaser has the right to a $10 discount on the first item (or the item free if the correct price is under $10) and the correct price on any subsequent items.

Iptuous | 04-15-2008 02:57 PM
Re: A little food buying secret Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_eric (Post 1063051) Why do you think he would get a bad rep in a small town for doing what he did? Because chances are better that someone he knows will find out about it. "Alone in a crowd" he will be seen as a clever innovator - just like one of the anonymous looters who threw a trash can through a window to better loot a liquor store after Katrina. The second guy through the window probably thinks the smasher was a "clever consumer". After all, the liquor store owner has been ripping us off for years and everyone else is looting anyway so I might as well get mine.
There is some truth in what you're saying, but that's not quite what i meant. what i was getting at is: In a 'small town environment', the grocer doesn't have to wear a name tag because he goes to your church and his kids are friends with your kids, etc. When you shop at his store, you are conducting person to person business, and so there is an obligation to honor the assumed and obvious intent of the other party. He would feel bad if you got a bad apple in your sack beyond simply the profit impact that it might have due to loss of business, etc. When your 'alone in the crowd', the supermarket seems like a machine. The ownership is distributed among investors, the losses due to theft and system failure are factored in, the operators are not personally vested (other than a lost bonus), etc. If you got the bad apple in your sack, the proprietor wouldn't care beyond the profit impact of customer dissatisfaction as indicated in some actuarial table in some manual somewhere. It's an inanimate thing, and figuring out how to maximize gain from it, even through an obvious 'bug' in the system might be seen as figuring out a clever way of solving a puzzle. Please note that these are not necessarily the views that I hold (they are overly simplified), but they are a perception that is obviously out there, and I have a hard time denying that there is -some- truth in them....

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