When Thrift Becomes Theft

[Jemima]

They will be causing a lot of extra work for staff and inconvence for the regular person just looking for samples.
Too bad all around!!!

I agree. As usual, the innocent end up suffering for the guilty.

[iris lily]

Copyright DOES mean very little. Just check out Youtube to see all kinds of entertainment video that is under copyright.

[Tiam]

So, nobody here ever takes a couple of items from the 'free breakfasts' at hotels for later in the day? Gosh, please don't take this wrong, but I know I've had 'free breakfasts' while staying somewhere and taken fruit or something for later.

[artist]

That would majorly aggrivate me as well. I'm always amazed at what people will do in the name of frugality.

[herbgeek]

My brother's girlfriend thinks "free sample" means take as many as you can fit in your oversized purse. Its embarrassing. The vendor is giving away samples to lots of people to entice them to use the product. Taking 10 or 20 or more defeats the vendor's intentions.

[catherine]

Yes, you hit another raw nerve, Jemima! Pirating music is taking money out of the artist's pocket--and most artists don't have money to spare. It's crime to rob them, of all people.

[fidgiegirl]

So, nobody here ever takes a couple of items from the 'free breakfasts' at hotels for later in the day? Gosh, please don't take this wrong, but I know I've had 'free breakfasts' while staying somewhere and taken fruit or something for later.

I thought the same thing, Tiam Maybe not 3-4 muffins, but a banana, for sure . . .

[catherine]

I thought the same thing, Tiam Maybe not 3-4 muffins, but a banana, for sure . . .

I guess from an ethical point of view, you could ask what the hotel's intentions and expectations are, and you could ask yourself, "What would happen if everyone did what I am doing?" (Kind of an application of Kant's Universal Law)

So, in this case, the hotel probably expects and even wants you to take the pens and shampoos, but they clearly don't want you filling your suitcase with towels. If everyone filled their suitcases with towels, they'd have to raise the room rates by $20-30 and so everyone would suffer--even those who don't want to bring home towels.

A banana is not a caseload of towels. Nor are a couple of muffins. But the intention of the hotelier is to provide breakfast, not breakfast and lunch. To me, a banana is grey area, but if everyone planned on funding their lunch with breakfast muffins taken out of the breakfast area, they'd probably have to stop offering free breakfast, or they'd have to raise their rates. Again, everyone suffers.

[iris lily]

Along this same line, but further along the continuum of grey, is: sneaking your own food into a movie theater. Now, that is not stealing. But it is the theater management's intention that IF you are going to eat, THEY feed you. The food stand is their profit center.

Years ago I would have taken in a sandwich, but now-nope--because I saw the result of theaters no making money. There was a period where there were no functioning movie theaters in our city (within the city limits.) And that was hard to take!

Seldom is a cause and effect so clearly demonstrated for Iris.

And, it is lovely that wine is now on the menu at upscale and art house theaters. One of them even has a full scale bar.

[Miss Cellane]

Along this same line, but further along the continuum of grey, is: sneaking your own food into a movie theater. Now, that is not stealing. But it is the theater management's intention that IF you are going to eat, THEY feed you. The food stand is their profit center.

Years ago I would have taken in a sandwich, but now-nope--because I saw the result of theaters no making money. There was a period where there were no functioning movie theaters in our city (within the city limits.) And that was hard to take!

Seldom is a cause and effect so clearly demonstrated for Iris.

And, it is lovely that wine is now on the menu at upscale and art house theaters. One of them even has a full scale bar.

This one I think is kind of a gray area. Some theaters have signs posted stating that outside food is not allowed. Others do not. You could interpret that to mean that some theaters allow outside food to be brought in. (It's a moot question for me because I don't eat at the movies.)