# .50 cents: enforceable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-cents-enforceable/695935>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-cents-enforceable/695935 "2014-08-19T19:59:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-cents-enforceable/695935/21 "2014-08-20T19:16:01Z")

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> [@Keeve](#):
>
> A half century ago, I was in 6th grade and the bakery in the supermarket had the price of brownnies at “.10¢” I tried to get ten for a penny. No dice. I’m still upset about it.

Worse yet, they probably tried to bait-and-switch and sell you brownies instead of brownnies. 😉

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-cents-enforceable/695935/22 "2014-08-21T07:27:38Z")

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> [@SpeedwayRyan](#):
>
> Worse yet, they probably tried to bait-and-switch and sell you brownies instead of brownnies. 😉

As long as they didn’t give you bronies…

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**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-cents-enforceable/695935/23 "2014-08-21T23:44:00Z")

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Te first response nailed it (as far as Common Law is concerned):

An Advertisement is NOT an offer to sell; it is a solicitation of an offer to buy.

These is why you can’t rush to a store and get the deal of a lifetime because of a typo in the ad, or note that the ad was not specific to a time and place, and take it from Smallville in 1960 to Megopolis in 2000 and demand they honor the ad.  
Yes, you have an ancient ad and you are offering $.15, I decline your offer; Would you like to offer me $10? No? Have a nice day (somewhere else, bozo).

As mentioned, there are local laws about marking up pre-existing inventory (your marked price reflects what you paid for it; you don’t get a bonus for being unable to move a product before the price went up. AIUI, here are places which forbid the marking up - period. You cannot legally put a $30.00 sticker over the old $20.00 sticker.  
Now that everthing is scanned and the price set by computer (thereby eliminating 2/3 of a stock clerk’s job), I have no idea if any of those laws still exist or how they are enforced.

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