# Accidentally dropped a bagel while trying to put it in the bag. Was I supposed to pay for it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243 "2013-12-27T00:00:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/1 "2013-12-27T00:00:47Z")
My friend wants to know. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/2 "2013-12-27T00:06:21Z")
Where I shop, if it were accidental, I’d say no. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/3 "2013-12-27T00:14:30Z")
Probably not. Grocery stores throw out a lot of spoiled food. I doubt they’d care about one additional dropped bagel, I would probably hand it to someone and tell him it was dropped accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/4 "2013-12-27T00:32:10Z")
No. But, as **Leaffan** points out, don’t just walk away from it, or worse, pick it up and put it back into the bin. Let a store clerk know. I’m presuming it’s in a supermarket. At a specialty bakery, I couldn’t think of a circumstance that would have the customer handling the baked goods before buying them. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/5 "2013-12-27T00:40:03Z")
Does the five second rule apply here? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/6 "2013-12-27T00:57:37Z")
If it’s an everything bagel, dropping it makes no difference, since it’s already topped with whatever they swept up from the floor. right? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/7 "2013-12-27T01:02:17Z")
I would be very surprised if any supermarket or bakery would expect you to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/8 "2013-12-27T01:08:22Z")
Apropos of nothing, I once saw a donut fall out of a bag of an old guy who appeared to be senile. I chased the rolling donut across the parking lot and caught it, then said to to store clerk who was helping the old guy “I think you better get him a new one”. The five second rule doesn’t apply in smelly oily parking lots. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/9 "2013-12-27T01:41:02Z")
Absolutely not. The store puts them out for self-serve, so some are going to hit the floor. If they don’t want that to happen, they should have them in a case with someone to bag them for you. ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/10 "2013-12-27T01:50:54Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > No. But, as **Leaffan** points out, don’t just walk away from it, or worse, pick it up and put it back into the bin. Let a store clerk know. > > I’m presuming it’s in a supermarket. At a specialty bakery, I couldn’t think of a circumstance that would have the customer handling the baked goods before buying them. Yep, supermarket. There wasn’t anyone in the bakery area. There was a handy trash can right next to it, though. I suppose I should have let the cashier know, who would have probably put it in the ‘things I couldn’t possibly care less about’ file. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/11 "2013-12-27T02:29:26Z")
I think it is proper to offer to pay for something I’ve dropped and spoiled, and I anticipate it’s pretty common for businesses to decline, but if they wanted to be paid I’d pay them. If they did not want to be paid for it, I’d apologize and thank them. ---
**Author:** ![AlaskanMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@AlaskanMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlaskanMatt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/12 "2013-12-27T02:34:56Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I think it is proper to offer to pay for something I’ve dropped and spoiled, and I anticipate it’s pretty common for businesses to decline, but if they wanted to be paid I’d pay them. If they did not want to be paid for it, I’d apologize and thank them. I agree with this, personally. Similar to “you break it, you buy it” in my opinion. The only caveat would be if, say, the store stacked something (like bagels) carelessly and that is what caused it to fall to the floor. But if I simply dropped it, yeah I’d probably at least offer to pay. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/13 "2013-12-27T02:36:54Z")
Seems relevant: > [@](#): > > Jesse: Dude, it’s called ‘breakage’ okay? Like K-Mart. Shit breaks. > > Walter: And you’re thinking this is acceptable? > > Jesse: It’s the cost of business, yo. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/14 "2013-12-27T02:48:57Z")
> [@AlaskanMatt](#): > > I agree with this, personally. Similar to “you break it, you buy it” in my opinion. I don’t think “you break it, you buy it” has any legal meaning. See [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery_Barn_rule). ---
**Author:** ![AlaskanMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@AlaskanMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlaskanMatt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/15 "2013-12-27T02:51:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t think “you break it, you buy it” has any legal meaning. See [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery_Barn_rule). I never said the person would legally be obliged to pay for it. Just what I would personally do. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/16 "2013-12-27T04:41:11Z")
Medium sized muckety-muck at giant sized (thousands of stores) supermarket company here. The best we hope for is that you do NOT put it back in the bin, and if we are really lucky, you might tell an employee about it. Next best is that you put it in the rubbish bin we provide for the little tissue thingies. Actually for a bagel, the employee isn’t even expected to record the spoilage. Her might for a $3.50 loaf of bread or a $12.99 cake that got ruined. A friend of ours dropped her daughters’ Beauty and the Beast sheet cake in the parking lot. The biggest thing our bakery staff were concerned about was getting a replacement ready in time for the party. We make a huge margin on bakery items. A lot goes unsoldanyway, the chances that the bagel you dropped would actually cost us a dime (actually closer to a quarter) is pretty small. Most likely it just represented one fewer bagel sent to the food bank. Between 10 and 20% of our bake volume goes there. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiveCatUmbrellaNegroTeller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TubaDiveCatUmbrellaNegroTeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiveCatUmbrellaNegroTeller)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/17 "2013-12-27T04:52:11Z")
Yes, you always pay bagels. This is slang for prostitues right? ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/18 "2013-12-27T05:05:07Z")
I would say ‘no’. It’s not yours until you buy it. I accidentally dropped a punnet of blueberries on Christmas Eve when I was buying the fruit and veg. I felt awful about it and made sure the store knew so that the fallen fruit wouldn’t be a hazard but they certainly didn’t expect me to pay for them. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/19 "2013-12-27T05:13:21Z")
If I had to pay for everything I dropped or knocked over in the market, my grocery budget would increase considerably. Just a few weeks ago, I somehow managed to knock over an entire display of packaged food items at 7-11. Whenever possible, I try to report my mishaps, or if that’s not possible, either straighten up or toss any damaged goods. No one has ever suggested that I should pay for the ones that got away. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243/20 "2013-12-27T06:35:19Z")
In a large grocery store, I don’t think you’re expected to pay for anything that you accidentally drop. If you make a mess, tell someone so they can clean it up, pick up the glass, etc. A dropped bagel? I’d probably hand it to the bakery staff and say, “Sorry - I dropped this one.” If there was no one there, I’d set it off to the side, I think - definitely not back in the bin. On a somewhat-related note, I ordered a bagel for breakfast at a food court one day, and the staff person dropped it on the floor behind the counter, brushed the bagel off, and tried to serve it to me. I was all, “You just dropped that one on the floor. Do you think I could have one THAT WASN’T JUST DROPPED ON THE FLOOR?!?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-dropped-a-bagel-while-trying-to-put-it-in-the-bag-was-i-supposed-to-pay-for-it/677243.md?page=2)