# Am I right to be mad at retailer for not selling me an item they're holding for someone else? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259 "2010-03-21T18:57:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/41 "2010-03-22T03:48:57Z")
> [@steadierfooting](#): > > However I was also a complete ass to customers on the phone. If they ever called to ask if an item was stocked I’d always give some bs answer like, “i’m sorry we’re too busy to do inventory checks – you’ll have to come in or call back later”. Get off your ass and drive down to the store or order it online. At which point most of those people probably just called the next store that would likely have the item and bought it from them because that person said “Hold on while I go check…yes we do have it in stock” ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/42 "2010-03-22T03:50:17Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > The agreement was between the store and the other customer, you have no dog in this fight. If you wish to make a offer, such as a immediate payment that is your option and it is the stores to accept or deny, again you have no dog in this fight and should go no further. No dog in the fight? Do you know what this means? The agreement between the holdee and the store isn’t the fight. The fight is between **Vernon** and the store, and he most certainly does have a dog in it. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/43 "2010-03-22T04:00:30Z")
If you are mad, then you are entirely right to be mad. You have every right not to shop there ever again. You can feel free to tell your friends to do the same. The business OTOH, is entirely in their rights not to sell it to you. Apparently, they felt that it was better to hold the item for whomever they expected to buy it. I’ve no idea if their decision was good business, but your decision to be mad is entirely based in reason. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/44 "2010-03-22T04:05:25Z")
Working at Gamestop, we typically only held items for one day, but we would make exceptions for regulars. We’d rather piss off a random walk-in than piss off someone who buys from us every other day. It doesn’t matter who’s right: Someone is going to be pissed off either way. That being said, I have no idea if the person they were holding it for might have been a regular. It might have been an employee who was waiting to get paid (we did this at our store as well - “Only one copy left of _Way of the Samurai 2_, don’t get paid until Friday… ah well, we’ll tell them it’s on hold.” Who knows what’s actually going on behind the scenes? ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/45 "2010-03-22T11:52:37Z")
It can go either way- some stores have policies such that they’ll hold items, and some don’t. However, if a store has a hold policy, it’s worse for them to break it than it is for someone to be mildly inconvenienced because an item is being held. So, you’re entitled to be as angry as you like, but I don’t think it’s justified. If you bother to call the store and make a fuss about how they lost your sale by following their own policies, though, you’re probably crossing the line into “cantankerous jerk” territory. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/46 "2010-03-22T13:28:44Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > No dog in the fight? Do you know what this means? The agreement between the holdee and the store isn’t the fight. The fight is between **Vernon** and the store, and he most certainly does have a dog in it. What’s his dog then, the store simply does not have the item he wants available for sale because of a verbal agreement to sell the one item that was available to another person. This may not have been a good deal for the store, but it’s their deal to make and once it is made the item is no longer for sale. The store offered to order the item for him, which seems reasonable. This reminds me of a time when a fast food restaurant, I think it was Burger King, ran out of fries or something, some people got really pissed, expecting it as a right to buy fries. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/47 "2010-03-22T14:12:56Z")
They have every right to hold it. You have every right to be miffed. I resent the implication that standing up and making your views known in a mature manner is somehow childish. This is why people get walked all over; because it’s somehow childish to calmly state your objections to something and point out someone else’s loss because of their behavior. No one is saying that will change the shop owner’s behavior. But Vernon definitely has a right to tell him. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/48 "2010-03-22T15:24:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > A business is built on integrity. The owner gave his word that he would hold the item. As good business practice, he should be keeping his word. > > You can argue that the owner could have said, “you need to pick it up by tomorrow” to the other customer. Or “I’ll hold it, but if someone else asks for it, I’ll sell and order another.” But the owner seems to have said, “I will hold it for you.” > > That’s a promise. Keeping a promise is known as “integrity.” The owner is 100% in the right here. I agree that the promise, once given, should be kept. I just don’t agree that the promise should have been given in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/49 "2010-03-22T16:06:36Z")
It seems as though, despite being mildly inconvenienced, the OP made out better in the long run. You said you can get the item at a savings online, right? Anyway, I can see both being annoyed at the store and the store’s wanting to honor a promise they made to another customer. It was silly for them to tell you they had the item in stock and were holding it for someone else, though - for all intents and purposes, the item was not available, so why tell you they’ve got one anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/50 "2010-03-22T16:22:52Z")
You can be mad if you want, but it’s mildly childish. Assume that the retailer has a reason to be holding it for the person. Hell, especially when the alternative is to get the same item online, and for cheaper, you’re being a brat. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/51 "2010-03-22T16:28:42Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > It depends on what they said to the customer they were holding it for. > > I ask for things to be put on hold all the time. When they do, I usually get a date by which it will be released (e.g., “We can only hold this for a week.” “We’ll hold it until the end of the day.”) If I came back within the window of time they’d given me and they’d sold it to someone else, I’d be pissed as all hell and you’d be reading the other side of the story in the mini-rants thread. > > The store doesn’t have to put things on hold for me, in fact, it’s against policy for some stores. But if they say they’re going to, good customer service means they should honor it. This. 100%. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/52 "2010-03-22T16:34:14Z")
Seems to me that the store owner made a conscious decision that the person for whom the item is being held is a more important client than the OP, for whatever reason. That’s his right. So the OP should just take his business elsewhere. So he has to wait a whole week to get his $100 item. Meh. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/53 "2010-03-22T16:34:20Z")
I think the store was more in the wrong - I have no hard data on this, but I suspect that if a customer doesn’t come back for a hold by the end of the business day, they’re not coming back at all, and hold policies should reflect this. That’s without a deposit, mind you; if someone pays a deposit and makes a firm arrangement for final payment and pickup, that’s a level beyond a wishful-thinking hold (which is what the OP has described). After a couple of days have gone by, I’d sell it to the person with cash in hand, too. I would also make sure that people who want a wishful-thinking hold know it can only be guaranteed until the end of the business day today. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/54 "2010-03-23T16:56:09Z")
There’s no right or wrong here. The store has every right to sell to whoever it wants. And you have every right to be pissed they wouldn’t sell their held item to you. However, your desire to tell the store manager that you’re purchasing elsewhere to make a point…seems rather pointless. Don’t you think the store manager knows that the item can be purchased elsewhere? Of course they are losing the sale. He knows it, he’s the one that told you he wasn’t going to sell it to you. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/55 "2010-03-23T17:38:06Z")
At the retail shop I worked at, we had a pretty lax hold policy. If the item was paid for, we’d hold it practically forever. If not, we’d write down a time limit, usually a few days. We’d also leave stuff in the hold area longer than the time limit, cleaning it out only if it was slow one day and the room was getting crowded. If a customer wanted an item being held for someone else, we’d release it if past the time limit written down. If it was still within that time, the manager could use his judgment on the original holder’s likelihood of returning for the item. If that was an option, we wouldn’t tell the second customer about a held item until the manager released it. In any case, we’d offer to order the item in question. If it was already ordered, we’d offer to call when it arrived and set one aside. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/56 "2010-03-23T17:38:15Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > However, your desire to tell the store manager that you’re purchasing elsewhere to make a point…seems rather pointless. I disagree. While it won’t accomplish anything if the manager has thought the matter through and arrived at a firm policy, it otherwise could result in having the policy re-evaluated. Especially if the first customer never comes back for the item and the manager realizes he not only lost a sale but alienated a potential new customer and all associated future sales. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/57 "2010-03-25T17:13:15Z")
> [@Vernon\_Vernons](#): > > Who’s right? Should the store have sold me the item? 1.) If their hold policy extended for several days, the store was right to not have sold you the item. They made an agreement with another customer to hold it, and that person has every right to expect that the item will still be there, even if they wait 'til the last day of a week-long hold. 2.) If their hold policy was only end-of-day, the store was wrong to not have sold you the item. I can’t possibly imagine that it was case #2, though–there’s no reason for them to refuse to sell you an item that they’re holding past the expected time for someone who might never come back. So, it’s probably case #1, and you should be mad about the extended hold policy–not mad that they didn’t break their own rules to do you a favor and possibly screw someone else out of the item. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/58 "2010-03-25T17:43:46Z")
I would have been a little pissed because the store employees implied that the person they were holding it for had bailed on actually picking it up. They should have offered to call the other customer to see if they still wanted it, or not volunteered extra information. People put stuff on hold all the time just so they can think about it a little more. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/59 "2010-03-27T00:46:17Z")
I believe that the store was in the right. If a store had agreed to hold an item for me, and then sold it to someone, I would be beyond pissed. You did not have a right to purchase something – it was the store’s decision to sell it to your or not. They offered to order something for you, and you refused it. Which was YOUR right, but then, I think it’s petty of you to get all upset. And yes, I do believe that emotions can be childish or petty. Besides, put yourself in the other customer’s shoes – wouldn’t you be upset if someone had bought an item you thought the store was saving for you? So basically – get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259/60 "2010-03-27T02:56:07Z")
The owner of the store has a right to be mad, because the staff have cost him a sale. _You_ have no right to be mad. It’s bad business policy, but they’re not actually screwing you over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-mad-at-retailer-for-not-selling-me-an-item-theyre-holding-for-someone-else/533259.md?page=4)