# Bartender ethics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 24, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473 "2014-09-24T22:59:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473/21 "2014-09-25T13:32:20Z")

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> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#):
>
> The bookstore saved on shipped cost by returning only the cover in order to be refunded for the unsold book. In return, the store is supposed to destroy the unsold book. Accepting the refund, and then allowing the book to circulate, is stealing from the publisher and the author. And that’s most certainly illegal.

Unless you can point to a specific law saying it’s actually a crime, then it’s just a civil contract violation between two parties.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473/22 "2014-09-25T13:35:38Z")

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> [@Freudian\_Slit](#):
>
> Who buys vodka/whiskey at auction? What makes those bottles more special than something you could just buy in a store?

For this to make any sense, the auction price would have to end up lower than retail, or they’d have to be selling a year that’s sold out and generally unavailable. I can’t imagine a bottle of this year’s Jim Beam going for $200 at auction. If that were the case, you could just buy the shit retail and then sell it at auction.

> [@andrewm](#):
>
> Unless you can point to a specific law saying it’s actually a crime, then it’s just a civil contract violation between two parties.

I don’t have a book with me to check, but most of the paperbacks I’ve seen in the past 20 years or so have had a disclaimer saying “no cover = illegal.” Not sure if that was the exact wording.

[Ah, here we go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597806)

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473/23 "2014-09-27T06:28:18Z")

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> [@Larry\_Borgia](#):
>
> This. Not worth losing your license for.  
> ETA: Projammer you are right, it is illegal to sell stripped books.

It is usually for a fraudulent purpose, but, selling stripped books, per se, is not illegal.

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**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bartender-ethics/699473/24 "2014-09-27T07:04:23Z")

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> [@Gray\_Ghost](#):
>
> The hotels I used to work at, the bartenders/staff would fight over who got to take home the empty Louis XIII decanters. Given they were, at the time, hand blown by Baccarat, this wasn’t surprising.

I have one that I fill with a very nice and inexpensive 20 year old brandy from Armenia. I got it on ebay.

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