# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 184
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3661 "2026-10-21T20:55:58Z")
I don’t think it’s “wrong” per se, but it’s not nice. I assume it’s limited so more people can take advantage of the offer. Personally, I wouldn’t do it, simply because I don’t want 16 of anything. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3662 "2026-10-21T21:11:42Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > If asked to spell Newsom(e) as it was spoken to me I wouldn’t know if it had a terminal E or not off the top of my head. If asked to spell the name of the Governor of California, I probably wouldn’t remember what his name is. Same. Or i might remember his name. But the answer to “how do i think it’s spelled” is “i dunno, i just copied whatever the person I’m answering wrote.” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3663 "2026-10-21T21:12:28Z")
Personally, i wouldn’t do it, because doing it would be way too much hassle. But i didn’t see any ethical problem with doing it. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3664 "2026-10-21T21:15:41Z")
It seems more fair to me, somehow, for each household to be able to get some than for each individual to be able to get the maximum, if there’s a risk that that means some households won’t get any. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3665 "2026-10-21T21:23:27Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I assume it’s limited so more people can take advantage of the offer. I assume it’s limited because it’s a loss leader, and the store wants the change to make a profit alongside each sale. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It seems more fair to me, I don’t really see loss leaders in terms of being fair or unfair. It’s just a strategy stores use to move product. Maybe you can win sometimes. If too many people win too often the store goes out of business. But it’s their responsibility to limit their potential losses, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3666 "2026-10-21T21:29:25Z")
I hadn’t thought of it as a loss leader; I’d thought of it only as a matter of delaying running out; possibly because sometimes when I go to buy something on sale the store has run out. They will often give you a rain check, but you also often have to stand in another line to get it, and I don’t always decide that it’s worth it. ETA: I think often the sale’s coming from the manufacturers, not from the store. I’ve assumed that in such cases it’s the manufacturer who eats any loss, or more likely that the non-sale price is high enough that there isn’t any loss. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3667 "2026-10-21T22:19:26Z")
This might not be popular, but I think exploiting loopholes is a grey area and letting your kids know that you think exploiting loopholes is an Ok thing to do is wrong. Even on trivial things like the store example. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3668 "2026-10-21T22:53:55Z")
It doesn’t have to be a loss leader. The limit may just be to exploit the perception of scarcity. The store really doesn’t care how many you buy (the more the better, actually) they just want to pressure you into thinking if you don’t act now, you will miss out. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3669 "2026-10-21T23:50:26Z")
Except that, as I said, it’s not unusual for them to run out. And I’m not talking about situations where the store stocks all of two of something in order to get you in and try to sell you the more expensive model, or the situations where nearly everybody in the country is trying to buy the new release; I’m talking about things like a particular brand of corned beef hash at the grocery store. And then they have to deal with annoyed customers. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3670 "2026-10-22T00:33:34Z")
Where I shop for groceries those sorts of deals are tied to frequent shopper cards, so you’d only get away with as many as there are in the family - probably just mom and dad. I don’t think there’s anything unethical about the scenario described. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3671 "2026-10-22T12:42:02Z")
The one that’s common at my supermarket that i usually partake of is “fresh seasonal berries”. There’s often a very good sale of blueberries at peak season, with a limit of 4 per customer. Random other stuff, too, like a particular brand of canned good, but i don’t usually read that far down the flyer. I think state law says that if they run out of an advertised sale they have to give you a rain check, so they have a limit to decrease their liability to have to sell you more expensive blueberries next week at this week’s price. Maybe that’s actually the price this week, and it’s not a loss leader. There’s usually an advertised cut of meat on sale, too, with a limit. I’m pretty certain that one _is_ usually a loss leader. @Mighty_Mouse probably knows, but might not be able to tell us. Anyway, the store is just managing its inventory and sales. You need to follow the rules they set, but if the rules say “per person”, then i see no reason multiple people in a household can’t take advantage of it. I don’t see an ethical issue here, so long as you follow whatever rules they advertise. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3672 "2026-10-22T14:02:17Z")
I think I’m usually just seeing “limit 4”, or whatever; I don’t think it usually says either “per person” or “per household”. If it specifically said, or even meant, “per person”, I don’t see why you’d need to go through the rigamarole of checking out separately; if they meant that, you should be able just to say “there’s four of us here, so we took 16” and have that work. The fact that everyone’s assuming you’d have to check out separately shows that the assumption is that the store means four per household. At the food pantry, the amount you can take is dependent on the number in your household. Nobody expects them to all go through the line separately, or even to all be there. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3673 "2026-10-22T14:12:22Z")
Whereas i thought the assumption was “per purchase”. And i could go back later today and buy four more. But it’s easier to have your kid go through the line separately than to make a second trip. Food pantries have completely different rules and expectations. They are attempting to allocate sparse resources as fairly as possible. The supermarket is just trying to sell as much food as profitably as it can. On the one hand, it wants to promote the weekly special and attract customers. In the other hand, they don’t want to have to give our rain checks for a special, because they could lose too much money on those. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3674 "2026-10-22T18:30:51Z")
Going back to the discontinued sodas: Vernor’s Ginger Ale was discontinured for a while, then, it returned, but the formula changed. It was much sweeter than before. I liked Vernor’s for the bite. I want the original formulation back. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3675 "2026-10-22T18:33:55Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Vernor’s Ginger Ale was discontinured for a while, then, it returned, but the formula changed. How long ago was that? I had Dr Pepper / 7 Up for a client for a couple of years in the early 2000s, and Vernors was one of the brands I worked on. They (well, one of their predecessor companies) had apparently bought Vernors in 1987, and I would suspect that the reformulation took place around the time that the big corporate owner took control. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3676 "2026-10-22T21:21:49Z")
Yeah, it was probably that long ago. It was a long time. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3677 "2026-10-22T22:34:18Z")
The House should only impeach Trump again if they think they’ve got the votes in the Senate to convict. Otherwise it’s a waste of time and energy. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3678 "2026-10-22T23:44:36Z")
Hard disagree. If the Democrats win the House, they need to spend the next two years putting every illegal transgression of this administration into the congressional record for posterity, conviction or not. It might not do a lot, but it’s _something_. Enough throwing their hands up and saying there’s nothing they can do. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3679 "2026-10-23T02:46:06Z")
Ghostbusters - I like the majority like Egon, he’s my favorite. But, dark admission time, if I had to ask which one I was most **like** it would be Venkman. I mean, I share a lot of jaded practicality with Zeddemore, but I have plenty of the slightly greasy manipulative nature that its Peter’s… charm? I like to think I control that tendency, or at least use it in less unpleasant ways, but one of the reasons I don’t like him as a character is that I see too much of myself in him. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3680 "2026-10-23T16:08:14Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Hard disagree. If the Democrats win the House, they need to spend the next two years putting every illegal transgression of this administration into the congressional record for posterity, conviction or not. > > It might not do a lot, but it’s _something_. Enough throwing their hands up and saying there’s nothing they can do. Nope. It’s nothing. Worse than that, not having enough to convict would be seen as a win for Trump and MAGA. The two failed impeachment proceedings against Trump were a net loss for the country. The charges against him in the first one were too complicated and esoteric for most people to care about. The second one was useless because he wasn’t president anymore. Both were a waste of time because the chances of conviction were zero. Trying and failing to impeach on every thing bad he’s done will just be seen as Trump wins again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=183) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=185)