# For fuck sake customers, act like adults and show a little respect and consideration. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 26, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050 "2009-11-26T19:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/41 "2009-11-28T05:11:27Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > If it’s too much for you to imagine that some people actually give a crap about other human beings they share a community with, including their local merchants, then please, don’t strain yourself thinking about it. > > This goes for you too \*\*Carol S \*\* Do we live in a commune, now? No. You’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/42 "2009-11-28T05:21:44Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > How about checks, does that work the same as cash? I write checks for pretty much everything because I don’t like carrying a bunch of cash - there isn’t any processing fee for checks is there? (Ones that don’t bounce anyway…:D) Actually there is because most companies can’t afford for them cover bounced checks and use some kind of check service. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/43 "2009-11-28T05:24:08Z")
> [@Carol\_Stream](#): > > Do we live in a commune, now? No. You’re an idiot. I’ve seen your posts in other threads. Can’t read to many of them without becoming nauseous. Coming from you I take “idiot” that as a compliment. Thanks a bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/44 "2009-11-28T06:12:38Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Interesting, over here the last I knew about it the marked price was, legally, only an “invitation to treat” and the shop could correct the error at the point of sale, although the customer quite naturally had the right to back out if they didn’t like the corrected price. In practice most places will indeed sell at the marked price, but that’s not legally enforceable. Tesco, for instance, prominently state that the customer will be refunded if the price they pay (thanks to the bar code) is more than the marked price (usually on the shelf display, not the individual item). Of course that tends to be a necessary gesture given the nature of supermarket shopping, and Tesco doubtless gain more in customer loyalty than they lose this way. It’s the same in Australia- the price tag is an “invitation to treat” (ie, an invitation for the customer to offer the amount on the tag to the shopkeeper) at which point the shopkeeper can accept or reject the offer. It sounds complicated but it makes sense in a wider sense of contracts. 95% of the time when there’s an incorrect price tag, the store will sell the item at the lower price anyway and then change the price to the correct one because it’s not worth the hassle and ill-will to argue with customers. Now, having a gigantic ad outside that says WIDGETS ONLY $99 (when Widgets are usually $200 and up) and then waiting until people get inside and then saying “Gosh, sorry, that’s the wrong price, the widgets are actually $199” is clearly false advertising and will get you in a lot of trouble. But _honest_ mistakes (like someone forgetting to change the price tag at the end of a promotion) aren’t. IME we used to honour the lower price anyway because it made the customers happy, but I have been in stores where they would withdraw the item from sale rather than sell it at the lower price. Also, supermarkets here will give you the item for free if it scans at a higher price. It doesn’t happen very often either, interestingly. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/45 "2009-11-28T10:58:33Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s the same in Australia- the price tag is an “invitation to treat” (ie, an invitation for the customer to offer the amount on the tag to the shopkeeper) at which point the shopkeeper can accept or reject the offer. It sounds complicated but it makes sense in a wider sense of contracts. > > 95% of the time when there’s an incorrect price tag, the store will sell the item at the lower price anyway and then change the price to the correct one because it’s not worth the hassle and ill-will to argue with customers. > > Now, having a gigantic ad outside that says WIDGETS ONLY $99 (when Widgets are usually $200 and up) and then waiting until people get inside and then saying “Gosh, sorry, that’s the wrong price, the widgets are actually $199” is clearly false advertising and will get you in a lot of trouble. But _honest_ mistakes (like someone forgetting to change the price tag at the end of a promotion) aren’t. IME we used to honour the lower price anyway because it made the customers happy, but I have been in stores where they would withdraw the item from sale rather than sell it at the lower price. > > Also, supermarkets here will give you the item for free if it scans at a higher price. It doesn’t happen very often either, interestingly. That’s my idea on it as well. I’d forgotten about the “sale tags up a day or two late” scenario. That’s why many stores put dates on the tags. It gives them and out in case one is missed. At the last two small companies I worked for we made our own signs and I had to teach folks how to be as specific as possible and word signs carefully. Customers barely read at all. You don’t want them to think the signing is trickery. The other day a customer told the cashier there was a sign up by an item that said 25% off. We had had an early bird special and the cashier assumed a sign was still up and was about to honor the discount when I asked the customer which sign she was talking about. “That blue one right there” The one says a different item from the one you have {we could read it from across the room} Ooops I’m sorry. The worst example of how lazy we’ve become about reading is people using our bathrooms and not even bothering to read the signs on the doors which indicate men and women. People will pull on the office door {also clearly marked} which is locked, before moving on. They open the door and see a toilet and that’s enough, and since the door marked women is first men are constantly using it. Since when do you go to a public place looking for restrooms and not look at what’s on the door? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/46 "2009-11-28T11:17:03Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > Bit of a tangent: > > I experienced similar things when I had an afterschool job as a cashier in high school. People were just total assholes about the smallest things. One guy came in to return a pair of crutches. Why? Because his broken leg healed several weeks or months ago and now he didn’t need them anymore. He complained about how burdensome it was to have crutches he didn’t need anymore and how he didn’t want them laying around. > > “Put 'em in your garage.” > “Nah, I live in a small apartment.” > “Donate 'em to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.” > “But I want to get the money back.” > > Sorry, dipshit, it doesn’t work that way. Eventually he took it to the manager who told him to get lost (politely). > > Another guy flipped out because he wanted to pay for something small with a Canadian dollar and I wouldn’t let him. Was that pendantic? I dunno…but I couldn’t bring a Russian Ruble into a store and pay for something, could I? Canadian quarters I didn’t usually even notice and didn’t usually care when I did, but a dollar? Nah, man, sorry. > > How about the douchebags who wanted to used expired coupons even though I pointed out the experation date on them? “But I want to use this, what’s the problem?” Shoulda come in last week, asshole! > > The customers who thought that they I could make the line move faster for them because they were waiting for a bus or were “in a hurry?” People in line ahead of you get service first, moron, unless they agree to let you go ahead of them (which most did). If not, TS for you. > > How about people who tried to buy booze with foodstamps? No way (it even says you can’t on the stamp itself, doesn’t it?). > > After my experience with that job I never again shouted at or acted impatient with a slow cashier (especially trainees) and I never again tried to unfairly cut prices at a mom-and-pop joint. A little respect and patience can go a long way. Like I said, my experience is that most customers are great and reasonable when treated with respect. It does seem to be the assholes that stand out. A young man buys a cheap $50 dollar guitar case that is not flight certified because he’s making a one time trip. The airline destroys the case and he comes back to the music store for a refund. He talks to me before I see the case and I tell him. “We can probably do something” Then I see the case. It looked like it had been thrown down several flights of stairs. I also notice a tag where the airline made him sign off on responsibility to get his guitar back. Instead of being glad the case actually protected his guitar he somehow tried to blame us. Look sir the airline obviously destroyed the case and now you’re expecting my company to pay for what they did. Well your salesman sold me that case and I told him I was going on a flight so it’s his fault. Did he also offer you a better more expensive case? Well yeah Who chose to buy the cheaper one? okay , instead of my money back just give me a new case. I’m afraid not. None of this is our responsibility. Well go fuck yourself then. I’m gonna have to say no thanks to that too sir. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/47 "2009-11-28T15:47:19Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > If it’s too much for you to imagine that some people actually give a crap about other human beings they share a community with, including their local merchants, then please, don’t strain yourself thinking about it. > > This goes for you too \*\*Carol S \*\* well then I guess I should expect my local merchant to give a crap about all his consumer’s disposable incomes, and individually price his wares according to the affordability of each customer so as to make sure that no one has to save or suffer a hardship to buy his products… right? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/48 "2009-11-28T17:49:52Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > well then I guess I should expect my local merchant to give a crap about all his consumer’s disposable incomes, and individually price his wares according to the affordability of each customer so as to make sure that no one has to save or suffer a hardship to buy his products… right? No, that’s price discrimination, which is illegal. And the illegality of price discrimination makes economic sense. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/49 "2009-11-28T18:17:03Z")
I briefly dated a woman who I stopped dating because I was disgusted at her behavior in a shop. She had a toddler that she brought along on one of our dates. The plan was for the three of us to get lunch and then take a walk down town. As we were walking we passed a high end toy store. She says, “let’s go in. Sophie loves this store.” So her kid goes running through the place, picking up crap, leaving it somewhere other than where it came from and generally making a fucking mess. After we left she told me that she never buys anything there because it’s too expensive. She seriously thought that it was ok to use that shop as a temporary, cost free play ground for her child. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/50 "2009-11-28T19:20:30Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > No, that’s price discrimination, which is illegal. And the illegality of price discrimination makes economic sense. price discrimination is absolutely not illegal - I have no idea where you get this inane idea from. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/51 "2009-11-28T20:18:11Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > price discrimination is absolutely not illegal - I have no idea where you get this inane idea from. Wow! The ECON 200 prof sure made it seem really bad. Am I confusing it with something similar? ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/52 "2009-11-28T20:21:05Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Wow! The ECON 200 prof sure made it seem really bad. Am I confusing it with something similar? i’m not so sure there exists a concept in economic theory where the words “activity” “make illegal” and “is a good thing” exist in the same thought. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/53 "2009-11-28T20:28:46Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > i’m not so sure there exists a concept in economic theory where the words “activity” “make illegal” and “is a good thing” exist in the same thought. 😉 Are there certain _kinds_ of price discrimination for which people can get busted? ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/54 "2009-11-28T20:32:13Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Are there certain _kinds_ of price discrimination for which people can get busted? Well I don’t think you can violate civil rights laws (i.e. charging more just because of someone’s race [although gender-based price discrimination is usually tolerated]) and you have Robinson-Patman which prohibits price discrimination in interstate commerce (primarily between producers and distributors in the supply chain), so there are specific incidents of price discrimination which are illegal, but the notion of price discrimination writ large being illegal is not a feature of the U.S. economic system. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/55 "2009-11-28T20:33:57Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > Well I don’t think you can violate civil rights laws (i.e. charging more just because of someone’s race [although gender-based price discrimination is usually tolerated]) and you have Robinson-Patman which prohibits price discrimination in interstate commerce (primarily between producers and distributors in the supply chain), so there are specific incidents of price discrimination which are illegal, but the notion of price discrimination writ large being illegal is not a feature of the U.S. economic system. I don’t understand how it can be that one of my beliefs was wrong. Please rephrase. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/56 "2009-11-28T20:34:55Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > I don’t understand how it can be that one of my beliefs was wrong. Please rephrase. rephrase what. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/57 "2009-11-28T20:36:59Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > rephrase what. The statements that suggested I was wrong about something. work with me here… ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/58 "2009-11-28T20:50:06Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > The statements that suggested I was wrong about something. > > work with me here… the statement “that’s price discrimination, which is illegal” is wrong are all seats on an airplane sold at the same price? (in the same class) are discounts given to senior citizens? do people receive multi-unit discounts for buying more than one of the same thing? this is all price discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/59 "2009-11-28T20:56:18Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > the statement “that’s price discrimination, which is illegal” is wrong > > are all seats on an airplane sold at the same price? (in the same class) > are discounts given to senior citizens? > do people receive multi-unit discounts for buying more than one of the same thing? > > this is all price discrimination. =( maybe the sort of give-and-take humor I was trying to incite doesn’t work as well on the 'net. =D ---
**Author:** ![shefDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@shefDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shefDave)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/60 "2009-11-28T21:08:06Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Interesting, over here the last I knew about it the marked price was, legally, only an “invitation to treat” and the shop could correct the error at the point of sale, although the customer quite naturally had the right to back out if they didn’t like the corrected price. In practice most places will indeed sell at the marked price, but that’s not legally enforceable. Tesco, for instance, prominently state that the customer will be refunded if the price they pay (thanks to the bar code) is more than the marked price (usually on the shelf display, not the individual item). Of course that tends to be a necessary gesture given the nature of supermarket shopping, and Tesco doubtless gain more in customer loyalty than they lose this way. In England & Wales it’s a criminal offence to “give a misleading price indication”. So, while it’s not a legal requirement per se that shops sell goods at the price they are advertised at, they’re committing an offence if they don’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050.md?page=4)