# Idiot Tries To Buy iPod With Bogus $4.99 Barcode **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804 "2005-12-02T20:33:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804/61 "2005-12-08T00:26:51Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > How does that work? If an unscrupulous employee gets hold of a receipt and then shoplifts a corresponding item, the mark isn’t going to invalidate the return – a legitimate return would use the same marked receipt, after all. > > In any case, the marking process is such a slap-dash application of a pen stroke that I can’t see any difficulty in reproducing it on a bogus receipt generated by an unscrupulous employee. > > I suspect that the true purpose is simply to confirm that the bag was checked on the way out for any discrepancies (of the sort created by Our Hero’s bogus barcode scheme). The mark on the receipt is so someone who just bought a DVD player that shows their receipt at the door doesn’t put the DVD player in their car, come back in the store with their receipt, grab another DVD player off the shelf, wait for a shift change of the door checker, walk up to them and say “here’s my receipt! bye!” ---
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804/62 "2005-12-08T07:03:52Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > That there is definitely the best part. > > Of course, I wouldn’t have thought that this would be a felony either. The felony is “forgery” - would it have been a forgery if he’d just somehow pried a barcode off another product? No, if he’d pried the barcode off of another product (that he owned) it’d be fraud. If he pried the barcode off a product still in the store, it’d be vandalism and fraud. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804/63 "2005-12-10T01:14:44Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > FWIU & IANAL, it’s nothing at all until the person leaves the store with the unpaid for (in this case, unpaid for correctly on purpose) product. It may vary from state to state but I think putting a false barcode on is enough to show intent. In some states just concealing an item, in your jacket or something, is enough to get you charged with shoplifting. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804/64 "2005-12-10T01:27:50Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Unfortunatly, no. It probably would have been good for him to get caught and learn his lesson. I doubt he still does this, seeing as he is now in CA working at a nice paying computer graphics job, but he did it for at least two yuears in college, on average of one DVD set a week. It’s actually a miracle he didn’t get caught. > > Oh, and he had a “fool-prrof” plan if he got caught…claim ignorance. > > “Gee, I had no idea this DVD set should be $100 and not $5! Someone else must have put the sticker on there!” :rolleyes:. Yeah, I’m sure the security guard will buy that. And you can bet that more than a few others are doing it as well. That’s why this kid whiney little pathetic punk that he is, should get some cell time. I’d bet ten bucks his parents excused every little bullshit thing he did as a kid. When he shoplifted they just wagged a finger and said “Sweetie that’s naughty” instead of kicking his ass and marching him right back to the store. I actually think you buddies excuse would have worked at least to avoid any real prosecution. Unless they found bar codes in his pocket they’d have no proof he did it and most major chains just want to discourage shoplifters rather than the hassle of prosecution. They won’t believe him but they won’t prosecute. They might ban him from the store. There’s dozens of little scams that people use. The more it costs the stores the stricter return policies and other things get for the honest folks. Incidently, there is no law that says a store has to sell you something that is mistagged at the mistagged price. Most stores do that on little stuff as customer service but on larger stuff they usually won’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-tries-to-buy-ipod-with-bogus-4-99-barcode/333804.md?page=3)