# Screw You For Taking Away Money I Never Really Had In The First Place **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 20, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761 "2012-06-20T16:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/1 "2012-06-20T16:34:23Z")
Fuck you, either T-Mobile or Walgreens, whichever one screwed me over. Money is tight…ridiculously so these days, and I’ve taken to eBay for a little extra cash. I check clearance racks at various stores and try and find a $25 somethingorother on sale for $10 that I can sell online for $20. At Walgreens yesterday, I see a stack of cards on the clearance shelf – T-Mobile prepaid cell minutes cards, half off. Everything from $10 for $5 to $30 cards for $15. Now, things like this sell for about $1 under the stated value on eBay. So a quick look through the stack shows me there is $600 in cards here for $300, meaning I’ll make somewhere north of $275 on this. Sweet – a week without Ramen would be excellent, and The Littlest Briston will be able to spend a week at that summer camp she’s dying to go to after all! I bring the stack up to the register, and begin the long wait. I’d apologized to the checkout girl – I knew this was going to be a long, tedious process for her, but she was fine about it. She had to ring up each card and then wait a moment for it to authorize, then we had to wait for individual receipts to print for every card, and then I had to swipe my bank card, and then…trouble. “Hmmm…sorry, I need to call a manager”, she tells me. Manager comes over and she asks him about the error she’s getting. “Wait,” he asks, “Why are these being sold? You’re getting that error because this cards were supposed to be destroyed.” He asks me where I got them, and I pointed out the clearance rack. He apologizes and tells me that they never should have been there in the first place, that they (for whatever reason) were no good any more, were supposed to be trashed and starts ripping them up. So, fuck you to whoever didn’t follow directions, thereby putting these cards on the rack and costing me a half-hour of time. And while I fully realize that I didn’t lose any actual money of my own here, double-fuck you for making me think I was going to be able to do something nice for my daughter before I had that idea bitchslapped right out of my head. Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/2 "2012-06-20T16:37:22Z")
I swear Walgreens doesn’t hire anyone unless they pass an incompetence test. You’re incompetent? You’re hired! ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/3 "2012-06-20T16:39:18Z")
Ugh. I’m really sorry times are so tough! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/4 "2012-06-20T16:46:51Z")
Sorry about the tough times. Sorry for your inconvenience. Otherwise it’s kind of weak on the outrage scale. You’ll probably have more laughs over it than anger in the end. But I do understand that ‘how I felt at the time’ thing. It’s the reason for the waiting period for gun sales. Does Walmart sell guns? They’ve probably benefited a lot from that waiting period. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/5 "2012-06-20T16:47:30Z")
News flash: Human at Store Makes Mistake My generic response to these type complaints is “Come back when you’ve had a day with no mistakes.” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/6 "2012-06-20T17:25:10Z")
Did they still try to hawk their crappy candy of the day? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/7 "2012-06-20T17:51:53Z")
Yeah, because if they didn’t, you’re entitled to a free one! I THINK that’s Walgreen’s. Maybe it’s just Albertson’s supermarket… ---
**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:** [June 20, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/8 "2012-06-20T18:04:24Z")
You should be glad the manager caught it. Imagine dropping $300 of your own cash on the cards, taking the time to post them on e-bay, mailing them out, and then having dozens of people wanting their money back because you sold them a card that was no good. What a freaking nightmare that would have been. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/9 "2012-06-20T18:14:50Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Yeah, because if they didn’t, you’re entitled to a free one! > > I THINK that’s Walgreen’s. Maybe it’s just Albertson’s supermarket… Walgreen’s too. I’d be glad to let them keep the candy if they’d just _shut up_. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/10 "2012-06-20T18:41:57Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > You should be glad the manager caught it. […] What a freaking nightmare that would have been. That…is an excellent point. I’d _hope_ that if they were fully approved by T-Mobile at checkout, that they’d have to honor them, buuuut… Anyway, yeah, I know this is weaksauce. Still, you know that whole “Wow, wouldn’t it be cool to win the lottery? Why, I could do this and this and that and…” daydream? Well, this was like a micro-scale version of that, only it went “You win! \<30 minutes of mentally spending the money later\> Fuck off, no you don’t!” And _HEY!_ No, they _did not_ ask me about the crappy candy, and yet I didn’t get my free crappy candy! Taking away my kid’s week at summer camp is one thing, but ripping me off for my free crappy candy? Oh, shit just got _real_… ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/11 "2012-06-20T18:44:31Z")
Crappy Candy should be a brand name. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/12 "2012-06-20T18:45:42Z")
I’m surprised you found summer camp for that cheap, to be honest! (: ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/13 "2012-06-20T19:07:01Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Crappy Candy should be a brand name. Isn’t that the English translation of Brach’s? 😛 Do phone cards really sell on eBay for a dollar below face value? Why? It seems to me the potential for problems from even the honest mistakes wouldn’t be worth saving a dollar. Sorry to hear about your psych-out Hal. I hope you find some way to get your daughter into summer camp! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/14 "2012-06-20T19:20:40Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > I’m surprised you found summer camp for that cheap, to be honest! (: Well, I never said it was a _good_ summer camp! 🙂 > [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Do phone cards really sell on eBay for a dollar below face value? Why? It seems to me the potential for problems from even the honest mistakes wouldn’t be worth saving a dollar. I’ve seen gift cards sell for _more_ than their face value. Things like a $30 Home Depot gift card selling for $30.25. I’ve just figured that were being bought by people who are either shut-ins or who don’t have Home Depot in their area to give as gifts to those who _do_ have a local Home D. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/15 "2012-06-20T19:42:01Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Well, I never said it was a _good_ summer camp! 🙂 Driving her out to the country then kicking her out of the car? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/16 "2012-06-20T20:03:07Z")
"Look, kid…there’s fields to run in, rocks to climb on, and there’s bound to be some water around here _somewhere_. Now quit’cher sniveling and go play! Oh, and we’ll be back somewhere around here in two weeks to pick you up. And watch out for snakes." ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/17 "2012-06-20T20:20:10Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > “Oh, and we’ll be back somewhere around here in two weeks to pick you up. And watch out for snakes.” Since money is tight I wouldn’t even stop the car. Just let off the gas and tell her to tuck and roll as you push her out (should be some youtube how to videos on this out there). Oughta save about 50 cents on gas right there! Sorry about the small but important dream snatched away. But at least you aren’t 300 dollar further behind than you were when this got started either :eek: ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/18 "2012-06-20T20:48:02Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Crappy Candy should be a brand name. Pssst. There’s an extra “r” in your post. . . 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/19 "2012-06-20T21:01:36Z")
RE: Camp. Take a week and put things on the calendar of things you can do together. Find free museum days, pack a picnic, go to a movie. My son and I made a calendar for the summer. Some of it costs money, but some of it is free (like swimming at our pool or taking a hike). You’ll get Cool Dad points. (: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761/20 "2012-06-20T21:35:28Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Pssst. There’s an extra “r” in your post. . . 😉 That too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-for-taking-away-money-i-never-really-had-in-the-first-place/625761.md?page=2)