# Should I "steal" hotel shampoos, lotions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500 "2010-03-15T02:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/21 "2010-03-15T09:28:19Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It’s even especially absurd to think this given that the hotel controls the supply of them (to properly analyze to your cup of coffee example, it’s absolutely 100% not stealing splenda if i grab 3 extra packets and put them aside for later use - these products are put there for customers’ use and there is an implied quid-pro-quo in that I pay for my coffee, I get to reasonably utilize and take the condiments that have been put out. The usage that I make of these condiments is not a part of this implication). > > It’s just plainly not theft in any way, sorry. I agree. In a hotel, there is a set quota of shampoo etc - they will leave one or two bottles per day, and you can use them or not. In a restaurant or cafe, by contrast, there will be a big tray of sugar, napkins etc, which you can take as many of as you want. In the latter case, you clearly shouldn’t tip the whole lot into your bag and take them for personal use - that would be stealing. But in a hotel, those shampoos have been assigned to you already. Of course, some hotels nowadays have big pump-action bottles that get refilled, rather than the small individual bottles, and you definitely shouldn’t take them. This has a benefit for the hotel - they can just refill from a big vat of shampoo - and for the environment - you don’t have to produce, transport and throw away zillions of tiny plastic bottles. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/22 "2010-03-15T12:39:28Z")
In general, the hotel doesn’t care if you take the individual toiletries, and even things like the packets of coffee for the coffeemaker. Those are all factored into the price of the room. They don’t want you to steal towels, furniture, etc. What restaurants do is irrelevant. We’re talking about hotels. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/23 "2010-03-15T12:40:32Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > For example, if I open the bottle and only use 10% of it, will the the cleaning ladies throw it away? Yes. Which means that taking it away is not stealing, it’s reducing waste. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/24 "2010-03-15T13:11:18Z")
**Rumor Watkins** , you are plainly not right in any way. Sorry. Anyway. The question was specifically NOT about whether or not taking _unopened_ containers was ethical or not. The questions of whether or not it was expected or the customer is entitled to it were both explicitly not asked. The question was one of whether or not it is better for the overall good of humanity to take that which has been partially used. And what, we are talking about enough for one or two additional shampoos. Honestly pretty insignificant either way. _Relatively_ the bigger environmental cost is the packaging - its production and disposal - not the product. (Taking the other unopened little containers forces revving through twice as much of that packaging, or more, per hotel usage, and that matters, slightly.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/25 "2010-03-15T13:33:18Z")
> [@bat312](#): > > Green certified hotels donate partially used shampoos and lotions to charity. It is part of the certification. What do the charities do with them? Isn’t there a concern about adulteration? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/26 "2010-03-15T13:39:51Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > …I once shared a hotel room with a friend who every day would take all the new bottles and soap that housekeeping left in the room and put them in his suitcase, so we’d get new ones the next day. He had brought his own shampoo, and I never asked why he was collecting the hotel supplies. I generally take the shampoo, etc. with me when I check out, but I don’t pack them away on a daily basis just to get new ones. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/27 "2010-03-15T13:54:34Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > **Rumor Watkins** , you are plainly not right in any way. Sorry. Cite, or legal analysis, for your claim that taking unopened hotel toiletries from your room is actually theft/larceny? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/28 "2010-03-15T13:58:26Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > and even things like the packets of coffee for the coffeemaker. You have leftover coffee? How does that happen? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/29 "2010-03-15T14:57:35Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It’s not cheap, and it’s not even ethically questionable if you can take these bottles, unopened, for your own personal use (sorry, Markxxx) > > It’s not cheap because there is a very, very good use for these things: overnight guests. I like to give my guests new, unused toiletries when they visit, and instead of giving them a full bar of ivory soap, I can instead give them a unit size that is more appropriate for their length of stay. > > As for this being “stealing” well that is a laughable concept. > > Unless there is some magical sign that says “only for use in this room” no one will ever reasonably read that restriction into your use of these products outside of the room. They’re an amenity of the room, and unlike towels or ice containers, there’s no expectation that they will remain in the room. It’s even especially absurd to think this given that the hotel controls the supply of them (to properly analyze to your cup of coffee example, it’s absolutely 100% not stealing splenda if i grab 3 extra packets and put them aside for later use - these products are put there for customers’ use and there is an implied quid-pro-quo in that I pay for my coffee, I get to reasonably utilize and take the condiments that have been put out. The usage that I make of these condiments is not a part of this implication). > > It’s just plainly not theft in any way, sorry. There is, of course, the question of “How much is too much?” If you feel three extra packets is okay, what about five? Ten? The whole bin? Obviously, someone emptying the entire contents of the ketchup packet bin into her purse would likely be taken to task by the restaurant, but how much is stealing and how much is just what is “due” you (for lack of a better word)? My wife takes all of those bottles and soaps from hotel rooms on a daily basis, which drives me nuts. We have bags of these fookin’ things that will never be used. That seems a bit excessive to me, as would taking items off of the re-stocking cart in the hallway. But taking whatever is left at the end of your stay seems reasonable. In the end, it would seem to be a matter of what your conscience and common sense dictates. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/30 "2010-03-15T14:58:38Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > Unless there is some magical sign that says “only for use in this room” no one will ever reasonably read that restriction into your use of these products outside of the room. It’s not a “magical” sign, it’s an ordinary real-world Muggle sign, it’s sitting right there in the hotel bathroom, and it says that the complimentary toiletries are “for your use during your stay”. That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to read that restriction as meaning that you are welcome to use all the toiletry supplies you need while staying in the hotel, but not to take away extra supplies to use elsewhere. You can take away an opened and partially-used bottle because it’s already been used by you and the hotel can’t reuse it. But taking away UNOPENED bottles of toiletries is depriving the hotel of items that they would otherwise be able to use for another guest, just as it would be if you walked off with the towels or the TV or the coffeemaker that the hotel provides for your use during your stay. The difference is that pilfering toiletries is such petty theft in terms of the value of the items that nobody really cares whether you do it or not. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/31 "2010-03-15T15:02:20Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > It’s not a “magical” sign, it’s an ordinary real-world Muggle sign, it’s sitting right there in the hotel bathroom, and it says that the complimentary toiletries are “for your use during your stay”. > > That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to read that restriction as meaning that you are welcome to use all the toiletry supplies you need while staying in the hotel, but not to take away extra supplies to use elsewhere. > > You can take away an opened and partially-used bottle because it’s already been used by you and the hotel can’t reuse it. > > But taking away UNOPENED bottles of toiletries is depriving the hotel of items that they would otherwise be able to use for another guest, just as it would be if you walked off with the towels or the TV or the coffeemaker that the hotel provides for your use during your stay. > > The difference is that pilfering toiletries is such petty theft in terms of the value of the items that nobody really cares whether you do it or not. most hotels I stay at are not so crass and cheap as to actually post such a sign. So just so I have you right, I’m not depriving the hotel of anything if I crack the seal on the shampoo bottle and open it up, and then promptly reclose the cap and put it in my suitcase, right? Something’s amiss - namely that you’re being given the toiletries as part of your room rate. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/32 "2010-03-15T15:04:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There is, of course, the question of “How much is too much?” If you feel three extra packets is okay, what about five? Ten? The whole bin? Obviously, someone emptying the entire contents of the ketchup packet bin into her purse would likely be taken to task by the restaurant, but how much is stealing and how much is just what is “due” you (for lack of a better word)? My wife takes all of those bottles and soaps from hotel rooms on a daily basis, which drives me nuts. We have bags of these fookin’ things that will never be used. That seems a bit excessive to me, as would taking items off of the re-stocking cart in the hallway. But taking whatever is left at the end of your stay seems reasonable. In the end, it would seem to be a matter of what your conscience and common sense dictates. you missed the “reasonable” part in “reasonably utilize and take” 🙂 I didn’t bother expounding upon it because, in the context of a hotel, the supply is controlled by the hotel itself. It’s almost prima facie reasonable for you to take the stuff if they keep giving you new ones. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/33 "2010-03-15T15:14:40Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > most hotels I stay at are not so crass and cheap as to actually post such a sign. > So just so I have you right, I’m not depriving the hotel of anything if I crack the seal on the shampoo bottle and open it up, and then promptly reclose the cap and put it in my suitcase, right? > > Something’s amiss - namely that you’re being given the toiletries as part of your room rate. But you’re totally crass and cheap enough to give me some stolen soaps when I stay at your house, of course. We always joke that we should steal the towels at the Sheraton, because they’d already be monogrammed for us (our last name begins with an S.) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/34 "2010-03-15T15:17:05Z")
Shelley Berman’s famous hotel soap [story](http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/soap.asp). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/35 "2010-03-15T15:22:12Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > most hotels I stay at are not so crass and cheap as to actually post such a sign. Take a closer look next time. Maybe you stay only at extremely high-end hotels, but if you find yourself in a typical chain like Hyatt or Marriott or Hilton, you’ll probably see a little folded sign on the bathroom shelf saying that the toiletries are for your use during your stay. It’s the same sign that tells you that if you’ve forgotten a standard personal item like a toothbrush or a comb, call the front desk and they’ll deliver one to you for free. (Of course, the hotel COULD just put a spare toothbrush and comb right in the bathroom, as they do with the toiletries, for the convenience of the occasional guest who actually happens to need one. But if they did, then people like you would take them whether you needed them or not, and it would end up being too expensive for the hotel.) > [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > So just so I have you right, I’m not depriving the hotel of anything if I crack the seal on the shampoo bottle and open it up, and then promptly reclose the cap and put it in my suitcase, right? Exactly right. You should also rip a corner off the bath towel and put that in your suitcase too, because the hotel can’t reuse it in that condition, so you’re not depriving them of anything. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/36 "2010-03-15T15:27:16Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Early in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars my wife did a solid volume in serving as a gathering person for unused hotel soaps and shampoos and then packaging them up in care packages for deployed soldiers. > > Nobody ever expressed a view it was stealing. What a cool idea, and what a nice thing to do to support our soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![clnilsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecccb3/32.png) [@clnilsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clnilsen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/37 "2010-03-15T15:32:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > What do the charities do with them? Isn’t there a concern about adulteration? There are charities here in Central Florida that Sterilize the soaps and send them as part of kids backpacks to third world countries. I (with some of my co-workers) worked at one of these for a day after Haiti, and while we were initially icked out, the way it was explained to us is “yeah, they do get used for human sanitation some - somethings better than nothing - but in a lot of these countries they get used in animal husbandry for sterilization, and other non-human uses as well”. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/38 "2010-03-15T15:34:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > But you’re totally crass and cheap enough to give me some stolen soaps when I stay at your house, of course. [Moderator Note] Let’s not insult other posters in GQ. Since this is a pretty mild insult, I am not issuing a warning, but don’t do this again. For everyone else, let’s make sure we keep this discussion civil, and not attack other posters for their opinions on the matter. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/39 "2010-03-15T15:40:39Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > The difference is that pilfering toiletries is such petty theft in terms of the value of the items that nobody really cares whether you do it or not. Nobody cares, including the management. I’ve worked at motels, and these things come in gigantic, enormous sacks. At a cheap hotel, they cost maybe a dollar or two a day. Now think about your hotel bill. You are costing the hotel more money by having the maid clean when it’s not necessary, or having an extra donut at the continental breakfast. Nobody, anywhere, cares if you take hotel soap/hair products in reasonable quantities. It’s part of the cost of your room, sign or no sign. ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500/40 "2010-03-15T15:45:14Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > It’s not a “magical” sign, it’s an ordinary real-world Muggle sign, it’s sitting right there in the hotel bathroom, and it says that the complimentary toiletries are “for your use during your stay”. > > That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to read that restriction as meaning that you are welcome to use all the toiletry supplies you need while staying in the hotel, but not to take away extra supplies to use elsewhere. > > You can take away an opened and partially-used bottle because it’s already been used by you and the hotel can’t reuse it. > > But taking away UNOPENED bottles of toiletries is depriving the hotel of items that they would otherwise be able to use for another guest, just as it would be if you walked off with the towels or the TV or the coffeemaker that the hotel provides for your use during your stay. > > The difference is that pilfering toiletries is such petty theft in terms of the value of the items that nobody really cares whether you do it or not. No the difference is that they’re consumables. TVs, lamps, towels etc. are not consumables. You have paid for a specific ration of bathroom products to use. You have _paid_ for them. The hotel expects them to be used up. If you take them home it is not stealing as you have actually _paid_ for them in their entirety i.e. to consume them fully. You have not paid to keep the towels, sheets, pillows. You have merely paid for these as facilities rather than consumables. There’s a difference. It’s purely a matter of choice. I think it makes sense to keep opened items but I usually leave behind things that I haven’t opened even though I have already paid for them, usually because it’s just something I don’t want or need. In that way I’m actually giving the hotel a gift as the next guest will pay again for these same unopened items. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-steal-hotel-shampoos-lotions/532500.md?page=3)