# You break it, You buy it! Enforceable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-break-it-you-buy-it-enforceable/61387>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 9, 2001, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-break-it-you-buy-it-enforceable/61387 "2001-04-09T18:53:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-break-it-you-buy-it-enforceable/61387/21 "2001-04-14T17:45:24Z")

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“You break it … you bought it.”

That’s America for you.

Blunt and to the point.  
No bullshit.  
Just the facts, ma’am.

(_You Break It … You Bought It_ was also the title of an album by the Michael Stanley Band. Minor 70s rock trivia.)

But in Malaysia, all the stores have signs with this flowery quatrain:

_Lovely to look at  
Nice to hold  
Once broken  
Consider sold_.

Obviously, their use of English over there is still under British influence.

Back in America, I don’t see these signs as much as I once did years ago. Merchants may be catching on that, as **Harmonious discord** pointed out, it is bad PR.

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