Super User Grey Wolf Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 We all remember what Natural was doing now don't we? Definately one of our finer members.
Bass_Fanatic Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 I do not believe that by taking advantage of a mismarked item is stealing, but I do believe that it is unethical. Todays ethics have become so different from one person to the next its ridiculous. There is an absolute that we will one day be accountable for. Im pretty sure I read about some guy in some book that said that it is not only good enough for your actions to follow the law, but also your heart to. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. In this case, Clary, according to my ethics I believe you were wrong. You KNEW the price was wrong and took advantage of it. Do you want to be taken advantage of for every mistake you make? I know I sure dont.
Hyrule Bass Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 this reminds me of something that happened to me recently at the bank. i went through drive-thru to deposit my pay check and asked for $300 back in cash. later on i realized they gave me $500 back in cash. the teller made a mistake and gave me an extra $200. i dwelled all weekend about whether i should keep the money or return it to the bank, it was too late to return it that friday and i had other things to do saturday than drive an hour back to that bank. started worrying if the teller had taken that out of my account by mistake and such. then i started thinking how she could and probably would lose her job and maybe had kids to take care of and all that, and getting a job isnt all that easy sometimes. well, that monday i ended going by the bank, went inside this time, and told the teller there what had happened, and she sprung up kind of surprised after initially looking disinterested when i started explaining what happened. she told me a teller had came up $200 short on friday and probably wouldve lost her job. she went and got that teller from the drive-thru and told her i was returning the money, she had such a look of relief and joy on her face. they thanked me and said most people wouldve kept it, and also checked my account to make sure it hadnt been affected by it. ultimately she probably still couldve been fired, but even then atleast they couldnt label her a thief on her work history because i was being greedy and dishonest. once the money was returned i felt much better about myself, and a few good things happened to me within the next week or two, including catching my personal best LMB. i do realize this is different than buying a mislabeled item at a huge discount price though. 2
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 Again, how do you know it was mislabeled? I bought my son a $200 baseball bat for $40 at DSG a couple years back. It was simply clearance priced at the end of the season. Most items at DSG aren't stickered. If they are, that's the reduced price. No it didn't ring at $40 at the register, but they honored the orange clearance tag. As far as some of the examples above, some are totally unrelated and quite ridiculous. I can't see a parallel. If that makes me a sellout, so be it. I ran retail stores for years, and no you are not obligated to sell the item at the price on the sticker. The only price you are tied to is if it's actually printed on the item. Stickers can be moved and switched. Heck, I even caught a thief with one of our price guns once. What many of you don't get is that retailers do not consider profit on an item by item level. That is too granular, and you'll end up with excess inventory if you follow that mode. Example. You buy 10 widgets at $10 a piece. Retail is $30. you only need to sell four at retail to begin making a profit. When you are left with the last five, you have already realized a 33% margin - perfectly acceptable. Mark them down to 50%, and sell three more. The last two you can sell for $5, and you still made a profit on the SKU. As long as you sell the items, your margin increases. Now, there are certain items that almost never get discounted. Some companies feel this p[practice devalues their products, and it doers to an extant. But that is why you'll see crazy markdowns on items.
Super User grimlin Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 Again, how do you know it was mislabeled? I bought my son a $200 baseball bat for $40 at DSG a couple years back. It was simply clearance priced at the end of the season. Most items at DSG aren't stickered. If they are, that's the reduced price. No it didn't ring at $40 at the register, but they honored the orange clearance tag. As far as some of the examples above, some are totally unrelated and quite ridiculous. I can't see a parallel. If that makes me a sellout, so be it. I ran retail stores for years, and no you are not obligated to sell the item at the price on the sticker. The only price you are tied to is if it's actually printed on the item. Stickers can be moved and switched. Heck, I even caught a thief with one of our price guns once. What many of you don't get is that retailers do not consider profit on an item by item level. That is too granular, and you'll end up with excess inventory if you follow that mode. Example. You buy 10 widgets at $10 a piece. Retail is $30. you only need to sell four at retail to begin making a profit. When you are left with the last five, you have already realized a 33% margin - perfectly acceptable. Mark them down to 50%, and sell three more. The last two you can sell for $5, and you still made a profit on the SKU. As long as you sell the items, your margin increases. Now, there are certain items that almost never get discounted. Some companies feel this p[practice devalues their products, and it doers to an extant. But that is why you'll see crazy markdowns on items. I understand that,I think what we are trying to say though is question it..specially if you know it was mislabeled.People appreciate honestly and it should be practiced by EVERYONE. You'll probably still get the price and it gives them the chance to fix a problem. With the way this economy is right now...it's not good to take advantage of things you know were labeled wrong...it affects jobs and people everywhere. Something we really don't need happening. Plus it gives you a sense of relief for doing the right thing. It's one thing if you didn't know,but it's another if you did know and took advantage of it.Let the dealer or seller make it right.That's all a lot of people here are trying to say.
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 How many times should I ask, how do you know it was mislabeled? No one can answer that without asking an employee. Otherwise, it's all supposition, and throwing around insults and giving ethics lessons is moot.
Super User K_Mac Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 J Franco your argument does not make you a sell-out, but it does avoid the issue. This discussion is about what the right response to a mis-priced item is, not about deep discounting. The issue is whether or not it is right to KNOWINGLY take advantage of a mistake by a retailer. The direct answer to your question is simple. If there is reason to believe the price is too good, you ask the question.
Super User grimlin Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 So today while browsing through the lacrosse section at Dick's, I spotted a very nice shaft. The shaft was mis-labeled though, so instead of it being a 120 bucks it was 30 I didn't switch the labels, they were there when I saw the shaft. I bought it, because Dick's mislabeled it, not me. I would not intentionally switch labels to get a better deal. What are your guys thoughts on buying mis-labeled stuff? Like if you saw a Curado mis-labeled by WAL-MART as a Shakespear axiom, would you take the deal? Or pay full price? How many times should I ask, how do you know it was mislabeled? No one can answer that without asking an employee. Otherwise, it's all supposition, and throwing around insults and giving ethics lessons is moot. You serious? There's a big difference in knowing something and not knowing something.... Read his post again....He knew and saw the mislabeled. If you gonna buy a something and you see it labeled as something else...it's mislabeled....How much more simpler could I put this? You can do either 2 things...walk away knowing you didn't take advantage or buy it knowing you ripped off where ever you brought it from. Whatever kind of person you are. I'm done with this post...it's starting to turn argumentative. 3
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 It's called debate. If you point fingers at someone, then you should be ready for a defense. How did he know it was mislabeled? This is all built on an assumption, and I clearly stated why an item would be priced that way, and in fact have purchased at items at even deeper discounts. Same circumstances. Dick's only uses simple price stickers in white, yellow, and orange. They do not list the SKU or UPC on their price tags. So, I repeat, how do we know it was mislabeled? I bought a $200 bat for $40. It wasn't mislabeled. Why is it ridiculous to you that a lacrosse shaft (lacrosse season doesn't run into winter IIRC) could discounted as much? Did you read my post entirely? Do you understand the practice of tracking margins? So Bassclary, why do you think it was mislabeled?
Super User deaknh03 Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 It doesn't matter why he thought it was mislabeled, in his mind the item was mislabeled.
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 Oh lord.....he *thought* he committed a crime, so he should go to jail argument? I want to hear from Clary on this.
Super User K_Mac Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 You say debate, I say mis-direction. Like if you saw a Curado mis-labeled by WAL-MART as a Shakespear axiom, would you take the deal? Or pay full price? You seem to want to make this a lesson in retail and marketing. Having never worked in retail I find your explanation fascinating. It is an interesting discussion, but it avoids the real question. Please answer BASSclary's (above) question. 2
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 What I want to know is if the item was marked similarly to the example. Dick's doesn't price their items with any product identification - no SKU, description, UPC, etc. Just a sticker with a price. They use the whatever tags come on the item, and whatever retail price is listed on the manu's tag. The "sales" prices are stickered over those tags. That's what I'm getting at. Was his lacrosse shaft really mislabeled like in the reel example he made? If so, then fine, you can say he wasn't ethical, but certainly within his legal rights. It's definitely not stealing. If he intentionally switched tags, that's another story, and is considered theft.
Super User grimlin Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 What I want to know is if the item was marked similarly to the example. Dick's doesn't price their items with any product identification - no SKU, description, UPC, etc. Just a sticker with a price. They use the whatever tags come on the item, and whatever retail price is listed on the manu's tag. The "sales" prices are stickered over those tags. That's what I'm getting at. Was his lacrosse shaft really mislabeled like in the reel example he made? If so, then fine, you can say he wasn't ethical, but certainly within his legal rights. It's definitely not stealing. If he intentionally switched tags, that's another story, and is considered theft. Thank you,Thank God! Now I love you! Dick's here usually uses orange stickers as sale items. If I find a Curado for $65 at dicks...I'm gonna ask somebody once....if they say "That's the right price"...buy it and let it go.It's all about having a peace of mind for me.
Super User K_Mac Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 Was his lacrosse shaft really mislabeled like in the reel example he made? If so, then fine, you can say he wasn't ethical, but certainly within his legal rights. It's definitely not stealing. If he intentionally switched tags, that's another story, and is considered theft. You are a skilled debate opponent. You have come close to answering the question, without actually doing so. I have already made my position clear. Please answer the question.
Bass_Fanatic Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 What I want to know is if the item was marked similarly to the example. Dick's doesn't price their items with any product identification - no SKU, description, UPC, etc. Just a sticker with a price. They use the whatever tags come on the item, and whatever retail price is listed on the manu's tag. The "sales" prices are stickered over those tags. That's what I'm getting at. Was his lacrosse shaft really mislabeled like in the reel example he made? If so, then fine, you can say he wasn't ethical, but certainly within his legal rights. It's definitely not stealing. If he intentionally switched tags, that's another story, and is considered theft. The thread title is "Opinions on Mislabeling", not "Opinions on Deeply Discounted Items". Obviously if the item was just deeply discounted, then heck yea, buy away. But apparently Clary had a notion that the item was "mislabeled", not "discounted".
Super User J Francho Posted October 21, 2011 Super User Posted October 21, 2011 Thank you,Thank God! Now I love you! Dick's here usually uses orange stickers as sale items. If I find a Curado for $65 at dicks...I'm gonna ask somebody once....if they say "That's the right price"...buy it and let it go.It's all about having a peace of mind for me. I bought a dozen Curados at about that price + tax and resold them here for $80 TYD. Please answer BASSclary's (above) question. I already answered that way back in the beginning. I would ask what the price was right.
Bass XL Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Morally speaking, imo, it is. But that's is just me. I can understand how you like to take advantage of someone, even if it means selling yourself out. Even if I do know better, the store is at fault, and I am PURCHASING this item. steal 1. To take (the property of another) without right or permission. I pay for the item, therefore I'm not stealing it...end of story. That being said, morals and ethics are manmade social constructs...So tell me how I'm selling myself out. 3
OHIO Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Even if I do know better, the store is at fault, and I am PURCHASING this item. I pay for the item, therefore I'm not stealing it...end of story. That being said, morals and ethics are manmade social constructs...So tell me how I'm selling myself out. You are getting the item for less than you're supposed to get it. That is stealing. 2
Bass XL Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 You are getting the item for less than you're supposed to get it. That is stealing. Try to see how that holds up in a theft prosecution. That's human error on the stores part...not stealing. 2
OHIO Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Try to see how that holds up in a theft prosecution. That's human error on the stores part...not stealing. This thread isn't about law. It's about ethics.
Bass XL Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 This thread isn't about law. It's about ethics. Then technically it's not stealing, so don't say that it is. Arguing ethics is a fallacy, as they are all subjective. 1
OHIO Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 Then technically it's not stealing, so don't say that it is. Arguing ethics is a fallacy, as they are all subjective. He was asking our OPINION about what he did. Of course it's going to be subjective.
Bass XL Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 Of course it's going to be subjective. Exactly, so don't be so closed minded to the actual definition of stealing. 1
OHIO Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 Exactly, so don't be so closed minded to the actual definition of stealing. I'm not being closed minded at all. I'm giving my opinion on the subject. That's all this thread is about. You aren't going to change someone's mind about what they think is ethical.
Recommended Posts