What part of "it's defective" don't you understand?

[wolfie]

Was at the local dollar store looking for a test light (add-on power outlet in my car had gone dead), and knowing that the stuff is cheaply made I looked it over before heading to the cash register. As it turned out, the probe didn't extend far enough into the housing (molded around it, so unfixable) to touch the light bulb. In short, this one would NEVER work. An employee was stocking shelves nearby, so I showed her the gap that doomed this particular light, explained the problem, handed it to her to be disposed of/written off (so another customer wouldn't be stuck with a DOA product from a "no exchange no refund" store), got (and examined) another off the shelf, and headed to the cash desk.

Since there was no price tag, the cashier went to check the shelf, and spotted (close to cash desk, but far from where they were kept) another. I had a sneaky suspicion what had happened, looked at the one the cashier had picked up for the price check, and it was the defective light. Naturally, I showed her what the problem was, and she set it aside behind the cash desk. The person stocking had actually put a known defective product back on the shelf - and the wrong shelf, to boot. I wonder if it got re-shelved again after I left.

When I saw that the fuse had blown, I went to get a pack from the local auto parts store (naturally, didn't put in a new one until I had checked for shorts - but there didn't seem to be any issues other than the blown fuse). Got the basic "5 fuses same rating" pack, but saw fuses trying to escape from a deluxe (1 each of 6 ratings, plus fuse puller/tester) pack. Someone had opened it, then put it back on the shelf. Naturally, I brought this one to the parts counter and showed the clerk the problem - everything was there, so all it took was a piece of tape to turn an "asking to be written off" item back into a perfectly good saleable one. Seriously, why do people open clear plastic bubble packs (where you can see what's there already), risking the loss of items, and having the costs of writeoffs increases prices for everyone?

[wagegoth]

It's simple: people are stupid. They never learn the connection that the price of an item is affected by the costs of supplying it to the public. They think one or more of several things, including:

"There are a dozen of these [same item] here. If I open one, there are plenty of others for people to buy."

"The company will absorb the cost of this little item. They're big; they can afford it."

"But how will I know if it's exactly what I want unless I physically handle it. The .02 mm thick plastic might be distorting it."

"Oh, shiny! Must touch."

[LillFilly]

Wagegoth,

Those are SO true!

[jjllbb]

It's simple: people are stupid. They never learn the connection that the price of an item is affected by the costs of supplying it to the public. They think one or more of several things, including:

"There are a dozen of these [same item] here. If I open one, there are plenty of others for people to buy."

"The company will absorb the cost of this little item. They're big; they can afford it."

"But how will I know if it's exactly what I want unless I physically handle it. The .02 mm thick plastic might be distorting it."

"Oh, shiny! Must touch."

HILARIOUS.

and so true.

[ShadowTiger]

Ugh. Returning damaged goods to the store. I'm generally the person who has to do all the throwbacks, (Voluntarily, anyway, just because nobody else ever seems to do it.) and I keep noticing that nobody makes much of an effort to repair things into any state of buyable condition.

I actually saw the paper cover label for an extension cord (The green and white paper thing on the orange cord.) stapled to a Sponge mop refill. I mean at what point did that actually get stapled to such a thing? Would it be a customer? Would it actually be the customer service person? How sleep-deprived do you have to be to staple a(n itemless) label from an electrical item to a cleaning supplies item that doesn't even need a label stapled to it?

I'd constantly find containers of Light Bulbs in the throwbacks bin that have -NO- glue holding the plastic to the cardboard. As soon as you pick it up, the plastic slides right off, taking both bulbs with it to shatter on the floor behind customer service. Nobody cares who was responsible for wrapping it up - they only want to laugh at whoever was dumb enough to let that happen to them. It's like a game of hot potato with a glass grenade.

[Arm]

what always disturbs me is finding the 3-packs of underwear that have been opened and have one or two missing.

It's not like they're that big. You may as well steal them all, you know? There's just something about the idea of someone wandering into a store, filching a pair of drawers, stepping into a changing room, putting them on, and then walking out again that just spikes my weird-o-meter.

edit:

to clarify, it's also beyond my ability to understand why the staff then leaves said damaged/opened/stolen from packages out on the floor. One pack? Sure, fine, they had a thief and haven't noticed yet. When it's half a dozen or so- and it usually is- that tells me the staff just isn't checking the rack, at all. There can't be THAT many underwear thieves in this town, surely.

[bendertiger]

I once got yelled at for returning a product I 'didn't want' with torn packaging, the person taking the return tore me one saying 'Now I have to call the supplier and get a new box to re-sell it'. Apparently they couldn't comprehend, IT'S FAULTY! I told them this five times during the return. They still wanted to put it back on the shelf for some other poor bastard to buy. This was the same store selling Dos 6.22 for $150 back when, not 95, 98 OSR/2 was retailing for $155 I offered them $15 for the DOS. 'Sorry, price says $150'. Told them 'Good luck selling it'.

[Andara Bledin]

When it's half a dozen or so- and it usually is- that tells me the staff just isn't checking the rack, at all. There can't be THAT many underwear thieves in this town, surely.

Don't bet on that. The local Target has a section specifically for discounted packs of underwear that have been opened and stolen from. That rack always has quite a selection of items on it because so many different people are thieving jerks.

^-.-^