Is it okay to return a book I bought

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fakename

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…for the reason that I finished it in one night and it’s in mint condition?
 
In my opinion, it would be wrong. The store incurred costs in stocking and selling the book. You received value in reading the intellectual property someone created. By returning it to the store, you would cause the store to have other costs. None of that would be reimbursed. If too many of us do that, the store goes away.
 
fakename said:
…for the reason that I finished it in one night and it’s in mint condition?
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That can’t be a serious question!!!

If I was the store owner and you brought the book back with such a ridiculous explanation I would kick you out!
 
No. If you bought it as a gift for someone and they already had it, or if you bought for a class and found out it was the wrong book, those are acceptable reasons to take them back. This is akin to buying a suit for a wedding and wearing it only once, and then taking it back. You paid for the book in order to pay for the right to read someone’s copyrighted material. You did that. Morally returning it would not be acceptable, it would be a lie by omission. By taking it back you are indicating that either you didn’t read it, or there was something amiss when you bought it.
 
fakename said:
…for the reason that I finished it in one night and it’s in mint condition?
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As a general rule I would say - No - this is not OK. It illustrates greed.

NOW - that said - you have not made any mention of the store’s return policy.
If they have a “no questions asked”, or a “return for any reason”, return policy…they leave themselves open to being used like a “lending library”.
In such a case, contractually, you are not doing anything that the store has not permitted as part of their sale to you.

Peace
James
 
Georgia said:
In my opinion, it would be wrong. The store incurred costs in stocking and selling the book. You received value in reading the intellectual property someone created. By returning it to the store, you would cause the store to have other costs. None of that would be reimbursed. If too many of us do that, the store goes away.
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There was a case up here in Massachusetts, where a guy got banned from the Peabody Barnes & Noble because he kept bringing books back after he read them; he’d bought like close to a thousand dollars worth of books over a period of a year or two, thus, the store was losing money. The guy challenged the ban, and so the store manager had to explain to the guy that they aren’t a library, that they’re in the business of selling books, not renting them, that the money went to pay the salaries of their employees, etc. etc. etc.

I second whoever said to sell it on Amazon/
 
Matrix_Refugee said:
There was a case up here in Massachusetts, where a guy got banned from the Peabody Barnes & Noble because he kept bringing books back after he read them; he’d bought like close to a thousand dollars worth of books over a period of a year or two, thus, the store was losing money. The guy challenged the ban, and so the store manager had to explain to the guy that they aren’t a library, that they’re in the business of selling books, not renting them, that the money went to pay the salaries of their employees, etc. etc. etc.

I second whoever said to sell it on Amazon/
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👍👍
 
You wouldn’t return food to the shop once you’d eaten it, would you?

You have nourished your mind on the work of the author. Getting your money back means you’d have essentially stolen that experience.

Keep the book or sell it on as second hand. Or even give it away to a charity sale at church perhaps?
 
Leegal said:
A book store is in business to sell books. The library is for lending books.
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Also, libraries may well have to pay publishers substantially more for the right to lend the book to multiple people than an individual would pay to buy the book in a store…
 
Mint is only used on items that have been purchased and then used, though used in a way to keep them from appearing to having had been used.

A brand new item cannot be in mint condition. If it were in mint condition, it would not be brand new.
 
user "bmullins":
No. If you bought it as a gift for someone and they already had it, or if you bought for a class and found out it was the wrong book, those are acceptable reasons to take them back. This is akin to buying a suit for a wedding and wearing it only once, and then taking it back. You paid for the book in order to pay for the right to read someone’s copyrighted material. You did that. Morally returning it would not be acceptable, it would be a lie by omission. By taking it back you are indicating that either you didn’t read it, or there was something amiss when you bought it.
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I always thought it was okay due to these reasons:

-at least a few other people did it.
-it doesn’t really take away from the bottom line (since someone else will just buy the returned item anyway).
-the store surely assumes that some people do this and have factored it in to their costs, so they’re not going to be too upset by this.

But I’m assuming you don’ t think these are good enough reasons -why exactly?

As for another post: if the store has a “no questions asked” return policy, then is that them giving just consent to losing some money on returns, or is it still insufficient reason to return a book?
 
fakename said:
I always thought it was okay due to these reasons:

-at least a few other people did it.
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And if other people jumped off a cliff would it be alright for you to…(My Mom’s retort to the “everybody else does it” defense)
-it doesn’t really take away from the bottom line (since someone else will just buy the returned item anyway).
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How do you know that. Every book store has books that they eventually wind up selling at a loss just to clear inventory.
-the store surely assumes that some people do this and have factored it in to their costs, so they’re not going to be too upset by this.
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If they have then this is a “cost factor” that is akin to insurance companies having to increase insurance rates due to insurance fraud.
Just because the business is forced to do this doesn’t make it right or acceptable.
But I’m assuming you don’ t think these are good enough reasons -why exactly?
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This is not about what “others do” or about what the business finds necessary because of unscrupulous people…It is about what YOU (or I) as a child of the most high God should do, based on the second of the two great commandments. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
By returning the book for this reason you are injuring the business and other customers (your neighbors) by forcing higher prices on them, and for what…So you can make some material gain…at your neighbor’s expense…
As for another post: if the store has a “no questions asked” return policy, then is that them giving just consent to losing some money on returns, or is it still insufficient reason to return a book?
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I was the one who brought that aspect up. Stores generally offer these types of return policies to encourage people to buy more, knowing that they can easily return an item with no hassle. They bank on most people not bothering to make frivolous returns, though they certainly expect a few.
What such a policy does is it would prevent the necessity of lying - but it does not prevent the return from being frivolous.
So - yes - to me your stated reason is insufficient to return the book.

Peace
James
 
fakename said:
-at least a few other people did it.
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Is that ever a reason to do things?
fakename said:
-it doesn’t really take away from the bottom line (since someone else will just buy the returned item anyway).
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Are you going to pay the extra money involved in verifying the item is in mint condition and restocking? Also, what if someone came in to buy that book and there were none on the shelf, leaving empty handed. They are then out the sale completely because the item was on ‘loan’ to you.
fakename said:
-the store surely assumes that some people do this and have factored it in to their costs, so they’re not going to be too upset by this.
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Do they or are you assuming? Did you ask the store if they were going to be upset? Walk up to the register and say “I bought this book yesterday, but finished it last night so I want to return it for a full refund.” See what their policy is, don’t assume.

The store sells items on an act of good faith. They believe you will be honest about it. You as a Christian are challenged to be honest about it. A lie by omission is still a lie. When you return an item to the store, after having made use of it to the fullest extent which they intended when they sold it to you (for you to read the material) then you are in fact being dishonest with your return reasons (even if you do not specify them.) Returns are for defective items, or items you had no use for; not for rentals. If you want to rent a book, rent a book or as someone above said, go to the library.
 
Would you go to a clothing store, buy an outfit, wear it once, and then return it?

Would you go to a hardware store, buy a lawnmower, mow your lawn, wash the mower, and return it?

Would you buy a car, drive it on your vacation to get you where you needed to go, then attempt to return it to the dealership for a full refund?

Would you buy a sofa and love seat, along with a 60 inch flat screen TV, throw a Super Bowl part, and then return the sofa and love seat and TV, saying you were not satisfied?
 
user "bmullins":
Is that ever a reason to do things?
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well thanks for the responses. I won’t do it then.

I’m just going to clarify that the whole “its popular so I’ll do it” is really an enthymeme where its assumed that what is popular is most natural and vice versa.

For instance, if you see that most fishes live in the ocean, then one would conclude that it is most natural for that to happen since nature does not bother herself with freak occurrences or superfluous laws.
 
fakename said:
well thanks for the responses. I won’t do it then.

I’m just going to clarify that the whole “its popular so I’ll do it” is really an enthymeme where its assumed that what is popular is most natural and vice versa.
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To be sure such things might be popular, or might be “natural”, but in many cases that is simply anther reason to be suspicious of it. Things that are “natural” for a fallen nature are likely to not be in accordance with God’s Will for us as Catholics.

I recall a line from the movie “Rooster Cogburn” where Katherine Hepburn’s character says:
“Nature is what we are put on this earth to rise above”…

Peace
James
 
Matrix_Refugee said:
There was a case up here in Massachusetts, where a guy got banned from the Peabody Barnes & Noble because he kept bringing books back after he read them; he’d bought like close to a thousand dollars worth of books over a period of a year or two, thus, the store was losing money. The guy challenged the ban, and so the store manager had to explain to the guy that they aren’t a library, that they’re in the business of selling books, not renting them, that the money went to pay the salaries of their employees, etc. etc. etc.
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That guy had a lot of sand. Had to chuckle.
fakename said:
I always thought it was okay due to these reasons:

-at least a few other people did it.

At least a few people murder others too. That other people do something NEVER justifies an action.

-it doesn’t really take away from the bottom line (since someone else will just buy the returned item anyway).

Wrong. The Someone else would have bought a different copy, which would equal two sales instead of one.

-the store surely assumes that some people do this and have factored it in to their costs, so they’re not going to be too upset by this.

Which translates into increased costs for everyone. Store makes less, has to increase prices over time to make up for lost sales. So…a seemingly minor action, when compounded, affects everyone who works there or buys books from them.

But I’m assuming you don’ t think these are good enough reasons -why exactly?

As for another post: if the store has a “no questions asked” return policy, then is that them giving just consent to losing some money on returns, or is it still insufficient reason to return a book?
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The assumption of such policies is that you bought the book in good faith to keep, not that you would return used merchandise, which despite a new, off the shelf appearance, it is. Such policies are targeted toward returns of ***unused or defective ***merchandise in order to make it easy for the customer to return unused items.

Sell it on Amazon.com, and if you’re looking for a free read, go to the library.
 
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