I have sent the following question to The Ethicist:
There’s this book I want to read. I decided to order it from Amazon.com, because not only is it cheaper that way but I have an Amazon.com gift certificate with lots of money left on it. The problem is that the book will not arrive for several days, and I want to start reading it now.
Is it OK for me to go to Barnes & Noble or Borders, buy the book at full price, start reading it, and then return it to the store once my copy arrives from Amazon.com? I could even give the store whichever of the two copies is in better condition. What do you think?
What do you think?
I think you’d get smacked down by the ethicist. Because he usually smacks down people that get printed.
Not sure what his reasoning would be- something about dishonest motives, I suppose, in that you’d be buying with the intent to return. Sort of like women that buy a dress, wear it with the tags on, and return it- I think he’s come down on that behavior in the past.
I’m not saying I don’t think you have a good solution- I think returning the copy shipped to you, thus ensuring they get one back in mint condition, would be the better of the two routes.
Ideally, the Ethicist might say- take the Amazon price to B&N, and ask a manager to match it. They just might. And then use the gift certificate money at Amazon for something else.
Well, the Ethicist will no doubt point out that B&N comes out behind even if you return your pristine new Amazon book instead of the book you originally bought–you will have taken it out of circulation for several days and possibly cost the store an honest sale.
But this is a rather petty issue. Buy something else from B&N if it’ll assuage your conscience.
Check it out at the library?
I would, but it’s not there.
it’s so funny that you would even have to ask if it is OK! you know better, but you want permission?? Seriously, if you don’t want to PAY for convenience/immediate gratification, then you gotta wait. Or, do something which is permissible by the store’s own standards, and grab a copy and begin to read in one of the comfy chairs they provide for that purpose. Relax, read a chapter a day, enjoy the atmosphere in the store, and see why it costs a bit more to provide that service.
I wouldn’t go that far–“wrong” though it may be, it violates neither the law nor the store’s own rules. If you do it, you will be taking advantage of the store. It’s not a particularly nice thing to do, but I think it’s a lesser offense than reading the entire thing in the cafe and leaving it all worn out (which, for some reason, is considered entirely permissible whatever your intentions).
As I said–buy another book at the same time that you would not have otherwise. The profit they make from that sale will trump the inconvenience of the return.
The store ^chooses^ to allow customers to read in the store- presumably because its research shows that those who read in-store are more likely to spend more money. And it’s not like he said he was going to write “The Policeman” for advice. Something not being “wrong” doesn’t necessarily make it “right,” either. In a way, that’s what makes the question interesting. Lots of times I disagree with the conclusion of the column even if he is, technically, going with the most “ethical” solution. My view of the “The Ethicist” is that while interesting to read, he probably wouldn’t approve of many things that create the best stories in life.
the Ethicist is really just a tarted up Dear Abby. The ethics he chooses to follow change from column to column (sometimes utilitarian, sometimes rawlsian, sometimes the golden rule).
I think Dear Abby would say “if you’re not going to tell them the situation when you buy it, you shouldn’t do it.”
I had to do what you did while I was working on a play. My boss said “go buy this book, make Xeroxes, then return it tomorrow, ok?” Somehow, I suspected that that was the wrong time to air my ethical objections.
Per FI, though I think that you can’t claim a parallel between reading a book in a store and physically purchasing a book, leaving the store, and returning it. Very different things.
That’s a big no, I think.