[fordgtlover]

You could go back to Costco and offer to return their samples

Anyway, the person handing out the samples is earning a $1 an hour. They don't care if you take samples or not. If more people takes samples, they just put more samples out. If less people take samples, they throw the samples in the bin (or maybe they bring them back out again tomorrow

). Either way it's all the same to them. They're paid to grin and offer products on behalf of some faceless mulitnational.

The only moral dilema here is whether you should take the sampl in order to validate the work these peope are being exploited to do, or you should ignore them and their product so they go home feeling like they couldn't even give stuff away.




Quote:

Originally Posted by picklgreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I am in costco on the weekend I try all the free samples they give away knowing dang well i probably wont buy any of the stuff they are giving away samples of. Am I a morally indecent person? How can I live with myself? I should really post this question to a web board on the internet and see what others think shouldnt I?

 

[FallenAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...or you should ignore them and their product so they go home feeling like they couldn't even give stuff away.

A little off topic there, but LOL! Damn that feeling must suck.

As for moral dilema, wow, I never knew there would be so much talking with so little thinking involved (yes, I do realize that sentence is hypocritical). Nobody can tell anybody else what should be moral to them or not, they're morals! You either have morals that say "sure" or "not really"

If of course, this is more of an interest check into how many would do it and how many won't, the my opinion. If you need to make some boards, sure make them for free with this offer, why not, that's why the company is offering it. If on the other hand, if you came across this offer and are now coming up with boards you want to print just because it would be free, well, that's a little lower on my morality scale, but well, if you've already thought enough to come up with boards just to take advantage of this offer, might as well go all the way and finish it off.

 

[macm75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for moral dilema, wow, I never knew there would be so much talking with so little thinking involved (yes, I do realize that sentence is hypocritical). Nobody can tell anybody else what should be moral to them or not, they're morals! You either have morals that say "sure" or "not really"

Yes, of course, change the subject to what would you do if...
BTW, I'm calling them (advanced) back to find out what the cheapest they can offer. The 3 for $100 would be great except my board is over the 60 cu in. We'll see.

 

[wlai]

The Costco example isn't so apt, just because a) you've already paid some money for the mebership; b) you don't go into Costco with the express intent of trying their samples; c) you more than likely will buy some other stuff that you didn't sample.

Not to mention that Costco won't go out of business if you eat all their samples in the world.

I think a small business is more susceptable to be taken advantage of, and I will think more than once in these cases, before taking advantage of these offers. They typically have much less financial flexibility, and does depend on the good will of consumers more than a Costco.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

I think a small business is more susceptable to be taken advantage of, ...

A small business is not a little old lady waiting to be taken to the cleaners by the latest snake-oil salesman. In a free market, it's not the responsibility of the customer to protect the business, nor should it be.

 

[axiom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyway, the person handing out the samples is earning a $1 an hour.

That was quite entertaining, and if it were true might be a larger moral quandry (at least IMO)

.

Back on topic, I will probably go with advanced for my next board offer. Not just because they are giving away some free boards (although that is part of it

), but it seems that their prices are quite reasonable compared to many other PCB manufacturers that I've seen online.

 

[wlai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif A small business is not a little old lady waiting to be taken to the cleaners by the latest snake-oil salesman. In a free market, it's not the responsibility of the customer to protect the business, nor should it be.

Depends on what you mean by responsibility. If you mean by legal responsibility, no, you are free to take advantage of others as long as you don't break any laws. Many businesses take advantages of legal loopholes and get away with it. Like a stockbroker pushing penny stocks that they know has no upside other than their own comissions. Or the late night infomercial guy promises that you can be a millionaire in six months if you buy his $1000 investment study course.

If you mean by moral responsibility, you are wrong. Pretty much all religions, a major source of a society's source of ethics and morals, teach the equivalent of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. It's so commonly accepted as a human principle that it's one of the first things they teach children in kindergarten.

The OP asked whether it's moral to take advantage of this deal, and so I think he's asking for moral responsibility here. Furthermore, dealing with a small business is more akin to dealing with a person (or a small # of persons), rather than a faceless corporate entity whose only real mission is greed, and I think the ethical dimension does apply more.

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I consider myself a generally morally sound person, I go to church, practice the golden rule, help others that I see in need, etc, and I say DO IT

 

[joe_cool]

I think we should move this down to the member's lounge forum. I am surprised to see so much bandwidth used, a lot of people must have moral uncertainties.

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wlai /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think a small business is more susceptable to be taken advantage of

What small business?

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsavitsk /img/forum/go_quote.gif What small business?

Thanks, dsavitsk - always helps to have perspective. So, in order to keep their huge line moving and the ovens from getting cold, they offer a few freebies to DIYer's - might even provide some future business. Interesting.

 

[fordgtlover]

This thread is hilarious. Is that really the "small business" in question?

The notion of posing morality questions online is a strange one at best, but stranger still is that we all join in to provide our own opinions on variations of rightness and wrongness. And yet, completely disregarding my own sentiment, here I go again.

Small business serves itself first and its customers second. If a small, medium or even large business gives so much stuff away that it hurts its own bottom line - well it's probably only a matter of time before that business would have failed anyway. You or me taking a few samples isn't the cause of the failure. The cause of the failure is stupidity on behalf of the owners or managers, not the customers.

I'm no business expert, but I recognise that if you keep giving goods away, which cost you money to create, and they generate no return for you - it's a bad business model (unless you are government or charity) and you should review what you're doing before it's too late.

I orginally proposed that morally you should own up to the fact that you're unlikely to place an order, and let them decide for you. I now realise that all I was suggesting was to let them make the morality judgement on your behalf. Their job is to make the business decision based on what they know. Your role is to accept their offer or not.

After reconsideration of the matter and havng a bit of a laugh at some parts of this thread, I have modified my view to now suggest that as long as you aren't misleading them, such as "Yes, I'm about to place a huge order but I need a sample first", you have nothing to feel bad or guilty about. Even if they go broke on the same day they produce your sample, your sample didn't cause their downfall.

Business look for short, medium and long term return on their investments. Big brands grab mindshare in kids many years before the kids have the finacial ability buy the goods in question. This is about brand loyalty and consumer behaviour. You are likely to feel positive about a company that gave you a sample order and you are likely to give them some business in the future. And, of course that business isn't always direct business. Peer recommendations and shared personal experiences are priceless advertising. Just check out the ravings on this very board regarding the generosity of Ken at ALO.

We'll probably get this thread terminated or moved shortly.

 

[wlai]

The small business scenario is a hypothetical situation. I don't think I or anyone has said that this company is a small business.

Which is why this thread should just get moved, because as the poster above said, it is not about headphones or DIY anymore.

 

[macm75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wlai /img/forum/go_quote.gif The small business scenario is a hypothetical situation. I don't think I or anyone has said that this company is a small business. Which is why this thread should just get moved, because as the poster above said, it is not about headphones or DIY anymore.

How does one move a thread? Can I do it being the originator or can only an admin do it?