Hurricane season is over - now I can get my money back!

[greensinestro]

I was not sure if this should fit under "off topic" or not, but I think it fits well into this section. When I was driving in to work this morning, my radio station was talking about how great it will be that hurricane season is over on December 1. Yet, they were also talking about how they've heard other people, like friends and/or family, planning on going to Home Depot and other places to return items they bought. Some are actually planning on going to these places on Saturday to return unused generators, gasoline cans, batteries, flash lights, even plywood, and they'll have lots more spending money for Christmas shopping! This is terrible. Stores like this are now dealing with losing money because of these type of people, unless they have a policy on this. I saw where some stores, like Best Buy, will not take a return on a generator once it leaves the store, only exchanges. I hope other stores follow suit on this.

[Shabo]

There's actually a huge problem with this. It's gotten to the point where people intentionally "rent" from retail stores. If the companies were smart, they would have something in place to prevent people from returning stuff, like a 60 day return policy or something.

[mymaskofsanity]

I'm unsure which is worse.

The stores awful return policies.

or the morons who live in a place where they have a season dedicated to hurricanes that refuse to have supplies like this readily available in thier homes and would go through the hassle of returning them.

These are most likely the same morons that complain that a store was not open during a city evacuation and they were unable to purchase a generator.

[SuperB]

And next year? Honestly, what is wrong with people?

[LifeCarnie]

There's actually a huge problem with this. It's gotten to the point where people intentionally "rent" from retail stores. If the companies were smart, they would have something in place to prevent people from returning stuff, like a 60 day return policy or something.

Four words....Twenty Percent Restock Fee.

It's not just a problem in retail. Hospitals call medical manufacturers all the time looking to purchase a broad variety of similiar products rather than being specific and doing their research ahead of time. Restock fees have cut way back on that practice. The hospitals who still employ this practice just pass the expense onto their patients.

Of course, hospitals have horrific business practices, which is part of the reason why healthcare in US is in serious financial trouble.

[Rapscallion]

I would imagine the return policies are simply a method of trying to keep pace with the competition. Someone, in the dim and distant past, worked out that if they offered a very lax return policy, it would attract X amount of extra revenue, but the amount returned would be Y and it would cost Z to process it. As long as X outweighed Y and Z, then they profit.

Others were forced to follow suit to keep pace.

Other than that, I don't know how the policies are to maintain freedom from the fierce eye of the Americalandian law authorities - not experienced those.

Rapscallion

[greensinestro]

And next year? Honestly, what is wrong with people?

That was my thought, too. I don't really have a need for a generator, but I could wake up tomorrow and be without electricity for ten days. We've had our share of hurricanes, and luckily, our power grid has been pretty good during these times. Last time, we were out for three days and it was fine.

When I worked for Publix back in 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, SC. It looked like it was about to hit Jacksonville, where I lived, and people were buying up water, batteries, flash lights, candles, oil lamps, etc. Right after this hurricane passed us, it was hell dealing with people who were returning all of these things.

[Brentos]

This makes me think of when I was working in a furniture warehouse while in school and people would buy giant dining sets and whatnot for christmas, then once the holiday was over and their friends/family were impressed with their new sets, they'd try to return it to us for all kinds of BS reasons.
I recall one time when a couple tried to just unexpectedly come back to the warehouse where they picked their product up with the dining table upside down (the finished part grinding away on the truck bed) when we turned it over they then tried to tell us that all the marks were there when they received it.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

And next year? Honestly, what is wrong with people?

It seems to me as if they're unable to think ahead (or much less have the capacity to think ahead.)

I mean, you may not have needed that generator this year but what about next year? Just because you didn't have hurricanes in your area this year doesn't automatically make you exempt for next year. Your area may get hit by one - or it could be year after next - you just don't know.

Not only would these morons be the ones likely to complain that they couldn't buy that stuff during a storm b/c no stores would be open, they may also be the ones who would be going surfing during the tidal waves - without a board.

[smileyeagle1021]

Not only would these morons be the ones likely to complain that they couldn't buy that stuff during a storm b/c no stores would be open, they may also be the ones who would be going surfing during the tidal waves - without a board.

we can only hope...

[GolfCart34]

My bf and I don't live in an area prone to hurricanes, but we do get fun things like blizzards. We have city water now, so we usually don't have to worry about not having water during a power outage, but we will still buy extra jugs of water just in case. We also have a gas stove so we can at least cook stuff on the stove top in outages as well.

When I was growing up I lived away from the downtown area (this was in my hometown back in New Hampshire) so we were on well water. I can remember my dad filling up big buckets of water and putting them in the bath tub so we could still flush the toilet and have drinking water in case of an outage.

I did find the greatest invention ever for emergency situations: I got a crank flashlight/radio. That is the best thing ever!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, even if I don't run to the grocery store or Home Depot every time a storm comes to town, we are always prepared to be with out some of the basics in the short term. We have the stuff whether we need it or not. You better believe I wouldn't just get rid of the stuff because I'm not using it this very second. People just make no sense.

[qaxons]

Really, the Zombie Survival Guide can prepare you for almost any natural disaster.

I just need more space before I can fortress-up the place...

[myswtghst]

I guess what I'm trying to say is, even if I don't run to the grocery store or Home Depot every time a storm comes to town, we are always prepared to be with out some of the basics in the short term. We have the stuff whether we need it or not. You better believe I wouldn't just get rid of the stuff because I'm not using it this very second. People just make no sense.

I'm completely with you on this. I'm in the midwest, so we occasionally get tornadoes, and usually lose power at least a few times a year either due to rainstorms or blizzard conditions, so I always have enough stuff on hand to deal with the situation, and I would never think of buying something with the intention to possibly to return it.

[bainsidhe]

People at my store return air conditioners and fans once the weather starts cooling off. Interesting how so many A/Cs suddenly "don't work" when it isn't in the 80s and 90s anymore.

[mattm04]

I live in Connecticut is a "rural" area. The main parts of the town have city water but the outlying areas don't. After being without power (and water, and heat, etc) for two days once we got a generator. We use it maybe once a year to power the well sump pump, furnace, fridge and some lights and outlets. It just makes no sense to return something like that which the day after you return it you many get a heavy rain and need it to run your sump pump.