That this does not constitute stealing?

[6079SmithW]

We recently enjoyed a self catering holiday. On the way we decided to break up the journey by stopping for breakfast at a well known chain pub/restaurant/hotel.
The menu was very complicated with only certain things being available to hotel guests rather than others.
My partner and I ordered a cooked breakfast, the DC just wanted something simple so I ordered them a bacon sandwich. I enquired about the small boxes of cereal on display as that was what the DC really wanted. I was told it was part of the hotel guests only breakfast and if DC wanted it it would br £6 each (£12). I ordered that too. My bill was over £30!
The hotel guests additional breakfast was basically the small boxes of cereals plus bread/crumpets to toast. The DC ate a box of cereal and one crumpet each.
Feeling aggrieved that I had spent over £30 on breakfast, and mindful that we were going on a self catering break, I decided to get my monies worth by taking with us a few additional individual portions of jam and Nutella (about 10-12) total. My partner accused me of stealing! WIBU?

Nicely put, @GreyhoundG1rl

For the OP, who said this:

I must say I am shocked that people feel quite so strongly about it; but point taken, it is thought of as stealing and I will hand myself in at the nearest police station on Monday 👮🏻

Can you understand that when people habitually take the p*ss, it makes things a little bit worse for everybody else?

Irrespective of whether your behaviour is a police matter, do you think that it’s OK to take advantage whenever you can, because big businesses can, in your opinion, afford it?

What would happen of everybody behaved like you? I’ll tell you: less choice and worse value. I bet that you’d be the first to complain that it’s difficult to get a reasonably priced breakfast when you’re travelling. Well, this is why. P*ss takers ruining it for everyone else, so that the default assumption is that nobody behaves reasonably. What a world. I’m heartened by the number of responses on this thread from decent people who wouldn’t engage in that sort of behaviour.

Not a great example to set your kids, also it's a bit chavvy to ram loads of extras in your pockets/ bag. It's no wonder we are a bunch of overweight tossers in this country when 50% of the group think it's ok to take extra stuff for later 🤔

You could argue that £6 for cereal is daylight robbery

How many times will somebody say exactly the same thing? “£6 for cereal is daylight robbery”. On this thread, approximately 17.

If any of these contributors had bothered, you know, reading the thread before chiming in with their words of wisdom, they’d know that the £6 covered a continental buffet breakfast, not just a small box of cereal, and that the OP willingly paid it despite having already bought her kids a bacon roll each. So she must have known that she wouldn’t get her “money’s worth” from the £6 before she paid, because her kids wouldn’t have been that hungry. Nevertheless she felt entitled to load up with jam and Nutella for later.

Your explanation is odd. Is it just hotel breakfasts you Apply your logic too or are you prone to shoplifting also as you feel the profit margins are too high? So feel like nicking an extra shirt or something they are still covering their costs so you’re entitled to steal?

@purpletrains

You could argue that £6 for cereal is daylight robbery

You could and you would be wrong. But have at it.

You were NOT guests, staying at the hotel. You'd popped in for breakfast only and the cereal was not available to you except at that price, because you were not a hotel guest.

The reason they sell the cereal at that price - which is ridiculous - is because the don't want a load of randoms wandering in off the streets, taking all the cereal.

If you don't want to pay the price, go elsewhere. You could have gone anywhere else for breakfast. I'd understand better if you staying and they included some of the breakfast (but not the cereal) in the price of the room, but you had a completely free hand in whee to go and you chose there.

You'd have been better off going to a greasy spoon and got a much better breakfast too.

@ferrybevytwat

Not a great example to set your kids, also it's a bit chavvy to ram loads of extras in your pockets/ bag. It's no wonder we are a bunch of overweight tossers in this country when 50% of the group think it's ok to take extra stuff for later 🤔

Somewhat odd logic. The way I understand it she didn't steal it to just suck it down straight from the packet throughout the day but for the next few mornings breakfasts. Seeing as they would likely have had breakfast every day regardless of the theft, this wouldn't be the thing making anyone an overweight tosser.

You were NOT guests, staying at the hotel. You'd popped in for breakfast only and the cereal was not available to you except at that price, because you were not a hotel guest.

For the time they were in the restaurant, they were guests. Clearly the hotel is happy to have non-stayers coming in for breakfast, and there is no suggestion that OP's family were gatecrashing.

If the hotel doesn't want people who aren't staying there to have breakfast, it is perfectly easy to stop them.

I can't believe that a thread about a dozen Nutella and jam portions has been going on for 3 days and has 336 heated messages!

OP, next time you are travelling use your satnav to find a Tesco cafe or Mcdonalds, much cheaper and less hassle.

@BakedTattie

I did this once and karma smacked me in the face hard by the butter I’d chored melting all over my designer purse

Are you from hartlepool?

I have travelled all over the UK and apparently we are the only people who say 'chored' by the complete look of confusion on other peoples faces and the need to explain lol.

@Iamthewombat beg your pardon 🤣

@Iamthewombat

"Approximately 17 people" 🤣🤣🤣

The hotel charged £6 for a buffet breakfast. That’s not too bad if you are going to eat a decent amount but the kids didn’t - so the OP made up the difference by taking extra of something else. The kids were perfectly within their rights to eat all 12 condiments then and there, but didn’t. The OP was within her rights to eat 15 crumpets. Would that be stealing?

I can’t see why anyone has an issue with this. I bet the same people are quite happy for Amazon to skip paying their taxes. That’s something that’s actually worth getting on your high horse about!

[quote purpletrains]@Iamthewombat

"Approximately 17 people" 🤣🤣🤣[/quote]
What are you laughing at purpletrains? Were they all you?
You need a hobby.

@Lostmarbles2021

The hotel charged £6 for a buffet breakfast. That’s not too bad if you are going to eat a decent amount but the kids didn’t - so the OP made up the difference by taking extra of something else. The kids were perfectly within their rights to eat all 12 condiments then and there, but didn’t. The OP was within her rights to eat 15 crumpets. Would that be stealing?

I can’t see why anyone has an issue with this. I bet the same people are quite happy for Amazon to skip paying their taxes. That’s something that’s actually worth getting on your high horse about!

And I'm entitled to have 10 spring rolls at the all you can eat Chinese buffet, but I'm not entitled to box up said spring rolls for my evening meal. Do you see the difference?

If you paid £30 for breakfast, it would be perfectly reasonable to assume that the micro jams (etc.) are complementary. Not stealing, as they are included with crumpets.

I have travelled all over the UK and apparently we are the only people who say 'chored' by the complete look of confusion on other peoples faces and the need to explain lol.

Commonly used in London. Thought it was a Romany word

‘And I'm entitled to have 10 spring rolls at the all you can eat Chinese buffet, but I'm not entitled to box up said spring rolls for my evening meal. Do you see the difference?‘

I think there is a difference here between technically what is within ‘the law’ and what is just. The small amount her children ate makes it justifiable what she did, even if technically it might, possibly be considered stealing. I would do and have done the same. I’m a law abiding citizen with a well developed moral code and core set of values that I live by. This doesn’t even register on my radar as something wrong.

If she’d taken the cutlery or the napkins then that would be different but taking some condiments that could have been consumed then and there is hardly an issue to get in our respective high horses for. There are FAR worse things to get her up about.

@Lostmarbles2021

‘And I'm entitled to have 10 spring rolls at the all you can eat Chinese buffet, but I'm not entitled to box up said spring rolls for my evening meal. Do you see the difference?‘

I think there is a difference here between technically what is within ‘the law’ and what is just. The small amount her children ate makes it justifiable what she did, even if technically it might, possibly be considered stealing. I would do and have done the same. I’m a law abiding citizen with a well developed moral code and core set of values that I live by. This doesn’t even register on my radar as something wrong.

If she’d taken the cutlery or the napkins then that would be different but taking some condiments that could have been consumed then and there is hardly an issue to get in our respective high horses for. There are FAR worse things to get her up about.

Then I'm afraid your moral code needs updating.

I eat less than half of what my husband does most meals and some meals my almost three year old outeats me. I still can't for a second justify taking extras with me on the way out. It is stealing and it's just very common behaviour.

As evident by this thread, you and your "moral code" are in the minority.

@JesusIsAnyNameFree - well put. I was going to say the same thing but you said it first.

They are not "condiments" but spreads that are meant to be consumed on the premises. Not stolen because someone feels that they didn't get their money's worth.

[quote AlfonsoTheMango]**@JesusIsAnyNameFree - well put. I was going to say the same thing but you said it first.

They are not "condiments" but spreads that are meant to be consumed on the premises. Not stolen because someone feels that they didn't get their money's worth.[/quote]
@JesusIsAnyNameFree too

You should question your own morals. Its not very nice to tell someone to update their morals!

Have you ever seen the size of these spreads? Each contains about a teaspoon or less, and the hotels charge extra because they know that people take them with them. Therefore its all paid for and not stealing. Its not immoral in this context at all.
Often if I'm in a hurry at a hotel, I will grab some toast, spreads, cereal (that I have paid for as part of the deal) and eat them on the way out, or afterwards on the go. Its not the same as an "eat as much as you like buffet" at all. If you pay for breakfast items, you have the right to eat them there or later, or even half now and half later. The £5 surcharge for a 30p mini packet of corn flakes is what is immoral. So if you buy 6 of them, just as this family did, the £30 spent is plenty to cover the cost of these condiments, which not every customer eats.
Also, hotels usually run breakfast until about 9:00am, so if you arrived late the night before, you might want to lie in and miss breakfast or shorten it to 2 minutes, in which case the staff would be delighted that you don't hold them back when you take it away. Furthermore, sometimes these spreads and condiments are available as complementary items in the bedroom too. The hotel wants you to take them, because it is good marketing, so you come back and spend money again.
If she had taken jars of Marmite or jam, then yes, it could be called stealing, but these are courtesy items that are expected to be taken by the occasional customer. And note that she is a paying customer, and not some chancer who came in and took them without ordering food.
Its all a question of how reasonable it is to take these complimentary goods, given the cost of a poor service. Yes, poor. Because a decent manager would have just given away a couple of cereal packets to the starving child for free. That would have been good customer service.

@MakeMathsFun

Wow. So much to unpack right after waking up.

1. Questioning someone else's very questionable moral code does not a questionable moral code make. I honestly can't believe I have to explain that to an adult.

1. Why do you think the size of the OPs booty matters?

1. Hotels charge extra because people steal. It's been explained several times on this thread. Many restaurant and shops have to do this because of people having sticky fingers. Did you not know this? 😊

1. It's one thing to grab a muffin and a banana on the way out after paying for it because you don't have time to stay and quite another to fill your boots with items to last you for the day/the holiday. Surely that makes some sense, even to you?

1. This family did not buy 6. They bought 2 cooked breakfasts, 2 bacon rolls and 2 continental breakfasts, where you could have the cereal, crumpets and toast together with these packets of Nutella and jam. We can safely assume tea and juice were also included in the continental breakfast, as they always are.

£30 for all this food is not even close to being immoral, daylight robbery, what ever you would like to call it. It's actually very, very cheap.

1. They might want you to take anything like that that's been left in the room but in no way, shape or form are they eagerly awaiting the sticky fingers to come out and sneak the little nutella packets away from the breakfast buffet, thinking they are somehow profiting from it.

1. Are you for real? Poor service? Free food?? STARVING children?! What the fuck are you even on about?

Finally, there are plenty of things in life that are too expensive. What you do when something is out of your budget is choose not to buy it. What you certainly don't do is buy it and then steal some stuff to try and recoup your "losses".