You are viewing an obsolete version of the DU website which is no longer supported by the Administrators. Visit The New DU.
Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Bulk-bin gold digger -- an ethical question [View All]

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU
InternalDialogue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-25-07 01:53 PM
Original message
Bulk-bin gold digger -- an ethical question
Advertisements [?]
Woman in Wild Oats two days ago, standing in a way that blocked me from the bulk bin I wanted to get at. So I waited.

Her bin was a trail mix, and the reason she took so long was that she was selectively picking the bits of the mix she wanted. When she was done, she had a bag of trail mix, but it didn't represent the original mix at all. Some things in the original mix were entirely absent from her bag, while she had a higher percentage of other bits.

My instant, internal analysis: The value of the trail mix is determined by the overall proportion of ingredients. I don't know exactly what she took, but she changed that overall proportion, both in her bag (affecting the value of what she'll pay for) and the remaining bin (affecting the value of what everyone who comes after her will pay for). It's possible she took a larger proportion of the inexpensive ingredients, meaning she'll pay more for less expensive bits, and those who come after will get more of the expensive bits for their money. The converse is also possible, she took the more expensive bits, giving herself a bargain and leaving others to pay more for the less expensive bits.

Value aside, she upset the general balance of ingredients -- someone who comes after her and randomly scoops will not be getting the trail mix in the proportions generally associated with that particular mix.

Question: Was her behavior appropriate? Unethical? Unfair?



Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 

Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC