Not at all. Don't force yourself to conclude anything where I am concerned, other than the fact that I am amazing.

This method was told to me by a FG employee. The profit for soft drinks is in the cups that customers buy. Customers always have the option of using a water cup to get a soft drink.

@myst4au wrote:

Seriously? You are publicly advocating theft? You must consider theft to be ethical behavior. I don't. I doubt that the MSCs who contract with you to do shops condone thievery. From a previous post where you state that you learned to ask for a water cup during a shop, I am forced to conclude that you regularly steal merchandise (soda is the merchandise in question) when you conduct those shops. Amazing.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Yes , the soft drink is pure profit. That is why you get your fountain drink in the free water cup on your burrito shop.

I do it in front of managers because it's allowed. They don't say anything. Because it's allowed.

If my drink is reimbursed, then I buy a cup. If my drink is not reimbursed, I get a water cup.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I never get a drink on Taco Tuesday (not a shop), I get a water cup...filled with water. Someone watching like the Manager, could catch you and ban you from the place or make you pay for a drink, embarrased to the core. I realize it's easy to do, but it is no no no!!!! Imagine if everyone did that. I always get a drink from my shops as it is reimbursed (at least the ones I do, except Jack in the box), if not I get WATER.

I am wondering where the idea comes from that the soda only costs the restaurant a penny. I have no idea what the cost is but I am sure it is quite a bit more than a penny. Yes they most likely make a profit but that does not mean it is free for the store. And the cost of the soda also includes refrigeration, someone to keep the machine and the surrounding area clean including cleaning up spilled product that is sticky from the counter, floors and tables, and refill it and empty out the ice catcher and the price of the machine and the cups, straws and lids. Anyone who has ever run any business including volunteering at and purchasing for a non profit for a fund raiser understands that there is virtually nothing that is free. And over the course of a day and a week and month small amounts can really add up. Just the cups alone each time they order costs a significant amount.

My concern for the forum and new shoppers reading this from seasoned shoppers telling them to take free coke. is not o.k....you do what you want right or wrong, but don't pass on advice that could get others in trouble. \Water is a necessity, coke not paid for is not. Some will do things until they get caught, that's another story.
Bad advice should not be given on forum, and not seeing this is worse.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2018 02:37AM by Irene_L.A..

No, it's not a penny, but the fixed costs (everything that you mentioned) are factored into the price of the soda cups, not the fountain drinks. That is why you pay for the cups by size and not the drink.

The water cups are free for a reason.

@sandyf wrote:

I am wondering where the idea comes from that the soda only costs the restaurant a penny. I have no idea what the cost is but I am sure it is quite a bit more than a penny. Yes they most likely make a profit but that does not mean it is free for the store. And the cost of the soda also includes refrigeration, someone to keep the machine and the surrounding area clean including cleaning up spilled product that is sticky from the counter, floors and tables, and refill it and empty out the ice catcher and the price of the machine and the cups, straws and lids. Anyone who has ever run any business including volunteering at and purchasing for a non profit for a fund raiser understands that there is virtually nothing that is free. And over the course of a day and a week and month small amounts can really add up. Just the cups alone each time they order costs a significant amount.

I believe that restaurants are required by law to provide water when asked in this country. Water is not free in many other countries...and in many they will not serve tap water but even if they do they do not just give you a cup. I have never eaten at a fast food in other countries so I do not know.
Think about this though...many soda drinkers drink more than one cup. Even if all costs are factored into a cup price it still costs something and many restaurants run on a very small margin. so try running a business where things are free someday. They now do not even serve free bread many places. all that stuff costs money. I put Mexican restaurants in jeopardy as I eat a lot of salsa. free for me but not for them.

Wow. Really touched by some of the stories here.

I have been reduced to begging, but not to stealing.

I have come very, very close to stealing (is filling your pockets with toilet tissue off the roll in the ladies' room stealing, if you're a paying customer? Boy, THAT'S a really, really THIN LINE! I would have to say yes, it is stealing -- but it IS for customers to use, and I'm a customer, and I'm gonna use it -- just not there, LOL! Still, I feel bad about it. But you can't buy 10 cents worth of toilet tissue!).

I would never get a water cup and put soda in it. To me, that is clearly theft.

Those of you who get water cups, for Pete's sake, get WATER in it! There's no reason why water isn't a perfectly acceptable drink with a meal.

It's not free if you have to wash dishes or report it. Time is money.

I LOVE the high dollar restaurant shops where the reimbursement is over 90 and you can order what you want. The restaurants that reimbursement under 40 and want you to order drinks, entrees, and an appetizer I skip, as there is no way you can do that without ordering the cheapest things.

Well, we agree on something. "The water cups are free for a reason." They reason is so that you can get water. If you are so convinced that what you are doing is correct and honorable, have you reported it in the narrative of your shop? Have you told your scheduler what you are doing? Even if, as you suggest, the cost of the soda is included in the drink cup, then by not buying a drink cup you are transferring the cost of your soda to everyone else's drink cups. What if no one bought drink cups, but instead asked for a free water cup and filled them with soda? How would the business recover the cost of syrup, water, carbon dioxide, ice, labor, etc? Because one employee told you that what you are doing is alright, you choose to selfishly believe that you are not stealing. Go into several restaurants, and tell the manager what you are planning to do and see if they say 'Great. Water cups are free as a courtesy, Feel free to fill it with as much soda as you can drink." Do you go into convenience stores with your own cup and fill it up with soda? Why not ask for a glass of water in a restaurant and then tell the waitperson to fill it with free soda instead?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

No, it's not a penny, but the fixed costs (everything that you mentioned) are factored into the price of the soda cups, not the fountain drinks. That is why you pay for the cups by size and not the drink.

The water cups are free for a reason.

@myst4au wrote:

Well, we agree on something. "The water cups are free for a reason." They reason is so that you can get water. If you are so convinced that what you are doing is correct and honorable, have you reported it in the narrative of your shop? Have you told your scheduler what you are doing? Even if, as you suggest, the cost of the soda is included in the drink cup, then by not buying a drink cup you are transferring the cost of your soda to everyone else's drink cups. What if no one bought drink cups, but instead asked for a free water cup and filled them with soda? How would the business recover the cost of syrup, water, carbon dioxide, ice, labor, etc? Because one employee told you that what you are doing is alright, you choose to selfishly believe that you are not stealing. Go into several restaurants, and tell the manager what you are planning to do and see if they say 'Great. Water cups are free as a courtesy, Feel free to fill it with as much soda as you can drink." Do you go into convenience stores with your own cup and fill it up with soda? Why not ask for a glass of water in a restaurant and then tell the waitperson to fill it with free soda instead?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

No, it's not a penny, but the fixed costs (everything that you mentioned) are factored into the price of the soda cups, not the fountain drinks. That is why you pay for the cups by size and not the drink.

The water cups are free for a reason.
<Maybe, just maybe for water....

@rothers27 wrote:

I LOVE the high dollar restaurant shops where the reimbursement is over 90 and you can order what you want. The restaurants that reimbursement under 40 and want you to order drinks, entrees, and an appetizer I skip, as there is no way you can do that without ordering the cheapest things.

Bahama Breeze offers $50 for lunch. I think it's a good deal, because their food proportion sizes are awesome. Seriously, have you guys been there before? Their side dishes that come with entrees are HUGE. And their lunch specials are $10.

Appetizer: $10
Entree 1: $10
Entree 2: $10

so far is only $30.

The problem is that the report is very lengthy to me. It's a 50/50, I guess. If I have NOTHING else to do, I'll pick up that shop. I don't see it as a deal, but it's definitely not a bad shop either. If not for the tedious report, I'd say it was a winner - like a Chili's (very short report - albeit, I don't like Chili's food that much).

In general, I tend to agree that $50 or less for a dinner shop makes it hard to get what you want. One person almost always has to order a lower grade "cheapo" meal to get under reimbursement (sometimes both people)...That wouldn't matter so much if the report were easier.

It's the combo of reimbursement-only + low reimbursement amount + complex report that makes these a big no-no for me (plus getting "paid" 2 months later...TWO months!).

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2018 05:40AM by shoptastic.

Water cups are for water, as a courtesy. Soda cups are purchased for soda. Putting soda that you did not pay for in a cup given to you for water, is stealing. I don't know how we are even debating this.

For a restaurant, they will do a cost benefit analysis and likely will not want to create a scene. So, they will not call you out on it.

To a worker, the soda does not cost "them" money, so maybe they would tell you to take soda instead of water, or put 30 ketchup packets and another 30 napkins in a to-go bag. This does not make it right. Someone still needs to pay. Having apathetic or careless employees does not now make stealing acceptable.

Irene, I'm not teaching someone a bad habit. This is widely done at quick serve restaurants, and it's not stealing.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

My concern for the forum and new shoppers reading this from seasoned shoppers telling them to take free coke. is not o.k....you do what you want right or wrong, but don't pass on advice that could get others in trouble. \Water is a necessity, coke not paid for is not. Some will do things until they get caught, that's another story.
Bad advice should not be given on forum, and not seeing this is worse.

So an employee told you to steal and you think that is legal?
AMAZING and ILLEGAL


quote=HonnyBrown]
Not at all. Don't force yourself to conclude anything where I am concerned, other than the fact that I am amazing.

This method was told to me by a FG employee. The profit for soft drinks is in the cups that customers buy. Customers always have the option of using a water cup to get a soft drink.

@myst4au wrote:

Seriously? You are publicly advocating theft? You must consider theft to be ethical behavior. I don't. I doubt that the MSCs who contract with you to do shops condone thievery. From a previous post where you state that you learned to ask for a water cup during a shop, I am forced to conclude that you regularly steal merchandise (soda is the merchandise in question) when you conduct those shops. Amazing.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Yes , the soft drink is pure profit. That is why you get your fountain drink in the free water cup on your burrito shop.

[/quote]

So why every BUY a soda when it on the menu? Why dont restaurants take that off the menu and just have free soda all the time.
I really am amazed at you as a shopper all these years..


.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I do it in front of managers because it's allowed. They don't say anything. Because it's allowed.

If my drink is reimbursed, then I buy a cup. If my drink is not reimbursed, I get a water cup.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I never get a drink on Taco Tuesday (not a shop), I get a water cup...filled with water. Someone watching like the Manager, could catch you and ban you from the place or make you pay for a drink, embarrased to the core. I realize it's easy to do, but it is no no no!!!! Imagine if everyone did that. I always get a drink from my shops as it is reimbursed (at least the ones I do, except Jack in the box), if not I get WATER.

I call it a water cup because I don't call it a clear cup. And now that I have made this the Moral Issue of the Month on the forum, the next time you go to a QSR, you will see people doing this and employees being okay with it. Because that is what the clear cups are for. It's not stealing.

@myst4au wrote:

Well, we agree on something. "The water cups are free for a reason." They reason is so that you can get water. If you are so convinced that what you are doing is correct and honorable, have you reported it in the narrative of your shop? Have you told your scheduler what you are doing? Even if, as you suggest, the cost of the soda is included in the drink cup, then by not buying a drink cup you are transferring the cost of your soda to everyone else's drink cups. What if no one bought drink cups, but instead asked for a free water cup and filled them with soda? How would the business recover the cost of syrup, water, carbon dioxide, ice, labor, etc? Because one employee told you that what you are doing is alright, you choose to selfishly believe that you are not stealing. Go into several restaurants, and tell the manager what you are planning to do and see if they say 'Great. Water cups are free as a courtesy, Feel free to fill it with as much soda as you can drink." Do you go into convenience stores with your own cup and fill it up with soda? Why not ask for a glass of water in a restaurant and then tell the waitperson to fill it with free soda instead?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

No, it's not a penny, but the fixed costs (everything that you mentioned) are factored into the price of the soda cups, not the fountain drinks. That is why you pay for the cups by size and not the drink.

The water cups are free for a reason.

repeat that word WATER
do we need to clarify that for YOU?????

W A T E R

@HonnyBrown wrote:

No, it's not a penny, but the fixed costs (everything that you mentioned) are factored into the price of the soda cups, not the fountain drinks. That is why you pay for the cups by size and not the drink.

The water cups are free for a reason.

@sandyf wrote:

I am wondering where the idea comes from that the soda only costs the restaurant a penny. I have no idea what the cost is but I am sure it is quite a bit more than a penny. Yes they most likely make a profit but that does not mean it is free for the store. And the cost of the soda also includes refrigeration, someone to keep the machine and the surrounding area clean including cleaning up spilled product that is sticky from the counter, floors and tables, and refill it and empty out the ice catcher and the price of the machine and the cups, straws and lids. Anyone who has ever run any business including volunteering at and purchasing for a non profit for a fund raiser understands that there is virtually nothing that is free. And over the course of a day and a week and month small amounts can really add up. Just the cups alone each time they order costs a significant amount.

honny, you know this is not personal, but, can't you at least accept it's not the right thing to do, and yes, your encouragement will be seen by some.....what the company/Franchise pays is not your business,Franchises these days are hanging on by a thread and the subject is you believe it o.k. to take a free coke, and it's not. Please for G__'s sake, don't be so stubborn...a water cup is just that, for water, ask your scheduler and see what she says. I find so many shoppers on here feel this wrong, and are heated over it says a lot. I'm done, but the heat lingers.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2018 04:36PM by Irene_L.A..

HB, the cups are clear to prevent people stealing sodas. I have managed many restaurants and owned one. It amazes me how people try to steal a drink. I had an elderly couple come in driving an AMG (100-150K) and stole a drink, I was shocked. I confronted them politely, fortunately I never saw them again. The restaurant industry does not need that kind of patronage. There are costs involved with beverages and the cups. I will say it again, theft is theft. The profit margins at most restaurants is microscopic.

Read this whole article, at the bottom it points out arrests made for JUST stealing soda from QSRs.

[www.kansas.com]

Too funny!

My mind is blown from this thread. See commandment #8.

Anyway, I am looking forward to signing up for the December "free" hours of writing restaurant shops.

WOW...that is funny and I believe it, but CA jails are filled up, however, a good fine would be in order...

My brother once got kicked out of a Chinese restaurant..the kind that is a hole in the wall in the basement of a Chinatown building. He and his friend were there for a long time between busy periods just talking and refilling their tea cups. The owner finally came over and told him that was enough (of the free) tea. They had a big urn of it on a back counter. It was his favorite place but he was told not to come back. Tea is even cheaper than soda....
Next time I go to a high end restaurant I am going to drink all my water and ask the server to refill with soda and see what they say, High end places make even more of a profit as they sometimes charge $4.50 for a soda and they have the same machines behind the scenes that the QSR do. I should really ask for vodka in my water cup. A huge bottle of that at Costco is less than $20.00. They don't need that sort of profit so maybe they will give it out for free once they have sold 4 small drinks out of it and made their money back.

I ALWAYS get caught when doing anything wrong, who wants to visit me in jail.....some get away with everything, it's just not fair....however, if I'm going to take something, I'll make it worth my time, like a diamond, coke,,,ugh!!

I did a Google search and found "How much does soda actually cost?"

"So, for a soda that you pay $2 for, take out $1.20 for indirect costs (60% load for indirect costs), then take out the 8.5 cents for cost of cup, lid, straw, ice etc. Now divide the $0.715 by the direct cost of the product i.e. 12 cents per cup. So, realistically restaurant loses money after 5 to 6 refills."

Using water cup for soda is not the only infraction I have observed while doing a shop. I once observed at FG a family of four sharing a single cup of soda with their meals.

@oteixeira wrote:

Read this whole article, at the bottom it points out arrests made for JUST stealing soda from QSRs.

[www.kansas.com]

Uh oh...police coming for HB. lol

Let me say again, please take this discussion to the "other" thread created in the General Chat area guys, as this is a side discussion from my OP. TYVM!

In defense of HB, I don't think she was trying to knowingly advocate stealing. She gives tips to people all the time and they are always well-meaning and helpful. I think she was just doing the same here, but probably didn't realize that this would constitute stealing.

I do agree that ordering water and filling up with soda is deceptive and theft. But, she was told to do this by an employee and may not have thought it through.

I don't mind calling something out as wrong, but there is a distinction too between wrongness and intent of wrongness. I wish we, as a community, would be less harsh on folks in this regard, and also try to understand people's intent. Sort of how like when I proposed we all work together to not accept shops at low prices, I was scolded for proposing a price fixing SCAM. I honestly didn't know that this would constitute something known as price fixing (which would be wrong/illegal). Although, I'm still not sure that it does or how it works, at least. I'm going to re: that thread later.

But the main thing is my intent was not to suggest something that I knowingly thought was wrong. I hope you all see that distinction and know that HB often gives wonderful tips (I know I've benefited from them) and doesn't seem to be knowingly suggesting something illegal if that makes sense.

OKAY - THAT IS ALL. PLZ TAKE FURTHER DISCUSSION TO THE OTHER THREAD SET UP FOR THIS TOPIC.

I'm stayin right here, unless someone made you in charge.