Why is it?

Question

If you went into a store like Wal-Mart and stole a candy bar, you would be arrested, and yet Wal-Mart and other retail stores scan items at a higher price then the item was marked.
I have caught this many times.
Is'nt THAT stealing too?

Answer 1

we worship corporate stealing in this country. didn't you know we are fighting a war to give american corporations the means to go over to the Middle East and Central Asia and steal all the resources they can?!?! not to mention the taxpayer dollars they get to steal through "reconstruction" bids.

just do this - incorporate yourself, hire thousands of impoverished undereducated immigrants to steal the candy bars from wal-mart FOR you, and then hire expensive lobbyists to get you a $72.3 million grant from the commerce department to study how you can take your corporate shoplifting enterprise into China. you might try the department of defense too, they might want to buy your stolen candy bars for $700/each...

Answer 2

If done intentionally, a case for fraud or deceptive trade practices could be made. Good luck proving that, though. In most cases, it's an innocent error and treated as such from a legal perspective.

Personally, I watch prices like a hawk and have only found one discrepancy at Wal-Mart in over 10 years. I catch errors at JC Penny all the time, though, and have been given a number of purchases for free as a result though that is not a legal requirement.

Answer 3

May be theoretically--but not by letter of law--difference being--a transaction of business is occurring when you are OVERCHARGED--a willfull ACT of theft occurs when you TAKE an item---the one occurance is considered a transactionary mistake the other a willfull violation of law

Answer 4

its just the way the cookie crumbles