Gas for a penny a gallon due to glitch: do you buy?

[HeadlessRoland]

For all of us that would not fuel up, remember there is an emergency shut off on the building or at the pumps, hit that button and look for a number to call. I bet you might even get a free tank of gas out of the deal for saving the owner so many 1000's of dollars

Ah, doing "the right thing" in expectation of later personal benefit - now talk about self-interest! You sure do know who butters your bread, huh?

 

[HeadlessRoland]

I've got one better - go home and then bring back some empty 55 gallon drums and fill up as many as one can before the suspension gives out and then hit the emergency stop and call the owner. Ransom it back to him for half the normal market value - one still gets 50% off and he'll have cut some of his losses by 50%. Win-win, right?

Virtue doesn't have appreciable effect in the market, even if it does reside in some individuals.

 

[freekforge]

nope wouldn't do it. when the pop machine at school was broke and I could open it up and take all the pop I wanted I still stood there and paid my $1.25 (which was later stolen too) I like knowing I did the right thing

 

[hoosierdoc]

We went to Ichiban for sushi on Monday (half price in Greenwood!). They forgot our last shrimp tempura roll and a salad. We told them and added it to the bill which also increased the tip. Just the right thing to do I guess.

 

[RockofStrength]

I've got one better - go home and then bring back some empty 55 gallon drums and fill up as many as one can before the suspension gives out and then hit the emergency stop and call the owner. Ransom it back to him for half the normal market value - one still gets 50% off and he'll have cut some of his losses by 50%. Win-win, right?

Virtue doesn't have appreciable effect in the market, even if it does reside in some individuals.

Except that absent virtue you couldn't conduct business on any large scale. I seriously doubt that any of our standard police forces could handle an entire city just up and deciding to have a free-for-all and loot all the stores clean. No virtue, no market for your goods since no one trusts you and you in turn can trust no one.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Except that absent virtue you couldn't conduct business on any large scale. I seriously doubt that any of our standard police forces could handle an entire city just up and deciding to have a free-for-all and loot all the stores clean. No virtue, no market for your goods since no one trusts you and you in turn can trust no one.

I'm not talking about criminal or non-criminal behavior, I'm talking about ethical behavior. It may be legal to purchase gasoline for one cent but is it ethical? What is the role of virtue in the market? Law is applicable regardless of ethics. What is the role of virtue in a marketplace?

 

[Bunnykid68]

Ah, doing "the right thing" in expectation of later personal benefit - now talk about self-interest! You sure do know who butters your bread, huh?

No No No, but sometimes doing the right thing will get you a reward.