soda refills- is it stealing? ( when you leave for a few hours and come back)

i may be totally alone, buti think the prices they charge for a soda are the true theft. how is it that expensive to have ice and soda? they are upwards of $1.29 for a 16 oz soda, thats RIDICULOUS! i dont take my cup back the same day, i pay like the rest, but i often skip the soda all together than pay their price. and unless they say that the cup must be used on the same time or only good for one visit, then its fair game.

wow I've never heard of anyone doing that. I think it is stealing as well. That is crazy! I think when you purchase a drink it is implied you get free refills with that meal. Its like an all you can eat buffet... but you can't take a doggy bag home with you at an all you can eat, so you shouldn't take your cup with you ever. I think that is crumby.

It is certainly immoral. No matter how you slice it, no matter what they say, it is wrong. The intent is clear. The refills are intended for your visit while you are there having your burger or whatever. If you leave for more than a few minutes to go to your car to get something that you forgot, then that constitutes another visit and you should make another purchase. All you have to do is put yourself in the store owner's place and observe your own behavior. See how it feels when it is being played on you. I remember seeing a man in an all-you-can-eat buffet. The restaurant staff was trying to politely get him to leave because he had been there from the start of lunch and well into dinner but he had only paid for lunch. He was eating like there was no tomorrow. It was disgusting to watch. He was causing quite a stir among other patrons in the restaurant because no one could believe anyone could eat that much; and no one could believe anyone would have the nerve to be so bold as to sit thru 2 full meals like that. You are not a stick in the mud. It is wrong. I would not set an example like that for my children.

Hi, goldenapples951! Yes, I think that it is stealing. Because if they don't pay for a meal or drink in that given time then it is stealing. Now if they bought some food and a drink at that restaraunt, then they can refill their drink again. That is a very slick way of getting free refills, I suppose, but it is wrong to do it this way.. Going to another diner with the same cup is stealing. I am surprised that the people in the restaraunt don't notice that they didn't order a food or a drink to keep getting free refills. Sooner or later what they are doing is going to catch up with them.

Well it is considered stealing, I would not do it (I don't drink carbonated and sugary drinks anyway ), but it is pretty clever, you have got to hand it to them haha. This does not bother me though, I can care less about big bad corporations like McDonald's that make us all unhealthy anyway. I am sure since Tyra Banks mentioned it a lot of people will give it a try, thank you for teaching us new ways to steal Tyra! haha.

I dont think it is lol. You pay for it and they allow unlimited refills its ok. But if you come back tomorrow and get a refill thats just not right you know. For example the drinks at the mall allow only one refill so I guess they got it down and everything. Some malls have the machine out meaning I guess unlimited refills. I dont really care drinks are drinks, items like clothing, electronics, and supplies: taking that is just plain stealing. You shouldnt worry about the little things.

I believe it is stealing because you paid for it for the time you are there. A person should pay for the drinks every time they go in to a fast food place. I do know that some places have the drink machines behind the counter and will refill as long as you are there. i would be the same as shop lifting but how can it be proven?

I agree with you. Its stealing. That's not what "free refills" are intended for. A lot of people doing that can really hurt a business.

I wonder about this to like what is considered ok or not ok. I know a lot of places have a sign saying no free refills. Some will have signs saying 1 free refill. Some also have signs that say refills are a certain price. Others just have fountains with no signs. I have heard of people who will wash out the disposable cups and take them back to get free refills. I think thats kind of gross let alone wrong! At Chuck E Cheese you can get the disposable cups for a certain price and refill them whenever you want while you are there or you can pay a little more for a reusable nice cup that you can bring in for life and get free refills. I always buy those cups because they are cute cups that my children love! Its also a really fun deal because we go there all the time and can take the cups with us and save a lot of money on buying fountain drinks.

I do think it is stealing. I think it's nice that you get free refills in the first place but there are always those that take advantage of things.

Do these places have rules that specifically tell you how to use their "free refill" policy? I think not. This is smart, to say the least.

Stealing is stealing. Whether you come back the same day or the next week. You paid for that drink ONCE and you can have as much as you want while you are there and then fill it up to take it with you. That does NOT include coming back as much as you want and getting more.

Yeah it is stealing, though it is quite a funny idea. And i guess there are worse things to steal , however if i worked at one of those places, i would be so annoyed if somebody did that. Plus, if it was some kid in a group of friends that would just be shockingly embarrasing, i mean its not as if a cup of soda is gunna cost the world huh? =]

Wow...if there's been a huge interval time in between, I do think that is stealing as well. If it was right after your meal or during, but going back to refill? Whoa! that's just a bit too much.

It is stealing. However, I can understand why they do it. Do you know how much it really costs for a drink from fast food places? It really should only cost you a few cents. The cup only costs them so many cents a cup and they charge you over a dollar for something that they're not even paying that much for. It's a racket. So I can understand why'd people would do it, it's saving them so much money. However, it's still stealing, regardless of the prices.

It depends on the place's policy, I guess. Sounds like stealing to me. You paid for just one soda and as far as I know, there are no refills even while you are still eating your meal, are there? I guess if you get caught bringing your cup in and refilling it, then you'll know for sure. I agree with you....sounds like stealing to me.

I have never actually done that. I am either too lazy or think it is too big of a waste of time to make the trip back just for a refill. I guess if you are a kid and you are in the mall for awhile then maybe you would do it but to drive back to the place just to get another soda seems like a waste. I am sure it is frowned upon but I also know the mark up on soda is so huge that it probably factors in some people doing this not to mention all the soda that is wasted by over filling the cups or whatever.

Well I have to agree with you. While most places do have free refils, this means during your meal, not the next day,LOL. I have actually seen a few people doingthis before and I haven't said anything because it is my belief that Karma will see to them. Overall though I agree with you.

Yes, definitely stealing. If you are still there eating it's not. Seriously, how cheap can a person be? Leaving for a few hours and coming back to steal soda...

Well its stealing but I admit that I have done it at convienience stores.