I was at Walmart yesterday. It was pretty crowded. It always is. I shop there often, so I’m familiar with the layout of the store. With my shopping list in hand, I was making my way thru the aisles in the most effective way. I was in a time crunch. I usually am. I wanted to be home in time for an 8:30 pm corporate webinar.
I ran into a roadblock in the deodorant aisle. There were two people who appeared to be a mother and teenage daughter. They were blocking a good portion of the deodorant display. They were only interested in Secret. I needed deodorant, so I had no choice but to wait my turn.
They knew I was there.
They knew I was waiting.
They knew I was WATCHING.
But, there they were, removing each cap and putting their nose right up to the deodorant to smell it. I hope it had a plastic cap over the deodorant, but I’m not familiar with Secret. How could they be so bold? I guess they couldn’t decide by names like Ooh-La-La Lavender, So Very Summerberry, Cocoa Butter Kiss and Truth or Pear. Thank goodness I wasn’t there to buy Secret. I chose another brand. They never looked at me. I think they were too busy – or loopy from the scents – To pay any attention to me. They finally decided on one and disappeared around the corner.
So, is it legal to open packages and sniff the contents? If it’s legal, what would an employee have done or said if she caught them? And even if it’s legal, is it the right thing to do? I think not. It’s mostly an ethical dilemma.
It makes me wonder . . .
Would they open and smell the peanut butter? The coffee? The fabric softener?
I chose not to say anything to the ladies. I don’t think it would have had a happy ending. People who think they’re right – No matter what they’re doing – Would not be receptive to constructive criticism. But, what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if they came across someone opening and sniffing deodorant? It could be an interesting confrontation, but I’ll never know.
I chose to do nothing – A “live and let live” attitude. What would you have done?
Add a comment and let me know.
Hi Marilyn I have seen so much of this happening. When we had products at some craft shows I seen people actually open up brand new products and of course smell them, and try the product on. They could see these items were for sale. They didn’t care. We really had to watch this area as once it is open it is not good to sell it to someone. I agree with you they need to have something over the top of the products. Some Women would just rip it off and try it any way.
Judy Cook
Judy, I think those kind of people only see THEIR side. I’ll bet they would never buy something that was already opened. But, they don’t worry when THEY’RE the one opening new products to test and try them. ~Marilyn