Nonguests crash hotel breakfast buffets

The question was simple--is it theft or not?  It's amazing how easy many people are diverted from a simple question. 

I think it's theft.  If it's not in the agreement for what you're paying for, you're not entitled to it. 

Regardless of how much one wants to justify or make your ethics 'situational', if it's purpose is for the guests of the hotels, then anyone else who takes the food is stealing it.  Very clearly.  Now just answer the question..........

What do you think -- urban foraging or thievery?

Theft. Urban foraging my foot. David Minsky should be fired.  Nice example to encourage theft to one's blog readers. "Who wouldn't want to try and take advantage of Hampton Inns bangin' free breakfast?"  Honest people, that's who. Why not go up to the floors and wait until the housekeeper isn't looking  and snatch some bangin' personal  toiletries off the cart? Gee, the toiletries are free!   Free when you pay to stay.

Theft of food/ leaving without paying for food or lodging is called by law "defrauding an innkeeper" and depending on which state it occurs in can be considered a misdemeanor or a felony.  Because "hospitality" businesses try to maintain a positive atmosphere they are usually more likely to experience this kind of theft whereas a department store will rightly take a thief right on in to the office for the police to arrive.

It is theft pure and simple.  I'm sure that the "free breakfast buffet" is included in the price I pay for the hotel.

And BTW, it's not the same as bringing your own snacks into a movie theater.  I pay for the ticket to see the movie, but I will not pay $4.00 for a bottle of water that cost the theater 10 cents.

Maybe I shouldn't split hairs here, but, in this case, I'm going to look the other way.  Funny how we condemn our OWN Americans for being extremely hungry, so hungry, in fact, that they've swallowed their pride to "steal" a meal, (and, yes, it IS stealing), yet we gladly gleefully give away our resources, food, and everything else to non-Americans, 3rd world countries, and empty out our pockets to those who would kill us if we turned our backs for a moment or so.  And, to boot, it's not OUR will, but our government's will, so we are constantly being stolen from, whether we like it or not, and we get persecuted if we are unwilling to empty out our pockets and refrigerators to those who hate us.  Thanks, I'd rather give it to a deserving American in our own country than to have it "stolen" from me, against my will, and given to those who hate my guts.  And don't EVEN say that's Obama's fault, or you will sound quite childi**** been going on forever-----hate your own and do good for those who hate your guts.  There IS a passage in the Bible that talks about a person (at that time, a man, in that culture) being worse than an infidel if he gives to the entire world, but fails to feed and clothe and protect his OWN family, as he cannot make up for his shortcomings by giving to the undeserving foreigner who really actually has no rights to what is not his or hers, legally.  But let's be really nice and continue to take it out of our own people's pocket books, so that they, too, will have to resort to stealing hotel food.  And, by the way, take all of our corporations overseas and give those jobs to foreigners who will suck off of the American people's jobs, so that we don't have any.  I am not jobless and haven't been for 18 yrs or so, but I "feel"  God's love for those who do/are?  WHAT are you thinking!!??  Judge not lest you BE judged for your own wrongdoing (I know I'VE done plenty of wrong in a lifetime, but I know that you are all perfect, aren't you, duh??)

marican

I was involved with a Embassy Suites several years ago and this was a problem then. 

 The insistence on presentation of a room key to participate in the free breakfast ultimately became the best solution to the problem but until it was instituted, the loss as a result of freeloaders ran the hotel several thousand dollars a week. 

The hotel guests were charged a dollar or two extra per night to make up for the loss.  They were the ones who ended up paying for the deadbeats just as always. 

 Honest people always end up paying for the shop lifters, and all of the other people who feel that they are entitled to take whatever they can get away with. 

A total lack of ethics and morality that is still all to common in our society today.

i traveled on the road for almost 30 years.if you are opening new territories as i did it requires

2 years before a salesperson will beging to see a profit.it is the salesperson responsibility to budget his money to last for the trip.i an unexpected espense arises,then it become scary if you are travelling on a close budget.no matter,this is not anyone elses concern.i have had penny suckers for dinner:no breakfast or whatever to make it thru the week.hotel/motel did not offer a complete breakfast.coffee (maybe a danish).if you aren't willing to make sacrifices to be a success in your chosen profession;do something else.stand on the street corner with a sigh.those people are more honest than a freebie scrounger