First the complaint…
I virtually never return Christmas gifts. I cannot remember the last time I did. This stems from a Christmas childhood trauma. My poor father, who loved my mother dearly, would always pick out for her major Christmas gift a robe, a night gown, a blouse or dress that either didn’t fit, that was identical to one she already had, or that she hated. My mother, for all her wonderful traits, never gave him a break either: she would open the gift and immediately register disappointment. And Dad was always crushed. It got so he would make a joke about it, handing over a package he had lovingly wrapped while saying, “Well, Merry Christmas, let’s see what’s wrong with this.”
As a result, I have never reacted with anything but unalloyed joy when someone gives me a gift. Whatever it is, I love it. It could be chocolate-covered ape placenta, and I will still say, “Oh, this is wonderful! I’ve always wanted to try it!”
Nevertheless, the current practice among retail stores to charge “return fees,” some as high as $9.00 per item, is despicable as well as dumb. If stores want to drive people to Amazon, that’s the way to do it. If I ever did have to return a gift, and I won’t, especially now that there is almost nobody who is likely to give me one since my son/daughter has “cancelled” me for some reason, a store charging me for the privilege would land on my blacklist forever. It is also not consistent with the spirit of the season: I bet Kris Kringle would never let Mr. Macy do that without earning a cane to the noggin.
Now, my bias: I resent the people who post “Be respectful: no peeing here” signs on their lawns that border on sidewalks. They are aimed at dogs, of course (I hope). But dogs being walked in a suburban environment don’t have a lot of options. Bushes lining sidewalks are not only easy targets, but reasonable ones. And dogs on walks typically don’t urinate a lot in any single spot: a tree here, a hydrant there, a bush, and just a few drops on each.
Moreover, I seldom see more than one of those obnoxious signs on the same block: it’s basic message is “don’t let your dog pee here: have them do it next door.” These are bad neighbors.
Some of those signs say, “We love dogs, but…” It’s a lie. Nobody who has any familiarity with dogs would make such a demand.
If I can, I try to get Spuds to pee on those signs.
Ethics Alarms 
I too do not return gifts. I will exchange one for a correct size but that is all. If I do exchange something for a proper size that should be seen as a compliment because there is no point in exchanging a god awful ugly garment I would never wear. Those items are respectfully received and put away for giving to the less fortunate who will must likely give them to someone even more less fortunate that they until it winds up in some rag bin. The point is it is better to give than receive.
As for dogs peeing as you walk the dog if the owner of the property gives you any grief tell him or her that the dog cannot read English and he must provide signage in multiple languages like those necessary for people. How can he expect a dog to read English when not all humans can.
By the way that sign says no peeing. I would ask how long can anyone go without peeing. Nothing on the sign suggests don’t pee here. Failing all that just let him take a massive dump by the sign and say he did not pee. (just kidding)
What do these people putting up signs imagine the squirrels and birds are doing?
I’m just glad I live out of the way and don’t really have to worry about inconsiderate dog owners.
Where can one live and not encounter dogs?
Considerate dog owners control whrre their dogs poop, and clean up after their pets when they do.Considerate dog owners do not keep their dogs in diapers or vacuum off leaves and grass when the animal has to pee. Considerate owners recognize the realities of dog ownership.
I do not live on a thru street, nor is it conducive to walking past, so I almost never see anyone walk in front of my house.
Perhaps it’s impossible to prevent, but there’s no question that large dogs can easily damage lawns. Just glad I don’t have to deal with the negative externalities of my neighbors owning dogs.
I’ve seen those no-peeing signs around my area as well. I suppose there are some owners who themselves, or maybe young residents there, like to walk in the grass of their own yard bare-footed. Heck, kids have been know to roll in the grass. Or, maybe they just consider their private property to be private property. Definitely inconsiderate of them. They should realize that some dog owners have not figured out how to have their dog do its dog’s business in their own yard, or how to curb the dog if they’re away from home.
I have seen a couple of dog walkers — possibly the same person — being especially respectful of a public grassy area. One carried a spray bottle (contents unknown, but likely water) and spray the grass thoroughly after the dog peed. The other instance, a woman did her best to get down on her knees and try to catch the poop in a bag before it could sully the grass.
There is a cost to the business to accept the return of an item. Some conceal the cost among their overall pricing while others charge per return. Either way, the store is recouping the cost of the return. Those who do returns would prefer, of course, that instead of paying the cost of that return themselves, the cost is shared among all customers.
A return fee can be considered in the same light as, for example, paying an airline separately for a checked bag versus buying a ticket that includes a “free” checked bag. Likewise, one could pay a lawyer a fixed fee for the whole transaction, or perhaps, a fee plus “costs”.
No doubt there is a cost to accepting an item being returned. However, for decades and decades easy and cost free returns were a courtesy extended to customers as a gesture of good will. Sure, businesses can charge for everything just like the airlines do now—businesses can make life more cruel, brutal and short, or they can be a beneficent participants in society and chalk the return costs up to “the cost of doing business.” Heck, why not charge extra for competent, friendly and helpful clerks?
Historically, used book stores, such as mine, would accept any returns withing (usually) 30 days. However, unless the book was not ‘as described’, the customer would have to pay for the return shipping.
I.e each book has its defects (and relevant features) described so that a buyer will know what he or she is getting. That’s important so that the customer isn’t buying a pig in a poke. If the customer is returning the book because they just don’t want it, we’d refund the purchase price but not pay the return postage.
That said, I’ve rarely had any returns. As well, if it is a cheap paperback, I may just tell the customer I’ll refund his purchase price but don’t bother to return the book. For a $5 book, it’s really not worth it. More expensive books I want back to be sold again — and also to verify the complaint.
All that said, Amazon Marketplace is notorious for favoring the customer in these cases. They make it very difficult for a store to dispute a return. And if you have too many, in their judgment, the will terminate your seller account.
This, and the fees Amazon charges, are reasons I no longer sell there. For me, it is just not economical. For a lot of folks, though, the volume of sales is enough to put up with all the nonsense.
But used books are a special case, I think, with some customs remaining from when people used to buy used books off a catalog listing.
I’m going to assume the people posting the “don’t pee here” signs are trying to prevent those rings you get on a blue grass or similar lawn where the nitrogen in the dog urine kills the innermost part of the circle and turns it brown, and fertilizes the outer ring such that it becomes more verdant than the rest of the lawn. I doubt it’s the smell. I suspect the owner of a big dog who would drop a big load of nitrogen could prevent the ring situation by bringing along a bottle of water and pouring it on the spot so that the water would dilute the urine/nitrogen.
But let’s face it, dog walkers are generally not the most considerate demographic. My favorite is people who bag their dog’s poop and then leave the bag on the edge of our yard. What exactly are they thinking? “Hey there, homeowner, you take it from here! My job (so to speak) is done.”
“But let’s face it, dog walkers are generally not the most considerate demographic.”
I feel the same and I’m not a dog hater. People bring their dogs to the park where I do my morning walks and now that the weather is brutally cold here, there are more people that just leave the poop behind. I see it every winter. If you can take your dog for a walk in extreme temperatures then you can pick up the dog shit. It’s a public park for everyone. Most of the people do pick up after their dogs but the number that do not increases in the winter as I noted. If you don’t want to deal with the weather let the dog poop in your back yard.
As far as the neighborhood dogs peeing on my lawn; I’m not really bothered by it but the dogs all pee in the same spot. Every year there is one brown patch in my front lawn where they all seem to stop. It doesn’t really bother me because I’m not a lawn freak. The guy across the street from me keeps his lawn well manicured and healthy. I think he objects to the peeing but he doesn’t have a sign.
If you mention to someone at the park that they are required to pick up the poop they get resentful. “Oh, you’re that kind of person” was said to me once when I reminded a dog owner he was supposed to pick up the poop. There are signs all around the park and they even supply free doggy bags. There are at least 4 doggy back dispensers around the park; so, you don’t even have to bring your own supply.
One thing I cannot figure out for the life of me–we have a public trail nearby that provides those little poop bags. I often find those bags of poop lying along the trail. It’s possible that people are picking up the poop to avoid shameful looks from people nearby, and then dropping them later, but I see too many bags for this to be the case. Which means a not-immaterial number of dog owners pick up the poop in a plastic bag but then don’t throw it away in a garbage can. If you’re going to let your dog poop on a public trail and not take care of it, don’t put it in plastic first!
Yes, I also see fastened poop bags left on trails, paths and sidewalks. Makes no sense at all.
When you put work into landscaping and have bushes killed because every dog has to mark it, it does get frustrating. I used to work for a non-profit Asian cultural center. We operated on a fairly thin budget, but one year we spent money to beautify the front area. The bushes near the sidewalk didn’t make it more than a few months. We were only a couple of blocks from a park too.
People think it’s just their dog and it’s not hurting anything, but once one dog pees on something, every dog that follows has to mark it too.
When I had dogs, my backyard was their bathroom. Walks were for exercise. I am currently dogless because I no longer work from home and refuse to get a pack animal just to leave it at home by itself for hours and hours five days a week. I am now a (probably crazy) cat lady. The cats seem happy to have me at home when I’m here but don’t seem bothered by being left on their own for most of the day.
I don’t dislike dogs but I choose not to own one. I don’t want the expense, responsibility, nuisance or extra work. I do choose to own my home. I paid for the property, pay the taxes and maintenance, paid to install landscaping and continue to pay for its maintenance. And I don’t appreciate someone else potentially harming my property by, for example, purposely kicking and breaking the decorative elements, taking a hacksaw to my trees, driving a car across the plantings, or by allowing their animal to do its business. I wouldn’t allow my children or grandchildren to harm or misuse others’ property, so why should others’ pets have free reign on mine?
Not on point, but I’m also tired of dogs in grocery stores and restaurants.