Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 December 28

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December 28

Eric Weems and his "cousin" Sonny Weems

Is Eric Weems of the Atlanta Falcons really a cousin of Sonny Weems of the Toronto Raptors?--Voluptuous Nature (talk) 02:41, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

What indication (besides the shared last name) do you have that they are? Lots of unrelated people share last names too. --Jayron32 15:27, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Weems&diff=404562585&oldid=400803230 . Also they are both African-American and they are both athletes and both from the south, so chances are they are distant cousins. --Voluptuous Nature (talk) 19:42, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Doubtfully. There are millions of blacks in the south. They aren't any more likely to be related than whites or asians or anyone else in the south. And a random edit by an IP isn't really a reliable source of information. --Jayron32 02:52, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

If you go back far enough, every living thing on the planet seems to be a 'distant cousin' of everything else. When someone write "X is a cousin of Y", I'd assume they mean something closer though, in which case I'd ask for a source. In any case, aren't a significant number of the surnames of African-American descendants of slaves actually 'inherited' from the slave-owner? The two Weems in question might merely share ancestors who had the misfortune to have shared the same 'owner', though that in itself could be seen as a significant bond. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:06, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Study of putting map on flyer and increased attendance

There is a study that I vaguely remember about a university trying to get students to the health center. They tried flyers with just the name or the building number, but attendance did not really increase until a map was put on the flyer. Can anyone direct me to the source of that story or where I can find it on the web? Thanks, Alanraywiki (talk) 15:44, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

A book called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tipping_Point describes this experiment in detail.

Thank you! I read that book but didn't recall that as the source of the story. Much appreciated . . . Alanraywiki (talk) 14:54, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Forgetting bought items in the store

What happens if a customer buys and pays for an item in a store, but forgets to actually take it home with them? Technically it shouldn't be the store's problem, because it's no longer their property. Can they put it back on sale, assuming it's in sellable condition? In that case, they probably should refund the customer, but that is practically impossible if they can no longer trace the customer. JIP | Talk 22:45, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

There are many variables in this scenario, such as the size of the store or the value of the item. I worked in a music shop with 5 employees and would routinely find items we remembered selling. We would set them aside and if we got a call would put a note with it or put it back after a week or so. True, there are liability concerns with higher value items. Such was the case when a customer bought a piano from the music shop but had no means of transporting it. We could not allow them to leave it with us. I have also worked at a larger sporting goods store with 300+ employees. Generally the distance from the checkout to the exit is very small and the customer is almost always ready to leave after their purchase. In the case of when a person purchases a soda to drink while they are browsing a blue sticker is put on the bottle to prove they have piad for the item (although I found empty bottles with no sticker, sometimes). Again, if it was an item of a higher value and had a blue sticker it would be taken to the lost&found. schyler (talk) 22:56, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

My experience squares with Schyler's. If you've paid for something, the store has no ethical right to just put it back on the shelf and re-sell it, unless a suitable interval has passed. As far as proving purchase: Always save your receipts. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:06, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

If you only get to the parking lot without your item you can just go back in and the people should remember you and give you the forgotten item. I have had this happen were an employee actually came into the parking lot and found me to give me the forgotten bag. Sumsum2010·T·C 23:18, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it often turns out better if you go right back in the store and say, "Hey, I forgot..." and they'll usually just hand it to you. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:22, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

I'll have to try going into a car dealership and saying "I forgot to pick up that Ferrari I just bought". :-) StuRat (talk) 00:14, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Interesting idea. Let us know how it works out. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:17, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Your car dealers sell Ferrari? Googlemeister (talk) 16:37, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

The Detroit area has car dealers of all types, including Ferrari: [1]. StuRat (talk) 19:47, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Property is generally deemed to have been lost if it is found in a place where the true owner likely did not intend to set it down, and where it is not likely to be found by the true owner. Wikipedia has an article about Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property. The core question is when can the Finder (the store) claim the found item, either to use or resell. That's a legal question which we shall not answer. It would be wise of the store to post a notice about the uncollected item for a "reasonable time" (maybe like this) before taking posession of it. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 01:23, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

This past year, I bought a $400 ring at a jeweler's and pre-paid an identical ring that the jeweler had to special-order. I left the paid ring with the jeweler specifying that I would collect it when the special-ordered ring arrived. The jeweler told me that the second ring should arrive within 2 weeks at the most and that would phone me when it did. Two weeks later, I phoned the jeweler, and they said that the special-order had arrived and that they had forgotten to phone, but that I could come in and pick up both rings. I got there, and after an hour sitting there while they looked around and went through their paperwork, they informed me that they had sold both rings to other customers. At that point, I threatened to phone the police. They quickly produced two rings identical to the ones I had ordered. Marco polo (talk) 02:59, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

A retail clerk described some behaviors common among customers: 1)They put their items on the counter, then when several have been rung up, they wander off because they just remembered they wanted another thing- with customers waiting in line behind them. 2)When the purchases are totalled, they discover that they left their money or credit card in the car. 3) They pay for their purchases, then walk off leaving their credit card, car keys, sunglasses, or the purchased item on the counter. (They usually come back promptly for the keys.) It takes affirmative action to get them to take all their possessions with them. Some stores have a drawer for items purchased and left behind, which eventually get restocked and resold if not claimed, as well as a drawer for other miscellanea customers leave behind. A large number of customers seem distracted if not demented. Edison (talk) 05:01, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Wal-Mart in Virginia, US. If you leave merchandise at the register, then they are turned in to customer service where they log the items. If you return quickly and can show a receipt that matches the items, they will return the items, else they will issue a refund. I don't know what happens if you don't claim the merchandise— does the store keep the proceeds or does it escheat to the state? ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 05:58, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Does the state absorb losses from shoplifting? —Tamfang (talk) 22:57, 30 December 2010 (UTC)