CVS, the nationwide pharmacy, is looking into an allegation that has shocked the public in New Jersey. In Garwood, New Jersey, a woman began to have an asthma attack in front of a CVS and she and her boyfriend ran into the CVS to purchase an inhaler. He had only a $20 bill but the inhaler was $21, so the store reportedly refused to give it to her even after she fell to the floor.
The boyfriend states that he offered, in addition to the $20, his wallet cell phone and ids (which showed he lived around the corner) to cover the added dollar. He says that still refused. Fortunately he was able to call a paramedic who rushed over with an inhaler.
This would make for an interesting torts case. It would fall into the general rule that there is no duty to rescue. However, it would have been interesting if the boyfriend had just grabbed an inhaler under a claim of private necessity (though this is likely impossible since the inhalers are presumably kept behind the counter). Under private necessity, he would still have to pay for the inhaler — eventually.
What is clear is that, for roughly one dollar, CVS have cost itself millions in really bad publicity.
Source: Consumerist
It puts “another” stain on my state.No rebuttal BIL:=)
within that is
When the law becomes lawless, the law becomes meaningless.
When war criminals and fascists withing the government are left unchallenged and unpunished, why should others obey the law?
Justice for all or justice for none.
W=C: “Am I the only 1 that thinks that courts coddling the corporate beast is a major reason we are experiencing these bizarre events.”
I don’t have the answers, but something is seriously wrong. “Coddling of the corporate beast” is an enormous factor, as you aptly put it. Not holding anyone in government accountable for war crimes is another. And allowing vigilante behavior on the streets of America is yet another piece of this. Where it will end is anyone’s guess, but we’re certainly on a perilous path.
Hi there,
You wrote:
“It’s easy to see this as “couple comes into CVS to scam a free/cheap inhaler,” especially from the point of view of the pharmacist. And that may actually be the case.”
What am I missing here? A one dollar scam? They paid with a twenty dollar bill and didn’t have the extra dollar, reportedly.
Too bad they weren’t trying to buy meth ingredients, CVS.
CVS Meth Fine: Drug Store Coughs Up $75 Million Fine For Sales Of Meth Ingredient
That’s some organization you have there. It’d be a shame is something were to happen to it. Like bankruptcy. You venal toads.
“It always seemed strange to me that the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, aquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and selfinterest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first, they love the produce of the second.”
~John Steinbeck
“We forge the chains we wear in life.”
– Charles Dickens
the threat of responding appropriately has been planted by the fear of loss of jobs, fear of being sued, fear of dealing with courts that have no common sense
should read “the threat to responding appropriately has been planted by the fear of loss of jobs, fear of being sued, fear of dealing with courts that have no common sense…..”
sloppy communicating on my part….
* She and her boyfriend were walking back from McDonalds. Together, they had no credit card, no debit card, and one $20 bill constituting all of their cash. What did they buy at McDonalds and how did they pay for it to end up in that situation?
* No one called for a manager. No one offered up the additional $1 and change. None of the bystanders or other staff did anything whatsoever.
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This does not surprise me at all….as for the no credit cards etc…..it’s the economy.
That no one called for a manager is exactly what is happening everywhere right now. People do not know how to respond…the threat of responding appropriately has been planted by the fear of loss of jobs, fear of being sued, fear of dealing with courts that have no common sense and follow the letter of the law to the detriment of what it was supposed to protect us from in the first place….like I said….Orcish hoards….
…..and if somebody needs an inhaler so badly that they have to steal it…let them f*cking steal it…..it’s not like we can all afford health care and the waiting list and response time for clinics etc. sucks…….
CVS really, really needed that dollar to help cover the $75 million fine imposed on them for illegally selling the ingredients to make crystal meth.
“What is clear is that, for roughly one dollar, CVS have cost itself millions in really bad publicity.”
Two objections to this:
1) “Millions” is baseless. Do you really think the bad PR from this will cost CVS $2 million or more? I think you’re at least an order of magnitude too high, and probably closer to two orders of magnitude.
2) The asthmatic’s story doesn’t really add up:
* She’s had daily asthma attacks for days. Why leave the house w/o an inhaler?
* She and her boyfriend were walking back from McDonalds. Together, they had no credit card, no debit card, and one $20 bill constituting all of their cash. What did they buy at McDonalds and how did they pay for it to end up in that situation?
* No one called for a manager. No one offered up the additional $1 and change. None of the bystanders or other staff did anything whatsoever. The woman entered and left the store on her own power.
* As far as anyone inside the store knew, she left fine. (The friend who brought her his inhaler did so outside the store.)
It’s easy to see this as “couple comes into CVS to scam a free/cheap inhaler,” especially from the point of view of the pharmacist. And that may actually be the case.
“The clerk’s reluctance must have been motivated by a fear of losing his job if he did the sensible thing, and he probably lost his job anyway.”
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absolutely agree! What a sad state we have put the individuals in the next generation into….you can’t blame them for being angry or frightened. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t…and what passes for ok by our courts is what is setting the tone. It is sick. Am I the only 1 that thinks that courts coddling the corporate beast is a major reason we are experiencing these bizarre events.
The amazing loss of compassion is striking….these events don’t make headlines when the economy is churning along…I guess the beast is kept fat and happy….but when there is a downturn? The ones best able to help those who are hurt are turning on them…where is the judicial system?
I agree with the earlier post that our society has been manipulated in to a higher level of worship of the dollar and a total loss of care for your fellow man. The clerk’s reluctance must have been motivated by a fear of losing his job if he did the sensible thing, and he probably lost his job anyway.
“….a woman began to have an asthma attack in front of a CVS and she and her boyfriend ran into the CVS to purchase an inhaler. He had only a $20 bill but the inhaler was $21, so the store reportedly refused to give it to her even after she fell to the floor.”
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soooooo much like the burning house while the fire department just stood and watched it burn…even though bystanders had checkbooks out to pay the fee….there is no longer any doubt at atll…..the Orcish hoards are here and Middle Earth is charred beyond recognition…..
culheath,
Yep. Do what you’ve got to do to save a life, then deal with the consequences.
And it’s only going to get worse, I fear.
Puts you in mind of the gentleman whos house was left to burn because of the $75.00 fire fee he didn’t pay.
Its good that the EMTs didn’t have that same attitude.
Lets see CVS is for profit…I agree with what the Professor has said…Now CVS has other issues…the day around when the meth kits ingredients were to be kept behind the counter…CVS had an enormous increase in sales…in one state/area of sales they have been forced to disgorge 75 million in profit…. for one day….Hm….
It’s the wonderful new America. Let a house burn down for $75; let a woman suffer with an asthma attack over a dollar. We’re just psychologically gearing-up for the Tea Party/Chamber of Commerce take over.
I don’t blame CVS, I blame the money obsessed culture that produced the dolt behind the counter. If I had been the boyfriend I would have rounded the counter and taken the inhaler and dealt with consequences afterward, hoping for some sort of jury nullification if I was charged with anything.