On 1/31/2012 10:13 AM, John VanSickle wrote:
> On 1/30/2012 8:15 AM, Invisible wrote:
>> Well, there's a thing...
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch
>>
>> "In the United States, [...] no cause of action will exist if the
>> purveyor is capable of actually selling the goods advertised."
>>
>> "In England and Wales it is banned [...] Breaking this law can result in
>> a criminal prosecution, an unlimited fine and two years in jail."
>>
>> You would have thought deliberate deception was illegal everywhere, but
>> apparently not...
>
> In some areas of the U.S. the merchant is required to issue a rain check
> to any customer who shows up during the advertised sale period, enabling
> them to buy a like item when it does come into stock. In some areas
> putting the phrase "limited quantity" in the advertisement relieves the
> merchant of this obligation (but it also gives the customer warning that
> there may not be any when they get to the store).
>
> It goes without saying that consumers already have a remedy for
> bait-and-switch merchants: Refuse to buy their merchandise.
>
Some do both. Policy where I work now is, "If it is in the ad, you can 
get a raincheck. It its not an ad item, its probably being sold to 
remove it from stock, or the like, and therefor it probably *won't* be 
in stock again. Also, in some cases, like when we are selling seasonal 
stuff, where the stock in the warehouse will run out, and there is 
virtually no chance of it being replaced in a timely manner, as a 
result, its pretty much necessary to say, "Until supplies last".

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