'Would you use a 'free' Nando's stamp?

A question about : 'Would you use a 'free' Nando's stamp?

Would you use a 'free' Nando's stamp?

Last week Martin overheard two chaps boasting their friend, an ex-Nando's employee, had taken a loyalty card stamp when he left and now stamps his friends' cards to get them free meals. This is clearly theft and/or fraud rather than a loophole - however some would still do it - how many?

Be truthful, if your friend had a stamp (for Nando's or elsewhere) would you ever use it (split by gender and age)?

YES (I'm a man aged under 30) - 1,707 votes (14 %)
YES (I'm a man aged 30 - 50 ) - 1,943 votes (16 %)
YES (I'm a man aged over 50) - 265 votes (2 %)
YES (I'm a woman aged under 30) - 1,279 votes (10 %)
YES (I'm a woman aged 30 - 50 ) - 1,659 votes (14 %)
YES (I'm a woman aged over 50) - 184 votes (2 %)
NO (I'm a man aged under 30) - 466 votes (4 %)
NO (I'm a man aged 30 - 50 ) - 1,480 votes (12 %)
NO (I'm a man aged over 50) - 621 votes (5 %)
NO (I'm a woman aged under 30) - 459 votes (4 %)
NO (I'm a woman aged 30 - 50 ) - 1,534 votes (13 %)
NO (I'm a woman aged over 50) - 624 votes (5 %)

Voting has now closed, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

INSERT BY MARTIN

NOte I thought of this poll as I posted about the conversation on my facebook page and was shocked at how many people said they'd use it. It will be interesting to see if the poll results bears it out.

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Best answers:

• No on 2 counts, I'm a vegetarian...
• NO (I'm a man aged under 30)
  Mostly because I wouldn't use loyalty cards...
• No because taking the stamp is theft and stamping the cards is fraud. These are commited by the ex-employee. The person presenting the card will also be guilty of fraud.
  Would the people who voted 'yes' agree with an ex post office employee stealing stamps from work and then giving them to his friends to use?
• No, I like a bargain as well as the next person but it's got to be legal...
  Getting a free meal from a disgruntled ex employee would spoil the taste of my food.
  besides, even if I had no scruples, there's no Nandos here in Dundee..
• As an employee of a similar establishment who also offer a 'loyalty' card, i can assure you there is nothing 'free' about abusing this scheme as it is a) fraudulent as the cards are the property of the establishment and employees only have permission to give them out in exchange for the reuired number of purchases, giving them out for any other reason is theft, and b) In the current climate, these establishments are monitoring all costs and often dont take into consideration the work and labour required to serve these 'customers' as no sales are generated, often cutting hours and staff numbers Most feign ignorance but if an offers too good to be true....it usually is, and buying them off ebay doesn't make it right!!!!!!!!!
• No. I'm a stickler for the rules.
  If another friend went along with this, I'd make some excuse to not go out (to Nandos) with them (even if I did pay full price for my meal).
  I'm surprised that there is a disgruntled (ex) employee, I thought they were a good company to work for?
• NO. Now if it was an ex-Caffe Nero employee I might be tempted but since the ones in the branch I use like to stamp my card three times every time I buy one coffee anyway I don't really need that sort of help
• No because it is dishonest.
  Also I hate Nando's food (despite liking hot spicy grub), so the "friend" would not be a friend to me by getting me free meals there.
• Interesting. So far, it looks as though it's fairly evenly divided between the sexes, and that the age group who mainly WOULDN''T use the card are those between thirty and fifty. Men over 50 also wouldn't, but all the others mostly would. It's an odd division. Could it simply be that more people in the categories who wouldn't are likely to be at work doing the poll than the other groups, and being with others influences the way people answer? It would have been intriguing to see these results broken down further by age, I think.
  Personally, I wouldn't do it, because although I'm very much in favour of saving money, I draw the line between money saving and actual fraud. Past that point it simply wouldn't have been an enjoyable experience for me. (I am in the 30-50, female, age group.)
• I'd expect the majority would use the card, though I've voted no. I've learnt through experience in my line of work that more people than not are fundamentally dishonest and willing to break the law as long as there's a decent chance they'll get away with it...
• I'd like to say no, but I might use it once - just like if I found a 'free coffee' voucher in the street I'd probably use that. When it comes to big corporations (who screw us and people abroad over every day fo a quick buck), I really don't care if they end up giving me a free burger.
• I think I would use this to be honest! Is this any different to using a promotional code that you are not actually entitled to?!
  Alot of people took advantage of first time codes at Tesco e.g Ј10 or half price sky tv with employee codes.
• I wouldn't. There's no way it can be seen as anything but dishonest and I would feel so uncomfortable doing it that I wouldn't enjoy the meal.
  (Oh, and I'm a woman in that 30-50 bracket..)
• Interesting the discussion is dominated by "Nos" but the poll is over 50% "yes" - possible conclusion those who'd do it dont like to discuss it
  As for the results if you balance up the no and yes for each age group and gender category. The older and more female (you know what I mean) you are the less likely you are to do it. - interesting (and smugly as I predicted in MSE Towers before the poll went up - good as normally I get it wrong)
  Persoanlly I wouldn't do it - but am trying to work out when I was less well known, less affluent, and younger if i would have done?
• Looking at the replies, I'm distressed that so many people are prepared to be dishonest. using the card and stamp in this way is obviously just plain THEFT. It adds to everybody's cost and will surely mean that the cost rises for everybody else.
  The 'YES' brigade are probably the same people who avoid paying the bus/train fare, keeping lost property found in the street, dropping litter (which the councils - we - need to pay to be picked up). They are jusr SELFISH. If everybody was honest our taxes, including council tax, could be significantly reduced.
• Hi to all
  Unfortunately this type of "Theft" costs us all money, If any goods or services change hands there is always a cost, theres no such thing as a free lunch...It's just that you can get someone else to pay. I worked in construction for 30 years most of that time was self employed I remember the look on a passers by face who having asked me "Any chance of a few of them 4" nails you have thier son"
  No problem I replied grabbing a huge fistfull out of my nailbox and puting them in a poly bag that was at hand.
  Here you are I said.....That will be two quid I said. You should have seen the look on his face as he had thought he was getting a freebie.
  (he was getting a bargain by the way the same amount would cost a fiver in b&q)
  I always paid for everything I put in my van and nails or nandos stamp Theft is Theft. Adults should know better.
  I am appaled at the results so far of how many said "Yes"
  Chris
• I think Martin's post is spot on inasmuch as those who would use the card aren't necessarily going to want to talk about it, however I'll try to buck the trend here.
  I would use it without much thought as the free element only constitutes part of the total meal and I would be confident that after having a couple of beers and sundry other food items, the company would still be in profit from my visit and surely the small profit would be better for them than the zero spend they would otherwise receive if I didn't use their restaurant. If I were to have half a chicken FOC this would probably be about Ј1.50ish at cost to them. They would make that back from the mark-up on one bottle of Sagres.
  Net result: I get a cheap meal, they make a few bob. Everyone's a winner. As another poster said, it's not really any different to people using promo codes posted on these very fora every day which are intended for use exclusively by a select group. (I'm a 29 year old man BTW).