That's Capitalism for you:

[opebo]

Just the other day I had it in mind to have a Radler (or Shandy) as I played in the internet cafe. I rarely drink, so I need it to be diluted somewhat. So at the 7-11 I collected a 7-Up and a Leo in can format, and a largish plastic cup.

Surprise surprise, they would not sell me the plastic cup - it was designated as a drink cup, and any loss of same would mean the employees were stealing from the man! The cup was a mechanism of control rather than an item for pleasing the customer.

I literally could not get a Shandy - I tried also at Family Mart, the so-called competitor of 7-11, where they offered to sell me the cup for 24 baht (about 75 cents!). Alas there were no small marts anywhere within half a kilometer, still owned by real people. So I had to just do without. There's Capitalism for you. Choice, lots of Choice.

[Torie]

American capitalism is apparently better, because the 7-11 would have just given you the cup. You see just how selfless capitalism can be now Opebo?  Gosh, you are such a whiner!  

[opebo]

American capitalism is apparently better, because the 7-11 would have just given you the cup. You see just how selfless capitalism can be now Opebo?  Gosh, you are such a whiner!  

I remember having that problem at american inconvenience stores as well, Torie - no cups.  If you want cups, they may allow you to buy a tube of these:

[Ban my account ffs!]

They'd just give you the cup here... and no "owner" would think twice about it.  Cups and the pop they sell in them are so profitable it would be silly to deny a few people a free cup, especially people who purchased other items.  The worst I've seen is that they ask for a quarter or something.

[Sbane]

Sometimes companies use cups to do inventory control. I know they did at Jamba Juice. Whenever I got my free drink after a hard day of work, I would still have to put it in the system so the managers knew where the cup went.

[opebo]

Sometimes companies use cups to do inventory control. I know they did at Jamba Juice. Whenever I got my free drink after a hard day of work, I would still have to put it in the system so the managers knew where the cup went.

Yeah that is the whole point.  Buying a beverage or even a beverage container is under the control of massive hierarchies in our sad society, sbane.