The problem is I bet that behavior is standard among various retailers.
If the retailer says that stuff "isn't allowed", I bet employees still find ways to work around it, just as they always have.
I've worked in a many retail chains in the UK and the dodgier stores/staff will literally find a way to circumvent the company AND staff rules about 14 seconds after they are instituted
So often staff would just disappear one again and never be seen again and you'd find out through through the bitching-network (There were many app channels just for this
) that they were using the system against itself, like purposefully damaging the boxed stock (water) in a way that makes it unfit for sale but has actually caused no internal damage, then the stock gets written off and sent back to main depot, but of course they were able to make up 101 reasons why it didnt all get back to the depot
Now that it no longer exists in the store according to the stock system they simply hide the stock in the warehouse and monitor the price on the system, because even when there is no stock it will still keep the listings for posterity for years afterwards and it will constantly reduce (usually halve) the price automatically as time goes on.
So people would wait a year or more and then get a five (5) grand telly for like three (3) hundo (!) and sell it on for beaucoup bucks. Obviously this is borderline criminal action and you meant clever rule-bending stuff, for that they simply do this:
Liase with a warehouse staffer to know the exact moment the product/stock arrives into the warehouse, it takes 30 mins to 4 hours depending on store size and busyness of store to get them on the system so thats plenty of time to call your friends, family and relatives to come to the store and they are standing there when it goes live and can reserve it online/buy it immediately before anyone even knows there is stock. The stock can't be ordered from online because its separate and afaik they no longer allow store stock transfers so it can't disappear that way.