A reminder about consumer responsibility has come out of Pangasinan after surveillance footage captured a man helping himself to a deodorant he never intended to buy inside a Dagupan City convenience store.
Natalia Dalaten, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Pangasinan, said the incident points to an obligation that shoppers carry even as the law shields their interests. While the Consumer Act of the Philippines safeguards buyer rights, she stressed that using merchandise does not fall under those protections.
“Kapag na-consume natin ang isang personal product, dapat bibilhin natin or babayaran natin. Kasi sino naman ang bibili ng isang produkto na ginamit na personally tapos ibabalik pa? Hindi naman ‘yan kasama doon sa consumer right ng isang consumer,” Dalaten said.
According to a report aired Tuesday by GMA Regional TV One North Central Luzon, the store’s CCTV along Arellano Street showed the man browsing the shelves before the act. He picked up a deodorant, opened it, and quietly rubbed it under both arms. He then closed the container and set it back on the shelf as though nothing had happened, without paying.
Store management discovered what he had done and posted the clip online, describing his behavior in the caption as “very unhygienic at very squammy.” The store said the deodorant he handled had already been pulled from the shelf.
Dalaten advised the public to make sure any product they purchase is properly sealed before buying.
