Question:
- I recently gave my friend $5 to buy me a certain item from the shop, and it was on a buy 1 get 1 free offer.
My friend wanted to know if he is allowed to take the second item for free, or does he have to give it to me. - Similar shailah I have is, there is a dress shop that is doing an offer of buy 1 dress, get the second one half price. Am I allowed to go to the shop with my friend and she will buy a dress, and then I get the second half price?
- Finally, there is a mikveh near me that charges 10 shekel during the week, and 2 shekel on Shabbos. However, if one goes on Friday Shabbos is free. I used to go on Friday and not Shabbos and paid many times on Friday and didn’t take advantage of going for free on Shabbos.
However, now I started going on Shabbos, I’m a now allowed to go for free?
Thank you for your time.
Answer:
Hello,
- The discount is given as a way of lowering the price for the item purchased, therefore it belongs to the person who paid the $5 for the item, not the person who got it from the store.
- If you are paying for both dresses, and then selling it to your friend, or if both of you put the money together as a partnership, which is buying the two dresses, it is permitted. This is because right now you are one customer, that is purchasing two dresses.
- If the policy of the mikva is that entry is allowed only if you paid for it on erev Shabbos, then you may not use the mikva on Shabbos if you didn’t pay for it. The fact that you used the mikva in the past and paid the higher price, even though you didn’t use it on Shabbos does not allow you to use it for free when they don’t allow this. Similar to when one buys a monthly pass for the train or bus, and you didn’t ride the bus for half of the month, that will not allow you to use ride the bus for free the next month without paying for it. It is the same with the mikva. It should be noted that some mikvas charge extra for Friday, but Shabbos is free. You might want to ask the owner of the mikva bout this.
