THIS MANY PEOPLE SAY IT’S “ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE” TO TAKE HOME THE PEN YOUR SERVER GIVES YOU TO SIGN THE CHECK

A lot of things have become unnecessary now that everyone has a smartphone, but here’s one you don’t hear about much:  Having a pen and paper in your hotel room.  (Having a pen and paper anywhere really.)

A new poll asked people, “Is it unacceptable for someone to take home a pen from a hotel room they’ve stayed in?”

39% of people say it’s “always acceptable” to swipe the pen.  And maybe that makes sense, they’re usually branded with the hotel’s name, so maybe most places consider it complimentary marketing.

32% of people say it “depends on the hotel,” and 18% of people consider it “always unacceptable.”

Now, here’s where it gets interesting.  Another poll asked if it’s cool to take home the pen that a restaurant server gives you to sign the bill.  And 8% of people said that it’s “always acceptable” to steal it from the check folder thing.  (???)

24% said it “depends on the restaurant” and 52% consider it “always unacceptable.”

The people most likely to steal hotel pens are Gen X women . . . while those who are most likely to take the pen from the server are Gen Z men.

Maybe some restaurants have those pens branded as well, but it feels different, right?  They’re not offering you a pen to use as a convenience, they need you to settle your bill.  If you take the pen, they’ll need to find another one for the next table.