Have you ever bought an item which was already opened?

yes I did. it's theft for sure, by either store staffs when nobody was watching, or customers. but most stores have cameras I'm sure they'd be caught someday

This is a common manner of theft by shoplifters in grocery stores and supermarkets. They will steal a packaged knife from the kitchen aids section and use it to open the package they want to steal. The item is stuffed into bags or pockets and without the packaging, it it is harder to recognise as a stolen item.. If you get home and discover a problem with any of your purchases, ring the store straight away and let the manager know the score. It doesn't need to be in the form of a complaint because they usually want to know when their customers have something go wrong while they are shipping in their store.

I have seen this on a lot of box style products, like cereal, pasta mixes, etc... I truly think this is by accident when the employee isn't careful in using the box cutter to open the larger boxes and it cuts through to the individual boxes for sale. Pasta Roni boxes at several of the stores I shop at almost always have slits in them. Since people don't usually eat penni pasta as a rule my thoughts are it's just a careless mistake. It is frustrating to get home and find something that you bought isn't all there or that it's possibly been tampered with. I'm usually more concerned about how it was opened, does it look like it could have been tampered with or just a careless accident.

Personally, I haven't encounter a product that has been opened. I guess this is because most of the products I bought are usually sealed. And even if it is opened, it is because, it's either requested by me or my husband as we wanted to check that the contents of the items in the box is correct. For your case, you mentioned that it seems there is a slit that is probably from a cutter. First thing comes to mind, it might be customer theft. I mean other customers, say example, teenages stealing on a dare, or they steal when they want it more, but they may not have enough money left. Personally, I think if an employee were to steal, he would not have left a slit there. I mean, they have masking tapes, scotch tapes and staples, they could have steal and repackage that product. They don't have to leave a mark that obvious to be discovered. Just my 2 cents worth of guessing...

For me it's usually the toilet paper and paper towels. Even though they're not supposed to, a lot of the stock clerks will open those boxes with box cutters, inadvertently cutting open the package of toilet paper or paper towels. I've learned to fish for a package in the back of the box!

I may have bought opened items a few times in the past. I don't want to be falsely accused of something like this so I try to check items in the store if they're sealed or opened. I sometimes see opened items on store shelves but they weren't opened with a cutter. That makes me think that other customers may have opened the item packaging to steal. I haven't thought about store employees doing it but that's a possibility too. I remember a local store that restricts their employees to bring certain items to the selling floor. When they enter/leave the area, the guard would check their pockets.

hi bounce I hope this response loads I keep getting a redline that says cannot load please make sure you use only characters and standard punctuation. I did those over and still got thesame message so I tried to contact my lot and I will be switched the message to them will not go through.anyway I am wondering if its customers but most grocery stores have ways of watchiong customers that we cannot see or notice so it might be the employees themselves are doing this as who else would slit open the box. thats awful whoever is doing this.It would have to be done in the back rooms of the stores as in front is watched closely and anyone could get caught doing this. This is awful petty theft. terrible.

Sounds like an instore theft to me as well. One of the big DIY chains in the UK puts 'returns' back on the shelf. You have to be really careful as there are often small parts missing, screws and the like. Really frustrating if you get caught out and have to go back to the shop to get another.

I've never bought anything that looked like it might have been tampered with. I won't even buy cans that have been dented. With that said, I have noticed times that there are products that have been obviously opened and just a portion of the contents stolen and it is something that makes absolutely no sense at all to me. The worst is at the $1 store where everything is only one dollar and people will open a package of panty liners and steal a few of those. Um, why not just buy the entire package, it doesn't cost that much.

It could be careless cutting with the box cutters but then how do you explain the missing items. I would say that hopefully if it were a box cutter accident that they seal them and place them on clearance, but then that might get an employee fired, I suppose so maybe while the slitting happened perhaps the items spilled out? Now being that you say it was candles, it possibly could have been a bad customer who helped themselves to a few. It is bad as you returning them is a loss for the store and of course as customers we end up paying higher prices as a result of this.

Nope. I even check the cloth Im buying to see if it isn't ripped off so if I have the chance to buy something that is in a package I really wouldn't buy. Now eletronics...they can be really expensive and once or twice I bought what was there as a sample, like digital camera.

It happend many times with me too..! today I bought one new SIM card. Though I verified that it wasn't opened before; when I reached home, I came to know that someone has opened it before, and just pasted it..! What can I do..!??

Yes Once I asked my Husband to bought me Moisturizing lotion, He went to a grocery shop and bought me a lotion. When I open up the packet of lotion what I saw the lotion seal was already broken, Actually the mistake not done by my husband, It was done by the storekeeper.They should Keep maintaining their store