Honestly now - have you taken something in the grocery store?
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
Canada
October 23, 2011 12:26pm CST
I'm not talking about the free samples here 
We're supposed to eat those 
But, have you ever actually taken something to eat while you shop? I had to run into the grocery store for some cake decorating stuff that I had forgotten. This particular store has the fresh fruits and veggies right at the entrance. A woman picked up a bag of grapes, placed them in the top section of the cart and proceeded to pull out a HUGE handful. She was standing right there at the door, watching people enter the store, eating all those grapes!
I mean, we see people all the time taking a grape or two and I've seen people taking a bulk candy and not putting a nickel in the little payment box and such. But, that woman was making a meal of it! I stared right at her and she looked me dead in the eye and kept eating... clearly she had no qualms about what she was doing.
The produce clerk was stocking nearby and saw her... and I left when I realized he was walking over to her. I just don't get how people have the nerve to do that. Opening a bag of chips or a box of crackers is one thing -- honest people will take that to the register and pay for it (either with some contents remaining or empty). But grapes or a banana or whatever cannot be paid for when you've eaten them!
We're supposed to eat those But, have you ever actually taken something to eat while you shop? I had to run into the grocery store for some cake decorating stuff that I had forgotten. This particular store has the fresh fruits and veggies right at the entrance. A woman picked up a bag of grapes, placed them in the top section of the cart and proceeded to pull out a HUGE handful. She was standing right there at the door, watching people enter the store, eating all those grapes!
I mean, we see people all the time taking a grape or two and I've seen people taking a bulk candy and not putting a nickel in the little payment box and such. But, that woman was making a meal of it! I stared right at her and she looked me dead in the eye and kept eating... clearly she had no qualms about what she was doing.
The produce clerk was stocking nearby and saw her... and I left when I realized he was walking over to her. I just don't get how people have the nerve to do that. Opening a bag of chips or a box of crackers is one thing -- honest people will take that to the register and pay for it (either with some contents remaining or empty). But grapes or a banana or whatever cannot be paid for when you've eaten them!2 people like this
10 responses
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
24 Oct 11
It sounds like they need a weighing scale at the door to weigh in people before and after going into the store!
I'm with you. If it was a pre-package item with a barcode on it, I don't mind people eating it, as long as they pay for it when thet get to the counter. But not produce though!
I'm with you. If it was a pre-package item with a barcode on it, I don't mind people eating it, as long as they pay for it when thet get to the counter. But not produce though!
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
27 Oct 11
Oh wow... I've never had that happen to me yet but that would be really gross 
I can't imagine finding something in my bag out of which a complete stranger has already eaten. Inconvenient, yes, but I'd be heading back to the store with that item for sure!
I can't imagine finding something in my bag out of which a complete stranger has already eaten. Inconvenient, yes, but I'd be heading back to the store with that item for sure!1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 Oct 11
I have eaten sometimes a grape or a plum to test them before buying, but I would never do something like this woman. I have seen people eating a pastry and then paying for it, but it is more difficult for fruits and veggies when they have not been weighted
.
.
2 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
23 Oct 11
Maybe people have to be weighed when they enter the store and then again when they reach the cashier... 
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
24 Oct 11
Some supermarkets have gotten to be HUGE places! You're right... they probably wouldn't notice grapes LOL thanks for the laugh to start my day! 
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
24 Oct 11
Eating produce in a grocery store is theft. Plain and simple. 
You should not do it. I would never do it. I hope that this lady was charged for this act when she was discovered. I have seen many people in stores feeding their children snack foods inside the store from items that they have grabbed off the shelves and opened, which I think is wrong too but at least these products have bar codes that can be scanned and paid for in full. Produce has to be weighed before it can be paid for so it is theft!
You should not do it. I would never do it. I hope that this lady was charged for this act when she was discovered. I have seen many people in stores feeding their children snack foods inside the store from items that they have grabbed off the shelves and opened, which I think is wrong too but at least these products have bar codes that can be scanned and paid for in full. Produce has to be weighed before it can be paid for so it is theft!@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
25 Oct 11
I totally agree, RawBill. I have never worked in the grocery business so I have to wonder how they handle theft of produce. I mean, the lady can't pay the exact amount for what she ate -- but I wonder if the store fines people a certain amount or if they call it in as shoplifting? I'm sure they can't just tell people to stop and turn a blind eye to it afterwards. They must have to recoup their losses somehow.
1 person likes this
@lilblondiemjd (857)
• United States
23 Oct 11
I still do this sometimes! As long as you pay for it, I don't see the big deal! Sometimes if I feel like my sugars low, I'll grab a Snickers bar and eat it while I'm shopping, then just give the cashier the wrapper. I know you're not supposed to do it, but I know I'm going to pay for it, so I don't feel like it's morally wrong. The only bad thing I've done is, when I was a child I stole a small candy from one of those candy bins. You know where they have taffy, peppermints, etc.? I still feel kind of bad about that!
2 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
23 Oct 11
Right! You pay for it. You take your wrapper, the cashier scans it and you pay the full price. I don't see that as a big deal either, as long as the store has no policy against it. This woman had at least half a bag of grapes in her hand and she appeared to have every intention to eat them all... although I guess the produce guy did stop her. There was no way for the store to receive payment for what she ate and that's just theft 
1 person likes this
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
24 Oct 11
May be the woman has paid for it. For handling such problems stores have closed circuit TV and people cannot afford to eat inside the store without paying. I am sure the shopkeepers would have taken care of such pilferages. Of course temptation to eat when some eatable are left before you free is quite common and we have to restrict it.
2 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
24 Oct 11
In this case, no, she hadn't paid for anything. She entered the store, took her cart, went to the fresh fruit area and picked up the big bag of grapes. From that point, she just moved over a little towards the door and started eating. I'm not sure what happened when the produce clerk went over to speak to her because I didn't want to stand there and watch. You are right, though... there is a lot of temptation when food shopping ~ especially for items that may be more expensive than what the person can really afford to purchase.
1 person likes this
@Judy890 (1644)
• United States
23 Oct 11
I like to taste when I'm going to buy fruits, I'll take 1 or 2 grapes to see how sweet they are but a handful? come on. I see lots of people open chip bags and open bottle of juices and drink them and pay for them like you said even if they are half empty, cant they wait until they get outside.
2 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
24 Oct 11
Fresh fruit is very expensive and I do understand why people sample a grape to make sure they are purchasing something they will eat. This lady I saw had a bunch of grapes that barely fit into the palm of her hand and that's what she was eating. I'm mystified at how anyone can do that and not understand why it's wrong ~ or I suppose there's the possibility that she just doesn't care if it's wrong?
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
27 Oct 11
Maybe she was just that desperate, who knows? Some of the things people do are incomprehensible. At least you can be grateful that it wasn't you in that situation.
1 person likes this
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
26 Oct 11
I don't recall doing anything like that. Granted, I might have thought about it once or twice, when I was a child/teenager. Yet, I have really not decided to do anything like that right now. Of course, really, I don't think that I could get away with it if I wanted to. I am not really a rather sneaky person to say the very least. So I don't think I would do that, plus I think that the stores have a very strict policy around these parts about that.
Granted, there are just a lot of times where people are going to take things without shame. I mean, if you take a package of cookies and eat a couple from it on the way to the checkout lane, if you pay for it, who really cares. Well some stores might frown, but you're getting your money anyway. There are other things that are going to be a bit harder to prove to say the very least. Things like fruit as you mentioned or other things, that cannot be proven that they were taken. Once they're eaten, they are eaten.
1 person likes this
@ReViewMeMedia (3785)
• United States
24 Oct 11
I've never taken anything from a grocery store without paying for it first.
2 people like this
@Rohvannyn (3098)
• United States
30 Jan 16
I accidentally did. The checker didn't ring up my bulk item and I left with it. I got all the way home, talked with my partner about it, then came back and told the manager. He didn't charge me for it, but at least I told him what was going on so I was legal.
