Eating in the grocery store

Snakey74

So I went grocery shopping tonight, and ended up unwittingly following around a couple who opened a box of Cheez-Its and ate the entire box (um, eww) while shopping. They did have the cashier ring up the empty box and immediately throw it away...but I couldn't help but think about how odd the whole thing was! Does anyone else do this?

deeharley

I've never done it but I've seen it done - with drinks too.

sassylilmama

I have seen it too. In fact an old neighbor would get their 2yo the BIG bag of Cheetos when they went in. Then be PROUD that she had finished it all by herself by the time they finished shopping. No wonder she was 75 pounds by 3.

JDNOX

I will taste a grape to make sure they are good before i get them but no i have never done it. I know someone that has done it because they said they were hungry while shopping and would end up filling the cart with stupid stuff because she was shopping for her stomach rather then for the week. But she said she was munching on rasins or something. She paid for it too.

albinogorilla

I get my kids a chocolate chip muffin and break off pieces for them while i walk around to keep the busy........and often pay for just the stump.........

spennato

I usually pick at grapes while shopping........try not to eat too many though because it is a scale item!!!

Izable2011

I used to work at a grocery store and I hated seeing people do this. Especially if it was a banana b/c ya know we have to weigh that right?! lol

elvb

I've done it....ONCE. I was 8 months pregnant with my first child and DESPERATELY wanted milk for some reason.
I was with my mom at the time. She proceeded to take a pint of milk off the shelf, open it, and hand it to me. It tasted like the best milk ever. lol When I finished it off, she took the empty container, put it in her cart, and paid for it during checkout.

This was 13 years ago. I've haven't done it since then and don't ever plan to. haha

NancyAnne1960

Only the bakery chocolate chip cookie handed to the kids to keep them entertained for a few minutes. Helps with good behavior during the shopping trip. But a box of crackers??? EWW!!

Keltinator

My mom used to do this when shopping with my brother and I if we got hungry... we didn't have a car, so a walk home with two hungry, grumpy kids wouldn't have been fun. So often she'd open a box of granola bars and let us eat one. Of course, she paid for them!

mamaDaisyJ

If I am buying fruit snacks or cracker snacks for the kids anyway, I will give them one while I shop.... it keeps them quiet :blushing:
But I never give them a whole box of anything, ya gotta eat a meal at home or at least sitting down right?
Oh, and our Wal-mart gives the kids a cookie when they stop at the bakery.

idiocracy

Sometimes I end up at the grocery shop starving after a long day. So I buy a few potato wedges (bad, I know) from the deli and eat them right away, but I pay for the empty bag. But never food off the shelf.

unsuspectingfish

My mom used to drink orange juice in stores, but that was because of her blood sugar issues. I think that's the only acceptable reason, really.

idiocracy

I used to work at a grocery store and I hated seeing people do this. Especially if it was a banana b/c ya know we have to weigh that right?! lol

...also called theft.

AliciaLucas_72

I did it once when I was pregnant and i was so hungry I was going to puke but I had to stop at the store for some essential item( i think it was pull ups for my 2 year old) anyway I did pay for the item and it was an emergency situation. (It was a chicken patty sandwich from the deli)

candicecumbie

I usually go to the grocery store right after leaving the gym. I head directly to the protein isle and get a bar or premixed shake and eat or drink it right there and pay at the end.

ckdub428

My husband would do this when we were dating in college. Not a whole box of cheese-its, but the popcorn chicken that you get at the ready-to-eat station at Wal-mart.

bluefox9er

So I went grocery shopping tonight, and ended up unwittingly following around a couple who opened a box of Cheez-Its and ate the entire box (um, eww) while shopping. They did have the cashier ring up the empty box and immediately throw it away...but I couldn't help but think about how odd the whole thing was! Does anyone else do this?

No, I have never ever done this, but I have seen people do this, i have seen people ffed their kids in grocery stores doing this, too. it actually irritates me greatly. At the risk of sounding rude ( and I really apologise because I can't sugar coat this), people who do this shouldn't be allowed back into these stores, it's just crass , wrong and even stealing.

INeedSerenity

I have only seen this done when small children get a little fussy. What a crazy experience that must have been for you. They do say you should never go grocery shopping while you are hungry; but if the grocer allows this kind of munching maybe you could put the grapes or fruit up close...on second thought that gets weighed...hmm.

mmoyer1978

I myself don't do it, but I have small children and when they are with me I do it all the time. It seems like inevitably they tell me they are hungry while we're shopping. We open gold fish or Teddy Grahams and I admit, I share, but we've never polished of a whole box. Too funny!

1a1a

I think I used to open my cartons of flavoured milk in store, poor cashier would have to scan it 2 3rds full, pinching the top together so it doesn't spill. I must have stopped doing that of my own volition and certainly wouldn't start again now, several years down the track as I have picked up a pretty neat habit from my boyfriend of waiting until I am home to consume what ever I bought (be it doughnuts, milk, subways or sausage rolls - yes, needless to say, most of these snack trips don't produce the greatest food ha ha, they don't happen so frequently anymore either).

New_Hope

There's a Starbucks in our Hyvee and I've bought a Tall Mocha Frappuccino Light and walked around the store drinking it while I shopped, but I've never taken anything from the store and consumed it while shopping. Though I have seen lots of parents do things like that with their children.

Uk_Yogini

I do it all the time, open something and eat it if I'm hungry. I see other people do it also and have never really considered it to be odd, but that's just me !

AngelikaLumiere

Once when we had been out in the sun all day and we were 25minutes from home we went into a grocery store to get food for dinner and stopped by the cold drink aisle first. I got a cold bottle of water to drink while we were shopping and it tasted so good. We also put our empties in the cart and paid at the counter. Normally I wouldn't do that but I am not sorry I did that day.

ritajean3

If I want my children to eat something I will go and get fruit and pay for it before I proceed to shop rather than a packet of something simply because you need to weigh it. I have no issue with giving my children drinks that we will pay for anyway while shopping but I don't do it myself. When the twins were little there was times I couldn't see my son over the baby seats and he opened many a packet.

I pay for it all and if it keeps my children from bothering other people I am sure they don't mind

crosa527

I have not, personally walked around eating something, but I have given my kids something to eat and then paid for the empty at checkout time.

elfie9863

I HATE HATE HATE it when your going up and down the grocery aisles...and there are icky, stinky wrappers, half full bags of whatever, cups or bottles of stuff spilled all over the place, sticky crumb like items stuck to your shoes... Geesh really?

I have never eaten in the store (except for a Starbucks which was paid for first and taken out with me) or let my kids.

Each to their own!!

capriciousmoon

I haven't done it and I would have thought of it as wrong, but it's interesting seeing people's reasons for it.

I would only wonder... what if you somehow came up short on cash? I've had times where I had less money than I though I did because some of it was actually Canadian... lol. I also don't think the store's security would be a big fan of people eating things before paying, I think they could call you out on stealing? Since they have no proof if you planned to pay or not. It could also cause a bad example for kids if they miss the part about paying for it before you leave.

cabaray

Done it a few times with drinks, never food, and only if I was realllllly thirsty. I always pay though. I used to be a cashier, it didn't bother me.

jessradtke

I've done this lots of times, especially when we have to shop during dinner time. (Not with Cheez-Its though. Blech.) If it's something that needs to be weighed, I'll pay for it first, but if it's something that has a set price we just eat it while we shop and pay for it with everything else. Having a snack while we shop keeps little ones occupied and keeps me from over buying because we're all hungry.

AmazingStace

I did it once when I was pregnant and having terrible all day sickness. I found eating saltines helped keep me from throwing up. We were at the store, and I caught a smell of the seafood area, which set my stomach off. So I grabbed some crackers and ate a few. I paid for them, of course.

When I shop with my kids, I always pack snacks in the diaper bag or my purse so I don't have to open up boxes at the store.