Eating in the grocery store

mommared53

Wow, looks like I'm very much in the minority. I see people eating something in the store before paying for it all the time and I always think to myself, that's stealing! I can't imagine my mom ever doing that or allowing one of her kids to do it when I was growing up so I guess it's just the way I was brought up. The exception would be the free cookies the bakery hands out to kids or the free samples that grocery stores offer.

kayemme

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.

I used to "test the grapes" until I realized how much pesticides were on them

I have eaten in the store while shopping, back in the day. I wouldn't do it now, though. I'd be embarrassed by it.

And it's not stealing if you pay for it. It's just kinda tacky.

kendrafallon

I've never eaten food in supermarket/grocery store that I've not paid for. I used to work for a supermarket and found it a little grim to get rid of grape seeds and skin, banana skins and empty crisp packets, muffin cases etc from people who couldn't wait. Maybe I'm old-fashioned or stuck-up but as a kid, when my Dad used to take me shopping we never saw kids being handed things to eat, it was considered bad manners and I still see it that way.

asyouseefit

If I'm grocery shopping with the kiddo, I'll take a slice of bread out of the loaf I'm buying and give it to him. As someone else said, it'll keep him quiet! I rarely eat myself, except maybe a grape here and there. Or the free samples they sometimes give on week-ends!

When I was a kid, I used to go grocery shopping with my mom every friday after school. Every time, I ate a whole bag of chips (small one) and drank a can of coke. Was getting a lot of exercise at the time so I guess that was ok.

whatwentwrong

sometimes i have a little taste of the bulk foods (like candy and snacks, not rice or anything), to see if i like them enough them enough to buy them. i drank a waterbottle in-store ONCE, and i was just about dying of dehydration when it happened. otherwise, no, i think that is extremely weird. i guess if i was dying of hunger i might open up something and have a bite, but how do you get to the point of snacking on an entire box of crackers while wandering around?

Nikki582

Not the same thing, I know, but my local Woolworths has a "feed the pig - Kiddy table" where you feed their piggy bank 50c and you can choose a piece of fruit (normally apples or mandarins) to munch on - it is awesome because it keeps my kids happy and quiet and it's not as bad as buying them something packaged and therefore scannable.

I -have- been known to buy them a pop-top of milk at the start of shopping to keep them occupied for part of the grocery shop, but never beyond the age of 2.

vegangirl88

If I'm grocery shopping with the kiddo, I'll take a slice of bread out of the loaf I'm buying and give it to him.

My mum used to give us a french baguette in the supermarket when we were kids and we would break the top of the crust off and scoop out the soft bread from inside. Then we would get to the checkout with me having my arm right inside the bread trying to get the last bits out haha. My mum, obviously, paid for it everytime. I don't see anything wrong with eating on your way round if you are paying for it, obviously different if you went in, ate a box of snacks and then left without paying!!

Personally I don't do it now, for two reasons. One, its best not to shop when you're so hungry that you have to eat RIGHT THEN because you are more likely to be ruled by your stomach than your shopping list and end up with all sorts of unhealthy snacks in the trolley and two, I'm never in the supermarket long enough to warrant it really. It takes me about 20 mins to load my trolley up with the fruits and veggies/pulses and grains I need, so if I'm really hungry, I know I can wait til I get outside.

fragilegift

I've done it, though rarely, and it happened a few weeks ago when I had a friends baby with me. I got something to keep him occupied and paid for it when we left. Now days I like to shop with something in my tummy, but if I had to eat *now* I'd do it again in a heart beat.

maria1113

I have never done it and never really understood it. Then again, I live in different country You don't see that too often here.
My parents never let me (or my sister) eat anything at store (and it never came even to my mind to ask!) when I was a kid.

I always eat snack before going to the store and go there with shopping list. Only buy the stuff on the list and I'm good to go.

statia152

I went grocery shopping with a boyfriend once who ate everything: Bag of chips, soda, potato salad ... Then he left the store without paying. It disgusted me! Of course I walked around the store and collected his trash and paid for it. A combination of that shopping trip and walking in my bathroom seeing him with a needle in his arm booting cocaine ended that relationship.:explode:

jenny95662

only time i have done it is when i was pregnant and felt sick to my stomach and i opened the crackers and had a few to settle my stomach but i pay for it. Only other time is when i pick up a 16 oz but thats cause i dont want to buy one outside and bring it in and them think i stole it so i get it there and pay at the end lol but usually we get something to eat in our food court and a drink and then go in...we are military so we eat at the nex then go to the comminsary to shop lol

hanna1210

I have done it with drinks. You know, you're out and it's a hot day, you're stopping by the store anyway. Might as well take care of it then and there. And of course you ring up the half-empty bottle on your way out with the rest of your groceries.

I'm not too bothered by it, unless you're eating something that's price is based on weight. That's not cool.:grumble:

supergirlsu

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

I currently work at one and does my head in to be honest. Especially when it's a item that needs to be weighed (and you then pay by weight, not by individual item) - do people realise that it's actually stealing?
A friend if mine was working on the checkout and saw a woman feeding her kid a whole loads of grapes, so she weighed the bag to put the price in the till and then took out a handful before giving it back to customer. When customer asked she simply said that was for the load she had let her kid eat before paying.
You do also get people who eat stuff and casually leave the wrapper on the shelf.

I never ate food round the supermarket as a kid ad deffo wouldn't now. If I'm that desperate for a drink I will pay for it first, and then drink it.

One if my pet peeves at work lol.

dls06

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

This.

laurad1406

Wow, I'm kind of surprised at what a big deal this is....I agree with the points of if it's a weighted item it's stealing, and if you leave a mess of juice crumbs and wrappers in the aisles it's disgusting....but I have, on more than one occasion, gotten a container of almonds or something and snacked on a handful. And I almost ALWAYS get a bottle of water while I shop. I think I would feel more rude bringing my own bottle of water in with me. I see other people do it all the time, so I don't think it's just me.....I'm not sure though.

LamsieDee

that's a lot of calories! but at least they paid for it. yes, I've seen it done. I used to work in a grocery a long time ago. we would find lots of empty boxes and bags that people ate the stuff then hid the packaging behind other items on other shelves. the store can have you arrested for shoplifting if they catch you. I don't think they'll do anything if you pay for the box. people do this with fresh fruit and candy that's loose all the time and don't pay.

newlyknit

My mom used to give me a grape when I was little, now I'm slightly grossed out by that... they weren't even washed!

Once, while shopping with my husband and son (and pregnant with twins) I had to run (waddle) and grab a ginger ale to sip. I figured they could be a little peeved with me for drinking w/o paying, since I saved them a mess to clean up.

Side note: I've definitely seen six packs with one can missing and I'm always thinking 'who does that? Who walks around drinking a can of beer, or did they just slip one can of beer into their pocket?'

Pangea250

I've never done it myself, but I have allowed my kids to have a *little* something if they were really hungry, and then I made sure they knew we paid for it at the end.

journiemateio

I worked at a supermarket for a while, and we always had people coming up to the checkout with empty deli bags because their children ate all of the luncheon! As staff members, we were... Well, not allowed, but we weren't growled about it. We could take things off the shelf and have them for lunch, as long as we took the empty packets/bottles/cans/boxes or the exact same package to the checkout and paid for it when we went off lunch. I did it once after my shift with a bottle of water and a little deli packet of shredded chicken, but only because I hadn't had anything for lunch (it was during Christmas, lunches were rushed and no food could be bought - you'd run out of time!). I had been working for seven hours and of course I paid for it as I left the store. But we frequently got customers bringing things to the checkout saying that they'd found it open behind some other stuff or dropped on the floor.

dmpizza

Finishing a box. NO!
That's like 2000 calories or more, each. Its not like grocery shopping is that strenuous.

maidentl

I've done it for my kids or got myself a soda before. I don't see the issue if it's a package that can be rung up and paid for. I did see a man once filling a container at the olive bar and then proceed to shop the store while eating the olives. That pissed me off.

Rae6503

I've seen it and also find it weird. I have done it once or twice though when having low blood sugar issues.

Qarol

Who DOES this?
Even eating grapes...they haven't been properly washed. eww.

leynak

I did it with a drink once when I was preggo because I was getting sick (dry heaving) & needed something to drink- I figured people would understand...haha...it's better than throwing up everywhere, right?

california_peach

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

OMG!!! I did this exact same thing when I was pregnant with my youngest only it was Dr. Pepper. That was the best tasting Dr. Pepper in the WORLD. Being pregnant is like being possessed at times.

Healthy_Hannah483

I used to do it with drinks, but not anymore. My mom did it when I was younger and I would always get embarrassed by it, haha.

AtticusFinch

I see this quite often and it mildly annoys me (ie not enough to lose any sleep over).

The clue is in the word 'Supermarket'. It's not a cafe or a restaurant, and people who help themselves to unpaid for food are part of the cba to wait / lack of discipline echelon of society. If you do it for your kids that's worse, you're setting a bad example for them to copy later - stimulate their interest, don't shut them up with a quick treat, you may as well use a dummy, (pacifier), if that's your strategy.

If you're a diabetic, pregnant and desperate, or have a medical condition - as some of the examples above have been, this is the only justifiable reason for an emergency feed. Apart from anything else it's rude - do you honestly think anyone wants to see you wandering around a store feeding your greedy face with Cheetos ?

BerryH

I was brought up never to eat or drink when walking around full stop, and consuming food before it's paid for heaps criminality on top of bad manners and indigestion. It's as ingrained in me as not dropping rubbish in the street. I even feel uncomfortable when they serve lunch at a conference and there are no chairs and tables, you have to walk around and "network" :sick:

Unconscious eating outside of mealtimes is part of the reason many of us are overweight, and it's certainly not a good example to set kids.

SarahxCheesecake

I see this quite often and it mildly annoys me (ie not enough to lose any sleep over).

The clue is in the word 'Supermarket'. It's not a cafe or a restaurant, and people who help themselves to unpaid for food are part of the cba to wait / lack of discipline echelon of society. If you do it for your kids that's worse, you're setting a bad example for them to copy later - stimulate their interest, don't shut them up with a quick treat, you may as well use a dummy, (pacifier), if that's your strategy.

If you're a diabetic, pregnant and desperate, or have a medical condition - as some of the examples above have been, this is the only justifiable reason for an emergency feed. Apart from anything else it's rude - do you honestly think anyone wants to see you wandering around a store feeding your greedy face with Cheetos ?

So what about an emergency feed if its cheesecake and you come over all horny?

FauxNinja

Relax. Who cares? Wasn't eating out of your basket. If it's a problem, it's with the supermarket.