ANSWERS: 25
  • Yes I do, as I believe most will eat some of the food and then leave it on a shelf and never pay for it. This of course does not include the complimentary bakery cookie for children.
  • As long as they pay for it, it does not bother me. I am guilty of allowing my granddaughter to snack while we are in the store, but I always pay for it.
  • only if its a weighable. I let my child snack on things that are a set price. then pay fo it
  • Not necessarily. I used to let my kids eat a banana while sitting in the cart. When I got to the check out, I gave the clerk a banana of the same size, asked him/her to weigh it and charge me for one or two, depending on how many kids were with me. Then I put that banana back in the bag and the clerk weighed the bag that I was purchasing. This enabled me to grocery shop without my kids whining or crying.
  • Well I dont do that personally. But its the only way to keep some kids quiet and occupied in the store. As long as they pay for it, I dont mind.
  • Yes. Until it belongs to you (you pay for it) it's theft. It's quite indicative of our "instant gratification" culture.
  • As long as they pay for it, I don't see a problem.
  • I don't look down on them but I do feel a little like they weren't brought up very well as far as public etiquette is concerned. So I guess I just feel they are not aware of how it might look to others and that it may not be a respectful thing to do for a business. I don't mind people sampling certain things like grapes or berries in an UNOPENED package in the produce section, but opening food packages and eating in the store just doesn't feel right for me. I guess I'd never want someone to think bad things about me so I want to keep a good reputation, and not run the risk of what it might look like to others.
  • It doesn't bother me a bit, as it is none of my business what they are doing. I don't know if they are planning to pay for the eaten item or not, and little do I care, really. It's not my place to investigate another person's activity in a public place. I have opened something on occasion, but paid for it anyways, as the scanner will just take the price of the item as it was whole, not part. Unless it is weighed at the check-out. Then, it would be up to me to tell the cashier that I had eaten something and had not yet paid for it. I rarely see people doing it anyways, and the few times that I have, the person looks like they have not had a decent meal in a long while. We have a high percent of homeless people in our area, and it's nothing for them to go to the hospital emergency ward at meal times, or when the weather is bad. They present with silly things just to get inside, where they know it's warm, safe and they can get something to eat. If I see someone who I think may be homeless in a grocery store, eating something while walking along with their cart, I don't look down on it, I only feel a lot of empathy for them, knowing that they are not doing it by choice, but by necessity. We all have to eat, right? I cannot fault a person who is desperate for filling a basic human need, and I never will.
  • The store has cameras everywhere, if they don't catch it, why should I be their dogwatch and snitch? Besides, at the cash register, I'll be paying for my stuff plus theirs - twofold!
  • No... they learned it from watching their mom and their dirty grape popping grand mothers. Sometimes it is the only way to shut a kid up is to just give it to them NOW... SO that I understand, as long as they pay. But the produce? That is what I look down on... People that eat produce without washing ot off first. Most grapes come all the way from Chile. Can you imagine what they get on them from here to there?
  • No because my own family members are the first people I've seen do this.
  • There are some instances when ok...but consuming stuff sold by weight is theft. It is particularly annoying when it is someone you know to be self-righteous (I witnessed this just this past week).
  • Complicated question in a way. I worked retail and have seen this. Some think it's their right because they're spending, this thinking is so wrong, it is theft pure and simple. It also accounts for much of the rise in prices. On the other hand a teenager that takes a sandwich( I worked in a "big box" store, is hungry. I feel empathy for the kid. I've been known to pay for a lunch for such a person. It was still an act of theft, but a kid wouldn't risk getting caught for shoplifting a sandwich when there were more inviting things to take, unless they were genuinely hungry.
  • No, especially on children. I can tell you that, it's not easy to be shopping with a young child. It's very tempting for them when they see all that food, snacks and cookies...They often end up having a major tantrum and don't understand what "wait" means.So I do open cookie boxes or give them a donught or whatever, knowing that it will be paid for anyways! One time, I had hypoglycemia and I had to take a bite of something right away in order to not pass out.But like I said, everything will be paid for so why should it be wrong!
  • Parenting is tough. I would not have allowed it with my kids, but I try not to second guess other parents on minor issues. I assume they plan to pay for it.
  • well, i have no problem with sampling produce at all. in my area produce is often shipped to us totally rock hard and unripe. some of it is so bad its inedible, even if you bring it home & let it ripen for a while!! i think its reasonable to sample one cherry if one is going to spend $15 on a bag of them. i spend hundreds of dollars on groceries per trip and thousands per year at my favorite grocery stores. whats a penny or two in the whole scheme of things? also, i think its a acceptable practice in society ~ ive seen many grocers put out samples of their produce. but sampling more than one item that is sold by weight would be crossing the line into the theft category. i dont approve at all of people eating food and putting the packaging back on the shelf without paying for it. thats totally wrong. i dont generally have a problem with eating food or drinking something not based on weight prior to paying for it, as long as its not overdone. eating everything in your cart prior to the checkout line seems a bit gauche. but its possible the person has low blood sugar, is diabetic, or starving. you never know.
  • I tend to mind my own business unless it is somehting I feel is harmful, At my store we buy a natural yogurt cheese at the deli counter and those who slice it for us always offer my children a slice with my approval. This is before the cheese is packaged and weighed after I receive the package I do allow them to have another slice as we shop but the weight is already on there. As for the produce I do not because it is unwashed and I would not allow my children to eat it you never know how many hands have been on it!
  • As long as they keep the wrapper and hand it to the clerk to scan when they get there, no. You never know, they might be having an episode of low blood sugar if they are diabetic, or the kid could just be hungry and about to have a meltdown. As long as they pay for it, no problem. However, I do have a problem with people opening a box, sampling it, and putting it back on the shelf so that I end up taking home an open box because I didn't notice it. I have a problem with them damaging goods or just plain taking goods, which amounts to shoplifting.
  • I do. I work at a grocery store and I find about $100 a day in empty packages that were eaten in the store, and that doesn't count the things that others find. Pay for it, then eat it. If you must eat it now, go up front, pay for it, then eat it.
  • I am a eater! I can't wait to drink my rockstar...sometimes the only reason I go to the store is to get the rockstar...but since I'm there.
  • Nope, I don't personally do this, but I hate the formality of all the stuff we do, if you're going to buy the item, then what does it matter?...Mmm Reeses
  • Yes, unless it is an emergency (maybe they are diabetic and they start to crash) or possibly a child. If you want to sample some produce or bulk food, the grocers are usually more than happy to cut open a melon or let you try a grape, you just need to ask them.
  • That reminds me of a biker movie that i saw back in 1970 with Joe Namath. The film begins with its best sequence as Joe, playing an outlaw motorcycle club member named C. C. Ryder, is shown walking around inside a supermarket while casually assembling a sandwich from the various products on the shelves. After he eats the sandwich he helps himself to a Twinkie and a small carton of milk. Then he hits the checkout line with just a package of "Fruit Stripe" gum to pay for and exits the store.
  • A grocery store is not a restaurant or a buffet. However, your question states "prior to making payment." so I assume the open packages or wrappers would be presented at check-out and paid for. No problem. But, get a bunch of grapes or banana or anything paid for by the pound, and eat half of them while shopping and then check out? Petty theft and the rest of us shoppers eventually pay for the store's loss. Besides, everyone should know that shopping on an empty stomach will cause you to purchase more items than you intended.

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