Eating Groceries Before They've Been Paid For....

Nope.. never have done this.. My mom would never let us eat during shopping unless it was a snack from home. (I am going to guess because we were Hispanic, she had always taught us "we had to be better behaved and more careful than others, so they would not think bad of us.."

It was one of the rules when we were getting ready.. "Do you have a snack and a drink? Remember, we do not buy snacks and drinks at the store.."

Our daughter and I had a routine.. "Please get ready to go to the store, pick out a snack for me too.. Thank you" After a while she automatically would say,"I have your snack in your purse!"

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Anything that needs to be weighed at the register we do not eat ahead of time. But things that are pre-priced, like crackers or cereal - sure, I let my kids dive in. We pay for it, and we are buying it for the purpose of eating it, and it makes our trip go more smoothly because they feel like they are getting a treat :)

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Nope. It's gross to eat where people shop. And in the case of eating a grape or candy, etc., it's just theft.

PS - and unwashed fruit is gross. As is candy from a bin :)

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The ONLY time I have ever done that is how you said.
Maybe once in a great while, I would open up a box of crackers to feed to a cranky child lol
I would never do it with things that are priced on weight or amount.
Because then it is total theft.

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Nope its called stealing and I'm teaching my kids not to do that.

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Nope. It's the principal of the thing and shows a person's character. And I never open up crackers to feed my kids or myself. I'm a big girl and I either eat before or wait. I know my children and I packed snacks for my kids before taking them to the grocery store. And a small toy to play with to keep them busy. It's called being a prepared parent. And the best tool of all is the word NO. It doesn't matter if you pay for the item before you leave the store. I teach my children that nothing is yours until AFTER you pay for it, period, so treat it as such (not yours) until you pay for it. This is not a gray area or a fine line. It is fact and that's that.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Letting kids munch in the store only teaches them they can have whatever they want, whenever they want it, even if the time and place aren't appropriate, and even if the item isn't paid for. "We'll pay for it in a minute" isn't sufficient. Kids get hungry when you shop, parents say? Sorry, they need to keep crackers in the car and feed the kids before they enter the store, and let them know they don't eat in the store. Period. Need to make an unplanned dash to the store? Then really dash, and let the kids know they must wait. "But who can shop with a screaming, hungry kid?" Nobody. So parents need to think ahead, or keep snacks in their bag and car. I still do for my 10-year-old. Because she learned that she is not going to eat inside a grocery store. Not only is it stealing if unpaid for; not only does it send the wrong message if you "eat now, pay...in a minute"'; it's also unsanitary (I don't want to be crunching over a a kid's dropped crumbs while I shop, and it's happened) and it just teaches the wrong things on so many levels.

If someone has diabetes and is about to crash, or is about to pass out due to pregnancy or whatever, that of course is not the same; they need to eat and should call out for help to alert store staff, as well. But that's not the real issue that I see pretty much every single week at the grocery store.

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No because my kids dont have the subtleties of grey area down yet. I give an inch, they take a mile. If I let them pop a grape, they would be ripping into the bag of Goldfish Crackers. Easier to have a NO we dont eat at the grocery store rule. PLUSSSSSS maybe I'm the only one, but I have gotten to the register and realized I had forgotten my card or my card has been denied for some crazy banking error. How embarassing to not be able to pay for the opened box of Choeerios in my kids hands.

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I used to shop at a store which had signs posted everywhere that said something to the effect that sampling prior to purchasing would be considered theft. A bit harsh but I could understand the viewpoint. Personally I have taken an item to the register, parked the buggy, paid for just that item and then continued shopping. A bit extreme maybe but it makes me feel better. We never did this as kids so it just seems odd to me as an adult.

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Beware suspecting such. When my kids were toddlers sometimes you would see them with a banana while I was shopping. I am sure people thought it wasn't paid for. They would be wrong as I would purchase it first. I have even shown the receipt to a couple of ladies I could tell suspected and they were shocked and apologized. Now I know that isn't always the case. But sometimes

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I never do anything that has to be weighed for a price (produce or bulk items), but if it as you are saying crackers, or deli cheese (that has already been weighed and priced sticker on it) then we will. I would say the deli cheese is our biggest item we would do this with.

Amanda G - Yuck... Do you know how many dirty hands have been on those grapes. I would wait till you get home and wash them first.

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I do not do this and its kind of a pet peeve of mine. I used to be a checker and I guess I can understand if you are standing in line and your kid is crying and so you open a box of crackers. BUT you pay for produce by weight, so that is stealing. I have never ever done that. If I bring my kids with me to go grocery shopping, then I make sure Im prepared and bring snacks and water for them

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If it is something that has a barcode that can be scanned, I will let my kids open it. Not something like produce, where the price you pay depends on how much it weighs at the register. I wouldn't do it for myself, but have no problem giving it to my kids!

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I did this once when my kids were very young with a box of cheez it's. I felt terribly guilty & vowed to never do it again. I also felt like I wasn't teaching my kids to do the right thing.

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No, I don't do this. Not even the crackers or other items.

My son ALWAYS wants the banana before we check out...he's finally getting that they have to be weighed and as soon as they are weighed and a price in the system, he can have one.

It's different but the same...I worked in a Bar and Grill during my ealry twenties...had a couple come in one night, order food & drinks and left me with the bill. House rule was...you got a walker, you gotta pay for their meal.

I made $5 in tips that night for take home...should have taken home $55.

In the end it worked out, I kept their reciept and waited for them to come back in. The moment I saw them I walked over, explained to them that they never paid their bill and that I had to take care of it...not sure if they were just humilated or felt bad, but the guy went to the ATM and brought me cash.

So no, stealing is stealing. Companies have to start taking action.

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Whoa! No, thats stealing. And plus, you have to wash them first. duh!

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Never. I've never opened something for my kids to eat either. I think if I did that once they would expect it all the time and I never take my kids to the grocery store without feeding them before we go.

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Yep, not anything that would be paid for by weight like produce or bulk foods, but breaking open a pack of string cheese or a box of crackers I don't have an issue with. A lot of the stores we frequent also have samples out, in that case we'll go for those...

I don't really think it's a big deal, since I am paying for it (just as I would if my daughter broke something).

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I basially just put this on the other question, but yes, trying one grape is different. That is acceptable even by the standards of the store, to make sure they are not sour, but I never let my kids eat from the bag. Have I torn into a box of crackers before...yes, but I really try not to and it is a rare practice for me. Usually I come with snacks from home...goldfish in plastic bowls, etc. so it doesn't appear that I could have possibly stolen it. I will buy a pound of lunchmeat though and let my kids eat from that b/c it is pre-weighed with a sticker on it, but that is the only thing that I will open or allow to be eaten before the checkout. But there are many times when I absolutey MUST put something from the cart very first on the checkout belt so that as soon as it's rung in we can open it! ;)

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The only time I do this is for my son, who is 27 months. Usually in Target, when we are picking up 'snacks'. He loves the Plum, Happy Tots, etc pouches of pureed fruit/veg. (Better snack than Goldfish, IMO. I'd rather get more fruits and veggies in him!)

When he sees them, he wants them. It's often a way I can get him to stay in his seat, otherwise he is super squirmy.

If I brought them from home (as they are a great snack-on-the-go) that wouldn't work, as i"d have no proof they'd been bought previously. The store would probably then think I was trying to steal them.

So I let him have one or two, it keeps him happy, and I just throw the empty ones on the pile of unopened ones at the till. Never been a problem.

I don't judge parents who are letting their kids eat something in the store. And I wouldn't judge a pregnant woman either. Quite honestly, I'd be hesitant to judge anyone, you never know if they are diabetic, have low blood sugar, etc, anything that requires them to get something in them 'now'. If they pay for it at the end, it's all the same to me. And if they don't pay for it, well, there are worse things in the world to be concerned about.

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My hubby used to work at Safeway. Oh the stories he would tell of this.

I do this for my toddler - lunchables, crackers, cookies, etc. its better than having a screaming kid. I just make sure that I pay for it at the register. If I happen to be near the register when they want it, i'll pop over and pay for it first depending on the line.

I saw the other story. We've all had pregnancy moments where we needed something to eat so we didn't pass out. We've all had 'pregnancy brain' where things have slipped our minds. Safeway was wrong. They admitted it. The guards were wrong. The cashier was wrong if she saw the wrappers in the cart and didn't ask about them. they didn't deny they'd eaten them. They offered to pay for them, that should've been the end of it.

Actually, (don't know if its still true) but Safeway used to have a 'sample anything' policy where, with the exception of alcohol, you could ask an employee for a sample of a food item and they had to open the container and offer you a sample free of charge, with no requirement to purchase.

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When I was younger, I didn't care if other people did it, but the idea of doing it myself, mortified me for some reason. I just seemed so "wrong."
In fact, my friends used to tease me, by opening up bags of chips or whatever in the grocery store, and eating them and trying to get me to eat too. :) LOL fond memories.
Now that I'm a mom, sure, I do this with my two year old all the time. I've broken into packages of crackers, lunch meat that has already been weighed and priced, pre packaged cheese....anything to avoid a tantrum and finish the shopping trip! (he's two) :)

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Nope. We don't open anything before leaving the grocery store. If the kids need something before we leave we go to the hot bar at the deli and get some popcorn chicken. You can either pay for this at the deli or when you check out at our store. I would never eat produce that hasnt been washed. Gross! This could also make someone sick.

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Nope...only things that have a barcode.

If you are that desperate for grapes or an apple just ask the produce man to test an item. They often offer to cut open a melon or apple for me to try because they see that I am a willing buyer...but I never just walk around grazing at the "Safeway produce section buffet".

Good luck and best wishes!

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We make a point of eating before we go food shopping.
It helps us avoid spontaneous purchases and we stick to our shopping list.
I've found damaged/opened merchandise on shelves.
I won't buy them and neither will anyone else - so the store loses.
Does anyone remember the Tylenol murders (tampered with Tylenol capsules had cyanide in them) - the thing that caused all the anti-tampering devices on medicines to be invented?
It would it be easy to tamper with any food in the store and that's why no one buys opened boxes.
We buy our food/drink and take it home before we consume it.

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20 years ago when I worked customer service for Kroger, we had a nutty lady who was gaga for cherries. She would head to the produce department almost every day in the summer and "sample" about 15-20 cherries and leave the pits in a nice tidy row in front of the display. She never bought any. Never cleaned it up either. Back then, it was okay to sample a grape before you grabbed a bunch to buy. But that lady was extreme.

These days, I have been known to open a box of crackers for my kids if we're on a big grocery trip and make sure the box gets scanned. Usually I try to go without them though.

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Im guilty........we totally snack on the grapes.

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It is theft...no questions asked.

As far as the grapes...grocery stores typically will let you sample some produce before eating. Ours typically has produce for sample year round. Now it's a sample not 10 rapes in the mouth and go...One grape etc.

A co-worker of mine was fired a while back when I was in college...it was the christmas season and the lines were long. So instead of paying for his bag of chips during lunch hour he went up to the register to pay after break with his empty bag. He was fired on the spot for theft.

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I would never think to do this. The Cub Foods by our house give out an apple for kids (which my kids love) and I make them wait until we get home and wash them before they can eat them.

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at our grocery stores you can weigh the grapes and stick a label on them that way no matter what they weigh at the end of the store trip they are paid in full ...even if there is not one grape left. i am not sure about the candy sold in bulk. if its by the weight or by the empty wrappers. the stores are aware that ppl do this and price things a bit higher to compensate the difference.

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Produce, never. I've only ever eaten a donut and I always put a donut bag in my cart, on top so I don't miss it. My son has eaten cheese sticks. That's it. I like the honor boxes at some stores where you can put change in and sample the bulk candy, but I don't see that everywhere. That's the only time I've eaten bulk candy by the piece.

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Eeeewwww I would never eat any fruit or veggies that haven’t been washed. You just don't know who had their hands on it first and think about people that have died recently because of bacteria. I can understand eating something that is packaged especially when the kids are hungry. I don't think I have ever done it though, I usually wait until we (or I) are in the car. I also try not to go when I am hungry then I end up with too much food.

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I will pop a grape into my mouth to see if it's the right flavor - ONE not two or dozen, ONE. I don't do that with any other fruit.

On the RARE occasion if my kids or I want a box of crackers (usually the animal crackers), we go to the register and pay for it before we open it up and I have the receipt with me. I do that with sodas or drinks as well.

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I'll let my son munch on something out of the box if he's antsy and I haven't brought a snack in my purse... other than that, no I do not. If my ninja son happens to open something that I wasn't planning on purchasing, I'll buy it because he opened it (Roman is known at my Food Lion by the employees as 'The Food Ninja'.... seriously.) He's opened Cracker Jacks, donuts, DOG FOOD that we don't use, paper towels... I blink and he's gotten his hands on something. Sometimes the cashier will tell me not to worry about it; most times I pay for it ;)

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I taste the grapes as does my daughter before I commit to buy any... same with trying new bulk candies.

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NO! I have never done this! My husband has always done this with grapes and it bugs the heck out of me!! To me, it's stealing because he never tells the cashier, "oh, add on an ounce or two because I ate some grapes!" The only thing in this category I ever did was like you, one time years ago when my son was a toddler he was suddenly very hungry so I opened a box of cookies or crackers and let him eat some and then I paid for them at checkout.

I have actually seen people eat stuff (bulk food candy, etc.) and throw the wrapper away before they got to the check-out so obviously they didn't pay for it. I felt horrible because there was nothing I could do but then I figured it was on their conscience, not mine. I just continue to teach my children this is stealing and hope they continue to make the right decisions in the future.

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NO way do I eat grapes or bulk candy if I can't weigh it FIRST and put a sticker/label for how much it cost. (I've done this with a banana before). But yes, if it's almost lunchtime we may open a Lunchables or granola bars or string cheese or something, then put the wrapper on the register so that I remember to pay for it. I also will buy the 8-pack of juice and open it, pulling out one juice for my son to drink while in the store. Sometimes the cashier says "you know you're missing a juice right?" and sometimes they don't even notice.

(Once, I forgot to give them the sticker for my banana - 17 cents- and after I paid I saw the sticker. Said "Oh shoot. I forgot to pay for this", found 17 cents in my purse, and handed it to the cashier so she could ring it up after I left (she was with another customer by then). The manager was right there and said "no big deal, don't worry about it." and let me keep my 17 cents. )

@ Jackie - good point. One reason I DON'T taste the grapes. I may want eat one to see if they're sweet, but no way - too many hands have touched those grapes.

@ Tracy K - I did consider the 'banking error' when replying to this post. I once could not find my credit card, had no cash, didn't have the checkbook. At the store, they just 'suspended' my whole order, put my shopping cart in one of their huge fridges, so when I got back to the store with money a half hour later, they just scanned the receipt printout (nothing had to be scanned again), and I paid. I think a lot of stores do this - able to suspend an order - which helps when there's an issue with payment or banking errors. Very simple, very easy. But also - I am very well known at my local grocery store. If I went in for a $2 item my kid started eating, I would not be the least bit surprised if a cashier I knew said she'd spot me $2. I'm in there once or twice a week and know many of the cashiers and the maintenance guy and business center.

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I dont eat fruit, but have eaten or drank something that I can have the packaging scanned at the register. Never have forgotten to have it scanned like the people in Hawaii did, I'm pretty sure they thought they were gonna get away with it since the checker didnt catch the sandwich wrapper.

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Sure. I was going to say 'never' for produce, but after reading the comments, there was an occasion where we 'double weighed' a single banana to compensate for an eaten one. My son almost NEVER wants fruit (oral processing issues) but that day he did. I was so thrilled, I would have paid for three. But normally not for produce. Some grocery stores set out samples of produce, almost endorsing sampling (of grapes, for example). My grocery store carts have drink cups, suggesting customers grab a cold soda. My grocery also has a table and chairs inside the bakery department. (There's also a cash register there too, so it would be possible to buy before you ate). Grocery stores have lots of germs, so it is kind of gross to think about dipping into your cookies, cereal, crackers, etc., but we do it when necessary. I do try not to go to the grocery store for major shopping trips when I am hungry (I make less favorable food choices), but grocery stores are also encouraging the ready to eat customer with fully prepared foods, etc., thus blurring the lines between grocery and convenience food stores/quick serve restaurant and when it is ok to eat or not eat.

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Many stores will be happy to give a sample taste if requested. As long as your are comfortable with your actions and what your are teaching your children, do not concern yourself with other people's actions unless it is so blatent that you feel the need to report them to the store management.

Blessings....

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No, I don't do this...I do consider it to be stealing for sure. When my kids were smaller, I would always bring sippy cups and ziploc bags of snacks to eat as needed. I don't consider anything to be mine until I have swiped my debit card.

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My daughter used to LOVE the apples. So we'd have them double charge us for one apple. That way we were paying still for the one she ate. We didn't do it all the time, but sometimes. And absolutely for the pre-priced things!

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I do the box of crackers thing with my daughter. Or I will buy bagels from the bakery and give her a piece of one to chew on while I shop. I always pay for everything I buy at the register though.

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I have a toddler and a Kindergartener so on occasion they are hungry (even if they just had a meal or snack at home!). Many times I have snacks in the diaper bag and they get eaten first but sometimes that is why we are shopping--out of most foods. Our grocery store has a scanner so produce can be weighed and coded immediately and you can scan and bag everything and pay at checkout. Sometimes I allow them to snack on 1 item (crackers, raisins, etc) if the item is scanned. My 5 year old knows to wait until we have paid before opening things but my 2 year old is still learning.

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Produce, no. But I do have a habit of giving each kid an individual container of Goldfish crackers to keep them entertained in the store, but we ALWAYS pay and I am very adamant about it. I will also open a matchbox car in the store and let DS play with it in the store, but again, I always pay. Both my children (3 & 5) completely understand you have to pay for things and that stealing is wrong.

I read through an article about this on Yahoo and I felt it got out of hand. It seemed like a situation where people could have turned on their individual thinking brains and stopped and thought about the situation. Critical thinking people, its all it takes.

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I will taste a grape to ensure that they taste good enough to warrant paying for a whole bag, yes. If the store has taste samples of fruit out, obviously, I would eat those instead in order to determine if the fruit tastes good enough to buy. I do not feel bad for trying one grape to make sure it is fit to buy/consume an entire bag.

As to opening other food/purchases and eating while I'm shopping, absolutely not. It's a grocery store, not a restaurant.

And when my daughter was younger, I would never take and open something in the store and then feed her it before it was paid for. I always took my own snacks from home for her to eat.

I believe grazing on food at the grocery store that hasn't been paid for is tacky as hell.

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Yup, I try a grape before I buy them. There is nothing like buying a whole bunch of grapes and getting home and they are nasty. Sure, I can return them (my store lets you) but that means an hour out of my day...and sometimes I just don't have an hour. I think trying one grape and eating a bunch are very different.
I don't eat out of the bulk sections. If I do let my kids have a banana or something while we are walking around I always tell the checker and then they take off a banana and weigh it so I still pay for it.
I try to be as honest as I can when shopping, but I am not going to stop trying a grape.
Laura

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nope, I wouldn't do it.

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I will "pop" a grape to see if they are sour or not. I have paid for way many pounds of grapes that go uneaten because they are sour. I don't eat anything else until it is paid for.

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Yes, I do this with things I'm buying - and always keep all wrappers, etc and pay for everything. I don't usually do it when I'm shopping alone, but w/my 2yo, almost always.

The taking produce or candy is stealing and I don't do that.

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No. I don't. The only time I give DD food is food we can scan or have already paid for but that is very rare. Fruit needs to be washed first, so it's a home food, even if I've weighed it and scanned it (we have have handheld scanners). For DD, I pack a sippy of water and a baggie or snack cup of something so she's eating food from home, not the store.

I will buy what my DD consumes or breaks or opens. That's how we ended up with 24 extra pencils at the start of school...

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My kids take donuts for their class party on their bdays. We pick the donuts up in the morning and I let the kids each get a donut they can eat for breakfast. They usually eat it in the store before we get to the register but I just tell them the kids already ate it and they ring it up. I don't let them eat at the store any other time, only on their bday with the donut. I consider it stealing even if you are tasting a grape and to do it in front of your kids sets a bad example. Just my opinion.

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I crack a soda, or will buy my son a chicken leg.

The store I go to most actually has a section that says "Cold drinks while you shop".

Things that can be scanned and the price will be the same (the chicken leg has a little price tag on the empty bag that gets scanned.

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I've given stuff to the kids, opened a bottle of water or whatever but never forgot to pay for it and have never been stopped because we did this. I think this situation has gotten out of hand.

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No, I never have. When my son was little, I did what Tracy M. did and take a sippy cup and snacks with me to the store.

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Hardly ever. When the kids were babies too young to control hunger I opened some crackers once or twice that we BOUGHT. It freaks me out to feed them unwashed produce besides the ethics of "stealing" (technically, so much produce is wasted it's not like the grape poppers are hurting much, but it's the example and manners of it I guess, and the pesticides and dirt). But once a nice guy who works in produce OFFERED my baby a banana and insisted it was fine. We kept the peel to "include it" at check out and the lady scolded me for opening the banana and made a big deal about not being able to ring it up....:-0

People eating stuff and shelving empty wrappers floors me really, or taking candy from bins--WHAT?. Unless they're homeless, but I've never seen a homeless person shopping in our local grocery store. It's like, what else do they feel fine doing out in society? SHIFTY ! (not homeless people, but shifty people stealing food from shelves)

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yes, i will open crackers if my daughter is with me or rip a piece of bread off the right out of the oven italian bread for her... but i ALWAYS pay for whatever we have. it actually bugs me when i see empty wrappers or juice boxes on shelves because then you know others didnt pay.

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Denise, wow...63 answers!

Have you noticed a trend yet, say by region? Or by age?

In my age bracket, being from SoCal...it is normal and customary to test the grapes, or green beans. This was considered pretty normal practice growing up in SoCAL. The produce guy is often out and about, offering up free samples, discussing where the produce came from.

I have noticed in the last 10 years or so, with the mass introduction of foreign produce, and pre-packaged produce from Central and South America, that it's not considered normal to test the produce before buying.

This practice kept growers, distributors, and large grocery store chains honest. Because who wants to go home to a bunch of tasteless, old, stale produce?

I used to run a produce stand in SoCAL, and would drive down to the LA open Farmer's Market to buy my produce. Sometimes daily, at 400am. Sometimes every other day. I was one of the few women on the floor purchasing my produce. The big buyers would come in and of course get smokin' deals. The small buyers like me had to make friends with the distributors. But there were always shady deals, when the distributor wanted to off load old cases of corn....so the buyer would pick up these cases for cheap and sell them at bargain prices to lure the public in.

So, today, I see it as my right to test the produce - still. If it's a banana or orange, I simply tell the check out clerk, I have eaten banana or apple and please weigh a 2nd one. Stores calculate a certain % for waste, and tasting falls within that category.

However, even though I see it as my right, I don't think it's safe anymore. People have literally died from eating unwashed spinach, cantaloupes, etc. The picking fields are dirty, the hired hands are dirty, and we really need to wash before consuming. So, now, I only taste where I know the sample has been washed, which is not very often anymore.

And if I do happen to bring home tasteless produce from Costco, I return it for my $$ back.

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I would NEVER eat something like grapes out of the bag because they arent washed and thats nasty and yes it IS stealing. As for candy out of the bin that is stealing as much as not paying for a box of crackers - you are basically helping yourself to something in the store without paying and thats stealing
I am definitely guilty of opening a box of something to give my daughter while we shop but its never anything that is sold by weight - its always out of a box and I ALWAYS pay for it before I leave

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Yes, all the time if it's items I know I will pay for at the register. I have to in order to get through my shopping. Plus, what's the big deal if you are paying for it anyways. Never though items that I can't pay for.

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The one time my son grabbed/opened a banana at warp speed, I picked up an additional, larger banana. At checkout, I asked the clerk to scan it but keep it in the store since my son had partially eaten one.

My son was a horrible eater - not the kind where they eat before starving - the kind where he had ulcers, would lose 5lbs in a month from not eating and was of concern until the ulcers were under control. During those several months, if my son wanted to eat something in the store, I let him and always paid for it. For whatever reason, he wanted blackberries (sold by container, not by weight), and I would wash them (at a near wash station that an employee took me to) and let him eat them before we paid for them.

Another occasion is when the bakery hands out cookies to the kids which are usually free - but, there have been times where they had a fancy cookie that wasn't free, they would hand the cookie to my son for him to eat immediately, and the price tag to me for payment later.

I always pack beverage/snacks and never thought I'd be one of those people who let their kid snack from not-yet-paid-for-groceries. But I am one of those people, sigh.

Our grocery store has scales in the produce and bulk foods section that allow me to weigh and label bags before getting to check-out. We do sometimes snack during shopping, but only on items that are already weighed (or have individual packaging that can be scanned even after sampling). I explain to my children what we're doing and that anything else is stealing... does anyone else find it a challenge to differentiate "collecting" from "stealing" for a five year old who loves rocks, marbles, trinkets of any kind?