Is this stealing?

[ashley0139]

I grew up with my mom sampling one grape in the bag she planned to buy to make sure they were good. I rarely buy grapes these days because they are so expensive and I am just one person and can rarely finish a bag on my own. Your example, obviously stealing.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Definitely stealing! UGH!

What would the produce manager have done if you had alerted them to the grazers? It is a serious shrink problem in many grocery stores.

 

[Shanti]

I was in the grocery store last night, in the produce section.
There was a lady with two kids - approx 13 and probably 15/16 - They were standing next to a display of cherries and grapes, casually chitty chatting with a friend Mom ran into. She and the children were eating grapes and cherries from the display, one after the other as if they were at home on their kitchen counter. These were not already weighted and labeled in their cart. They were plucking them right off the display, Mom had a produce bag where they were discarding the pits and the stems.
I find this just wrong, I cannot even begin to figure out where one is justified in this action.

I get bent at DH when he wants to sample one grape to "make sure", 30 years of training and he still periodically steals a grape I feel like produce, like just about anything else in the store is bought based on appearance, smell, feel etc. not by taking a bite.
1000's of people a day make their way thru the grocery store, what if everyone sampled the produce.

Now, I realize the one grape sample is very different from the snacking family I noted above but it got me to thinking, what are the general thoughts on the subject?

Do you sample produce before you buy?
What constitutes a sample?

I would have asked a store employee if they were giving out free samples of the fruit, that I was wondering because people were over there just eating off the shelves.

That would likely have stopped the problem.

 

[Poohforyou]

Interesting. I've never seen that before. Our scales are just the normal ones, like these.

View attachment 257860

Wegmans has scales where you can weigh stuff and get a price sticker.

I can't say I've tried fruit before I've bought it but I don't think trying 1 is that big a deal. I think eating handfuls is stealing.

I do know there are people on this site who go nuts if you mention that you've opened a box of something while shopping and then paid for the whole box.

 

[DaisyJ]

Wow. Our stores have had self weigh produce for years. You need a Wegmans.

Nah. I have no interest in living where Wegman's are located.

 

[RedAngie]

I saw this thread earlier today. After dinner I went to the supermarket. It appears my local ShopRite encourages sampling the cherries.




But not so for the grapes.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

The that are not for sampling are the ones I feel better about buying

 

[eileenjez]

We used to call that grazing and yes it is stealing. Recently I've seen displays that have fruit on them just for kids to enjoy while shopping. Great idea. We carried a lot of different things in bulk. One person was eating the trail mix while standing in line and I just added 25cents to the total to make up for the amount she ate.

 

[low-key]

In a court of law you could not be convicted of stealing but you could be convicted of being a hillbilly

 

[ols386]

Yes I think it's stealing especially when it's as you describe, the mom and both teens eating the produce.

Reminds me of the Everybody Loves Raymond episode, where Frank is "sampling" and Alli accuses him of stealing.

 

[aprilgail]

Question for those of you that have machines that shoot out a price sticker for your produce..

What stops someone from weighing 5 apples (for example), getting the bar code sticker and then putting an extra
3 apples in the bag? The cashier won't know because she's just scanning the bag.

Nothing stops you- other than the fear of being caught and embarrassed I guess. Plus we don't even use a cashier- you get a little scanner thing when you walk in and you scan each item as you walk around the store and put it in your bag- when you are done you go to the register, swipe your scanner and pay and go- no cashier needed. Of course you could be chosen for the random check- you leave the register, they pull random things out of your bag and scan them and you pray that you didn't screw up and not scan something in your bag! I have been randomly audited dozens of times but have always been good!

 

[BigAlsGal]

That is because there are so many regulations when it comes to making food donations. If the store has it for sale it is wrong to take it without paying. Period. Please don't try to justify stealing.

Does no one understand playing devil's advocate anymore?

 

[AppleDumpling]

Of course it's wrong. Unless something is specifically set up as a sample item, you don't eat it. And you should never go grocery shopping when you're hungry.

 

[Mirielle]

Fresh Market in my town encourages its customers to sample all sorts of things. The chocolates, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit mixtures...anything you can shovel up and pop in your mouth. First time I ever got up the courage to do it, I felt like I was stealing. Kept looking over my shoulder to see if other shoppers were staring but none were. In fact, many put me to shame sampling. But to stand and eat grapes while talking...NO!

 

[powellrj]

My DH has been a supermarket manager for years, and one grape is ok, anymore than that is stealing. As for opening cookies and crackers for your kids to eat while you are shopping is also stealing. I know everyone insists that they always pay, but if that is the case, why do they find so many empty packages stuffed behind the shelves.

 

[mummabear]

Question for those of you that have machines that shoot out a price sticker for your produce..

What stops someone from weighing 5 apples (for example), getting the bar code sticker and then putting an extra
3 apples in the bag? The cashier won't know because she's just scanning the bag.

So where we shop you weigh/price your own, and you can also either use a scanner as you shop (which you then add to the self check out at the end)or for small(less then 15 items) use a self checkout. On random you will be checked.
They have decided that the loss they will get is worth the savings in wages.
So what stops people (besides honesty) just the risk of being caught.
People weigh stuff then add more, they will buy lines but weigh them as lemons etc.

 

[mummabear]

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/nz-supermarkets-quiet-on-selfserve-scanner-theft-2014020116

1 in 5 people steal while using self scanners.

https://www.google.co.nz/amp/www.da...ce-machine-caught-returns-day-pull-stunt.html

Women steals $20 of meat by scanning it as vegetables

 

[bcla]

My DH has been a supermarket manager for years, and one grape is ok, anymore than that is stealing. As for opening cookies and crackers for your kids to eat while you are shopping is also stealing. I know everyone insists that they always pay, but if that is the case, why do they find so many empty packages stuffed behind the shelves.

As a matter of the law, it might depend on the state or local laws. It's kind of complicated. Taking something and hiding it (in a bag or in a shelf) may be enough to be considered an attempt at theft. However, in many states it's not illegal to pay later. Perhaps there might be store policy, but I've never actually seen anything posted. Having an open package in one's hand or cart is certainly different than stuffing it in a jacket or hiding it back on a shelf. Some laws say that something needs to leave the door to be considered theft.

The one time I heard it really became an issue was when I woman in Hawaii started munching on a sandwich, paid for most of her stuff, but then forgot to pay for the sandwich. The manager wouldn't let her pay for after the fact and called the police. She and her husband were arrested and her child with her at the time was taken away and placed with child services overnight.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/15930625/safeway-drops-shoplifting-charge

 

[kimblebee]

Nothing stops you- other than the fear of being caught and embarrassed I guess. Plus we don't even use a cashier- you get a little scanner thing when you walk in and you scan each item as you walk around the store and put it in your bag- when you are done you go to the register, swipe your scanner and pay and go- no cashier needed. Of course you could be chosen for the random check- you leave the register, they pull random things out of your bag and scan them and you pray that you didn't screw up and not scan something in your bag! I have been randomly audited dozens of times but have always been good!

I agree with you and all the other posters..honesty SHOULD keep people from doing what I suggested. I just wondered how it worked since it seems so easy to get around it.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

Who knows how many grubby hands have touched the grapes they just put in their mouths? Do they not think they need to rinse it off first? Yuck!!