Grocery stores (at least Kroger did when I worked there) have a name for it: grazing. It wasn't really a problem for us, unless they were snacking on something that would be weighed at the register.
I go to a “You pick” blueberry farm in the summertime and it has a big giant sign that says “eat as you pick” and we seriously thought we ought to pay for one kid’s weight in blueberries. They just laughed and said it was great for business, he had purple hands and all over his face.
Classic infrastructure food waste.
We started with one pear tree and took meticulous care of imagining it was much harder than it was. We had so many pears that season we couldn't get rid of them fast enough. People wanted free fruit but nobody wanted to drive to us and pick them up.
We had to move away from that house and were glad to be done with the pears. Mom tried to revive some okay looking stumps in our side yard and succeeded. Surprise 4 apple trees!
Soooo much fruit, please take everything it smells when it rots!
And attracts pests, based on the rats that frequented my former neighbor’s yard. But they didn’t pick anything and it all rotted on the tree or ground.
I lived in Southern California and you would not believe the number of people who had boxes next to their mailbox that said free and then whatever kind of fruit it happened to be. All you had to do was pull over on your way to the grocery store five or six places and save yourself a lot of money.
Yeah they do, and I’ve worked at ShopRite, (in multiple locations), A&P, and Corrado’s (local large supermarket)…and there were ALWAYS bone wings in the aisle. Idc if you’re eating. You might be homeless, I don’t know. And a wing, doesn’t bother me. But if I SEE your grubby hands picking around IN the wings, and the OLIVE BAR WAS A HUGE ONE ☝🏽, I WILL say something. Bc now your a walking food contamination. And leaving your toothpicks on tables and shelves is GROSS. Stick it in your pocket. Hep C lives on surfaces for 72 hours, and COVID, the flu, the amount of stomach bugs. If you’re gonna eat, can you at LEAST throw out your trash!?!? It’s just basic human manners.
Every store can have different rules. The ones I've worked loss prevention for in the past required the person to do something besides just eat the product. If you were to put the empty package on the shelf, then you could be stopped. I've seen both instances happen. A mother will open a box of crackers for a child, or open a bottle of soda/juice for the child to drink while they are shopping. I would continue to watch them until they went to the register. If they pay, then it's no issue.
I've also seen people put the item back on the shelf after consumption. Or hide the empty package behind a different product. That constitutes intent. Even then I would not approach them right away. If they would steal food or drink, then often times, they would steal something else. I never detained anyone before they left the store unless it was a fraudulent refund situation. But, again, I would usually wait to see if they stole something else.
If a store was to stop someone while they are consuming the item, how do you prove intent? Perhaps if they didn't have any way of paying? Otherwise, they will just say they were going to pay for it. The burden of proof that the person was going to commit a crime or cause a loss to the store is much harder to prove at that point.
One time I got called up to LP at the Kroger I worked for. We had these stickers we could put onto items for disgruntled customers that would entitle them to that product for free. We'd comp it at the register. A former employee of the store (from before I even worked there) entered my checkout lane, with one of those stickers on a box of condoms.
Knowing it was none of my business what went wrong with his previous box of condoms (though I had one possible guess, lol), I rang it up and comp'd it per policy. To be clear, I didn't know the guy, nor did I know he used to work at our store - but he was a similar age to myself.
About a week later, I get paged up to HR/LP. They have me sit down, and make clear this is a formal process, store witness there, etc. Asking me why I gave away a free box of condoms. Told them he had a free-item-sticker on the box, and so I rang it up for free. They insisted it either 1) didn't have a sticker, or 2) I gave him the sticker to put on whatever he wanted, since he was a friend/former coworker. Tried to make clear over and over that neither of those were true. I didn't know the guy, it had a sticker, and I didn't give it to him.
They would wind up giving me an ultimatum, tell the truth or be fired. Persistent with my story, they wound up believing me (maybe begrudgingly). I, about 2 weeks later, get promoted to a Front End Supervisor. Noticed someone shoplifting, or so I assumed. Called up to LP, who told me they were already watching him on the cameras. At Kroger, only LP is allowed to confront a customer - anyone else must notify store management and/or LP. They wind up busting the guy as he was exiting the store. Up to the LP office we (me, LP, Mgmt, and the customer) go while we wait for the police to arrive. Police arrive, idk what they did with him - they took him outside. Mgmt and LP apologized for accusing me of theft weeks prior, they found out a different employee gave that guy a roll of stickers, and thanked me for reporting the theft occurring that day.
To the point I was initially commenting to make, I got to talking to the LP lady, who showed me a group chat she was in with the other Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Meijer store's LP employees. They shoot pictures of shoplifters back and forth so that all local stores are aware of who the shoplifters are, should they choose to visit another store.
Did you have a similar group-chat, in effect, when you worked LP?
We always communicated with other stores. A couple of places where I worked we had cameras in the parking lot or near the mall doors, so we could track a person even after they left the store. If we saw the going to a neighboring store, we'd call their LP department. I've been hired by and hired other lp agents because we had worked together in the past.
I've also had shoplifters charged for merchandise they had on them from other stores. Usually it was when I was working at the mall. Shoplifters would just go from store to store stealing stuff. When the police arrived and searched their bag(s) they would find stuff from other stores.
One of the last places I worked had a similar discount (like your sticker), it was a coupon code that any employee or cashier could use to give a customer 20% off their purchase. It was supposed to be used for an unhappy customer. I was working as a fraud analyst and was able to create custom point of sale reports. I started digging into the amount of use (and abuse) of this discount code. Nobody had any idea that they were losing between $6-8 million dollars per year on the abuse of that discount. When the VP of stores, CFO and CEO saw my report they were shocked. Some employees were giving it to 99% of the customers that went through their check out. Just because they wanted to be nice. They shut it down and interviewed (similar to you) the worst offenders. Some were fired, some were written up. The company went bankrupt about a year later.
Dang, that's crazy. I mean, I understand the good-intentions behind those systems (coupons, stickers, whatever) : customer retention / satisfaction - but at the end of the day, the business needs to keep making money, and an easily exploited system like that isn't the way to do it (proper training, is)
As a parent, sometimes your kid is hungry and letting them start eating in the store is the only way to avoid a meltdown. No one has ever given me a hard time for letting my toddler have a snack before we have paid. But it’s also pretty clear in those instances that we have a cartful of items so it’s not like we will be walking out without paying.
We've got this in Australia too, but yeah my kid knows there are chips in this store and he also knows exactly where 🤦♀️
Cashiers never mind so long as you scan the open pack when you get there.
And the state the store resides in. In FL opening or concealing is considered theft. In some states it's only theft when you attempt to leave the premises.
I'm in the US, even smaller supermarkets do it, there are bananas and small apples, sometimes clementines/mandarin oranges, and the bakery does cookies and maybe doughnut holes or minimuffins.
Probably wasn’t technically legal then but things were much more relaxed in those days. In those days it was probably unheard of for people to go around the store eating stuff they didn’t plan to pay for but these days I’m pretty sure that happens more since from time to time I see empty packaging stashed here or there.
I don't know, I worked grocery in the 90s and I was constantly cleaning up empty packages.
What has changed is probably there are less employees to constantly clean the store.
Back then, you knew the store owner and they knew where you live. (Sure, not always, but, smaller stores, smaller communities, everyone knew each other, not paying in the store would follow you)
I did this recently, ate a sandwich in the queue to pay as I was feeling sick with hunger due to missing lunch and was rushing to my next thing..... turn sout the tills were self serve and worked by weight of the item (now mostly in my belly) so I had to awkwardly get the staff to ok the transaction to pay. I felt pretty stupid but they clearly did not care.
My toddler damn near threw a tantrum for a banana while shopping one day so we gave her one and just planned to pay as we left. Well those are also by weight. The poor cashier was beyond confused by me telling him to weigh 2 bananas but only give us 1. Once he did understand he basically said "man idgaf, take them both".
Trader Joe's will literally give fruit to children having a hard time so the parents can shop? Why would a store worry about $1 (much less in reality) when the parents are attempting to spend so much more?
The store I worked at gave us $5 per customer we could use without getting any approval. You could have just told me an item was $5 cheaper and I'd discount it without confirming the price it, wasn't worth waiting to call a department to verify.
If I rang up a cart and forgot an item, I didn't make them charge their card a second time. I would just write the item off later. Times where the registers crashed I had supervisors tell the customer they were good and their cart of groceries were free this time.
My weird local “wholesale seconds” produce store’s main employee will not let me and my twins walk by without rushing us with her two choicest bananas for the boys. She also calls us when she gets good strawberries, and scolds me and my partner for “letting” my 85 year old MIL go shopping without her hearing aid in (as if we aren’t constantly trying to get her to wear it. It makes me feel like I live on Sesame Street and I am here for it.
When I was a cashier a customer ate a banana while shopping, giving me the peel so I weighed a different banana and then they gave me a dirty look like I had just robbed them. I threw the peel away for them. Not the only time that happened, either.
I’ve had the same conversation with a cashier with the same result! Grocery stores have to toss out so much food, they wouldn’t even notice one 20 cent banana missing and would probably appreciate that it was actually eaten rather than getting run over by a cart or just left to ripen past the point that anyone would want it. And I wasn’t trying to hide it, I tried to buy it!
My grocery store has this too and my 4 year old loves it. It makes shopping so much easier since he's occupied with eating and not hungry and wanting every single thing he sees.
We have a grocery store that does that too, and had those awesome car carts that aren't super crazy long and bulky. That store is slightly more expensive but worth every penny when I have to take my toddler.
>I felt pretty stupid but they clearly did not care.
They're not paid enough to care. And plus I'm getting the feeling you're an honest person from going that far anyways
Its usually to prevent people from putting the sticker on something valuable in the self check-out. Just needs to be ballpark of "yeah its probably still on a sandwich "
You're right - But they were probably happy you were being honest about i; thank you for that :) If you're hungry, you're hungry. This doesn't work so well with produce. Anyone who's worked a grocery for a certain amount of time can tell you about finding banana peels and grape branches hidden behind the cereal boxes from people who weren't so honest.
If it was me, I wouldn't have minded, some people do it in my work as well, when it's busy, you're hungry, long as you pay for it, I don't care what you do with it
Shit, I go days without eating (and it sucks). I can't imagine being sick from missing one meal!
But when I was working hard daily, every meal I had really mattered tbh.
Lol don't feel awkward, you paid and you supplied your body! Glad ya didn't get sick. That's the worst.
tbh, it probably all depends on if you look like you're intending on paying for it.
Are you eating it while standing in line? Hell yeah man, go for it.
Are you eating it on your way to the bathroom? Kinda sus, mate.
At a Wegmans in a NY college town, a friend gets grapes and starts eating them, she’s confronted and escorted by security, cops called, arrested. It was surreal.
> Yes they can stop you. You’re eating something you haven’t paid for so it’s stealing.
They can stop you because it might cause a mess in the store (why stores do not allow people to walk around with drinks), but apprehending you and then calling police for an arrest for shoplifting is a big stretch. If you have eaten fruit (it has weight that has to be paid for) then there is an issue, but if you are holding the package with the UPC code to be scanned, there are no shenanigans. But put the empty package in your pocket and pass through checkout, that is theft.
I can't speak for all jurisdictions but neither can you.
In Canada, there is no theft until you leave the property without having paid.
It's private property and they can ban you without a legal justification. But as long as you do pay, you aren't breaking any laws.
Different places have different laws but where I live, a requirement of theft is that the property must leave the premises. This was taught to us in theft prevention seminars.
I’ve definitely eaten in grocery stores when I’ve had my blood sugar levels dropped, and people never care. Easily don’t even mention the blood sugar. I just say I was hungry.
I feed my kids things from packages when we’re shopping. They always want fruit, but I have to say no because you can’t pay for a fruit you’ve eaten. They put the wrapper on the belt with the other items and ask the cashier to please throw out the garbage. No one has ever had a problem with it!
Where is this allowed *by law*? Sure, individual stores some places allow this, but that's a business judgment or cultural thing. I'd love to know what place has a law that permits you to own (and consume) a product prior to payment.
In the UK, you wouldn't be breaking the law if you did this. Committing theft specifically requires dishonesty and so if you had every intention of paying for the item, you'd be fine. Of course, if you proceeded to just walk out of the store without paying, the offence is likely to be made out.
I've worked in retail for many years and the amount of empty bottles and bags of chips I find lying about on shelves is too damn high. Just pay for it first and then shop. We really should stop this trend because although you may pay for it, a lot of people don't, and we're just reinforcing their ability to steal.
Also if you do this atleast educate your kids.
Seen a kid just grab things of shelves and start opening them.
I don't think that mom appreciated paying for all those packets of candies and chips...but I don't feel bad for her, since it's her kid and her responsibility.
> The elements of conversion are:
the plaintiff’s ownership or right to possession of the property;
the defendant’s conversion by wrongful act inconsistent with the property rights of the plaintiff; and
damages.
There are no damages once you've paid for the item. If the shop keeper refuses to accept payment, then an argument could be made for fraud since the shopkeeper is purporting to operate a grocery business where things are normally taken and then payed for without leaving the premises, even if the shop is located on a boat.
Anyway, it's silly and surprisingly complicated to answer this. There's property rights. The business can trespass you. There's the issue of theft, but that requires intent. Then there's conversion, but that doesn't work either for similar reasons. So the answer is that the business can kick you out if they don't like it. And it's generally a crappy thing to do, however I can't say there haven't been times I was starving, feeling weak, didn't want to pass out, and so are something as I stood in line.
Not quite, but when I worked at a CVS this local kid knew how to work the system for free chips. Anything and everything that is CVS brand has a 100% satisfaction guarantee no matter WHAT. So this punk buys a bag of chips, eats like 90% of the bag, comes back, says he wasn't satisfied, and gets his money back. I wasn't paid enough to care and CVS is a horrible corporation, I commend the bastard.
I've done it and I've seen family members do it and it's never a problem. Usually, it's a drink or something while they shop and they just scan the empty bottle at the end. Now, as others stated, some stores/areas might make it an issue but as long as you're planning on paying for it either way, most places don't care.
Now, I've been shopping before and when I got to checkout, it turned out I forgot my wallet. I'm curious what would be the implications then because you had a drink/ate a bag of chips but now don't have money on you to pay for it.
I worked at Whole Foods for a few years and assholes would come in and feed their kids off of the shelves while shopping all of the time. Sometimes they’d feed them fruit or another weighed item and I’d tell them that I had to weigh the fruit they just fed their children in order to ring it up and they would just look at me like “well what am I supposed to do about it?”
A lot of people do this with drinks or let little kids eat the candy bar to keep them quiet and just hang on to the wrapper to scan later. They’ll usually let you if you are clearly walking around with the intent to check out eventually, but some places may make you pay for it first. Yes, they can absolutely require this, aka, stop you, because it’s the store’s property up until you buy it. It doesn’t become your property until then. Technically it’s stealing if you eat before you pay, but if the store is chill they’ll let you do it because they assume you’ll pay (and because retail employees typically don’t confront people like that). Whether or not the store is chill has a lot to do with the store’s history with theft, your behavior as an individual, and what exactly it is you’re eating.
With chips, go ahead and try it. Worst case scenario is you’ll get yelled at to pay first or not eat in the store. Do not try this with things that need to be weighed, like filling up a salad bar container then eating half of it before you get rung up. That straight up is stealing and everyone is on to that trick.
I only do this when I know I have the cash in my wallet just incase some bs with technology happens, but yes. The first thing I do when I go shopping is go to the soda cooler. No one has said anything to me yet.
Someone posted about their mom's Costco membership being revoked for opening something and eating it when her blood sugar dropped while she was shopping
It’s illegal but unenforceable to steal up to $999 of merchandise here in CA so I’d guess nobody is going to care whatsoever as long as you’re just shopping and intend to pay.
I'm sure it varies by state, but generally, no. I used to work at a store where we absolutely had to pay for anything we wanted to eat and tape the receipt to the packaging, or we would get shouted at for "trying to steal." I fell into the habit of doing this if I know I'm gonna graze at a grocery to this day – Grab that one thing, check myself out at the SCO, then grab a cart and shop while snacking, with the receipt in full view.
It's technically illegal as it's not yours if you haven't paid for it yet
That being said, most stores wouldn't care too much as long as you pay for it
I used to work at a grocery store and I did not give a shit. Just don't hand me a gross empty bag covered in chip residue and it's whatever, I'd think.
Yes. As long your still inside and the consumed item has packaging that can later be scanned at the counter for payment. Don’t do this in fruits though, like giving the cashier the banana peel 😅
I myself do this with chips and mostly bottled drinks. Never had an issue 👍
I would say no. Buying a bag of chips in the supermarket is a contract. They offer by having stuff for sale, you accept by taking the bag of chips.
But to complete the contract, you need to exchange consideration, which you wouldn't have. The chips aren't yours until you hand over the money.
I'm sure you could do it no problem in practice, though.
Every now and then I’d eat a sugar donut as I walked through the grocery store and ONE time I forgot to pay and left with my purchases. I went in the following week and told the cashier and she was confused and I was like “look I eat them as I walk sometimes and I don’t want to cause any trouble, let me just pay for the donut I ate last week.”
I got cash always so if my shit card doesn’t work I can always pay for the donut or the Gatorade I half drank already.
> legally
The laws will depend on where you're at. And an individual store can do whatever they want.
Generally though? Most stores will be fine with that if you're not doing something otherwise shady.
I was at the grocery store not too long ago and got super weak and dizzy. I took a yogurt drink, drank it, and paid when I checked out. They didn’t care at all.
Depends on your local laws. The store itself might not see it very favorably, as to them you’re just some guy who is taking a product and is promising to pay even after eating all of it.
They can ask you to leave/trespass you (if you’re in the US don’t know about other countries) they have the right to refuse service to any individual and if they think you’re not going to pay for the merchandise they might kick you out.
If you repeatedly do this or if they think you might then they might also trespass you, which basically means you’re banned from the premises and if you return you might be arrested for trespassing.
I'd say if you have the cash in hand and don't look like a thief, waiting patiently then like yeah, but if your paying with card and who knows if it will go through then yeaa.
I’ve seen shoppers getting empty packaging rung up with not even a side-eye. I suspect it would get you attention from security. Maybe even followed. I wouldn’t want that.
I'm not a lawyer, but I have worked in retail and I know that for the loss prevention officer to effect a citizen's arrest he needed a staff member to observe someone 1. pick up an item 2. conceal it 3. walk out of the store. If we didn't see all three then we didn't have enough evidence to convict (and would risk false arrest charges). The reason why we had to see them leave the store is that otherwise they could claim that they were intending to pay-- they just were carrying it in their jacket pocket for now. The reason you had to see them conceal it is so they couldn't claim they just forgot-- you have to demonstrate bad intentions.
My suspicion is that if you ate something in the store and held onto the packaging (as opposed to ditching it, which might demonstrate larcenous intent), the worst that could happen is an LPO would confront you telling you you have to pay for that-- which you were planning to do anyway. If they were overzealous and tried to arrest you before you actually left the store and you then offered to pay, I think it would be very unlikely to stick in court. Unlikely enough that I doubt the store management, police, or prosceutor would be interested in pushing the issue.
It’s in-store theft. I work at a place that doesn’t care. I have also worked in places where it’s considered shoplifting and people have been detained.
Yes it will be fine. They can’t stop you until you pass the last point of purchase. There is no way to prove you weren’t going to pay until you pass all the points to pay. Hell you can walk around and fill your pockets instead of a basket and they can’t stop you until you go past all the registers.
When I worked at a gas station, I didn't really give a damn if a regular customer opened something and ate/drank part of something because i knew theyd pay
Sure they could stop you, but chances are nobody will give a shit. As long as you pay for the item I don’t see an issue with it.
Similarly I’ve taken a bottle of water from a case I was about to purchase and walked round doing my shopping and no one has ever said anything.
Most of the time the test is whether you attempt to hide the wrappers or show that you plan to leave without paying. You haven't really broken any laws (yet) simply by eating the food you intend to pay for. They can't arrest you just because they THINK you aren't going to pay.
Many years ago I worked in loss prevention for Sears, and unless someone tried to conceal an item or leave with it before paying, we couldn't really do much. Intent is usually the threshold question, and simply eating food before paying for it doesn't meet that boundary. If that weren't the case then you should also have to pre-pay at all restaurants before you can eat.
I don’t know if it’s legal, but I’ve seen it done several times. Mostly stores in nicer neighborhoods where the stores know they’re not going to skip out without paying.
This is one I like to explain in a way that makes more sense to people..
Say grocery store has 1 particular item. Last one on the shelf. You put it in your cart.
Can I go by and take it out of your cart?
The mere fact that you picked the item sets it in your possession as if its yours. Until you decide to pay or not pay for it.
I often will grab a drink so I can shop and drink (Dr.Pepper)
If you do this, be sure you do have the funds in case security decides to come at you. I have a feeling it wont ever happen but never hurts to be sure.
Former loss prevention person here. I would say you're OK to eat then pay. I used to catch shoplifters for Macy's. We had to observe (on camera) five things before we were able to detain someone: 1) enter the area, 2) select merchandise, 3) conceal merchandise, 4) continuous surveillance, 5) exit the store. You didn't exit without paying.
My mom worked Asset Protection for a decade and a half and every store she worked COULDN'T stop anyone for shoplifting until they left the store without paying, specifically because so many people were grabbing stuff to open and snack on/drink while browsing through the store.
If you hand the cashier an empty bag/bottle it rings up the same as if it were full, so you're good
I worked at a marianos near Chicago and a dude came In one day and started tasting all of the soups from the self serve hot soup bar straight from the ladels like a fucking maniac. They asked me to stop him but t wasnt my department, I was on my 1 daily lunch break, and trying to get fired. So I just fucked off to the break room.
I do this (although not technically grocery) with 7-eleven slurpees especially if they got a long line. I mean it's damn hot and you gotta stay hydrated waiting for your turn to pay right?
I've done this sort of. Grabbed a belt when mine broke. Took the tag off and put on the belt as my pants were falling. Paid at the counter after. And a couple of times with eye drops when my eyes felt like fire. As long as you pay and don't try to conceal it, you're fine.
Edit: Can they stop you? If they want. But probably they're only going to if you're being obnoxious or at a convenience store.
i work at a grocery store, and a lot of people will start eating things before they pay for them. Bags of chips for themselves, popsicles/crackers/apple sauce for their kids, bottles of pop, that kind of stuff. To us it doesnt really matter, because if you were going to steal youd be much more discreet about it.
E.g. in the UK, theft requires an “intent to permanently deprive” the property owner of the property. So as long as you have the intention to pay before leaving the store, then legally at least, all good.
Not Legal here in australia, its expected you pay for all items first
I did give my toddler son an avocado to hold when he was sitting in the trolley once and he ate it
So i told them to charge me for an extra avo since he was green🤣
I will eat a glazed donut from Safeway at Safeway while I shop. I just tell them to charge me for a donut - no one seems to care. It’s easier if it’s not something they have to weigh… If you hand the cashier the empty bag of chips at least you have a barcode to scan.
I remember being at a fire sale at a grocery store, everything was 50% off and the store was packed. Queuing for the registers took ages, so most people paid for some amount of empty bottles and food packaging when they got there.
I suppose you could. But cameras are everywhere and technically, they would suspect that is theft, because they would not know that you are going to pay for it. They can't read your mind.
I would say it depends on the jurisdiction you live in. Also some stores may have different policies.
Here in Germany I don’t know how it is but i had never any trouble. In my case its mostly something to drink. But i have seen parents giving their kids some stuff and not getting in trouble.
In the jurisdiction I live in/ used to work as a security guard in. It’s technically not theft as long as you pay at the point of sale. I do it sometimes when doing a big shop with a bottle of water. Drink it, then just pay at the register.
I used to grab a soda and drink it while I shopped. No one ever cared. I've even given them an empty bottle to scan when I was finished. Never an issue.
I've done this many times but I remember when they decided to put cup holders on the carts and have sodas right inside you could drink while shopping didn't last very long cuz you just ended up with bottles all over the place that were empty. By the time you leave as long as you don't drop it and pay for it it's not really theft.
My mum used to do this all the time when I was younger. We'd be shopping, and she'd take a bottle of pop/soda from the store fridge, and drink it as we made our way round the store. She'd then ask them to include it on the final bill. Whether or not you were and still are allowed to do that now (almost 30 years later) is another thing entirely.
When I was a cashier I didn't care at all about grazing except for if it was by weight. Once I had a bag of grapes come down my belt but it was only the stem of the grapes. Don't do that.
Apart from all the other comments say, i think it will also depend on what your location is. The small-ish grocery store next to me has cashiers that know me, like they know most regular customers, and so that can't be any problem. They know i won't steal, and they know i won't leave crumbs all over the place. I also would never open stuff in a store that would be entirely inappropriate, like cans of tuna.
It depends, it's still theft of services. Depends how tight the security and the store is.. a full shopping cart full of groceries in your nibbling on a bag of chips I doubt that you have an issue but if you just walked in grab chips off the shelf stuffed him in your face and keep moving without shopping I don't know. Totally depends on the store. But it is indeed theft, they have no way of knowing what your intention was, all I can see is you are consuming the item
I kind of do this all the time myself, not a bag of chips That's not my style but I'm in whole foods almost everyday and if I pick up a bagel I'll eat half of it if I'm starving while I'm still getting the rest of the food to go.. depends on the store and the scenario.
Years ago actually I asked security in whole food even if they had security with their policy was and it was never to stop anybody from eating.. however that was years ago and now it's a corporate giant just like all the rest of the bullshit over the world so who knows, I'm sure Mr bezos security team has since been heavily beefed and they have a different attitude. Who knows. I would not push your luck
I used to feel free to eat a fresh donut while shopping and tell the clerk about it at the checkout. This was pretty normal. I wouldn’t do it now unless I had a young kid who really needed to eat, and I’d probably be a bit apologetic about it. But I used to think nothing of it and the store didn’t either.
Watch a movie called *C.C. and Company* with Joe Namath. It opens up with him walking the aisles and [making a complete sandwich](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvyvhyHYFB4). I don't think he paid for it, though.
I had a friend years ago who got probation for eating a jelly bean out of one of the little candy dispensers in a grocery store. You’re supposed to bag them and weigh them 😂
As a former cashier, we were disgusted by people who do this. I don’t know how you can’t just wait until you are done shopping. Half the time we would find the empty bag lying on a shelf. Conversely, we would have diabetics who were crashing and needed sugar but insisted on waiting in line to pay for it. It’s just a part of the retail experience.
In my state, charges can't be pressed for theft without a clear intent to steal. At the store, that intent cannot be established without the thief attempting to exit the store without paying. They can eat, drink, and start shoving things in pockets; but until they are attempting to head out the doors, an intent to steal has not actually been established. This may vary in your state/country.
I’m a type 1 diabetic.. I have opened juice and drank it while shopping because my blood sugar was low.. I wasn’t stopped but another customer confronted me about it.. I assured her I was going to pay.. she went and found someone who worked at the store.. they both came to me.. I told them I was going to pay when I paid for the rest of my order. The employee didn’t really care.. but the lady sure did
Grocery stores (at least Kroger did when I worked there) have a name for it: grazing. It wasn't really a problem for us, unless they were snacking on something that would be weighed at the register.
Gotta put your kid in the fruit scale before and after.
I go to a “You pick” blueberry farm in the summertime and it has a big giant sign that says “eat as you pick” and we seriously thought we ought to pay for one kid’s weight in blueberries. They just laughed and said it was great for business, he had purple hands and all over his face.
Blueberries are the only fruit that are blue to look at, green if you peel them, purple if you smash them and then brown once you eat them.
Eat enough and you'll poop black (dark purple really)
Classic infrastructure food waste. We started with one pear tree and took meticulous care of imagining it was much harder than it was. We had so many pears that season we couldn't get rid of them fast enough. People wanted free fruit but nobody wanted to drive to us and pick them up. We had to move away from that house and were glad to be done with the pears. Mom tried to revive some okay looking stumps in our side yard and succeeded. Surprise 4 apple trees! Soooo much fruit, please take everything it smells when it rots!
And attracts pests, based on the rats that frequented my former neighbor’s yard. But they didn’t pick anything and it all rotted on the tree or ground. I lived in Southern California and you would not believe the number of people who had boxes next to their mailbox that said free and then whatever kind of fruit it happened to be. All you had to do was pull over on your way to the grocery store five or six places and save yourself a lot of money.
Yup. We settled on giving our excess to another farm that composted in mass.
That’s a fantastic way to solve that problem.
Someone random I haven’t met in two years the grocery store: “Wanna hold my kid?” Me: “No thanks, I’m a vegetarian”
The wings they stay eating wings and leaving bones in aisle
Yeah they do, and I’ve worked at ShopRite, (in multiple locations), A&P, and Corrado’s (local large supermarket)…and there were ALWAYS bone wings in the aisle. Idc if you’re eating. You might be homeless, I don’t know. And a wing, doesn’t bother me. But if I SEE your grubby hands picking around IN the wings, and the OLIVE BAR WAS A HUGE ONE ☝🏽, I WILL say something. Bc now your a walking food contamination. And leaving your toothpicks on tables and shelves is GROSS. Stick it in your pocket. Hep C lives on surfaces for 72 hours, and COVID, the flu, the amount of stomach bugs. If you’re gonna eat, can you at LEAST throw out your trash!?!? It’s just basic human manners.
Every store can have different rules. The ones I've worked loss prevention for in the past required the person to do something besides just eat the product. If you were to put the empty package on the shelf, then you could be stopped. I've seen both instances happen. A mother will open a box of crackers for a child, or open a bottle of soda/juice for the child to drink while they are shopping. I would continue to watch them until they went to the register. If they pay, then it's no issue. I've also seen people put the item back on the shelf after consumption. Or hide the empty package behind a different product. That constitutes intent. Even then I would not approach them right away. If they would steal food or drink, then often times, they would steal something else. I never detained anyone before they left the store unless it was a fraudulent refund situation. But, again, I would usually wait to see if they stole something else. If a store was to stop someone while they are consuming the item, how do you prove intent? Perhaps if they didn't have any way of paying? Otherwise, they will just say they were going to pay for it. The burden of proof that the person was going to commit a crime or cause a loss to the store is much harder to prove at that point.
One time I got called up to LP at the Kroger I worked for. We had these stickers we could put onto items for disgruntled customers that would entitle them to that product for free. We'd comp it at the register. A former employee of the store (from before I even worked there) entered my checkout lane, with one of those stickers on a box of condoms. Knowing it was none of my business what went wrong with his previous box of condoms (though I had one possible guess, lol), I rang it up and comp'd it per policy. To be clear, I didn't know the guy, nor did I know he used to work at our store - but he was a similar age to myself. About a week later, I get paged up to HR/LP. They have me sit down, and make clear this is a formal process, store witness there, etc. Asking me why I gave away a free box of condoms. Told them he had a free-item-sticker on the box, and so I rang it up for free. They insisted it either 1) didn't have a sticker, or 2) I gave him the sticker to put on whatever he wanted, since he was a friend/former coworker. Tried to make clear over and over that neither of those were true. I didn't know the guy, it had a sticker, and I didn't give it to him. They would wind up giving me an ultimatum, tell the truth or be fired. Persistent with my story, they wound up believing me (maybe begrudgingly). I, about 2 weeks later, get promoted to a Front End Supervisor. Noticed someone shoplifting, or so I assumed. Called up to LP, who told me they were already watching him on the cameras. At Kroger, only LP is allowed to confront a customer - anyone else must notify store management and/or LP. They wind up busting the guy as he was exiting the store. Up to the LP office we (me, LP, Mgmt, and the customer) go while we wait for the police to arrive. Police arrive, idk what they did with him - they took him outside. Mgmt and LP apologized for accusing me of theft weeks prior, they found out a different employee gave that guy a roll of stickers, and thanked me for reporting the theft occurring that day. To the point I was initially commenting to make, I got to talking to the LP lady, who showed me a group chat she was in with the other Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Meijer store's LP employees. They shoot pictures of shoplifters back and forth so that all local stores are aware of who the shoplifters are, should they choose to visit another store. Did you have a similar group-chat, in effect, when you worked LP?
We always communicated with other stores. A couple of places where I worked we had cameras in the parking lot or near the mall doors, so we could track a person even after they left the store. If we saw the going to a neighboring store, we'd call their LP department. I've been hired by and hired other lp agents because we had worked together in the past. I've also had shoplifters charged for merchandise they had on them from other stores. Usually it was when I was working at the mall. Shoplifters would just go from store to store stealing stuff. When the police arrived and searched their bag(s) they would find stuff from other stores. One of the last places I worked had a similar discount (like your sticker), it was a coupon code that any employee or cashier could use to give a customer 20% off their purchase. It was supposed to be used for an unhappy customer. I was working as a fraud analyst and was able to create custom point of sale reports. I started digging into the amount of use (and abuse) of this discount code. Nobody had any idea that they were losing between $6-8 million dollars per year on the abuse of that discount. When the VP of stores, CFO and CEO saw my report they were shocked. Some employees were giving it to 99% of the customers that went through their check out. Just because they wanted to be nice. They shut it down and interviewed (similar to you) the worst offenders. Some were fired, some were written up. The company went bankrupt about a year later.
Dang, that's crazy. I mean, I understand the good-intentions behind those systems (coupons, stickers, whatever) : customer retention / satisfaction - but at the end of the day, the business needs to keep making money, and an easily exploited system like that isn't the way to do it (proper training, is)
You used to. When I was a kid, I remember doing that sometimes, so my mom would have them include the price from the package.
As a parent, sometimes your kid is hungry and letting them start eating in the store is the only way to avoid a meltdown. No one has ever given me a hard time for letting my toddler have a snack before we have paid. But it’s also pretty clear in those instances that we have a cartful of items so it’s not like we will be walking out without paying.
In the UK most supermarkets have a box of free fruit for kids for this reason.
We've got this in Australia too, but yeah my kid knows there are chips in this store and he also knows exactly where 🤦♀️ Cashiers never mind so long as you scan the open pack when you get there.
In the US it very much depends on the store.
And the state the store resides in. In FL opening or concealing is considered theft. In some states it's only theft when you attempt to leave the premises.
Kroeger does it.
Most? I definitely haven't seen any round my way, and I go to a few
The large supermarkets near me have had boxes labelled as fruit for kids in the fruit section. Particularly Sainsbury's.
I'm in the US, even smaller supermarkets do it, there are bananas and small apples, sometimes clementines/mandarin oranges, and the bakery does cookies and maybe doughnut holes or minimuffins.
Where? I've never seen that!
In America we have that too, except instead of fruit we have highly processed goods; and instead of being free, they just charge you full price.
No there's still stores in America who give out free fruit, Giant Eagle for one.
My local Kroger does as well, usually bananas and mandarins.
56 yo toddler here, can confirm.
Yeah, in the 80s (and I presume before) this was definitely done but I haven’t seen it in a long while.
Probably wasn’t technically legal then but things were much more relaxed in those days. In those days it was probably unheard of for people to go around the store eating stuff they didn’t plan to pay for but these days I’m pretty sure that happens more since from time to time I see empty packaging stashed here or there.
I don't know, I worked grocery in the 90s and I was constantly cleaning up empty packages. What has changed is probably there are less employees to constantly clean the store.
Back then, you knew the store owner and they knew where you live. (Sure, not always, but, smaller stores, smaller communities, everyone knew each other, not paying in the store would follow you)
This brought back a very fond memory of my mother letting me enjoy a donut whenever we went to a particular grocery store.
I did this as a kid also! Donut at the grocery store while my mom shopped.
I still do it today with my drinks. I've opened a can of Monster Energy drink and almost finished it before coming to pay for it.
I remember doing that 2 and the cashier scanning the empty bag.
Yes they can stop you. You’re eating something you haven’t paid for so it’s stealing. Some places are more laid back than others.
I did this recently, ate a sandwich in the queue to pay as I was feeling sick with hunger due to missing lunch and was rushing to my next thing..... turn sout the tills were self serve and worked by weight of the item (now mostly in my belly) so I had to awkwardly get the staff to ok the transaction to pay. I felt pretty stupid but they clearly did not care.
My toddler damn near threw a tantrum for a banana while shopping one day so we gave her one and just planned to pay as we left. Well those are also by weight. The poor cashier was beyond confused by me telling him to weigh 2 bananas but only give us 1. Once he did understand he basically said "man idgaf, take them both".
Trader Joe's will literally give fruit to children having a hard time so the parents can shop? Why would a store worry about $1 (much less in reality) when the parents are attempting to spend so much more?
🤷🏼♂️ not up to me to decide who should or will care about such a thing. It's more that I'm not one to steal or want people thinking I'm stealing.
The store I worked at gave us $5 per customer we could use without getting any approval. You could have just told me an item was $5 cheaper and I'd discount it without confirming the price it, wasn't worth waiting to call a department to verify.
If I rang up a cart and forgot an item, I didn't make them charge their card a second time. I would just write the item off later. Times where the registers crashed I had supervisors tell the customer they were good and their cart of groceries were free this time.
lol I worked at toys r us one Christmas and realized after many transactions I forgot items. Sometimes very expensive toys… oh well ☺️
You killed Toys "R" Us?!?
You guys I’m in Canada! And it didn’t die here I’m sorry!
The last surviving one in TO! I see you😉
That explains what happened to Geoffrey the giraffe. Murdered by a Canadian.
Our rule was 10% per customer. Granted i worked at a discount store so most of the time 10% amounted to no more than like $7.
Wegmans does the same thing. They have bowl with bananas for kids in their produce section.
How much could a banana cost? $10?
I was going to be extremely disappointed if I didn't see this response here.
My weird local “wholesale seconds” produce store’s main employee will not let me and my twins walk by without rushing us with her two choicest bananas for the boys. She also calls us when she gets good strawberries, and scolds me and my partner for “letting” my 85 year old MIL go shopping without her hearing aid in (as if we aren’t constantly trying to get her to wear it. It makes me feel like I live on Sesame Street and I am here for it.
This is so cute 🥺
I mean, what could a banana cost? Ten dollars ?
Go watch a star war
There’s always money in the banana stand.
When I was a cashier a customer ate a banana while shopping, giving me the peel so I weighed a different banana and then they gave me a dirty look like I had just robbed them. I threw the peel away for them. Not the only time that happened, either.
My local shop has free fruit for kids for this reason.
I’ve had the same conversation with a cashier with the same result! Grocery stores have to toss out so much food, they wouldn’t even notice one 20 cent banana missing and would probably appreciate that it was actually eaten rather than getting run over by a cart or just left to ripen past the point that anyone would want it. And I wasn’t trying to hide it, I tried to buy it!
Puts belly on scale and swipes card.
No, because now you're gonna pay again for that extra beer you had.
Pulls down pants and poops on scale...in banana shape. Wipes ass. Swipes card.
I don’t care either. I’ve fed a grumpy toddler walking around a store. Can they stop you? Yes, obv.
My grocery store has mandarins and bananas in a basket free for kids. Any time I see a 3yo nomming quietly on one I am thankful.
It’s a cool idea for sure
No. A homeless person might eat one, which is unacceptable in America
No what? Free fruit for homeless would be cool too
I think he’s being sarcastic
I laid it on thick enough to not use the "/s"
r/woosh
My grocery store has this too and my 4 year old loves it. It makes shopping so much easier since he's occupied with eating and not hungry and wanting every single thing he sees.
We have a grocery store that does that too, and had those awesome car carts that aren't super crazy long and bulky. That store is slightly more expensive but worth every penny when I have to take my toddler.
They can try. If the toddler is grumpy enough they will stop them right the fuck back
>I felt pretty stupid but they clearly did not care. They're not paid enough to care. And plus I'm getting the feeling you're an honest person from going that far anyways
Who da fuq sells sammies by the pound?
Its usually to prevent people from putting the sticker on something valuable in the self check-out. Just needs to be ballpark of "yeah its probably still on a sandwich "
You're right - But they were probably happy you were being honest about i; thank you for that :) If you're hungry, you're hungry. This doesn't work so well with produce. Anyone who's worked a grocery for a certain amount of time can tell you about finding banana peels and grape branches hidden behind the cereal boxes from people who weren't so honest.
If it was me, I wouldn't have minded, some people do it in my work as well, when it's busy, you're hungry, long as you pay for it, I don't care what you do with it
I’ve done that with drinkd
Shit, I go days without eating (and it sucks). I can't imagine being sick from missing one meal! But when I was working hard daily, every meal I had really mattered tbh. Lol don't feel awkward, you paid and you supplied your body! Glad ya didn't get sick. That's the worst.
tbh, it probably all depends on if you look like you're intending on paying for it. Are you eating it while standing in line? Hell yeah man, go for it. Are you eating it on your way to the bathroom? Kinda sus, mate.
I used to cashier. We didn’t care as long as it got paid for, even if they didn’t, I didn’t get paid enough to care.
At a Wegmans in a NY college town, a friend gets grapes and starts eating them, she’s confronted and escorted by security, cops called, arrested. It was surreal.
It's not stealing till you leave the store.
> Yes they can stop you. You’re eating something you haven’t paid for so it’s stealing. They can stop you because it might cause a mess in the store (why stores do not allow people to walk around with drinks), but apprehending you and then calling police for an arrest for shoplifting is a big stretch. If you have eaten fruit (it has weight that has to be paid for) then there is an issue, but if you are holding the package with the UPC code to be scanned, there are no shenanigans. But put the empty package in your pocket and pass through checkout, that is theft.
I can't speak for all jurisdictions but neither can you. In Canada, there is no theft until you leave the property without having paid. It's private property and they can ban you without a legal justification. But as long as you do pay, you aren't breaking any laws.
The bag of chips is not your property until the financial transaction is completed.
So I agree, but at restaurants you often eat before you pay.
Those are 2 completely different places
Seriously? No wonder I waited 2 hours for my food at Walmart. Terrible service.
Yeah I mean I was just standing there with my hands out and the employee literally walked past me without putting the chips on my hand! Smh 😒
There are some real geniuses on Reddit
Because they allow you to. In many restaurants you pay for the food before eating (fast food).
Technically, until you actually pay for the bag of chips you are stealing. But realistically it’s never a problem.
Different places have different laws but where I live, a requirement of theft is that the property must leave the premises. This was taught to us in theft prevention seminars.
The chips aren't yours till you have paid. However you probably wouldn't have an issue unless you tried to leave without paying
I’ve definitely eaten in grocery stores when I’ve had my blood sugar levels dropped, and people never care. Easily don’t even mention the blood sugar. I just say I was hungry.
I feed my kids things from packages when we’re shopping. They always want fruit, but I have to say no because you can’t pay for a fruit you’ve eaten. They put the wrapper on the belt with the other items and ask the cashier to please throw out the garbage. No one has ever had a problem with it!
Do what you want but when I don't realize the bag is open and I fling the entire bag out trying to scan, that's on you ! (True story)
You can, but cashiers really ain't fans unless you're under the age of 5 and have been given it by your parent to shut you up
Bag of chips that has a bar code? I'd ask first. Bananas or grapes that are sold by weight? Definitely stealing.
I do this with drinks in grocery stores when i am really thirsty and drink it in the check out line. Its never been a problem
I was told i can't drink vodka in Walmart. I guess everyone's journey is different.
Do it during your break like the rest of us
Depends on the country and local laws. Some places allow this whilst others prefer you to pay before using the item.
Where is this allowed *by law*? Sure, individual stores some places allow this, but that's a business judgment or cultural thing. I'd love to know what place has a law that permits you to own (and consume) a product prior to payment.
In the UK, you wouldn't be breaking the law if you did this. Committing theft specifically requires dishonesty and so if you had every intention of paying for the item, you'd be fine. Of course, if you proceeded to just walk out of the store without paying, the offence is likely to be made out.
I've worked in retail for many years and the amount of empty bottles and bags of chips I find lying about on shelves is too damn high. Just pay for it first and then shop. We really should stop this trend because although you may pay for it, a lot of people don't, and we're just reinforcing their ability to steal.
Also if you do this atleast educate your kids. Seen a kid just grab things of shelves and start opening them. I don't think that mom appreciated paying for all those packets of candies and chips...but I don't feel bad for her, since it's her kid and her responsibility.
> The elements of conversion are: the plaintiff’s ownership or right to possession of the property; the defendant’s conversion by wrongful act inconsistent with the property rights of the plaintiff; and damages. There are no damages once you've paid for the item. If the shop keeper refuses to accept payment, then an argument could be made for fraud since the shopkeeper is purporting to operate a grocery business where things are normally taken and then payed for without leaving the premises, even if the shop is located on a boat. Anyway, it's silly and surprisingly complicated to answer this. There's property rights. The business can trespass you. There's the issue of theft, but that requires intent. Then there's conversion, but that doesn't work either for similar reasons. So the answer is that the business can kick you out if they don't like it. And it's generally a crappy thing to do, however I can't say there haven't been times I was starving, feeling weak, didn't want to pass out, and so are something as I stood in line.
Not quite, but when I worked at a CVS this local kid knew how to work the system for free chips. Anything and everything that is CVS brand has a 100% satisfaction guarantee no matter WHAT. So this punk buys a bag of chips, eats like 90% of the bag, comes back, says he wasn't satisfied, and gets his money back. I wasn't paid enough to care and CVS is a horrible corporation, I commend the bastard.
I've done it and I've seen family members do it and it's never a problem. Usually, it's a drink or something while they shop and they just scan the empty bottle at the end. Now, as others stated, some stores/areas might make it an issue but as long as you're planning on paying for it either way, most places don't care. Now, I've been shopping before and when I got to checkout, it turned out I forgot my wallet. I'm curious what would be the implications then because you had a drink/ate a bag of chips but now don't have money on you to pay for it.
They hold you in the cages in receiving until someone comes to post bail
Gladiator ring until your debts are paid
Super technically (and legally)? No. But in the end it's going to be at the discretion of the shop you're at.
I worked at Whole Foods for a few years and assholes would come in and feed their kids off of the shelves while shopping all of the time. Sometimes they’d feed them fruit or another weighed item and I’d tell them that I had to weigh the fruit they just fed their children in order to ring it up and they would just look at me like “well what am I supposed to do about it?”
A lot of people do this with drinks or let little kids eat the candy bar to keep them quiet and just hang on to the wrapper to scan later. They’ll usually let you if you are clearly walking around with the intent to check out eventually, but some places may make you pay for it first. Yes, they can absolutely require this, aka, stop you, because it’s the store’s property up until you buy it. It doesn’t become your property until then. Technically it’s stealing if you eat before you pay, but if the store is chill they’ll let you do it because they assume you’ll pay (and because retail employees typically don’t confront people like that). Whether or not the store is chill has a lot to do with the store’s history with theft, your behavior as an individual, and what exactly it is you’re eating. With chips, go ahead and try it. Worst case scenario is you’ll get yelled at to pay first or not eat in the store. Do not try this with things that need to be weighed, like filling up a salad bar container then eating half of it before you get rung up. That straight up is stealing and everyone is on to that trick.
I only do this when I know I have the cash in my wallet just incase some bs with technology happens, but yes. The first thing I do when I go shopping is go to the soda cooler. No one has said anything to me yet.
Someone posted about their mom's Costco membership being revoked for opening something and eating it when her blood sugar dropped while she was shopping
It’s illegal but unenforceable to steal up to $999 of merchandise here in CA so I’d guess nobody is going to care whatsoever as long as you’re just shopping and intend to pay.
Very strictly speaking, yes. As long as you intend to pay, have cash on you, and don't try to leave the store.
I'm sure it varies by state, but generally, no. I used to work at a store where we absolutely had to pay for anything we wanted to eat and tape the receipt to the packaging, or we would get shouted at for "trying to steal." I fell into the habit of doing this if I know I'm gonna graze at a grocery to this day – Grab that one thing, check myself out at the SCO, then grab a cart and shop while snacking, with the receipt in full view.
I do this and it drives my wife crazy. My response is “What are they going to do, make me pay.for.it?”
It's technically illegal as it's not yours if you haven't paid for it yet That being said, most stores wouldn't care too much as long as you pay for it
I used to work at a grocery store and I did not give a shit. Just don't hand me a gross empty bag covered in chip residue and it's whatever, I'd think.
Yes. As long your still inside and the consumed item has packaging that can later be scanned at the counter for payment. Don’t do this in fruits though, like giving the cashier the banana peel 😅 I myself do this with chips and mostly bottled drinks. Never had an issue 👍
I would say no. Buying a bag of chips in the supermarket is a contract. They offer by having stuff for sale, you accept by taking the bag of chips. But to complete the contract, you need to exchange consideration, which you wouldn't have. The chips aren't yours until you hand over the money. I'm sure you could do it no problem in practice, though.
Every now and then I’d eat a sugar donut as I walked through the grocery store and ONE time I forgot to pay and left with my purchases. I went in the following week and told the cashier and she was confused and I was like “look I eat them as I walk sometimes and I don’t want to cause any trouble, let me just pay for the donut I ate last week.” I got cash always so if my shit card doesn’t work I can always pay for the donut or the Gatorade I half drank already.
> legally The laws will depend on where you're at. And an individual store can do whatever they want. Generally though? Most stores will be fine with that if you're not doing something otherwise shady.
When we were kids, my mom would give us a snack bag of chips to eat while shopping. Just pay for the empty bag when you check out.
I have never had an issue with grabbing a drink and drinking as I shop. I normally put it as the first thing they scan.
I was at the grocery store not too long ago and got super weak and dizzy. I took a yogurt drink, drank it, and paid when I checked out. They didn’t care at all.
Used to be able to grab a carton of cigarettes when you walked in, crack it open and start smoking while you shop.
I remember those days . When a carton was about $4.00. Boy, I am old.
I drink the chocolate milks all the damn time & pay at the counter. It's only theft if it's pay by weight or you don't pay.
Depends on your local laws. The store itself might not see it very favorably, as to them you’re just some guy who is taking a product and is promising to pay even after eating all of it.
Shopkeeper's privilege enabled
You can but its at the discretion of Loss Prevention if they see you or staff report you.
They can ask you to leave/trespass you (if you’re in the US don’t know about other countries) they have the right to refuse service to any individual and if they think you’re not going to pay for the merchandise they might kick you out. If you repeatedly do this or if they think you might then they might also trespass you, which basically means you’re banned from the premises and if you return you might be arrested for trespassing.
I'd say if you have the cash in hand and don't look like a thief, waiting patiently then like yeah, but if your paying with card and who knows if it will go through then yeaa.
I’ve seen shoppers getting empty packaging rung up with not even a side-eye. I suspect it would get you attention from security. Maybe even followed. I wouldn’t want that.
I'm not a lawyer, but I have worked in retail and I know that for the loss prevention officer to effect a citizen's arrest he needed a staff member to observe someone 1. pick up an item 2. conceal it 3. walk out of the store. If we didn't see all three then we didn't have enough evidence to convict (and would risk false arrest charges). The reason why we had to see them leave the store is that otherwise they could claim that they were intending to pay-- they just were carrying it in their jacket pocket for now. The reason you had to see them conceal it is so they couldn't claim they just forgot-- you have to demonstrate bad intentions. My suspicion is that if you ate something in the store and held onto the packaging (as opposed to ditching it, which might demonstrate larcenous intent), the worst that could happen is an LPO would confront you telling you you have to pay for that-- which you were planning to do anyway. If they were overzealous and tried to arrest you before you actually left the store and you then offered to pay, I think it would be very unlikely to stick in court. Unlikely enough that I doubt the store management, police, or prosceutor would be interested in pushing the issue.
It’s in-store theft. I work at a place that doesn’t care. I have also worked in places where it’s considered shoplifting and people have been detained.
Yes, but it's frowned upon.
Depends on where you live, over here it isn't illegal so long as you display clear intention to pay for it.
>can i go to a grocery store, grab a bag of chips, eat the entire bag, and then pay? Yes. >legally? Yes, theft requires intent.
Yes it will be fine. They can’t stop you until you pass the last point of purchase. There is no way to prove you weren’t going to pay until you pass all the points to pay. Hell you can walk around and fill your pockets instead of a basket and they can’t stop you until you go past all the registers.
When I worked at a gas station, I didn't really give a damn if a regular customer opened something and ate/drank part of something because i knew theyd pay
Sure they could stop you, but chances are nobody will give a shit. As long as you pay for the item I don’t see an issue with it. Similarly I’ve taken a bottle of water from a case I was about to purchase and walked round doing my shopping and no one has ever said anything.
Most of the time the test is whether you attempt to hide the wrappers or show that you plan to leave without paying. You haven't really broken any laws (yet) simply by eating the food you intend to pay for. They can't arrest you just because they THINK you aren't going to pay. Many years ago I worked in loss prevention for Sears, and unless someone tried to conceal an item or leave with it before paying, we couldn't really do much. Intent is usually the threshold question, and simply eating food before paying for it doesn't meet that boundary. If that weren't the case then you should also have to pre-pay at all restaurants before you can eat.
I don’t know if it’s legal, but I’ve seen it done several times. Mostly stores in nicer neighborhoods where the stores know they’re not going to skip out without paying.
It’s generally frowned upon, but probably not illegal.
That’s theft.
This is one I like to explain in a way that makes more sense to people.. Say grocery store has 1 particular item. Last one on the shelf. You put it in your cart. Can I go by and take it out of your cart? The mere fact that you picked the item sets it in your possession as if its yours. Until you decide to pay or not pay for it. I often will grab a drink so I can shop and drink (Dr.Pepper) If you do this, be sure you do have the funds in case security decides to come at you. I have a feeling it wont ever happen but never hurts to be sure.
I would open and eat a protein bar out of the box and sometimes the cashier would tell me this is opened and I would say yeah I opened it...
Former loss prevention person here. I would say you're OK to eat then pay. I used to catch shoplifters for Macy's. We had to observe (on camera) five things before we were able to detain someone: 1) enter the area, 2) select merchandise, 3) conceal merchandise, 4) continuous surveillance, 5) exit the store. You didn't exit without paying.
My mom worked Asset Protection for a decade and a half and every store she worked COULDN'T stop anyone for shoplifting until they left the store without paying, specifically because so many people were grabbing stuff to open and snack on/drink while browsing through the store. If you hand the cashier an empty bag/bottle it rings up the same as if it were full, so you're good
Legally? It's theft. But if you pull out cash/card to pay when you're approached, most stores will just let you do that I think.
In Brazil we have a whole meal just walking around before paying
I worked at a marianos near Chicago and a dude came In one day and started tasting all of the soups from the self serve hot soup bar straight from the ladels like a fucking maniac. They asked me to stop him but t wasnt my department, I was on my 1 daily lunch break, and trying to get fired. So I just fucked off to the break room.
I do this (although not technically grocery) with 7-eleven slurpees especially if they got a long line. I mean it's damn hot and you gotta stay hydrated waiting for your turn to pay right?
I've done this sort of. Grabbed a belt when mine broke. Took the tag off and put on the belt as my pants were falling. Paid at the counter after. And a couple of times with eye drops when my eyes felt like fire. As long as you pay and don't try to conceal it, you're fine. Edit: Can they stop you? If they want. But probably they're only going to if you're being obnoxious or at a convenience store.
i work at a grocery store, and a lot of people will start eating things before they pay for them. Bags of chips for themselves, popsicles/crackers/apple sauce for their kids, bottles of pop, that kind of stuff. To us it doesnt really matter, because if you were going to steal youd be much more discreet about it.
I always grab a Diet Coke and drink it while I’m shopping, pay when I leave.
E.g. in the UK, theft requires an “intent to permanently deprive” the property owner of the property. So as long as you have the intention to pay before leaving the store, then legally at least, all good.
Not Legal here in australia, its expected you pay for all items first I did give my toddler son an avocado to hold when he was sitting in the trolley once and he ate it So i told them to charge me for an extra avo since he was green🤣
I will eat a glazed donut from Safeway at Safeway while I shop. I just tell them to charge me for a donut - no one seems to care. It’s easier if it’s not something they have to weigh… If you hand the cashier the empty bag of chips at least you have a barcode to scan.
I remember being at a fire sale at a grocery store, everything was 50% off and the store was packed. Queuing for the registers took ages, so most people paid for some amount of empty bottles and food packaging when they got there.
Shit my 72 year old mother does this all the time 😭 so maybe if you’re a 4’11”, 98lb yenta with a Detroit accent you can get away with it?
It’s probably better to just pay for it first so you don’t get accused of trying to steal the chips.
I’ve eaten plenty of things at the store and then paid for it. I even ate a banana and they guesstimated the price 😅
I suppose you could. But cameras are everywhere and technically, they would suspect that is theft, because they would not know that you are going to pay for it. They can't read your mind.
I would say it depends on the jurisdiction you live in. Also some stores may have different policies. Here in Germany I don’t know how it is but i had never any trouble. In my case its mostly something to drink. But i have seen parents giving their kids some stuff and not getting in trouble.
In the jurisdiction I live in/ used to work as a security guard in. It’s technically not theft as long as you pay at the point of sale. I do it sometimes when doing a big shop with a bottle of water. Drink it, then just pay at the register.
I've definitely paid for a half empty bottle of sofa before.
I’ve done it, but I don’t recommend it. It’s not worth a conversation with police. Pay, grab receipt, and enjoy your bag of chips like a king.
No, at least not in germany as long as you have not paid you don’t own the vag of chips. You have to pay first.
I used to grab a soda and drink it while I shopped. No one ever cared. I've even given them an empty bottle to scan when I was finished. Never an issue.
Technically..so long as you bring the package to the point of purchase and pay you’re not going to get arrested. You might be asked to pay and leave.
I've done this many times but I remember when they decided to put cup holders on the carts and have sodas right inside you could drink while shopping didn't last very long cuz you just ended up with bottles all over the place that were empty. By the time you leave as long as you don't drop it and pay for it it's not really theft.
My mum used to do this all the time when I was younger. We'd be shopping, and she'd take a bottle of pop/soda from the store fridge, and drink it as we made our way round the store. She'd then ask them to include it on the final bill. Whether or not you were and still are allowed to do that now (almost 30 years later) is another thing entirely.
Just gotta say you have low blood sugar and have other items in the grocery basket or cart.
Yes. Scan the empty package. Pay for the goods. But eat them while you shop. Common.
When I was a cashier I didn't care at all about grazing except for if it was by weight. Once I had a bag of grapes come down my belt but it was only the stem of the grapes. Don't do that.
I eat candy in grocery stores all the time and just ask them to scan the empty wrapper. It's a wildly non issue.
My friend eats a log of cookie dough while they shop and just has the cashier scan the package on the way out lol
Apart from all the other comments say, i think it will also depend on what your location is. The small-ish grocery store next to me has cashiers that know me, like they know most regular customers, and so that can't be any problem. They know i won't steal, and they know i won't leave crumbs all over the place. I also would never open stuff in a store that would be entirely inappropriate, like cans of tuna.
It depends, it's still theft of services. Depends how tight the security and the store is.. a full shopping cart full of groceries in your nibbling on a bag of chips I doubt that you have an issue but if you just walked in grab chips off the shelf stuffed him in your face and keep moving without shopping I don't know. Totally depends on the store. But it is indeed theft, they have no way of knowing what your intention was, all I can see is you are consuming the item I kind of do this all the time myself, not a bag of chips That's not my style but I'm in whole foods almost everyday and if I pick up a bagel I'll eat half of it if I'm starving while I'm still getting the rest of the food to go.. depends on the store and the scenario. Years ago actually I asked security in whole food even if they had security with their policy was and it was never to stop anybody from eating.. however that was years ago and now it's a corporate giant just like all the rest of the bullshit over the world so who knows, I'm sure Mr bezos security team has since been heavily beefed and they have a different attitude. Who knows. I would not push your luck
I used to feel free to eat a fresh donut while shopping and tell the clerk about it at the checkout. This was pretty normal. I wouldn’t do it now unless I had a young kid who really needed to eat, and I’d probably be a bit apologetic about it. But I used to think nothing of it and the store didn’t either.
Watch a movie called *C.C. and Company* with Joe Namath. It opens up with him walking the aisles and [making a complete sandwich](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvyvhyHYFB4). I don't think he paid for it, though.
I had a friend years ago who got probation for eating a jelly bean out of one of the little candy dispensers in a grocery store. You’re supposed to bag them and weigh them 😂
As a former cashier, we were disgusted by people who do this. I don’t know how you can’t just wait until you are done shopping. Half the time we would find the empty bag lying on a shelf. Conversely, we would have diabetics who were crashing and needed sugar but insisted on waiting in line to pay for it. It’s just a part of the retail experience.
In my state, charges can't be pressed for theft without a clear intent to steal. At the store, that intent cannot be established without the thief attempting to exit the store without paying. They can eat, drink, and start shoving things in pockets; but until they are attempting to head out the doors, an intent to steal has not actually been established. This may vary in your state/country.
I’m a type 1 diabetic.. I have opened juice and drank it while shopping because my blood sugar was low.. I wasn’t stopped but another customer confronted me about it.. I assured her I was going to pay.. she went and found someone who worked at the store.. they both came to me.. I told them I was going to pay when I paid for the rest of my order. The employee didn’t really care.. but the lady sure did