"Where I come from we PAY before we eat"

[Deevil]

At eight, those strawberries could have had a rehearsed song and dance routine enticing the kid to eat them and she STILL would have been old enough to know better. At eight, those strawberries could have reached out, grabbed her by the collar and DEMANDED she eat them and she STILL would have been old enough to know better. Temptation = not justification.

Oh I quite agree. K's mom babied the kid horribly and never made her be accountable for her actions. Hell, I half think the reason "L" decided to move back to her hometown when K was 10 1/2 was not so much to help L's elderly mom but because K was learning to be independent.

[veniteangeli]

K thought of us as second parents. One time we were at the grocery store and K, who was 8 at the time, decided to start eating the strawberries in the produce section "because they were too tempting*".

At eight, those strawberries could have had a rehearsed song and dance routine enticing the kid to eat them and she STILL would have been old enough to know better. At eight, those strawberries could have reached out, grabbed her by the collar and DEMANDED she eat them and she STILL would have been old enough to know better. Temptation = not justification.

[wolfie]

My parents once caught me eating a grape I took in the supermarket. They told me I was weighed in and on the way out and that they would know I was heavier. I was terrified! I remember trying to jump over the area next to the cashier cause that's where I assumed the scales would be. I was relieved that I had "got away" with my crime but so scared that I may go to jail I never did it again!

I can imagine some bratty kid, on being told this, looking their parent in the eye and saying "That's OK - I'll take a leak in a corner to bring my weight back down".

[Deevil]

My parents once caught me eating a grape I took in the supermarket. They told me I was weighed in and on the way out and that they would know I was heavier. I was terrified! I remember trying to jump over the area next to the cashier cause that's where I assumed the scales would be. I was relieved that I had "got away" with my crime but so scared that I may go to jail I never did it again!

My husband and I used to watch a friend's child about 40 hours a week (Friend worked evenings and weekends), and K thought of us as second parents. One time we were at the grocery store and K, who was 8 at the time, decided to start eating the strawberries in the produce section "because they were too tempting*". Hubby asked one of the employees to get a manager for us, and K had to hand the manager a half eaten strawberry and apologize to him. The manager handled it awesomely. He thanked her for telling him and then had a serious look on his face while he told her that it was stealing and that he could call the police, but since she was honest and told him he would let it slide as long as she promised to never do that again.

*To be fair, they were some great looking strawberries, they reminded me of the ones you get in an edible bouquet.

[PandaHat]

We have fruit-and-grain bars in the car exactly for this purpose, and we generally make sure to have dinner before going grocery shopping. I remember being a kid and getting hungry in the store. I didn't get to eat anything until I got back home afterward, or maybe a snack in the car if I was lucky.

Better for you to have had dinner too - apparently means you're less likely to buy junk food/overbuy food because you're hungry!

My parents once caught me eating a grape I took in the supermarket. They told me I was weighed in and on the way out and that they would know I was heavier. I was terrified! I remember trying to jump over the area next to the cashier cause that's where I assumed the scales would be. I was relieved that I had "got away" with my crime but so scared that I may go to jail I never did it again!

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I worked in the supermarket, that kind of thing always hacked me right off. No, I am not going to touch the nasty, slobber covered apple core your child has been gnawing on. What I am going to do is to call a supervisor, ask her to find another apple for me to weigh and weigh it so that you can pay for what you stole to give to your child. And yes, supervisors always brought back the largest, most expensive apple they could find cuz this kind of thing was just nasty. Particularly since you know that apple core is not going to end up in the bin; it's more than likely destined to be either dropped on the floor or left in the trolley to act as wasp bait.

[computeraide]

That aside, he did eat part of the wrapper, which freaked out the cashier, the poor girl. I just looked at her and said tiredly, "He didn't eat that much of it, so it'll come out alright in the end."

Well, that's just FIBER right there! haha

[eltf177]

If it doesn't have a barcode you know damn well it has to be weighed, so if you're eating it or giving it to your children to eat before it's been weighed, you are a thief. Period. And shoplifters can and ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law IMHO.

But that's...that's poor customer service! Remember, the customer is ALWAYS right!

Seriously. If more stores would prosecute then this sort of crap would stop, or at least take a serious downturn...

[veniteangeli]

I agree with others. If it has a barcode, it's going to scan how it's going to scan no matter how much is eaten. It's still kind of iffy, and you should still be teaching your kids to pay first, but I can forgive it if you bring me the barcode.

If it doesn't have a barcode you know damn well it has to be weighed, so if you're eating it or giving it to your children to eat before it's been weighed, you are a thief. Period. And shoplifters can and ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law IMHO.

[manybellsdown]

I got yelled at once in a grocery store because I told my kid to stop eating broccoli out of the bin. Not by the actual staff, mind you. By another parent. She was appalled that I would tell my child not to eat a vegetable. I believe her actual words were "If my child ate broccoli I'd never tell them to stop!"

She can have all the broccoli she wants after I PAY for it! You want your precious angelmuffin to eat unwashed stolen broccoli, that's your lookout, lady.

[HawaiianShirts]

Got what she deserved, frankly. Yes, kids get hungry, but it's not going to kill them to wait 15 to 20 minutes while you shop and check out. Then they can enjoy a snack in the car

We have fruit-and-grain bars in the car exactly for this purpose, and we generally make sure to have dinner before going grocery shopping. I remember being a kid and getting hungry in the store. I didn't get to eat anything until I got back home afterward, or maybe a snack in the car if I was lucky.

This may all sound revolutionary to some people, but these are the things I learned from my parents in the Seventies when I was growing up. I was hungry? Well, I could damn well wait for it. And if I decided I couldn't wait for it, my father would remind me why it was a good idea to listen to my mother when she told me to wait for it.

Dang straight!

We have a deal with Little Shirts, an idea from a "Berenstain Bears" book. If he's cooperative and not whiny on our weekly shopping trips, he gets to pick out a whatever-he-wants up to about $2. Sometimes it's candy or chips; sometimes it's a toy; last week it was a water bottle that looked vaguely like a candy cane. If he whines or misbehaves, no treat. So far, it has worked perfectly.

And I always make sure to loudly point out to Little Shirts when I see other customers eating the produce before buying it or abandoning perishables on a random shelf. Now he points them out to me, too, and he's not shy about it.

[Anakah]

I worked in a family dollar once and I saw this lady who let her spawn suck on and eat TOOTHPASTE! I almost threw up AND I had to scan it.

[XCashier]

And hey! Here's an idea! Feed your spawn BEFORE YOU GO SHOPPING.

That's what I always did when my kid was little. I made sure he was fed, clean and rested before taking him anywhere. As a result, he didn't demand anything, simply sat in his FloppySeat-covered trolley seat and happily enjoyed the ride. And I got a lot of compliments on how well-behaved he was.

[Sapphire Silk]

SC: "They are KIDS and they were HUNGRY....you want me to say NO to hungry children."

No. I want you to bring the fucking food to the register and PAY FOR IT before giving it to your little hellions.

SC: "SERIOUSLY...you are going to charge me FULL PRICE!?!? I want to speak to the manager...NOW!!"

Me: "Sure let me get her" I stand in place, extend my hand and introduce myself as the Customer Service Manager AND the manager of the day.

Pwned!

[MoonCat]

I hate people like this. Your children are not going to starve to death in the time it takes you to finish shopping. And hey! Here's an idea! Feed your spawn BEFORE YOU GO SHOPPING.