"Where I come from we PAY before we eat"

[sstabeler]

I'll admit to opening and using some tissues in the store before getting to cash, when my kid had a huge gooey sneeze all over his hands, face and the front of his shirt, while in the middle of an aisle. The store manager saw me, and gave me a 'you have to pay for things' in a pretty snotty tone too. His admonishment left me so intimidated about opening things before paying, I can't imagine having the nerve to eat products from the store I haven't paid for yet.

it's less of a problem with stuff like tissues, which are a fixed price per pack- there, provided you let the cashier know to charge you for the pack, the store isn't out anything. the actual issue is with people who buy things charged by weight. There, it becomes impossible for the store to be sure they are charging you the full amount.

[taxguykarl]

I can understand eating a candy bar and giving the wrapper to the cashier.......

If you are diabetic and have a sudden blood sugar crash.

I did that sort of thing back in the days of paper checks (i.e. 90's). I forgot a pen, so I took one out of the package to write out all the info except the amount. The cashier noted that the package was empty and I waved the pen. She said something along the lines of 'I see'.

[Raveni]

When I was at Grocery Store, I set up a code for my cashiers to use that was $5.00 "Food Eaten In Store".

[Silent-Hunter]

I would have done the same thing. Plus, I think he was very rude to say that, how does he know you're not going to pay? Now if you tried to leave afterward, THEN he should say that.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I'll admit to opening and using some tissues in the store before getting to cash, when my kid had a huge gooey sneeze all over his hands, face and the front of his shirt, while in the middle of an aisle. The store manager saw me, and gave me a 'you have to pay for things' in a pretty snotty tone too. His admonishment left me so intimidated about opening things before paying, I can't imagine having the nerve to eat products from the store I haven't paid for yet.

[Jester]

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

Well.....yes. Yes, we do. It might just teach them to have some patience, and that they can't always get what they want when they want it, and that things have to be paid for before they are eaten, and, the crazies concept of all, that you, the parent, are in charge, not them.

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.

Sure, I was a thieving little shoplifter in my early teens. That didn't mean my parents didn't teach me those lessons. It meant that, as a selfish little shit, I knew that what I was doing was wrong, and did it anyway. Later, as an adult, I would take those lessons to heart, and I understood them more. Which I might never have done if they had not been taught to me in the first place.

[Gilhelmi]

I can understand eating a candy bar and giving the wrapper to the cashier.......

If you are diabetic and have a sudden blood sugar crash.

Outside of emergency situations, that type of behavior is unacceptable. (Though at least the children were eating healthy food. )

[Evannah]

Good on you for not taking her shit! That would gross me out too, and I also would have a hard time hiding my disgust.

[Bright_Star]

ewwwwww!! Who eats unwashed food in a grocery store??? ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!....LOL!

[XCashier]

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

Your children are not going to wither up and die in the few minutes it takes to pay for the food! Eating something before paying for it is stealing.

Now if, for example, a diabetic was having problems with blood sugar, I can see getting a bottle of juice and drinking it, then paying afterwards. But gobbling down price per pound items is stealing. And for all you know, they ate more than the parent showed you.

[raudf]

Granola bars or some sort of snack baggy in the purse! No grazing off the shelves, damn it!

My two year old did get a hold of a candy bar without my oldest or I noticing. So, I picked up another of the same and handed it to the cashier to pay for the half eaten. Of course, my youngest is TWO, so he's not going to understand that he shouldn't grab things without asking.. I'm working on that now.

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."

[KuariKaydrith]

What I used to do when my son when he was younger is always keep a baggie of some sort of snack in my purse for him. That way if he felt hungry when we were out shopping I would just give him the snack bag. I would never have dreamed of letting him have something off the shelf or out of a veggie bin before paying for it, and certainly not before washing it!

[Gerrinson]

Not to be a revolutionary, but maybe - just MAYBE - she could have taken those items to the express lane to pay for them mid shopping trip, then let the kids eat the paid for snacks while finishing her shopping.

Mind blowing concept, right?

[earl colby pottinger]

Farming

And who knows what was on that carrot or apple, I wash my produce before eating.

A dozen times this, fruits and vegetables are sprayed with chemicals at the farm but also for shipping to reduce spoilage they are sprayed with more chemicals or kept in storage with a chemical treated atmosphere. One should always wash them before eating, especially for children who's bodies are more sensitive to chemicals affecting their development.

[Amanita]

I've heard of sensible parents doing the following when their kids eat part of a produce item like this:

Grab another fruit about the same size as the partially eaten one
Take it to the cashier, and explain the situation
Have the cashier weigh the whole fruit, then set it aside
That way, the partially eaten fruit gets paid for properly, and everyone is happy.

Unfortunately this parent lacked the requisite common sense that this method requires