eating unpurchased food.

[Pagan]

Yup - same butter, different wrappers, same production facilities.

Rapscallion

Yeah, that happens with canned pineapple. Today the factory's canning Dole, tomorrow it's DelMonte.

There's a cream that I buy that's produced by a local dairy and with that one, you can actually tell what the cows have been eating. Got a hold of one pint once that was so grassy tasting, it wasn't even funny.

[Rapscallion]

Oh, there can be variation in taste. Kerrygold definitely tastes different from Sam's Club!

Almost certainly it's contracted out to different dairies. What most big names do these days is sell their name, not the products. Our chilled buyer was interested in a creamery making some butter for us under our own brand, and she watched as one brand we wholesale was produced until the end of the run, and then different wrappers were put into the machine. Yup - same butter, different wrappers, same production facilities.

Rapscallion

[Becks]

I am sincerely grateful to any and all customers who pay for items that they snacked on/drank while shopping.

Lady (and son) was back the next day with a very pissed off guy with her. Turned out she complained to her husband who now made sure he came with her while shopping so she wouldn't do something so stupid again. He appologized to myself and manager for her actions.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay husband!!!

[jedimaster91]

It also used to bug me when I'd see someone come into my aisle, and spray a little bit from one of the cans of air freshener to see what the smell like. Granted, this isn't the unsanitary issue that arises from doing this with food products, but I think that as a customer I'd be pretty pissed if I unknowingly bought one of the cans that people had been sampling, and had it run out in a day.

I saw a couple of ladies doing this at WalMart. Not only would I not want to be the customer that buys a half-empty bottle, but it can (and IMO, should) be considered a health hazard. I have a slight sensitivity to certain scents. Floral scents don't usually bother me, nor do most body sprays. But perfume and vanillia type scents set off a rampaging sinus headache. And of course, what did our dear ladies spray? French Vanillia. I hope my coughing as I walked past gave them a hint, but I doubt it. I just hope no one with REALLY bad asthma unwittingly walked through the area for a couple hours.

[Epic FRAIL]

So funny I forgot to laugh!

I wept as I wrote it. That's how funny it isn't.

[Pagan]

How much variation in flavor is there? It's butter! All I care about is if it's salted or unsalted......!!!

Oh, there can be variation in taste. Kerrygold definitely tastes different from Sam's Club!

Just curious with all these people "not diabetic but..." are you guys sure, usually getting dizzy or faint when not eating is a good sign it might be, I only ask because I've gone up to two days without eating and not felt faint or anything figured that was the norm.

Could be hypoglycemia. Or a problem with stomach acid. I used to be able to go a long time without eating (sometimes I would forget), but I can't anymore. Just before Christmas, the proton pumps in my stomach started going haywire and I can't go without eating for long. But, since I threw some omeprazole at it, it's getting straightened out again.

It has never occurred to me to ask for a sample of food in the grocery store. (Though I have seen people ask for a slice of meat at the deli counter.)

I think Albertson's does this, but usually only with fruit, like melons or citrus. They'll cut it in half so you can taste it. If you don't buy it, they wrap up the other half and price it for sale.

I've had the exact same problem from time to time with those blasted Axe bodysprays. And it's always guys who are guilty of spraying that mess around and wonder why I ask them to stop.

Oh, how I hate this stuff. I'm not quite sure where it is, but with air patterns the way they are in the store, it will invariably come into the pharmacy. One day it was so bad, I could taste it....and then I started coughing.

Obviously this woman prefers her butter assaulted.

So funny I forgot to laugh!

[Epic FRAIL]

ASSAULT! ...and pepper.

How much variation in flavor is there? It's butter! All I care about is if it's salted or unsalted......!!!

Obviously this woman prefers her butter assaulted.

[Bella_Vixen]

My only opinion is, if "customers" get to do it, so should employees be allowed to.

[DeltaSierra]

Reminds me when I was out shopping last summer summer with my niece. She was just over a year old, and sitting in the "lower" part of the cart( the carts at this supermarket have two "levels" one is short and you can put your purse, and a few things then a lower one that's longer.) I had shucked some cobs of corn to cook that night, and when I got to the checkout I realized that my niece had opened the bag and eaten an entire cob of raw corn! I showed the cashier the eaten cob, and asked her to re-weigh a single cob and add it to the bill - she just laughed and had no problem with that.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

It also used to bug me when I'd see someone come into my aisle, and spray a little bit from one of the cans of air freshener to see what the smell like. Granted, this isn't the unsanitary issue that arises from doing this with food products, but I think that as a customer I'd be pretty pissed if I unknowingly bought one of the cans that people had been sampling, and had it run out in a day.

I've had the exact same problem from time to time with those blasted Axe bodysprays. And it's always guys who are guilty of spraying that mess around and wonder why I ask them to stop.

No, I wouldn't want to buy a can that was half-empty because everybody and their brother has been "testing" it out.

No, I don't have signs up over the deodorant section saying not to spray the cans. First, I don't need a sign up and second, if I did, NOBODY would read it or they would read it and still spray that mess anyways.

Finally, I can't stand the smell of any of that crap. It all stinks IMO and it's funky enough to choke a herd of horses.

Thank Dog I'm only down to 1 variety on the Axe brand, 3 Right Guard varieties and 2 (and decreasing) on the Tag sprays.

They're also prime targets for shoplifters too and Corporate has noticed this fact. They've discontinued several of those items so far.

And those that weren't discontinued . . . ummm, no Goober I don't know what happened to that shelf tag . . . it just disappeared.

[StanFlouride]

My first reaction to this was that someone would then go and dig them out of the store dumpster.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Oh yeah, we get that with Pokemon cards. Mind you, the intent is to steal, so they'll take the cards they like. Little jerks.

And no, I can't call people thieves to their face. If I'm working self checkout and someone is stealing us blind, I have to blame the lack of scanned merchandise on a faulty scanner and ask if I can help them with their purchase. Cashiers were recently handed a whole list of dos and don'ts when dealing with shoplifters. Mostly the list is for our own protection, since you never know who's going to retaliate. But frankly, the list boiled down to things we shouldn't do so we don't hurt the perps feelings. Yeah, pisses me off as well. But I also suspect it's so we don't get sued. Shoplifters make me angry.

Couldn't you at least make up a code word so you could call a manager during the transaction and say it to let the manager know "we have a thief here, police/security should be notified?"

[bainsidhe]

All in all, it was at least 50 Hotwheels that were ruined because of some kid's curiousity for mystery Hotwheels.

Oh yeah, we get that with Pokemon cards. Mind you, the intent is to steal, so they'll take the cards they like. Little jerks.

And no, I can't call people thieves to their face. If I'm working self checkout and someone is stealing us blind, I have to blame the lack of scanned merchandise on a faulty scanner and ask if I can help them with their purchase. Cashiers were recently handed a whole list of dos and don'ts when dealing with shoplifters. Mostly the list is for our own protection, since you never know who's going to retaliate. But frankly, the list boiled down to things we shouldn't do so we don't hurt the perps feelings. Yeah, pisses me off as well. But I also suspect it's so we don't get sued. Shoplifters make me angry.

[Nephy]

So I know this thread is about food, but I've gotta share my most infuriating one anyway..

Right before Christmas we had a crapton of Hotwheels in stock. Some kid (or asshole adult), decided to open all of the mystery packages (the plastic covering the car was black, so that you don't know which one you're getting). They then left the packages and cars strewn around the aisle and floor. All in all, it was at least 50 Hotwheels that were ruined because of some kid's curiousity for mystery Hotwheels.

[Despina83]

Oh God not this debate again. Yes, I think it is infuriating that some people eat out of a package and then put in back on the shelf (or better yet, eat the whole thing and leave the wrapper sitting on the shelf). However, I drink bottles of pop/soda while shopping before I purchase them. And I have taken a snack out of a container that I was already planning on buying. I always pay for everything before leaving, and I don't open it unless I am positive I am purchasing it and that I have suffiicent money with me.