What I Saw in the Produce Section Today...

[MomofKatie]

A few years ago, I was a "secret shopper" for a grocery store chain in my hometown. Sometimes I had to do produce Dept shops, and one of the things we were required to do was ask for a sample of produce (apple, plum, etc). We were supposed to see if the employee had his knife on him, and if he was polite about cutting us a sample.

I HATED doing this- I always felt like the clerks thought I was a clod, asking for something without paying for it.

 

[TeresaBelle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGVPt3DGve0

This thread reminded me of this Roseanne episode!

 

[Luv'sTink]

I saw a guy open the plastic trays of apples, take a bite of one, put it back in the tray, and close the tray. He did this with several of them before my husband brought an employee over to the apples.

That's gross. Something that is consumable in one bit is one thing, something like apples is another.

They tell you they aren't bothered, but often they are just being nice. I was a cashier for years and the last thing that I would do is chastize a customer who couldn't walk the distance to the front to pay for something before consuming.

Nothing would have stopped you from walking to a register and paying for it prior to consumption.

And if you have done this often enough that it is regular--pack some goldfish crackers...or go grab a pack, buy it and let the kid snack away

There are lots of things us cashiers seem to not have problems with--but it certainly isn't a blessing.

It has never bothered me unless it was an item that needed to be weighed.

I guess I am guilty of such behavior. When I am at the liquor store I like to 'sample' the wares, and so will open a bottle of wine or a can of beer and sip to see if I like it. Sometimes while shopping I will just get so thirsty I will have to open a can of beer and drink it down, or else give Legalsea Junior a beer to keep him from getting cranky.

 

[KAMLEM]

That never bothered me much. Sometimes those outer leaves can hide some pretty serious flaws with a cabbage, so some people remove them to check. And we had plenty of people shuck corn when it was in season (we kept a garbage can nearby for just such a purpose).
.

Corn is different because you don't pay by the pound, you pay by the number of ears (at least around here that's how it's done). Shucking has no impact on the cost.

 

[Pooh67_68]

If your cousin is a bad diabetic, why wouldn't he carry something on him to begin with? What happens for those times he's not in a grocery store?

I don't know what he does and doesn't carry. It was an example of why someone might need to open a box, before they paid for it.

 

[overlyspoiled4sure]

Corn on the cob is sold by the ear here too, so I've started shucking the ears prior to paying for them too. Makes it much easier when I get them home.

I can't say I've ever noticed peope grazing their way through the produce department, but have seen children taking an item from their cart & starting to eat the contents. I've also seen people eating goods from the bakery section. Actually, though, some bakery could be samples left on the counter but a whole donut or sweet roll? I don't think so.

Of course the cashiers don't say a word when they're handed an empty/opened box/bag to scan. What could they possibly say to the customer???

I was lucky enough to shop alone when my children were small & when I did bring them with me they knew they had to wait until their treats were paid for BEFORE they could dive in & begin eating. I felt letting them start prior to purchase was stealing & didn't want them to get the idea it was OK to eat first/pay later.

 

[Pooh67_68]

The fact is, if you're eating something that you're charged by the pound for, such as produce, then you're not paying for it.

Perhaps your cousin could carry some glucose gel with him, just in case.

I didn't quote the produce post, I quoted and responed to the opened box post.


And as for bring something with you (granola bar) you have workers who would assume you just opened a box and took it out and left the box on the shelf.

 

[SAHDad]

Corn is different because you don't pay by the pound, you pay by the number of ears (at least around here that's how it's done). Shucking has no impact on the cost.

True, but my point was that ripping off an ounce or so of outer leaves to see if a cabbage is any good isn't a big deal. (That, and it made sense with corn as well - since corn can look fine until you shuck it, and discover missing kernels, corn smut, and so forth.)

To be honest - most produce departments throw away hundreds of pounds of garbage per day. It's pretty perishable stuff, after all. A grape here or there was never a big deal - it was the grazers.

(Well, that and the people who spit the cherry pits back in with the rest of the cherries.)

 

[bumbershoot]

I really try to discourage DS and DH (the one teaching DS to sample) to NOT sample stuff unless they ask a produce person. The produce people always seem so happy when they are asked, and they've always said yes.

The ONE time I allow it (eating ahead of paying, not just sampling) is with Trader Joe *bananas*. One, you pay per banana there. Two, they aren't messy when eaten by a non-toddler. Three, the peel isn't gross unlike, say, an apple core. And four, I have DS hold the peel until we get to the register, to remind him that there are consequences for not waiting (holding the peel isn't the most fun in the universe for him) and also to remind ME that I have to tell them there was one more in the bunch so they get the right count.

I was amazed how quickly DS caught on that this ONLY happened at ONE store!

If your cousin is a bad diabetic, why wouldn't he carry something on him to begin with? What happens for those times he's not in a grocery store?

Honestly, it's better to do it with food you are *going* to buy, because if you bring in food, how are you going to prove that you brought it in? I have NO interest in paying for a granola bar that I brought in, because I can't prove it. But I don't even wear clothes from a store into that store, if I can help it, lest I be accused of shoplifting. I've always done that, even as a teen!

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a cashier at Target. We were fine if someone wanted to open a bottle of cold Coke to drink while shoping, or let their kids eat a bag of M&M's while waiting in line to check out. The shoper gives us the open item to scan, and it's all good. We didn't want people having a picnic in our stores, but then we didn't ever have a problem with mass consumption in-store that I ever knew about. Just the occasional hungry or thirsty customer. Honestly, if a juice box is going to keep your kid from screaming throughout the store while you shop, PLEASE give him one and we'll ring it up, no problem! Now, this was just our store and this was 15 years ago, as always YMMV.

I like your reply, even though we really only do it at the one store with the one item.

I guess I am guilty of such behavior. When I am at the liquor store I like to 'sample' the wares, and so will open a bottle of wine or a can of beer and sip to see if I like it. Sometimes while shopping I will just get so thirsty I will have to open a can of beer and drink it down, or else give Legalsea Junior a beer to keep him from getting cranky.

 

[Mellie2162]

This thread is cracking me up. Ok here's one for ya...I once went into a Safeway and you know those soup and salad bars...well this old lady was standing at the soup crock and eating her lunch straight from the crock.. I almost gagged. I kept thinking of all those other people behind her who would get soup. And no I didnt inform any employees because there was an employee standing right there watching her. Ewwwwww, my husband used to get soup from those things but now he will not touch them.

 

[Tiana]

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[PRmamiDEdos]

I worked at Target for awhile and defiantly knew that tons of food was consumed in store before purchasing...aka bottle soda and water, candy bars, individual snack bags

I also couldn't stand when they hand you a box opened up to ring up and go sorry I had to eat some I was so hungary. My thought is you are a grown adult and you have no self control to wait 10-15 minutes more. Same with when they give the stuff to their kids it is just teaching bad manners. It is not your property till you pay for it.

I don't know about you, but being in another country (HUNGARY) sure makes me HUNGRY!! If I'm paying for it, I find no reason why I can't snack on it while I'm shopping. I've brought an empty chip bag to the front with my purchases and had the cashier ring it up. What's the big deal? And how can you DEFIANTLY know that food is being consumed in the store?

 

[DISdreamin']

I've brought an empty chip bag to the front with my purchases and had the cashier ring it up. What's the big deal? And how can you DEFIANTLY know that food is being consumed in the store?

Same here, and I really don't see the big deal. I've brought a nearly empty water bottle up front to pay for because I was SO thirsty and couldn't wait. I've occassionally gotten things from bulk and munched on my way to the register - but I weighed it and tagged it first, and then grazed.

IMO, as long as I am paying for it, who should honestly care when I consume it? I totally get why eating things without paying for them is wrong, but why is paying then eating wrong? Seriously, we do this at restaurants ALL the time, right?!?

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a cashier at Target. We were fine if someone wanted to open a bottle of cold Coke to drink while shoping, or let their kids eat a bag of M&M's while waiting in line to check out. The shoper gives us the open item to scan, and it's all good. We didn't want people having a picnic in our stores, but then we didn't ever have a problem with mass consumption in-store that I ever knew about. Just the occasional hungry or thirsty customer. Honestly, if a juice box is going to keep your kid from screaming throughout the store while you shop, PLEASE give him one and we'll ring it up, no problem! Now, this was just our store and this was 15 years ago, as always YMMV.

Now, snacking your way through the produce department is way different. If you truely want a taste of something prior to buying, ask for a sample. Also most chain stores have a "satisfaction guarantee" so if you don't taste and do get a bad item, you can usually get a refund or an exchange with no hassle.

ITA!! If I was a cashier, I'd rather ring up empty juice boxes than listen to screaming, thirsty children!

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

I guess I am guilty of such behavior. When I am at the liquor store I like to 'sample' the wares, and so will open a bottle of wine or a can of beer and sip to see if I like it. Sometimes while shopping I will just get so thirsty I will have to open a can of beer and drink it down, or else give Legalsea Junior a beer to keep him from getting cranky.

Manhandling the raw food is just disgusting. That's why I don't eat any produce. No fresh veggies, and never any fruit. Barf!

 

[ticktock]

I worked at Target for awhile and defiantly knew that tons of food was consumed in store before purchasing...aka bottle soda and water, candy bars, individual snack bags

I also couldn't stand when they hand you a box opened up to ring up and go sorry I had to eat some I was so hungary. My thought is you are a grown adult and you have no self control to wait 10-15 minutes more. Same with when they give the stuff to their kids it is just teaching bad manners. It is not your property till you pay for it.

At least they're paying for it. I don't really mind the thought of a busy person snacking from a price per package container while they shop. If they're snacking from something you weigh and they pay then that is stealing.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

I don't know about manners, but I won't open snacks in the grocery for DS5 b/c I don't want to teach him patience and that the world doesn't revolve around him. My BIGGEST pet peeve with kids these days is the sense of entitlement they have... UGH, drives. me. CRAZY!!!

I know it's something very small and seemingly insignificant, but I've seen first hand how the small things lead to big things. Polite, well rounded, empathetic adults (or rude, selfish, egocentric adults) don't just end up that way... they become that way after years and years of practice!

So, if I teach my child that it's OK to open a pack of cookies before paying for them b/c he wants them NOW...then he will come to expect that in every facet of life. "I want ice cream for breakfast, why should I have to wait?? I want it now." -type thing- KWIM? That leads to all kinds of "I don't want to wait, and shouldn't have to, I want it NOW" attitudes... which is SO not good.

Just my opinion

On a side note... I never go into a store unless we are BOTH fed and watered b/c I know we'll BOTH be cranky otherwise. If a child is SO hungry that they just can't wait until the car or they get home for a snack; then maybe it's not the right time to be at the grocery store and better planning is in order. (Spoken to everyone, not directed at whoever I quoted!)

Yeaaaah, okay. Funny how I get comments on how polite my children are all the time, yet I will open a bag of chips in the supermarket for them to snack on before paying for them. Damn, I must be raising future Hannibal Lecter's; criminals with manners! LOL

 

[mjkacmom]

Yeaaaah, okay. Funny how I get comments on how polite my children are all the time, yet I will open a bag of chips in the supermarket for them to snack on before paying for them. Damn, I must be raising future Hannibal Lecter's; criminals with manners! LOL

LOL - all 5 of mine are in therapy. BTW, the food my kids snacked on was offered up by me, and yes, sometimes a bribe. It was rare that I got to shop with only 1 child, and I have even been known to give my child a binkie from the baby aisle, and pay for it when I checked out, in an emergency!

I think my kids still think the balloons at the store are for decoration, and not once in my 13 years of having kids have I bought something from the checkout candy display.

 

[pearlieq]

I also couldn't stand when they hand you a box opened up to ring up and go sorry I had to eat some I was so hungary. My thought is you are a grown adult and you have no self control to wait 10-15 minutes more.

As long as they pay for it, I don't see the problem with this. I never understood why it bugged people.

Sometimes you get really, really hungry or thirsty. It's very uncomforable and sometimes downright painful. Things happen. Not everyone's life is perfectly orderly.

I assume the store would prefer to have me complete my shopping trip (which is 45-60 minutes per week), and have me buy the extra bottle of water, then have me leave and potentially not come back.

 

[Nancy]

Wow, thanks for the life lesson.

When I was a cashier...I worked at Wegmans for almost 17 years, it never bothered me to scan something that was opened. I would much rather you ate a few cookies or the kids did and you brought the item up to pay for it. So many people eat stuff and leave the empty containers on the shelf..or half eaten bakery items..half bottles of soda..etc.

THAT is what got me upset.

Guess what? I've been known to grab a bottle of Pepsi or water and drink it while shopping, I've also had a donut and just kept an empty bag in my cart to remember to pay for it when I got up front.

As for produce, if you really feel you must sample before you buy ask someone in the department, they will be more than happy to give you samples, then they can account for the shrink.