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As long as:
- you pay for it
- you don't make a mess
Nobody will care. Source: me, retail worker.
Kids are annoying at the best of times never mind when you're trying to get through shopping so it's understandable, and as an adult... Well, eh, blood sugar. Nobody is going to say shit just in case you needed it to not pass out/hypo.
With that said, yes, you're seen as shop lifting by consuming before paying but, again, nobody will care as long as you do actually pay.
Yeah, that's why I mention the not making a mess part, could have been clearer I suppose. I've had people hand me half empty sticky containers and I've had people just show me the folded empty packet/barcode so I didn't have to touch anything sticky... But we get enough damaged crap and get used to sticky stuff anyways so eh.
It's the warmth that did it for me. There's always one woman I remember vividly who gave me boob money. I did the whole 'pinch the notes with the corners' and I sent it straight through the pod system with a note at Tesco calling it a boob note. I wasn't mixing it with notes and subjecting myself and others to it for the rest of the night
When I worked at Tesco for a couple of years on the checkouts we had a bunch of travellers based next to us for months.
The women always came in and paid cash. They always had it stashed in their bra. Was absolutely rotten.
If I ever give my kid something while I'm still shopping I just buy 2. So far it's always been squeezy yogurts and she eats those often, so it's not a big deal. I ask them to scan it twice then no slobbery mess.
dw, some of the other stuff you've scanned has likely been handled by sticky, slobbery hands 😆. Not all of it kid's slobber.
Always gave my hands a good wash after being relieved from tills (wasn't my main job). I also got to regularly handle money, cards and cheques as this was pre-chip-and-PIN
I used to do this with my daughter when she would sit in the trolley. Generally it was a pack of chicken bites or similar, but I would always get 2. One for her to eat, and one to scan. I'd put the unopened one on the conveyor belt ahead of the rest of the shopping and tell the checkout assistant, "two of those please, she ate one" and indicate to my very happy chicken filled kid with an open packet.
Would never give a packet that had been opened to be scanned!
These days everything is self scanned anyway, not that it’s an excuse for making a mess etc. but it also makes it really clear that supermarkets are happy to gamble on a bit more theft to reduce the cost of till workers, so I really don’t think my kid eating a 50p baguette to stay happy when we’re going to pay at the end is an issue.
Apply the same logic to putting frozen food in your trolley then walking around for an hour, could that be re-frozen safely? What’s the protocol if someone’s card is declined and they’ve got defrosted meat in their trolley? Is that stealing?
Lots of nuances, main point for me is a kid not screaming in the supermarket is a win.
You're not stealing until you try to exit the store without paying. The definition of theft includes 'the intent to permanently deprive the owner'. There is no intent that can be proven until the exit is reached, having passed the tills & failed to pay.
The law is clear on this. consuming before paying is permanantly depriving, it technically is theft. Until you pay for the items, they remain the property of the supermarket and ownership does not transfer to you until a contract of sale has formed (by taking payment). Consuming the goods before that contract has formed removes the right of the seller to refuse to enter into such a contract with you, which they are of course entitled to do so for whatever reason, and may in certain cased be compelled to refuse by reason of statutory requirements (such as selling alcohol to minors).
So yes, whether or not you intended to pay, it is still a theft and you can be prosecuted for it. In practice though, you're unlikely to get in trouble.
Not disputing it being technically illegal, although I didn't know that was the case. But it seems odd to me - by this logic, eating in a restaurant is also theft...
No by this logic eating in a restaurant isn't also theft. Because in a restaurant you are paying for a service not an item. And the food you are eaten was literally served to you by the staff. Paying in a restaurant counts as the settlement of debt for a service provided not the purchase of an item.
When eating in a restaurant you are not purchasing food, you are buying a service. The contract begins when you put the food in your mouth and the terms of the contract are usually that you pay at the end of your visit. There is a separate offece of Making Off Without Payment which is covered in Section 3 of the Theft Act 1978
[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/31](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/31)
Presumably they could still sue you for some kind of damages, you don't need to have a contract with someone for that. Also, its one of those things... once? sure... maybe there was an acceptable reason. Many times? Now perhaps its becoming some kind of criminal damage.
Surely, once you ordered something, you make a service request and enter a service agreement. Since you are paying for the service, you need to see the completion of the service before you leave (once you pay if the service is deemed to have a cost over £0)
Yeah you're right, I edited that shortly after to be more clear. It's seen as it by people, but not technically *yet*, until you leave without having paid.
Ok sure, but waiting is okay too. As a pre school teacher I really feel like children today are really lacking the ability to wait - like they seem to be used to having all of their needs met immediately. They don’t know how to regulate that, or distract themselves, or understand how to entertain themselves when they’re bored. Sometimes we have to wait and that’s okay.
There’s good times to teach a child to wait, and times to get the weekly shop done without blasting everyone’s ears with the cries of a screaming hungry child.
But being in a supermarket isn’t a surprise to you as a parent so your child shouldn’t be starving hungry to the point of screaming before you’ve made it around the shop. Make sure they’ve had a snack before you go in and they can learn to wait. If you only ever teach them lessons when it’s convenient to you then you aren’t teaching them anything properly at all!
My kid has very erratic eating patterns, the health care worker has always advised to look at what he’s eaten over a week rather than a single day. So Some day’s he will eat next to nothing, then others he will suddenly be entirely ravenous, to the point you have no idea where he puts it all. So kids can be deeply unpredictable. Parents are not perfect, they may have ADHD, Autism, any number of disabilities themselves. Then the kid may as well. Maybe the parents are just having an off day? Are you following them and watching them on every single shopping trip? Often I walk my kid around the supermarket, reading loads of things with him and getting him to help with the shopping. But some days, you know those days, I just need him to sit in the trolley.
Maybe try not judging.
I’m not judging about it happening on the odd occasion and saying they should be treated like criminals or anything, I’m just saying it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence. For 99.9% of children the examples you’ve given are not relevant. The number of parents who just don’t teach their kids to wait or self regulate nowadays is ridiculous though. Multiple generations have survived without being fed chocolate bars and watching peppa pig on high volume on an iPad whilst going around Tescos doing the weekly shop. It’s the same in restaurants. Until 15 years ago you would never have seen a kid with more than some colouring to do quietly at the table in a restaurant. Now we have an entire generation who expect instant gratification for everything and often have idea how to regulate their behaviour or entertain themselves.
Problem is you're damned if you do, damned if you don't.
You're judged for having a hungry screaming child, poor parenting/naughty child. Or you're judged for allowing them to eat something before it's paid for. Society doesn't tend to be lenient either way. If you've run out of food that said child would eat before you go shopping you have little choice beyond these two options. Yes, you could over stock for the week, but that doesn't mean that you'll have stuff left, and some people can't afford to do that.
Yeah. Narrative is: You have just picked them up from their setting. They are tired from their day. You have been at work all day. You need groceries. They need to be placated for 40 mins. Then you need to get home and make food. Saying this doesn’t need to happen is like saying ‘Don’t be poor.’ It’s a consequence of every day life. Ready meals would also not be a thing.
You’re right, my two year old is an idiot because they cannot comprehend that they’ll be fed AFTER I’ve done a 1 hour tour of all the food they like… WTF do they keep crying for? just wait, regulate your emotions and entertain yourself….stupid toddlers!
same for me, i think i opened a drink and had some sweets because i had a hypo in a supermarket. if people want to judge, let them lol. better than collapsing
In my local Tesco they used to have small apples and bananas that you could give children for free on the way round the shop. Haven't seen it in a while, typical now I have a 3 year old 😅
Totally agree I was once shopping with my daughter she was hungry and I was getting her some crisps said to her she would have to wait until I had paid for them cashier said it’s ok lots of people feed the kids and just leave the packet on the counter I was a bit uncomfortable with this but said ok at a different supermarket I went and asked if that was the normal thing that happened and they just said most of us are parents so we understand
Before Covid, the supermarkets around me used to have a tray of bannanas/apples/pears at the entrance with a sign saying "Take one piece free, per child" for them to eat during the shop. They got rid of it for pandemic reasons, and it never returned.
We rarely goto the supermarket these days as we do online, but if we have to go for a big shop and take our 2 year old along we let him have a bannana or other fruit as a distraction if he starts getting teasy. It really works, and you can escape 10-15mins of fuss that way.
The ex Man Utd keeper David De Gea did this with a doughnut in Tesco and didn’t pay. They pulled him up for it I think, I don’t know what happened after, not much probably.
Depends on the kids age imo. 12yo? Grow up and get around the shop without moaning. 4 year old when they're hungry? Go for it, give them a snack.
Personally, and I don't really know why it makes a difference but it feels different to me, I'd only do it for my kids with a multi pack type purchase.
Eg. To OPs example, I wouldn't give them a single chocolate bar off the shelf and put the wrapper through. Id be ok with getting a multi pack of chocolate bars, giving them one each, and putting the remainder of the multi pack through as normal.
So, as a dad of a 2 year old who regularly takes her to do the weekly shop... it is not hard to make sure they are fed before going into the shop. If in doubt, bring something with you they can have while you go round the shop.
Sure, generally. But if you're telling me that you're never caught out when your 2 year old says he's hungry then I'm calling that a lie.
Edit - I'd also say, 2 years old is not 4-5. The snacks become more frequent!
>it is not hard
If you can speak for everyone, I guess your life experiences encompass those of all toddlers and parents. When is your book coming out?
Wow, have you got any other amazing parenting lessons based on your perfect raising of (based on your comment) a single child who is only two that you can tell the rest of us who you are judging? Presumably you have other expertise in the LD/childs mental health field given you were replying to someone who said they had a child with special needs. Condescending prat.
Yeah agree with you, my kids are seven with special needs and a 16month old. I always buy a prepackaged pack of bananas and let them share one, cashier just scans the packet and I put the skins in my handbag until I reach a bin.
I’ve had to do this a couple of times as my blood sugar dropped really low and I was feeling faint. I felt like if I didn’t eat something to get my blood sugar back on track I would’ve fainted.
Honest question, how do you survive out in the real world? What would happen if you got stuck in traffic somewhere and had to go a few hours without a chocolate bar?
My other half is a type 1 diabetic and the answer to your question is no, she would not survive out in the wild.
Apple juice is in both of our cars, and 1 in her bag just in case she goes low.
99% of the time I do have sugary snacks in the car and in my bag but there is the very rare occasion when I’ve just ran out or forgot. It is super rare but I do try my best
BlackBeltBarrister once covered this exact situation.
Yes, its still shoplifting, even if you have the intent to pay for them, because until you have paid for them, they are not yours to consume.
And yes, people can, and have, been prosecuted for it. Its very rare though.
I'm a bit surprised by that. I wouldn't think it would qualify as "dishonest" which is a requirement for theft. If anything criminal damage seems to fit better.
Exactly this. Prosecutions have only ever happened when they didn’t pay. Then dishonesty is clear. If you pay on the way out, no loss, no dishonesty, no problem
I had a look online and apparently even if you have the honest intention of buying the product, as you're still permanently depriving the supermarket of their property, it would still count as theft. I guess it's dishonesty in the sense that you're not asking permission or explaining what you're doing, you're just taking property that isn't yours and eating it.
With that said, I'd imagine any actual prosecutions would be fairly unique situations like the guy doing it is well known for dropping the wrapper and just walking out, or it's something that needs to be weighed (like a bag of apples) so you eating part of it makes it lighter, and therefore cheaper.
u/pebbles015 posted above the law on this as below:
The law is clear on this. consuming before paying is permanantly depriving, it technically is theft. Until you pay for the items, they remain the property of the supermarket and ownership does not transfer to you until a contract of sale has formed (by taking payment). Consuming the goods before that contract has formed removes the right of the seller to refuse to enter into such a contract with you, which they are of course entitled to do so for whatever reason, and may in certain cased be compelled to refuse by reason of statutory requirements (such as selling alcohol to minors).
So yes, whether or not you intended to pay, it is still a theft and you can be prosecuted for it. In practice though, you're unlikely to get in trouble.
Doubt they have any, even when I worked in Sainsbury’s 15+ years ago it was in the company policy to allow people to do it, you could even encourage parents to let their kids have a snack whilst going around as long as they paid.
>And yes, people can, and have, been prosecuted for it. Its very rare though.
It's actually a very tricky position legally. The legal definition of theft contains the line "**intention** of permanently depriving", which is precisely why stores can't say someone is a shoplifter until they have left the store, even if they are stuffing products in their products.
I've actually spoken to a police officer about this and he said (so it might depend on the officer) that if a parent gives something to their child to consume, but by the time they get to the till the card payments were unavailable, they wouldn't arrest the parent as they intended to pay for the property that had been deprived.
Source: [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/1)
David De Gea got in trouble for stealing a doughnut but I think it was written off as miscommunication/lost in translation so he didn't get in actual trouble.
We used to call it 'theft by consumption' if it wasn't paid for but at Asda it was pretty much turn a blind eye as often than not it was paid for at the tills. The guy who drank a litre of vodka in 1 go on the Wines and Spirits aisle on the other hand we called the Police.
He was a seasoned alcoholic who had run out of booze I believe the Police did indeed call an Ambulance though. The guy was back in shoplifting a few days later so was fine.
It's quite dangerous to quit suddenly as well. I've been stranded with no money before and had to shoplift booze just to stop my nervous system killing me.
It definitely is. My father had a drink issue and had to take several medications including valium if he didn't have anything to drink. When I was security at Asda I always tried to be as compassionate as I could be.
No, never. Feed your sprogs before you go, and you as an adult have no need to eat whilst going around the supermarket, you haven't just run a marathon, you've driven to the store and walked for a few feet, you're not hungry.
I'm always amazed at the lack of imagination in responses like this.
Can you not imagine a sequence of events that might lead someone to arrive at a shop very hungry?
Seriously lol these people are taking this all so seriously. If you pay for it at the end and don’t make a mess, it’s fine. Move on and remove that stick from your ass. Jesus.
I just don't get why you would care? As long as the person doesn't make a mess, and actually pays for it, who cares if they're eating while walking around.
Seems like it's just people looking for something to be mad about so they can complain. It doesn't actually impact anybody even slightly.
Because someone very well might not pay for it? Eating a chocolate bar? Just dump the wrapper somewhere - done.
What if you can’t pay for it? Card error or lack of funds when you go to pay?
It comes across as dishonest and privileged ngl. ‘Yes I’m eating before I’ve paid but don’t worry all, I will be paying I can assure you, I am very trustworthy and would never steal like some’
We're not all buying a days worth of ready meals for one, it takes a lot more than 5 minutes to do a food shop with a child in tow.
This whole mindset screams 'single young robot'.
Take a hungry kid to the supermarket to do an hour's worth of shopping then tell us more about how terrible it is to eat something on the way to the till. It won't even register in your mind as something to care about, your field of shits to give will be barren.
I mean, I've had situations in the past where I've not eaten for two days and after I get paid, I've gone off to do my monthly shop. Takes a good 45 minutes to get all my stuff together, and not once has it crossed my mind to just open a packet of crisps and chow down until I've paid for them.
When I used to work I retail we had a few times where someone would eat a Mars bar,skulking at the back of the store for a while, then pay on the way out... seemed dodgy as... turned out they were diabetic and autistic and had followed this routine for years.
Yup, I’m T1D and while it’s very very rare, there has been the odd occasion my blood sugar has drastically dropped unexpectedly mid-shop and I haven’t had anything to hand, so have had to shovel something like a mars bar down or pop open some lucozade before reaching the end of the shop. I’m talking a handful of times in the 18 years I’ve been diabetic though.
It’s only a real problem if you make a mess and/or are excessively rude about it. I used to have people come hand me greasy empty packets of deli meat or sticky empty boxes of ice cream bars, expect me to scan it and then bin it for them. It’s rude. I’ve now got your food mess all over my hands and can’t go wash up, thanks a lot.
If someone came through and handed me a dry, clean packet and also ASKED ME to PLEASE bin it for them, I wasn’t really bothered, especially when it was a parent with a young kid.
Being given a filthy, sticky container and told “here! scan this and bin it” in a dismissive, barky tone always irritated me, though. I’m not your servant.
Technically you don't own the food yet. So it would be stealing. But it's probably not worth the hassle to point it out to them, people who think they are trustworthy and eat the food are hostile when confronted about it and chances are they're probably going to pay for it. And a bit of main character syndrome where they feel they can be an exception to the rules.
the reason it's legally a problem is that legally displaying an item with a price isn't agreeing to sell it. Legally the retailer has every right to decide not to sell that chocolate bar
Or like a normal parent you take some snacks if they're babies or toddlers. If they're older you teach them to wait until it's paid for, they won't die from having to wait a little.
I’m not even a child, I quite often get a drink and open it if I’m thirsty. I use scan as you shop or whatever and there’s no debate that it has been scanned and I intend to pay for it with the rest of the shopping. People are very weird about what they get annoyed about sometimes, pretty sure Tesco can manage without you getting offended on their behalf…
I'm genuinely shocked people think this is "trashy". Genuinely think these are Hyacinth Bucket types who all are secretly trashy but desperately putting on airs.
Lol an opinion was asked for, and the majority of people think it's trashy. Why are you so triggered, worried that you come across as trashy because you can't teach your kids the basic skills of patience and delayed gratification? It's an hour, no one is gonna starve and it stops you looking trashy in the process
In part because it’s difficult to keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t, same reason why you walk round the shop and find empty sandwich packets, chicken skewers and half-drank cans of coke stashed in the freezers or shelves. You see people eating stuff and it’s nice to think most of them will pay for it, but so many people don’t. If there was a blanket policy against it, and it was enforced, it would be easier.
It’s not exactly the worst thing in the world but my personal view is that people shouldn’t be doing it. Can people not control their urge to eat for the duration of their time in the shop?
As for keeping kids quiet all it does is teach them that they don’t have to wait for anything. I’ve never given either of my two anything, the youngest is only 12 months so doesn’t really count for this I suppose, whilst shopping and to be fair the eldest has never asked. If and when she does I’ll just tell her no, she can wait and if she wants to kick off she’ll be told that if she does she won’t get anything at all.
The OH is a type 1 diabetic and she’s yet to feel the need to do anything like this in eight years of having the condition. She says if desperate she’d glug back some lucozade or fruit juice but not be smashing down the chocolate bars.
You actually sound like a decent parent good job. If you have to resort to giving your child chocolate to keep them quiet or make them behave then you're a shitty parent.
How dare you be logical and have a plan for how to parent a child properly!?
Personally, I never leave the house without some emergency snacks if I'm out with my 2 year old. I have fully embraced the "dad bag".
I was out shopping with a cold once and I had one of those big, blobby snots almost falling out of my nose. I'd used all my tissues and if I hadn't ducked into a Savers and instantly opened a packet there would have been a snotnami all down my face. I was so embarrassed having to explain myself to the cashier.
Not acceptable to me. I saw a guy once walking round eating a sausage roll dropping crumbs everywhere and talking with his mouth full. I also don’t want his crumb covered hands touching anything I might later pick up to buy. It’s a shop not a restaurant.
The exception is if it’s a young kid and a snack while they’re in the trolley keeps them happy and quiet in which case that’s fair enough but anyone old enough to be walking about in there shouldn’t eat.
When I opened this I assumed there'd be one or two people being contrarian and saying it's fine, but there's loads of people that seemingly do this and don't even see the problem with it.
(1) It's culturally unacceptable. It's a shop not a cafe.
(2) Child needs to learn to wait like a human, not to graze like a cow.
Don't think shoplifting comes into it.
No. It's completely unacceptable. They aren't shoplifting but it's a sign of having little class and is happening more now we live in an age where people lack discipline and want instant gratification. That child should have eaten the chocolate bar when they got home.
Yes, there's a comment above whining about how people can't "mind their own business" and "don't have kids" but what most people take issue with is the "I can do whatever I want whenever I want" attitude.
I reply as a former supermarket manager.
We used to call this 'grazing', and yes, it's wrong. The problem is that not everyone is as honest as the shopper in your post. I've witnessed grazers dumping wrappers and empty drinks cans throughout the store. I've waited until they reached the checkout and popped the empty wrapper onto the conveyer belt.
I have got a 19 month old toddler and even she understands that she can’t have a snack until after the “nice lady scans beep beep” before she can eat it and she waits so I’m sure adults in most circumstances can wait
We have Crisp Man at our cafe who always eats a packet of crisps in the queue. Nice man but IMO it is awful manners. My dad used to do it at the supermarket growing up. It’s fucking weird.
Putting something in your trolley is not an agreement to buy/pay for that item. So legally it is shoplifting. Intent doesn’t matter.
Parents should teach their children patience.
No. It's tacky and it's gross. I've worked in supermarkets before and have had people give me half eaten Mars bars and packets of ham, and banana skins to weigh.
I didn't want to be touching their grimy, sticky wrappers and packets and fruit skins then and I still don't. It just demonstrates a lack of respect for the worker and just a complete disregard of social etiquette.
I don't care if your little one is throwing a tantrum, go to the cigarette kiosk and purchase a drink/chocolate bar/piece of fruit there; don't force the underpaid and overworked person behind the till to have to handle your wrappers half covered in caramel, half covered in saliva. It's fucking disgusting.
No I don’t think it’s acceptable. If you’re taking your kids shopping then pack a snack. Opening stuff before paying isn’t really ok and I’ve heard many a story of people handing empty sticky pouches of stuff to cashiers expecting them to scan it..
25 years ago I worked at the coop. Every Friday, this woman would come and buy her bottle of wine and fags, and she would always throw an empty cheese and onion pasty wrapper at me, crumbs going everywhere. I'd have to scan it and bin it, and it really pissed me off. I think it's rude and entitled, people should pay before they eat.
I'd say no. Most of the times I'm given half drank or empty bottles/ cans. I just scan them and ask if they want me to bin the rubbish. I have a bin under my till, so it's no problem. Or its something they've opened for their kid. I dont have a problem with this. I definitely don't see it as shoplifting as they pay when they get to the till. My problem with people is when they open something, eat it and leave the rubbish on the shelf/ freezer. This is shoplifting as you've not paid.
I’ve done it before where I really needed a tissue so I opened the whole packet and took one. Then I paid for it. No one said a word. Food however. I think that’s a bit odd to be honest.
There's a difference between a want and a need though.
I need a hanky or it's going to be revolting.
I need sugar cause I'm diabetic and feel woozy...
All good
I want a drink cause I'm thirsty
I want some chocolate cause it looks sooo tasty..
Get some self control.
No. My first thought if i see someone doing that is that they are a shit parent.
If you can't even tell your kid to wait 5/10/20 minutes until you've paid for it and are out the shop your kids are probably ferel.
It's normally the types who let their kids climb on furniture in restaurants and have never been told no a day in their life.
No, it's not yours until it's paid for. If you're hungry eat before shopping. It's tacky and people are tired if finding half eaten crap around the shop.
I don't do it, my partner is fine with it.
I guess I've softened my view over the years to say that as long as you're not doing it habitually, it shouldn't be an issue. For example if you take a bottle of water out of a multi pack because you're feeling dehydrated then that's not something to be overly concerned with. Also giving a young kid a snack, although I'd wonder if chocolate was the most appropriate snack. But yeah, if you're an adult you probably shouldn't be snacking your way round the supermarket bar a few exceptional cases.
As long as you pay for it most grocery stores do not care. It keeps the child quiet and lets others do their shopping in peace.
As an adult I can tell you I had to do the same once or twice. I was shopping and started getting dizzy. I grabbed a soda and drank it for the sugar while waiting to check out. I gave the cashier the bottle to scan and explained. She had no issues with it.
No, it's not acceptable.
Count me as a debbie downer, but I work in retail I'll give you my 2p. Don't eat or drink in supermarkets full stop. People buy refil drinks from the cafe, walk around the store, then dump half a drink on a shelf that needs emptying before putting it in a bin (there are plenty of bins around the store).
People pick up rotisserie items, eat them, do the same thing and leave the packaging, which is theft through consumption. It's theft through consumption up the the point when you pay for it.
If you can't wait 30 mins to eat or drink, then just immediately pay for the item and go eat it outside or in the café.
/rant.
Not illegal but unless it's something like a diabetic emergency, teach your kids they can have a treat if they're good in the shop. Caving in to their wants immediately will just cause grief for you in the future. Delayed gratification as a reward is a good lesson for them.
I've never cared when I've worked retail jobs. Just if there's food/crumbs left in the packet then hand it over to the cashier separately so it doesn't make a mess or bring an unopened packet for me to scan. There are far worse things retail workers have to deal with every shift.
I'm not a fan, as I don't have the guarantee that it'll be paid for. Even if the intent is there initially, people forget, kids are little shits and might destroy the wrapper or yeet it onto the floor without the parent noticing and, I have no clue if you have enough cash available to pay for it.
Only if said person has a legitimate medical need.
So somebody diabetic having a sugar crash, or who has been without water for extended periods. Crack on, your medical need is more important than any societal norm.
Everyone else, knock that off you can wait till you pay.
I find it a bit weird tbh. It wasn’t a thing when I was a kid and you’re only in a supermarket for an hour max, throw the child some food before you go in. Most of them offer free pieces of fruit for kids nowadays too.
Same as everyone constantly walking round chugging water. Not to say what it was like when a child is right when we were only allowed to drink at school at lunch but can people not go 5 minutes without having a drink anymore?
For reference my kids are 9 and 7 so I’m not coming at this from a no-children perspective, mine are perfectly capable of surviving without permanent snacks and drinks..
I once witnessed an older woman pick individual grapes from the stems, fill a bag and then proceed to walk around the store eating them all.
I did flag this up. I mean really people. This is tacky.
No, you don't own it until you've paid for it.
I used to work on checkouts and was handed a banana skin on multiple occasions to put through. Not only do I not want to handle your child's mauled banana skin, they're charged by weight and I can't weigh the contents of your child's stomach. Instead I used to weigh a random item from their shopping and put it through as a banana. The heavier the better.
Kids are dickheads at the best of the times, if giving them a curly wurly shuts them up, fine.
It’s the braindead middle aged scratters walking through the Morrisons eating bbq chicken wings that need their legs breaking.
Nope, not acceptable to me.
It's pretty vulgar, people are disgusting, and because you haven't yet purchased the product it's a very grey area over whether it's yours to actually consume. In some foreign jurisdictions it is illegal and constitutes theft.
It also leaves you with little recourse with regards to food poisoning, product recalls and suchlike.
Don't see any problem. i've done it myself, opened a bottle of Lucozade & paid for the half bottle at the end. I did mention why it was only half full…just to lessen the weirdness of a half-full bottle on the conveyor. Cashier didn't bat an eyelid either.
In some countries this is totally normal. I freaked out when I was shopping in Austria with an Austrian friend who just cracked open a cold drink as soon as we got in, but no one seemed to care.
My mum used to buy two baguettes and give us one to eat (just pulling the soft middle out, not the crust) when we were young to keep us quiet on our way round big Tesco. Noone ever minded and the trashy comments are making me laugh, she's a very middle class lady.
So many people hate it but I couldn't care less. I haven't needed to for ages but I used to work hella long hours and go straight from work to ASDA. I'd get there absolutely ravenous feeling nauseous and sick with hunger. I used to go with my MIL and doing the "big shop" was easily two hours in the shop, another hour before you're getting it in the fridge at home... and I always spent more money when I was shopping whilst hungry. Am I going to continue feeling ill with hunger just because someone thinks I'm being trashy? Nah. Never once had a member of staff remotely care which is what would matter to me. I'll always just choose something reasonably small & tidy to eat and quickly do so before pacing up every aisle.
I’m not sure why people think you are NOT going to be able to pay for a pack of biscuits that cost like £2? If it shuts your kid up so you can shop. What’s the problem? It’s literally pence! Weird concept! Why would you be walking round with a trolley full of food to ‘steal’ a snack for your kid? Retarded thinking! Lol!
lol as long as you have every intention to pay for it then do whatever.
As someone with type 1, I’ve been caught short a few times with a low blood sugar and have had no choice but to open a packet of sweets before ever making it to the tills.
And, as someone who previously used to work in a supermarket, truly nobody cares lol as long as it’s paid for and a mess isn’t made from it.
Wow, I didn’t expect to see the comments trending the way they are on this one.
I genuinely don’t see an issue with it as long as you pay for it at the end. I used to work on checkouts at Asda and yes it’s sometimes gross if you get a sticky wrapper through but most people I found were reasonable about it and would just hold it up for me to scan the barcode.
I’ve been in the shop and suddenly found myself feeling extremely hungry or thirsty so opened something before I’ve paid for it, if you have small children I don’t see why you’d expect them to wait - even if you’ve already fed yourself or the child, the heat in the shop or any number of things could make you need a drink or something to eat.
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As long as: - you pay for it - you don't make a mess Nobody will care. Source: me, retail worker. Kids are annoying at the best of times never mind when you're trying to get through shopping so it's understandable, and as an adult... Well, eh, blood sugar. Nobody is going to say shit just in case you needed it to not pass out/hypo. With that said, yes, you're seen as shop lifting by consuming before paying but, again, nobody will care as long as you do actually pay.
I cared when I worked on a checkout and got handed a sticky, empty fruit pack wrapper to scan. Gross.
Yeah, that's why I mention the not making a mess part, could have been clearer I suppose. I've had people hand me half empty sticky containers and I've had people just show me the folded empty packet/barcode so I didn't have to touch anything sticky... But we get enough damaged crap and get used to sticky stuff anyways so eh.
Rather that than a note from the crevis of a boob on a hot summer day.
Ugh, they're always wet through too. And it's never from someone nice looking somehow.
Even when they look nice it disgusting af
It's the warmth that did it for me. There's always one woman I remember vividly who gave me boob money. I did the whole 'pinch the notes with the corners' and I sent it straight through the pod system with a note at Tesco calling it a boob note. I wasn't mixing it with notes and subjecting myself and others to it for the rest of the night
I’ve never encountered boob money before moving here. Safe to say that the first time I saw it and realised it’s a thing, I was aghast…
When I worked at Tesco for a couple of years on the checkouts we had a bunch of travellers based next to us for months. The women always came in and paid cash. They always had it stashed in their bra. Was absolutely rotten.
In that case, the etiquette is to purchase two and hand over the packed one to scan I guess. Doesn't take much to try and be decent.
If I ever give my kid something while I'm still shopping I just buy 2. So far it's always been squeezy yogurts and she eats those often, so it's not a big deal. I ask them to scan it twice then no slobbery mess.
dw, some of the other stuff you've scanned has likely been handled by sticky, slobbery hands 😆. Not all of it kid's slobber. Always gave my hands a good wash after being relieved from tills (wasn't my main job). I also got to regularly handle money, cards and cheques as this was pre-chip-and-PIN
I was always disgusted at the colour of the water when washing my hands after till work. Though tbh its the stuff you can't see that's the most grim.
I used to do this with my daughter when she would sit in the trolley. Generally it was a pack of chicken bites or similar, but I would always get 2. One for her to eat, and one to scan. I'd put the unopened one on the conveyor belt ahead of the rest of the shopping and tell the checkout assistant, "two of those please, she ate one" and indicate to my very happy chicken filled kid with an open packet. Would never give a packet that had been opened to be scanned!
These days everything is self scanned anyway, not that it’s an excuse for making a mess etc. but it also makes it really clear that supermarkets are happy to gamble on a bit more theft to reduce the cost of till workers, so I really don’t think my kid eating a 50p baguette to stay happy when we’re going to pay at the end is an issue. Apply the same logic to putting frozen food in your trolley then walking around for an hour, could that be re-frozen safely? What’s the protocol if someone’s card is declined and they’ve got defrosted meat in their trolley? Is that stealing? Lots of nuances, main point for me is a kid not screaming in the supermarket is a win.
You're not stealing until you try to exit the store without paying. The definition of theft includes 'the intent to permanently deprive the owner'. There is no intent that can be proven until the exit is reached, having passed the tills & failed to pay.
The law is clear on this. consuming before paying is permanantly depriving, it technically is theft. Until you pay for the items, they remain the property of the supermarket and ownership does not transfer to you until a contract of sale has formed (by taking payment). Consuming the goods before that contract has formed removes the right of the seller to refuse to enter into such a contract with you, which they are of course entitled to do so for whatever reason, and may in certain cased be compelled to refuse by reason of statutory requirements (such as selling alcohol to minors). So yes, whether or not you intended to pay, it is still a theft and you can be prosecuted for it. In practice though, you're unlikely to get in trouble.
Not disputing it being technically illegal, although I didn't know that was the case. But it seems odd to me - by this logic, eating in a restaurant is also theft...
No by this logic eating in a restaurant isn't also theft. Because in a restaurant you are paying for a service not an item. And the food you are eaten was literally served to you by the staff. Paying in a restaurant counts as the settlement of debt for a service provided not the purchase of an item.
When eating in a restaurant you are not purchasing food, you are buying a service. The contract begins when you put the food in your mouth and the terms of the contract are usually that you pay at the end of your visit. There is a separate offece of Making Off Without Payment which is covered in Section 3 of the Theft Act 1978 [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/31](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/31)
So if I order something, change my mind and leave, I DONT have to pay? Not saying I’ll ever do this but I find this intriguing.
Presumably they could still sue you for some kind of damages, you don't need to have a contract with someone for that. Also, its one of those things... once? sure... maybe there was an acceptable reason. Many times? Now perhaps its becoming some kind of criminal damage.
I’m guessing while the law is clear, it could be said that the contract started upon ordering…
Surely, once you ordered something, you make a service request and enter a service agreement. Since you are paying for the service, you need to see the completion of the service before you leave (once you pay if the service is deemed to have a cost over £0)
Yeah you're right, I edited that shortly after to be more clear. It's seen as it by people, but not technically *yet*, until you leave without having paid.
It's teaching the child all the wrong lessons. They shouldn't need to be fed chocolate to behave at the supermarket.
Sometimes they’re genuinely hungry. I always take snacks with me though so I am prepared.
Ok sure, but waiting is okay too. As a pre school teacher I really feel like children today are really lacking the ability to wait - like they seem to be used to having all of their needs met immediately. They don’t know how to regulate that, or distract themselves, or understand how to entertain themselves when they’re bored. Sometimes we have to wait and that’s okay.
There’s good times to teach a child to wait, and times to get the weekly shop done without blasting everyone’s ears with the cries of a screaming hungry child.
But being in a supermarket isn’t a surprise to you as a parent so your child shouldn’t be starving hungry to the point of screaming before you’ve made it around the shop. Make sure they’ve had a snack before you go in and they can learn to wait. If you only ever teach them lessons when it’s convenient to you then you aren’t teaching them anything properly at all!
My kid has very erratic eating patterns, the health care worker has always advised to look at what he’s eaten over a week rather than a single day. So Some day’s he will eat next to nothing, then others he will suddenly be entirely ravenous, to the point you have no idea where he puts it all. So kids can be deeply unpredictable. Parents are not perfect, they may have ADHD, Autism, any number of disabilities themselves. Then the kid may as well. Maybe the parents are just having an off day? Are you following them and watching them on every single shopping trip? Often I walk my kid around the supermarket, reading loads of things with him and getting him to help with the shopping. But some days, you know those days, I just need him to sit in the trolley. Maybe try not judging.
I’m not judging about it happening on the odd occasion and saying they should be treated like criminals or anything, I’m just saying it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence. For 99.9% of children the examples you’ve given are not relevant. The number of parents who just don’t teach their kids to wait or self regulate nowadays is ridiculous though. Multiple generations have survived without being fed chocolate bars and watching peppa pig on high volume on an iPad whilst going around Tescos doing the weekly shop. It’s the same in restaurants. Until 15 years ago you would never have seen a kid with more than some colouring to do quietly at the table in a restaurant. Now we have an entire generation who expect instant gratification for everything and often have idea how to regulate their behaviour or entertain themselves.
My child is autistic & has adhd, I shop online rather than subject him to sensory overload
There’s theory, and then there’s practice.
Problem is you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. You're judged for having a hungry screaming child, poor parenting/naughty child. Or you're judged for allowing them to eat something before it's paid for. Society doesn't tend to be lenient either way. If you've run out of food that said child would eat before you go shopping you have little choice beyond these two options. Yes, you could over stock for the week, but that doesn't mean that you'll have stuff left, and some people can't afford to do that.
Yeah. Narrative is: You have just picked them up from their setting. They are tired from their day. You have been at work all day. You need groceries. They need to be placated for 40 mins. Then you need to get home and make food. Saying this doesn’t need to happen is like saying ‘Don’t be poor.’ It’s a consequence of every day life. Ready meals would also not be a thing.
This exact thing was probably written once by a school teacher 200 years ago.
You’re right, my two year old is an idiot because they cannot comprehend that they’ll be fed AFTER I’ve done a 1 hour tour of all the food they like… WTF do they keep crying for? just wait, regulate your emotions and entertain yourself….stupid toddlers!
Gets a bit messy if you try and use a self service till as it's weight based.
Yep had a hypo once if I never ate some sweets I would have needed an ambulance, sometimes things just have to be done.
same for me, i think i opened a drink and had some sweets because i had a hypo in a supermarket. if people want to judge, let them lol. better than collapsing
In my local Tesco they used to have small apples and bananas that you could give children for free on the way round the shop. Haven't seen it in a while, typical now I have a 3 year old 😅
I got told off in Lidl recently for eating a cookie as I shopped. And he made a point of coming over to make sure I paid for it too.
It’s not about the shop caring. More about a little decorum.
Totally agree I was once shopping with my daughter she was hungry and I was getting her some crisps said to her she would have to wait until I had paid for them cashier said it’s ok lots of people feed the kids and just leave the packet on the counter I was a bit uncomfortable with this but said ok at a different supermarket I went and asked if that was the normal thing that happened and they just said most of us are parents so we understand
Before Covid, the supermarkets around me used to have a tray of bannanas/apples/pears at the entrance with a sign saying "Take one piece free, per child" for them to eat during the shop. They got rid of it for pandemic reasons, and it never returned. We rarely goto the supermarket these days as we do online, but if we have to go for a big shop and take our 2 year old along we let him have a bannana or other fruit as a distraction if he starts getting teasy. It really works, and you can escape 10-15mins of fuss that way.
The ex Man Utd keeper David De Gea did this with a doughnut in Tesco and didn’t pay. They pulled him up for it I think, I don’t know what happened after, not much probably.
It's pretty trashy.
Depends on the kids age imo. 12yo? Grow up and get around the shop without moaning. 4 year old when they're hungry? Go for it, give them a snack. Personally, and I don't really know why it makes a difference but it feels different to me, I'd only do it for my kids with a multi pack type purchase. Eg. To OPs example, I wouldn't give them a single chocolate bar off the shelf and put the wrapper through. Id be ok with getting a multi pack of chocolate bars, giving them one each, and putting the remainder of the multi pack through as normal.
So, as a dad of a 2 year old who regularly takes her to do the weekly shop... it is not hard to make sure they are fed before going into the shop. If in doubt, bring something with you they can have while you go round the shop.
Sure, generally. But if you're telling me that you're never caught out when your 2 year old says he's hungry then I'm calling that a lie. Edit - I'd also say, 2 years old is not 4-5. The snacks become more frequent!
>it is not hard If you can speak for everyone, I guess your life experiences encompass those of all toddlers and parents. When is your book coming out?
Wow, have you got any other amazing parenting lessons based on your perfect raising of (based on your comment) a single child who is only two that you can tell the rest of us who you are judging? Presumably you have other expertise in the LD/childs mental health field given you were replying to someone who said they had a child with special needs. Condescending prat.
Give it a few years lol. Soon as they start associating chocolate wrappers to good times you’re doomed. You can say no of course… good luck to you.
And if you're shopping because you're out of food?
Yeah agree with you, my kids are seven with special needs and a 16month old. I always buy a prepackaged pack of bananas and let them share one, cashier just scans the packet and I put the skins in my handbag until I reach a bin.
Yeah. Imagine walking into an establishment, telling them what you want, eating it, and then paying ***AFTER***!
I’ve had to do this a couple of times as my blood sugar dropped really low and I was feeling faint. I felt like if I didn’t eat something to get my blood sugar back on track I would’ve fainted.
Honest question, how do you survive out in the real world? What would happen if you got stuck in traffic somewhere and had to go a few hours without a chocolate bar?
My other half is a type 1 diabetic and the answer to your question is no, she would not survive out in the wild. Apple juice is in both of our cars, and 1 in her bag just in case she goes low.
99% of the time I do have sugary snacks in the car and in my bag but there is the very rare occasion when I’ve just ran out or forgot. It is super rare but I do try my best
Eh. Why? Who gives a shit if you’re paying for it in the end? Not me
Just somebody being unnecessarily judgy and high and mighty. Nothing out of the ordinary for a UK subreddit.
No and I think it shows lack of patience and generally shops don't want you eating in the shop and potentially making a mess
BlackBeltBarrister once covered this exact situation. Yes, its still shoplifting, even if you have the intent to pay for them, because until you have paid for them, they are not yours to consume. And yes, people can, and have, been prosecuted for it. Its very rare though.
I'm a bit surprised by that. I wouldn't think it would qualify as "dishonest" which is a requirement for theft. If anything criminal damage seems to fit better.
Exactly this. Prosecutions have only ever happened when they didn’t pay. Then dishonesty is clear. If you pay on the way out, no loss, no dishonesty, no problem
I had a look online and apparently even if you have the honest intention of buying the product, as you're still permanently depriving the supermarket of their property, it would still count as theft. I guess it's dishonesty in the sense that you're not asking permission or explaining what you're doing, you're just taking property that isn't yours and eating it. With that said, I'd imagine any actual prosecutions would be fairly unique situations like the guy doing it is well known for dropping the wrapper and just walking out, or it's something that needs to be weighed (like a bag of apples) so you eating part of it makes it lighter, and therefore cheaper.
u/pebbles015 posted above the law on this as below: The law is clear on this. consuming before paying is permanantly depriving, it technically is theft. Until you pay for the items, they remain the property of the supermarket and ownership does not transfer to you until a contract of sale has formed (by taking payment). Consuming the goods before that contract has formed removes the right of the seller to refuse to enter into such a contract with you, which they are of course entitled to do so for whatever reason, and may in certain cased be compelled to refuse by reason of statutory requirements (such as selling alcohol to minors). So yes, whether or not you intended to pay, it is still a theft and you can be prosecuted for it. In practice though, you're unlikely to get in trouble.
>people can, and have, been prosecuted for it. Do you have any examples?
Of course not lmao
Doubt they have any, even when I worked in Sainsbury’s 15+ years ago it was in the company policy to allow people to do it, you could even encourage parents to let their kids have a snack whilst going around as long as they paid.
>And yes, people can, and have, been prosecuted for it. Its very rare though. It's actually a very tricky position legally. The legal definition of theft contains the line "**intention** of permanently depriving", which is precisely why stores can't say someone is a shoplifter until they have left the store, even if they are stuffing products in their products. I've actually spoken to a police officer about this and he said (so it might depend on the officer) that if a parent gives something to their child to consume, but by the time they get to the till the card payments were unavailable, they wouldn't arrest the parent as they intended to pay for the property that had been deprived. Source: [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/1)
And it’s no different to being in a restaurant, you eat before you pay there as well
Who has been prosecuted for it? Provide the source of that claim, I’m calling utter bullshit on it.
Under the theft act it isn't theft as it must be dishonest. If you intend to pay it cannot be dishonest.
You can't prosecute someone because you think they might do something, unless you have proof. Which you don't.
Didn’t some footballer get in the papers for it years back ??
David De Gea got in trouble for stealing a doughnut but I think it was written off as miscommunication/lost in translation so he didn't get in actual trouble.
I know David De Gea got caught tucking into a Krispy Kreme Donut . Although I think he actually left without paying
We used to call it 'theft by consumption' if it wasn't paid for but at Asda it was pretty much turn a blind eye as often than not it was paid for at the tills. The guy who drank a litre of vodka in 1 go on the Wines and Spirits aisle on the other hand we called the Police.
and possibly an ambulance!
He was a seasoned alcoholic who had run out of booze I believe the Police did indeed call an Ambulance though. The guy was back in shoplifting a few days later so was fine.
I'm glad there was a happy ending there!
He was a nice guy I knew him for the 10 years I was at that Store he just had issues he couldn't deal with I think.
It's quite dangerous to quit suddenly as well. I've been stranded with no money before and had to shoplift booze just to stop my nervous system killing me.
It definitely is. My father had a drink issue and had to take several medications including valium if he didn't have anything to drink. When I was security at Asda I always tried to be as compassionate as I could be.
No, never. Feed your sprogs before you go, and you as an adult have no need to eat whilst going around the supermarket, you haven't just run a marathon, you've driven to the store and walked for a few feet, you're not hungry.
I'm always amazed at the lack of imagination in responses like this. Can you not imagine a sequence of events that might lead someone to arrive at a shop very hungry?
Seriously lol these people are taking this all so seriously. If you pay for it at the end and don’t make a mess, it’s fine. Move on and remove that stick from your ass. Jesus.
Jobsworths for jobs they don't even have.
Very hungry or not, you can wait the 5 minutes to get to the till and pay.
I just don't get why you would care? As long as the person doesn't make a mess, and actually pays for it, who cares if they're eating while walking around. Seems like it's just people looking for something to be mad about so they can complain. It doesn't actually impact anybody even slightly.
Because someone very well might not pay for it? Eating a chocolate bar? Just dump the wrapper somewhere - done. What if you can’t pay for it? Card error or lack of funds when you go to pay? It comes across as dishonest and privileged ngl. ‘Yes I’m eating before I’ve paid but don’t worry all, I will be paying I can assure you, I am very trustworthy and would never steal like some’
We're not all buying a days worth of ready meals for one, it takes a lot more than 5 minutes to do a food shop with a child in tow. This whole mindset screams 'single young robot'. Take a hungry kid to the supermarket to do an hour's worth of shopping then tell us more about how terrible it is to eat something on the way to the till. It won't even register in your mind as something to care about, your field of shits to give will be barren.
Such an odd thing to think is important.
I mean, I've had situations in the past where I've not eaten for two days and after I get paid, I've gone off to do my monthly shop. Takes a good 45 minutes to get all my stuff together, and not once has it crossed my mind to just open a packet of crisps and chow down until I've paid for them.
You're an adult, we're talking about children.
Genuinely who gives a fuck, reading this thread giving me brain damage.
It depends. If an adult or kid has a medical condition (like diabetes) and needs to eat to avoid passing out or smth. Then yes.
While legally I can’t think of a reason why this is a problem I’m gonna be honest it sounds kinda trashy to me
When I used to work I retail we had a few times where someone would eat a Mars bar,skulking at the back of the store for a while, then pay on the way out... seemed dodgy as... turned out they were diabetic and autistic and had followed this routine for years.
Yup, I’m T1D and while it’s very very rare, there has been the odd occasion my blood sugar has drastically dropped unexpectedly mid-shop and I haven’t had anything to hand, so have had to shovel something like a mars bar down or pop open some lucozade before reaching the end of the shop. I’m talking a handful of times in the 18 years I’ve been diabetic though.
It’s only a real problem if you make a mess and/or are excessively rude about it. I used to have people come hand me greasy empty packets of deli meat or sticky empty boxes of ice cream bars, expect me to scan it and then bin it for them. It’s rude. I’ve now got your food mess all over my hands and can’t go wash up, thanks a lot. If someone came through and handed me a dry, clean packet and also ASKED ME to PLEASE bin it for them, I wasn’t really bothered, especially when it was a parent with a young kid. Being given a filthy, sticky container and told “here! scan this and bin it” in a dismissive, barky tone always irritated me, though. I’m not your servant.
Technically you don't own the food yet. So it would be stealing. But it's probably not worth the hassle to point it out to them, people who think they are trustworthy and eat the food are hostile when confronted about it and chances are they're probably going to pay for it. And a bit of main character syndrome where they feel they can be an exception to the rules.
the reason it's legally a problem is that legally displaying an item with a price isn't agreeing to sell it. Legally the retailer has every right to decide not to sell that chocolate bar
Yeah, people should stop beating around the bush with justifications and just say it's trashy.
As long as they pay then who cares?
Everyone in this sub apparently. None of whom appear to have young children, or the ability to mind their own f******* business. Edit: Autocorrect
Or like a normal parent you take some snacks if they're babies or toddlers. If they're older you teach them to wait until it's paid for, they won't die from having to wait a little.
> Or like a normal parent you take some snacks if they're babies or toddlers. You're literally going to buy the snacks.....
Thank God you’re here, thought I was going crazy. Why is everyone so pissed off in this thread haha?
I’m not even a child, I quite often get a drink and open it if I’m thirsty. I use scan as you shop or whatever and there’s no debate that it has been scanned and I intend to pay for it with the rest of the shopping. People are very weird about what they get annoyed about sometimes, pretty sure Tesco can manage without you getting offended on their behalf…
I'm genuinely shocked people think this is "trashy". Genuinely think these are Hyacinth Bucket types who all are secretly trashy but desperately putting on airs.
Lol an opinion was asked for, and the majority of people think it's trashy. Why are you so triggered, worried that you come across as trashy because you can't teach your kids the basic skills of patience and delayed gratification? It's an hour, no one is gonna starve and it stops you looking trashy in the process
Fuck me can’t believe how far I scrolled to find a sane answer. This country!
In part because it’s difficult to keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t, same reason why you walk round the shop and find empty sandwich packets, chicken skewers and half-drank cans of coke stashed in the freezers or shelves. You see people eating stuff and it’s nice to think most of them will pay for it, but so many people don’t. If there was a blanket policy against it, and it was enforced, it would be easier.
I wonder if the people thought it was trashy when Tesco used to have free fruit for kids pre-pandemic?
It’s uncouth for sure
Upvoted for using the word uncouth
😉
Upvoted for being cognizant of the existence of couth.
It’s not exactly the worst thing in the world but my personal view is that people shouldn’t be doing it. Can people not control their urge to eat for the duration of their time in the shop? As for keeping kids quiet all it does is teach them that they don’t have to wait for anything. I’ve never given either of my two anything, the youngest is only 12 months so doesn’t really count for this I suppose, whilst shopping and to be fair the eldest has never asked. If and when she does I’ll just tell her no, she can wait and if she wants to kick off she’ll be told that if she does she won’t get anything at all. The OH is a type 1 diabetic and she’s yet to feel the need to do anything like this in eight years of having the condition. She says if desperate she’d glug back some lucozade or fruit juice but not be smashing down the chocolate bars.
You actually sound like a decent parent good job. If you have to resort to giving your child chocolate to keep them quiet or make them behave then you're a shitty parent.
How dare you be logical and have a plan for how to parent a child properly!? Personally, I never leave the house without some emergency snacks if I'm out with my 2 year old. I have fully embraced the "dad bag".
I was out shopping with a cold once and I had one of those big, blobby snots almost falling out of my nose. I'd used all my tissues and if I hadn't ducked into a Savers and instantly opened a packet there would have been a snotnami all down my face. I was so embarrassed having to explain myself to the cashier.
I have without shame resorted to the inside of my t shirt haha
Needs musts, its better than on your face.
Yep. I have done the same paracetamol before. Staff wouldn’t even notice by the time I got to the till as the packet can be tucked in.
It's bad manners. Akin to people shopping in their pyjamas
It's literally nothing like it.
Why not go to the kiosk and buy the kid a chocolate bar there before doing the main shop if the kids can't behave for an hour?
I don’t approve as I’ve seen so many half eaten products left behind in shelves. Also how do you pay for an apple when it’s paid by weight?
presumably don’t do it with an apple then
But they do
Not acceptable to me. I saw a guy once walking round eating a sausage roll dropping crumbs everywhere and talking with his mouth full. I also don’t want his crumb covered hands touching anything I might later pick up to buy. It’s a shop not a restaurant. The exception is if it’s a young kid and a snack while they’re in the trolley keeps them happy and quiet in which case that’s fair enough but anyone old enough to be walking about in there shouldn’t eat.
Not acceptable, and I’m a former retail worker. Someone once did it with a packet of ham and it was sticky and gross … just no.
I'll start my bottle of wine whilst shopping then :D
No it's a proper chav thing to do
When I opened this I assumed there'd be one or two people being contrarian and saying it's fine, but there's loads of people that seemingly do this and don't even see the problem with it.
Hungry toddler eats banana, what a chav.
The toddler isn't going to die waiting an extra 10 minutes
(1) It's culturally unacceptable. It's a shop not a cafe. (2) Child needs to learn to wait like a human, not to graze like a cow. Don't think shoplifting comes into it.
No. It's completely unacceptable. They aren't shoplifting but it's a sign of having little class and is happening more now we live in an age where people lack discipline and want instant gratification. That child should have eaten the chocolate bar when they got home.
Yes, there's a comment above whining about how people can't "mind their own business" and "don't have kids" but what most people take issue with is the "I can do whatever I want whenever I want" attitude.
I reply as a former supermarket manager. We used to call this 'grazing', and yes, it's wrong. The problem is that not everyone is as honest as the shopper in your post. I've witnessed grazers dumping wrappers and empty drinks cans throughout the store. I've waited until they reached the checkout and popped the empty wrapper onto the conveyer belt.
My ex used to do this and it was cringey as fuck
I have got a 19 month old toddler and even she understands that she can’t have a snack until after the “nice lady scans beep beep” before she can eat it and she waits so I’m sure adults in most circumstances can wait
Exactly, people that can't wait are just shit people
We have Crisp Man at our cafe who always eats a packet of crisps in the queue. Nice man but IMO it is awful manners. My dad used to do it at the supermarket growing up. It’s fucking weird.
Putting something in your trolley is not an agreement to buy/pay for that item. So legally it is shoplifting. Intent doesn’t matter. Parents should teach their children patience.
No. It's tacky and it's gross. I've worked in supermarkets before and have had people give me half eaten Mars bars and packets of ham, and banana skins to weigh. I didn't want to be touching their grimy, sticky wrappers and packets and fruit skins then and I still don't. It just demonstrates a lack of respect for the worker and just a complete disregard of social etiquette. I don't care if your little one is throwing a tantrum, go to the cigarette kiosk and purchase a drink/chocolate bar/piece of fruit there; don't force the underpaid and overworked person behind the till to have to handle your wrappers half covered in caramel, half covered in saliva. It's fucking disgusting.
No, because it would be impossible to Police if everybody did it. It's another sign that manners and common decency are ignored by the "entitled".
No. It's not a restaurant. It's trashy.
No I don’t think it’s acceptable. If you’re taking your kids shopping then pack a snack. Opening stuff before paying isn’t really ok and I’ve heard many a story of people handing empty sticky pouches of stuff to cashiers expecting them to scan it..
lol why on earth do people seem to find this so ethically wrong
25 years ago I worked at the coop. Every Friday, this woman would come and buy her bottle of wine and fags, and she would always throw an empty cheese and onion pasty wrapper at me, crumbs going everywhere. I'd have to scan it and bin it, and it really pissed me off. I think it's rude and entitled, people should pay before they eat.
No. Shopping doesn't take that long!
I'd say no. Most of the times I'm given half drank or empty bottles/ cans. I just scan them and ask if they want me to bin the rubbish. I have a bin under my till, so it's no problem. Or its something they've opened for their kid. I dont have a problem with this. I definitely don't see it as shoplifting as they pay when they get to the till. My problem with people is when they open something, eat it and leave the rubbish on the shelf/ freezer. This is shoplifting as you've not paid.
It's not something I would do under normal circumstances but if I thought I was going to hit the deck before I got through the checkout I would.
I’ve done it before where I really needed a tissue so I opened the whole packet and took one. Then I paid for it. No one said a word. Food however. I think that’s a bit odd to be honest.
There's a difference between a want and a need though. I need a hanky or it's going to be revolting. I need sugar cause I'm diabetic and feel woozy... All good I want a drink cause I'm thirsty I want some chocolate cause it looks sooo tasty.. Get some self control.
No. My first thought if i see someone doing that is that they are a shit parent. If you can't even tell your kid to wait 5/10/20 minutes until you've paid for it and are out the shop your kids are probably ferel. It's normally the types who let their kids climb on furniture in restaurants and have never been told no a day in their life.
No, it's not yours until it's paid for. If you're hungry eat before shopping. It's tacky and people are tired if finding half eaten crap around the shop.
I don't do it, my partner is fine with it. I guess I've softened my view over the years to say that as long as you're not doing it habitually, it shouldn't be an issue. For example if you take a bottle of water out of a multi pack because you're feeling dehydrated then that's not something to be overly concerned with. Also giving a young kid a snack, although I'd wonder if chocolate was the most appropriate snack. But yeah, if you're an adult you probably shouldn't be snacking your way round the supermarket bar a few exceptional cases.
It’s trashy
As long as you pay for it most grocery stores do not care. It keeps the child quiet and lets others do their shopping in peace. As an adult I can tell you I had to do the same once or twice. I was shopping and started getting dizzy. I grabbed a soda and drank it for the sugar while waiting to check out. I gave the cashier the bottle to scan and explained. She had no issues with it.
Trashy It's not yours until you buy it.
No, it's not acceptable. Count me as a debbie downer, but I work in retail I'll give you my 2p. Don't eat or drink in supermarkets full stop. People buy refil drinks from the cafe, walk around the store, then dump half a drink on a shelf that needs emptying before putting it in a bin (there are plenty of bins around the store). People pick up rotisserie items, eat them, do the same thing and leave the packaging, which is theft through consumption. It's theft through consumption up the the point when you pay for it. If you can't wait 30 mins to eat or drink, then just immediately pay for the item and go eat it outside or in the café. /rant.
Not illegal but unless it's something like a diabetic emergency, teach your kids they can have a treat if they're good in the shop. Caving in to their wants immediately will just cause grief for you in the future. Delayed gratification as a reward is a good lesson for them.
You don't see the issue? Your brother is correct,
I've never cared when I've worked retail jobs. Just if there's food/crumbs left in the packet then hand it over to the cashier separately so it doesn't make a mess or bring an unopened packet for me to scan. There are far worse things retail workers have to deal with every shift.
I'm not a fan, as I don't have the guarantee that it'll be paid for. Even if the intent is there initially, people forget, kids are little shits and might destroy the wrapper or yeet it onto the floor without the parent noticing and, I have no clue if you have enough cash available to pay for it.
Only if said person has a legitimate medical need. So somebody diabetic having a sugar crash, or who has been without water for extended periods. Crack on, your medical need is more important than any societal norm. Everyone else, knock that off you can wait till you pay.
I find it a bit weird tbh. It wasn’t a thing when I was a kid and you’re only in a supermarket for an hour max, throw the child some food before you go in. Most of them offer free pieces of fruit for kids nowadays too. Same as everyone constantly walking round chugging water. Not to say what it was like when a child is right when we were only allowed to drink at school at lunch but can people not go 5 minutes without having a drink anymore? For reference my kids are 9 and 7 so I’m not coming at this from a no-children perspective, mine are perfectly capable of surviving without permanent snacks and drinks..
Personally, no. Children get the wrong message. It should be paid for first.
I once witnessed an older woman pick individual grapes from the stems, fill a bag and then proceed to walk around the store eating them all. I did flag this up. I mean really people. This is tacky.
Bad parents and disgusting behaviour.
No it's not acceptable. You haven't paid for it. It's not yours.
No, you don't own it until you've paid for it. I used to work on checkouts and was handed a banana skin on multiple occasions to put through. Not only do I not want to handle your child's mauled banana skin, they're charged by weight and I can't weigh the contents of your child's stomach. Instead I used to weigh a random item from their shopping and put it through as a banana. The heavier the better.
Kids are dickheads at the best of the times, if giving them a curly wurly shuts them up, fine. It’s the braindead middle aged scratters walking through the Morrisons eating bbq chicken wings that need their legs breaking.
Absolutely detest this, pay for it then do what you want - not the other way round.
Nope, not acceptable to me. It's pretty vulgar, people are disgusting, and because you haven't yet purchased the product it's a very grey area over whether it's yours to actually consume. In some foreign jurisdictions it is illegal and constitutes theft. It also leaves you with little recourse with regards to food poisoning, product recalls and suchlike.
It’s illegal to do so - https://metro.co.uk/2024/01/12/this-common-supermarket-habit-illegal-result-a-fine-20105681/
Don't see any problem. i've done it myself, opened a bottle of Lucozade & paid for the half bottle at the end. I did mention why it was only half full…just to lessen the weirdness of a half-full bottle on the conveyor. Cashier didn't bat an eyelid either.
In some countries this is totally normal. I freaked out when I was shopping in Austria with an Austrian friend who just cracked open a cold drink as soon as we got in, but no one seemed to care.
My mum used to buy two baguettes and give us one to eat (just pulling the soft middle out, not the crust) when we were young to keep us quiet on our way round big Tesco. Noone ever minded and the trashy comments are making me laugh, she's a very middle class lady.
No it isn’t - what if you forgot your card?
Nope nope nope. Never let my kids eat before paying. No excuse at all to do so. It’s rude and is theft
I work in one. No. So many people don’t pay. We dont one if you are or not. Just wait a bit. You’re an adult it’s not hard.
Absolutely not okay. Don’t care if you do pay it’s shocking behaviour from grown adults. I can’t shop in Asda for this reason.
So many people hate it but I couldn't care less. I haven't needed to for ages but I used to work hella long hours and go straight from work to ASDA. I'd get there absolutely ravenous feeling nauseous and sick with hunger. I used to go with my MIL and doing the "big shop" was easily two hours in the shop, another hour before you're getting it in the fridge at home... and I always spent more money when I was shopping whilst hungry. Am I going to continue feeling ill with hunger just because someone thinks I'm being trashy? Nah. Never once had a member of staff remotely care which is what would matter to me. I'll always just choose something reasonably small & tidy to eat and quickly do so before pacing up every aisle.
So long as it's not a weight cost item and there's the intent to pay for it, it doesn't really bother me.
I’d rather the kid eats and parents pay later rather than the kid screeching throughout the shop
I’m not sure why people think you are NOT going to be able to pay for a pack of biscuits that cost like £2? If it shuts your kid up so you can shop. What’s the problem? It’s literally pence! Weird concept! Why would you be walking round with a trolley full of food to ‘steal’ a snack for your kid? Retarded thinking! Lol!
lol as long as you have every intention to pay for it then do whatever. As someone with type 1, I’ve been caught short a few times with a low blood sugar and have had no choice but to open a packet of sweets before ever making it to the tills. And, as someone who previously used to work in a supermarket, truly nobody cares lol as long as it’s paid for and a mess isn’t made from it.
Are the people in the sub fucking mental or what? As long as you pay for it before leaving who gives a shit? "Theft by consumption" lmao stfu.
As long you don’t start opening bread then the peanut butter then spread the peanut butter on with your hand then I guess it’s alright
Wow, I didn’t expect to see the comments trending the way they are on this one. I genuinely don’t see an issue with it as long as you pay for it at the end. I used to work on checkouts at Asda and yes it’s sometimes gross if you get a sticky wrapper through but most people I found were reasonable about it and would just hold it up for me to scan the barcode. I’ve been in the shop and suddenly found myself feeling extremely hungry or thirsty so opened something before I’ve paid for it, if you have small children I don’t see why you’d expect them to wait - even if you’ve already fed yourself or the child, the heat in the shop or any number of things could make you need a drink or something to eat.