s/o - do you let your kids eat in the grocery store before you pay?

[Anonymous]

I think it's tacky. I never do this, barring an extenuating circumstance of some kind.

You have an interesting definition of "never."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious. For everyone saying it's illegal to open a box of crackers and eat some in the store (even if you pay for it at checkout), can you please cite the law? From what I have seen, it's only illegal if there is no INTENT on paying. At least in VA. It may be different in HI. Does anyone have the citation that proves otherwise?

"Shoplift" means any one or more of the following acts committed by a person without the consent of the merchant and with the purpose or intent of appropriating merchandise to that person's own or another's use without payment, obtaining merchandise at less than its stated sales price, or otherwise depriving a merchant of all or any part of the value or use of merchandise (...)"

2006 Virginia Code § 8.01-44.4

Thanks for citing the Code - but how does one prove/determine intent in this situation - either way? At the time that your DC is consuming the item, how does the store manager or store security KNOW what your intent is? Oh, and just telling them after the fact may not be sufficient. Remember, there is a difference between being detained/arrested for shoplifting (where intent need not be established) and being convincted of shoplifting (where proof of intent would be applicable).

I'd imagine that the store would ask you after you leave without paying, not before. I do this ALL the time. EVERY time I go to the store, I eat things before paying. Otherwise the trip would be impossibly boring for me.

[Anonymous]

This thread is hilarious. For every good thread out there (like the woman who stopped BFing at 6 weeks and got tons of support for trying) there is a crazy thread.

I'm so glad my DH loves to grocery shop and always takes our toddler with him. I'll have to ask him what he does. Oh wait, as long as I don't have to shop, I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously. It's not shoplifting until you actually pass the cashier without paying for it. Same way it's not illegal to drink outside until you step out of your yard.

Ummm, yes it its.

The level of self-absorbtion and entitlement on this forum never ceases to astound me. I am terrified what the next generation of DCUM'ers will be like. Ignore the rules. Ignore the laws. Do what is convenient for ME, ME, ME!

Dram-aaaaa

[Anonymous]

Yes, freshly sliced bread. She loves it. So what of it?

[Anonymous]

I call BS to all those who say they never let there kids eat before you pay and especially to those that say I did it "once". We all do this from time to time, your mom did this and so did her mom. I let me son eat his way through the grocery store everytime I shop--and yes I pay for what he eats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I call BS to all those who say they never let there kids eat before you pay and especially to those that say I did it "once". We all do this from time to time, your mom did this and so did her mom. I let me son eat his way through the grocery store everytime I shop--and yes I pay for what he eats.

Well then - let me repeat myself. I have NEVER let my kids eat at the store before I pay. My mother NEVER allowed us to do it either. Does that clear it up?

[Anonymous]

Ummmm no. My kids didn't eat at the store. My grandkids don't either when they're with me. I sure as hell wouldn't have even thought of it as a child.

[Anonymous]

We don't eat at the store but I also don't find grocery shopping to be such a strenuous activity. We eat before going and afterwards. It's not like we're trekking across the Sahara and need to keep our strength up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it all the time, I don't see the big deal. We are going to pay for them when we get to the checkout counter, what's the big difference?

Because at the time that you are consuming them, you haven't paid for them yet. They don't belong to you. The store has no way of knowing that you're not going to just put the empty container on the next empty shelf that you come across. It's considered shoplifting in many states. Whether the store chooses to enforce it or not, it is still illegal in many states. Just be aware that you're doing something wrong and don't be upset if the store makes an issue of it. Be grateful when the store turns a blind eye and doesn't make an issue about it.

If you absolutely cannot possibly wait until you've left the store to eat, then go to the front and pay for the one item and then go back and do the rest of your shopping with the receipt in your pocket showing that you actually paid for the item.

Lighten up, not everyone is a lawyer. The stores don't seem to mind, and it keeps my kids happy. Considering the amount of money I spend grocery shopping, I would think it would not be that big a deal that I open a box of crackers and eat a couple while grocery shopping.

PP here again. Like I said, most stores turn a blind eye to this practice. You should be grateful when they do because they are well within their rights to choose to enforce the shoplifting rule. I've seen them do this (usually to teenagers), but they do sometimes enforce the rules. Also, people do forget. If you are shopping with your little snowflake who cannot take no for an answer, and you give them food and then they have a tantrum in the checkout line and you are trying to get your $200 order checked out, paid for and get your screaming snowflake out the door, and you forget about the empty wrapper in the bottom of the cart, it happens. The store has no idea that this will or will not happen. And if you don't think it will, read the article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-parenting/post/pregnant-mom-arrested-at-safeway-and-loses-custody-of-toddler-over-sandwiches/2011/11/01/gIQApyrtcM_blog.html

These parents did forget in the chaos...then the store decided to enforce the rule and they were outraged at the overreaction by the store. Whether you agree with the store's reaction or not, the fact is that the parents were WRONG and actually had shoplifted. And then they complained that they shouldn't have been considered shoplifters. Um, right. As I pointed out, be grateful when the stores ignore the rule, but be aware that if they decide to enforce the rules, you were wrong to do this.

It's not in the store's interest to enforce rules that will cause someone to stop spending $100-$200 or more at their store every single week. If the person has no intention of shoplifting and eating the food keeps them in the store longer and subsequently results in a higher grocery bill why would the store try to prosecute these people? It might not be the letter of the law to eat a cracker before paying for it, but it's a minor offense at worst. There is no intention of wrongdoing here.

[Anonymous]

NP here-- I think I never really thought of eating shopping cart food in the store because that was how I was raised. My mom never let us do that, and so I don't allow my DD to do it. I just say, "we cannot eat this food until we get home." And, to be honest I rarely see people letting their kids eat in the shopping cart.

But, I will say there was at least one time that I did give my DD a couple crackers from a box I was buying. She was starving for whatever reason. I remember feeling a little shameful about it but not like I was doing something illegal. Of course, now after reading this thread, I know it is more common than I'd thought. I don't think it is a big deal, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I call BS to all those who say they never let there kids eat before you pay and especially to those that say I did it "once". We all do this from time to time, your mom did this and so did her mom. I let me son eat his way through the grocery store everytime I shop--and yes I pay for what he eats.

Another here that never did it as a child and won't do it as a parent. When I was fussy in a store, I was told that if I behaved, I could open one item in the car. I would then spend my time 'shopping' for my car treat. If I didn't quiet down, my mother would push the cart to the exit and ask a cashier to "watch" the cart while we went outside until I could quiet down and go back in. The rule was usually quiet inside, crying outside (or in the bathroom). I have recollections of being taken outside to cry.

[Anonymous]

So, for the people who are anti-grocery store eating, just making sure I understand correctly. Are you against:

1) opening up packages before buying them and digging in AND

2) bringing food from home to snack on AND

3) accepting the samples of food offered at the store and allowing a child to try them ?

Although (3) is, to me, the most acceptable, I have to say I am far more grossed out by the number of adults who push and shove for free samples than the occasional toddler I see with a cookie or roll.

[Anonymous]

I will admit that I am somewhat amazed at the tone of this thread. I am on the parent advisory board at DC's private school and I frequently deal with folks who do not want to follow the rules or believe that the rules should not apply to them. What amazes me is that this mentality seems to reflect how folks lead their lives. This thread reinforces that. First and foremost, people will do whatever is most convienent for them personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will admit that I am somewhat amazed at the tone of this thread. I am on the parent advisory board at DC's private school and I frequently deal with folks who do not want to follow the rules or believe that the rules should not apply to them. What amazes me is that this mentality seems to reflect how folks lead their lives. This thread reinforces that. First and foremost, people will do whatever is most convienent for them personally.

And how is that bad when there is no intention of wrongdoing and no actual wrongdoing (since there wasn't any intention and therefore no shoplifting occurred according to the code)? This is not a rules or legal issue, but a moral one. Some people think it's wrong and others see no problem with it. Of course people will do what is most convienent for them personally. When it's not hurting anyone or breaking the law, why shouldn't they?