Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: You really should mind your own business in a matter like this. Seems clear that the mom is struggling financially, but was responsible enough to feed her child. Show a little class and some grace.

If this event bothered you enough to stalk the woman and her hungry child, then you should have considered paying for the sampled food as a gesture of kindness and as a sign that you recognize your blessings.

+1
JFC what a D*** OP sounds like.

Hey, there are many families struggling right now. Do we just invite them into high priced grocers so that they can steal while we look the other way?

All last summer I drove along Georgia Avenue and I saw at this one church a line that was wrapped around a block. It was for a free meal, free food. There really is a hunger problem in this county, but stealing is not an okay way to solve it.

I could have made a bigger spectacle of it and called her out in front of other shoppers. But I chose to talk to the grocery team one-on-one to keep it calm. That was my grace.

I did not know that poor people came to shop at a premier grocery when there are other food stores and groceries in that same vicinity (with hot bars).

I wouldn’t have said anything. Yes stealing affects their bottom line and prices increase but I would assume if someone is doing this it’s because they need to. It was chicken nuggets, not pricey alcohol, detergent, or other expensive resale items. She was feeding her kid. MYOB.

Guilty of giving my kid a pack of the soup crackers off the Whole Foods hot bar- in a desperate moment

Anonymous wrote:OP: You really should mind your own business in a matter like this. Seems clear that the mom is struggling financially, but was responsible enough to feed her child. Show a little class and some grace.

If this event bothered you enough to stalk the woman and her hungry child, then you should have considered paying for the sampled food as a gesture of kindness and as a sign that you recognize your blessings.

Oh please. She wasn’t struggling financially. She wanted to shut her kid up while she shopped so she felt entitled to grab some nuggets and stuff them in kids face. There’s no good way to pay for food by weight you’ve already consumed, and she didn’t really care.

‘Had not’ bought it to store’s attention

Anonymous wrote:OP: I really dislike you.

Don’t care. She would have stolen more if I had brought it to the store’s attention.

I used to work retail. So much stealing!! People bring in tools to dismantle sensors, people steal in dressing rooms, etc. I’ve seen a lot.

Again, not the biggest incident, but I’m pretty familiar with theft in retail.
You go all or nothing after a while. Thieves are very brazen.

Anonymous wrote:OP: You really should mind your own business in a matter like this. Seems clear that the mom is struggling financially, but was responsible enough to feed her child. Show a little class and some grace.

If this event bothered you enough to stalk the woman and her hungry child, then you should have considered paying for the sampled food as a gesture of kindness and as a sign that you recognize your blessings.

I would say I disagree. I did not stalk her. I did what I thought was best —shared with the clerks and moved on.

Again, this is my incident for today. You do not have to agree with my actions. She was deliberate in the store that she chose to do what she did.

Anonymous wrote:OP: You really should mind your own business in a matter like this. Seems clear that the mom is struggling financially, but was responsible enough to feed her child. Show a little class and some grace.

If this event bothered you enough to stalk the woman and her hungry child, then you should have considered paying for the sampled food as a gesture of kindness and as a sign that you recognize your blessings.

+1
JFC what a D*** OP sounds like.

Also, the thing with the stroller is this: you can pull the cover over so that others can’t see the upper part of the kid’s body. The kid was snacking away on the nuggets, but you would have to reach down and look under the cover to see it.

Most people will put a toddler in the grocery cart. Maybe she had her reasons not to, but it sure made it easier for her to conceal the food.

OP: I really dislike you.

OP: You really should mind your own business in a matter like this. Seems clear that the mom is struggling financially, but was responsible enough to feed her child. Show a little class and some grace.

If this event bothered you enough to stalk the woman and her hungry child, then you should have considered paying for the sampled food as a gesture of kindness and as a sign that you recognize your blessings.

Anonymous wrote:What is a premium chicken nugget?

One that costs over $11/lb. compared to what you pay at fast food stores, etc. I believe the hot food bar is around $11-$12/lb of food.

Also more than likely cooked with healthier ingredients. It’s Whole Foods. One would assume so.

What is a premium chicken nugget?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which store is this? Asking for some friends.

My guess would be Whole Foods.

Op here and yes!!

This isn't a local mom'n'pop shop. What in the whiteness makes you so irate that a mom fed her kids some overcooked, dried out hot bar nuggets without paying? Is it right? No. Is it the end of the world crisis you're making it out to be? No. Most importantly: does it affect you, at all? NO. The prices at Whole Foods are exorbitant, and won't be increased due to hot bar food that goes unpaid. They throw out enough every day to feed everyone on this thread a feast.

Let other people make their own mistakes when it doesn't cause immediate risk of safety or life. This is peak MYOB territory.

****^^^^^**
First, do not go off on me like that. I shared a story from my day. I asked thru my header how would others view this—a sample or a steal. I think it can be viewed as either. I viewed it as the latter. And I know that I am correct.

Secondly, I shop there often. Yes, others might steal. That’s why they’ve put security guards in there since earlier this year. It’s happening (a lot, I bet) and added security is there as loss prevention. Spoilage is a huge crises across retail, including grocers. So just because you don’t think it’s a big deal, others feel it is. The stores knows it is.

And although this is a minor incident, it’s just like another poster said, at what point do you “normalize” the stealing? Do we just say “there is a mom who wanted some free food for her kids? Should all moms be allowed to do this? Some nuggets here, an apple and banana there, and some milk? Can I just tell the moms that I know who shop there to just do like her?

Spoilage impacts costs, and that impacts bottom lines. Moreover, if I’m an investor, it could impact stock price. Do there’s more to it than “stop picking on this mom.” And believe me when I say this. I volunteer a lot for the food insecure. There are so many resources in this county. I have seen the long lines outside of some centers and churches. I understand and I try to help out where I can and teach that to my kids. But flat out stealing, when so many others put their pride aside and take handouts from shelters and other places, is wrong. Trust me, I’ve never packed a box of premium chicken nuggets as a volunteer. This mom cleverly used her kid and stroller (yes she had a stroller and a cart).

Lastly, I take offense to your “whiteness” comment. I am not white. And the shopper was ethnic (based on wardrobe—long skirt, semi-covered hair) or had strong ties to another culture or religion. She was not American. Probably not a normal shopper at this grocery store. But she knew what she was doing.

She was brazen about it. She went to the dessert area first. When I saw her, she was at the hot food bar. Then she went to the register. She tried to circle back around to other parts of the store after she paid (she went towards fruit section), but I had someone looking over at her by then, so she exited and hurried away.

My question is this, what should we do about shoplifters? Do we grant them a pass or two? Does quantity matter before we act? Or should retailers stop it in its tracks?

Blatant stealing. Absolutely repulsive behavior.

I wouldn’t have bothered to tattle on her, however.