Do you eat groceries before you pay for them?

I let my kids eat a bread roll each while we shop and I pay at the end. The staff do not remotely care, I have never got a dirty look or anything.

Im in Australia. The supermarkets offer free fruit to kids which probably has normalised eating in the supermarket. But they don't care if you eat something else, as long as you pay.

I remember my parents doing this with us as children. I've never personally done it as an adult but definitely would do it myself or for my child if we were desperate to eat or drink something lol. I don't think it's weird as I'm honest enough to pay at the end ☺️

No, I tell my eldest he can hold it and once mummy pays he can have it!

It is considered theft in the UK, although you would argue that your intention was to pay for it at the end (like you would in a restaurant) so you're unlikely to be arrested for it. It becomes difficult, say if your card were to decline, because then, technically, it is theft as you have no means to pay for it.

In the UK, a lot of supermarkets have a free fruit section for children to eat whilst going around the store.

I let my daughter do it and I’m in the UK. Legally it might be theft but no one seems to actually care 😂

I’ll let my son have a snack like raisins or something while walking round as it distracts him while we’re shopping and means I don’t get crazed for everything in eyesight😂

my daughter does but she's only 2 she obviously doesn't understand you have to pay for it first

Some stores where I live offer free fruit and so I will give a piece to my daughter if she wants. I have eaten like a slim Jim while shopping before paying or grapes from out of my cart while shopping, but that’s rare like only a handful of times my entire life. I have not done it at all since having my daughter because I teach her that you have to pay first. I also do not think it is common at all. Anyone saying you just don’t have kids then are weird and need to instill it into their kids. Anything can happen where your card just doesn’t work even if the money is in the bank. Just don’t go shopping hungry or pick something up on the way.

No. . No need, and no interest but I’ve seen it . . lol apart of me doesn’t really get it unless for a medical emergency or someone not feeling good or something like that .. 🤷🏾‍♀️

When my son was little on days we would go to the store we would grab a thing of popcorn chicken and eat it while walking around the store shopping. Then at register have the cashier ring it up and throw away the empty container. Never had anyone say anything about it. And sometimes now I'll go in and grab a drink from the coolers and drink it while shopping

I let my kid eat the strawberries while we ate shopping

I use to work for a supermarket (Tesco) in the UK for 10 years. I've definitely seen it done plenty of times and it was never an issue as long as the wrapper was kept to pay at the end. I don't do it often but if I know my son is hungry and I need to get round the store to do shopping then I absolutely allow him to have something which I then pay for at the end. Before covid it was normal for us to have a free fruit stand at the entrance so kids could grab something healthy to eat on the way round but covid stopped that for obvious reasons and it wasn't reintroduced

I've seen it and I've done it once or twice in my life. Nobody batted an eye. I never thought about doing it again, it was just a really bad day I was rushing and trusted that the person at the counter wasn't going to make a big deal about it

In the US, haven’t ever really done this and don’t let my oldest, the baby only has milk right now. However, I would if my child was extremely thirsty and i forgot her cup with fluids. Outside of that we maintain the “you can hold it in the store but we will open it outside”

As a former Walmart cashier, I can say that people do it ALL THE TIME. And it'd piss me off because there had been a couple of times where someone would bring their mostly eaten food item to finally pay for it just for them to say "Oops, I don't have enough money." and walk away, essentially stealing the food. 🙄

For ***** sake people, pay for your food!

We open raspberries or blueberries on our way round. I thinn its a privileged thing to be able to do so - i'm white and "normal" looking so people 'trust' that i can pay. No one bats an eyelid and usually laugh about it when they see baby. Its normal here in UK

As long as it's not weight based i have... or maybe if its one grape to see how they taste

I grew up in The Netherlands and as a kid I sure ate something whilst shopping with mother. Our son eats a wee something almost every time we're shopping (UK), he's always hungry.

I would be embarrassed to do that for some reason and it also seems not hygienic. Shopping carts are gross 🤢 so I'm supposed to put something in my mouth, touch the cart and repeat? I dunno. I teach my kids we pay first.

We do this routinely at one of our grocery stores. We go at lunch time, get chicken and potato wedges at got food and then berries in produce and everyone eats lunch while we shop. The youngest falls asleep for nap on the way home.

We give the babies snacks if they are hungry but always keep the wrapper. UK xx

I don’t do it. I buy the food first and we eat when we get back home. Now if I’m at one of the stores that regularly gives out samples I’ll get a sample if I wanna try or if my son asks to try.

I’ve got too much anxiety for that. What if we eat it and then have an emergency and have to leave? Then we leave without paying and the cops come arrest me. No thanks

I’ve only done it once but one of our grocery stores has an employee who absolutely adores my children and always gives them fresh fruit free of charge while I get my shopping done.

Nope never will I do this, I know it will sound judgmental, but like how hard is it to pay for what you are going to eat first then shop? I have little kids and when they want a drink or food I'll stop shopping, buy it, then continue. I was taught it was stealing, and like mentioned above there are little who eat and don't pay for it

Not regularly. But we’ve on occasion opened up grapes or some blueberries to munch on.

Yes I do, if I’m thirsty I get a bottle of water and drink and then pay at the till 😂 same if I’m starving. If I’ll pay for it, what’s the problem?

I grab a drink from the cooler and don’t pay for it until the end.

I don’t eat food and walk around or let my son, but I don’t think it’s crazy?

People eat their food first at a restaurant. As long as you pay for it, it should be fine. It just grosses me out because so many people are touching everything and the cart.

I will let my kids snack if they start getting grumpy and I’ve had a few times I start getting dizzy and have to grab something sugary to eat quick so I don’t pass out lol

My fiance and I were in Walmart the other day and we seen a mom with three kids under id say 4 yrs old. The older two were eating apples. They didn't have any other apples in the cart and we were like I wonder if she's going to pay for those two random apples they were eating.

I have seen people do it on purpose. My kids liked to help at the store so I would hand them things to hold. My daughter held a pear and started eating it. I couldn’t stop laughing. I picked up another pear and had them weigh the unbitten one and paid for that then left it there. The cashier said they don’t even care about that.
Some stores do give children free fruit, others don’t.

I’ve done it for my 3 year old. Because I can pack all of the snacks in the world. But he won’t eat anything I have he wants what he sees in the store. I’d rather have him eat something and we pay later than hear him scream because he is actually hungry.

I hit no but there have been a few times in the summer that I have grabbed a drink and opened it and then paid at the end. I have seen people do it with chips or something I don't really think it's a big deal as long as you pay

We only do it if it is packaged snacks but never fruits and vegetables because those are by weight and you can put on the scale what you already ate. That is stealing!

So edit: My husband thought I was talking about something else and told me he has seen this, but no he has never done it and does not think it’s normal.

A lot of yall are blowing my mind right now though. I will say, if I ever see it, I’m not going to say anything because that’s your business, but I’m actually shocked. I’m not going to lie though, I am seeing a demographic pattern here. I’m interested to know if any minorities do it, especially ones with parents who are not from majority white countries. Not trying to start a race debate, I am genuinely curious. My Filipino parents would have tore me up if I ever did this.

I’m in the UK, and have never done this 😂 honestly it has never occurred to me

I worked in a grocery store for years. We saw customers do it all the time. I hated it. It makes it much harder on the clerk if they have to figure out if the thing being eaten is something you brought from home, something you paid for in advance, or something that still needs to be paid for, and a lot of people tried this with weight-based items so if they eat a couple of grapes, they're only paying for what's actually left in the bag. It made store clerks absolutely miserable.

Please don't do it. If your kids are hungry, bring snacks from home or at least pay for it in advance.

Personally, I don’t do it.

I would understand if I toddler was hungry and a parent opened a box of crackers for them, then clearly communicated to the cashier it still needs paid for.

Produce is a hard no though. It’s usually priced by weight and if kids are eating grapes before it’s weighed, they are eating food not paid for.

I'm in UK (NI) and have never done this or seen it happening. When bringing my kids with me for the shop, I bring our own food with me for them to eat whilst I go round!

Also I used to manage a big box retail store - security closely watches EVERYONE and would take note of anything that could be potential theft. They may not approach it at that time but do keep pictures on a wall of people to watch. 👀

when you got a hungry baby you do what you gotta do🤷‍♀️ i always pay for it after though

This is how I am finding out people just raw dog grapes, raspberries and blue berries from the grocery store. I have literally watched a grocery store worker reach INTO his ass and then continue stocking produce. Is washing fruit just like optional? I have never witnessed someone in my family just eat a fruit from anywhere that they didn't wash first so I didn't think that was a thing people do. Bugs? Booty hands? 10 people picked up the package before you? The cart germs on your hands? Which likely has poop.

People who train their toddlers that they can't wait 30 seconds to pay for an orange, then wonder why they've never learned delayed gratification. 🤦

Personally, I don’t snack much & typically only eat one meal per day, it’s just how I’ve always been, I’ve tried to be “normal” but can’t help it, so no, I haven’t personally eaten anything in a grocery store unless it’s a small sample of something I’m thinking about buying. But I have opened many pops for myself & have opened snacks for my kids if they want something in the cart instead of out of my purse. My hubs never noticed anyone doing this & never does so himself, he just looked at me the 1st time we went shopping together & I grabbed a pop 1st, so I could sip & shop, if I don’t have one in the truck. but it didn’t bother him & after we had a child together, bc our oldest was 4 when we moved in together, he was the one opening things up for him, now he notices how often this happens, he’s even given another parent an individually wrapped snack we were buying a box of, when they had nothing to offer their little as a bribe for a few mins of peace to pick dinner ingredients.🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve done this before for my son, only packaged food tho no produce. I’m paying for it anyways and I figure people would be more bothered by my toddler screaming like a mad man vs him snacking on a cookie

I’ll give my son a banana sometimes to squash a tantrum, but other than that, no I don’t open things and eat in the grocery store until I’ve paid

I give my toddler snacks before I pay and idgaf what anybody thinks about it. Cuz best believe I’m paying. People need to mind their own business lol.

Usually we eat before we go in or brought in or own snacks and make sure multiple workers know (especially if they say they are about to leave for the day).

But if we did do what your asking, then we'd grab something up at the registers since its already singled out.

It's not eating unpaid for stuff but on Sunday I went shopping and witnessed multiple families eating tim Hortons breakfast sandwiches and resting them in the child seat of the cart. That was absolutely disturbing for me. This whole conversation makes me wanna take a bath.

The disgust factor of this thread makes me miss working grocery for the sole fact that I was able to just walk into the back rooms and take my pick of the produce that hadn't yet been touched by customers, it was great. Wish I could still do that now.

Foods that are pre-weighed and you're paying the same value whether you buy the full packet or empty, sure I don't mind if my child wants some grapes or a couple of biscuits.
If it was to be weighed at point if purchase then no because you can't weigh what's gone and therefore you have knowingly stolen something