Eating without paying

Jennifer Eccles... and the 'polite' Waitrose customers
Admittedly some time ago but I was queueing up at the fish counter there to buy the crab I had seen laid on ice.
It had gone by the time the scruffyish man ahead of me had been served
The assistant looked puzzled when I asked if he had bought it
We all looked at the man, by now standing watching us from a few yards away. He had a damp lump and a bulge just above the knee of his trousers. I pointed it out to my husband and, disliking the attention, the man ran at my husband, attempting to ram him with his trolley.
I complained to management asking that the police be called and the man be charged with assault. 'You wouldn't want to call them, would you?' said management but would not be moved when I insisted I would.
We paid and left and the man was still wandering around the store with the dripping crab loose in his trolley.
I learned later that the police more recently refused to turn out unless the theft was worth more than a certain specified sum.... ie less than the cost of a crab.
Can offer another Waitrose tale, too and also a Lidl one to level up the score. Shan't detail it too much but left that store with the management being taunted by' Chicken' being called at him by the till staff when he refused to intervene after a blatant shop- lifting episode in which I had been hit on the head by packaging which was being discarded to facilitate the packing of the items in a capacious holdall

"Slate an old lady" serkeen?! The woman is a thief, whether young or old, and the rest of us do pay for this through increasing prices. Most companies think of shoplifting as a cost and allow for it when setting prices.

Wrapped bread in paper bags is fine. It's all the plastic I object to!

Years ago when I had a part time job in a supermarket, at Christmas a member of staff had to stand watching the tills, as it was apparently quite common for people to put turkeys and other large items on the floor, and push them through the till, while paying for smaller purchases.

I quite often have to open a packet in the supermarket to snack on as I am diabetic. If I didn't, I'd go low and end up in hospital. I always pay for what I've eaten but often get disparaging remarks made. Do I care? Nope, I think people should be sure of their facts before the make assumptions.

what ever you want to call it, its theft. The item has not been paid for therefore until you pay its not yours!! Is it so hard for parents to say no? Before anyone says the little loves are hungry, upset or what ever, I worked in waitrose and used to see this all the time . A customer once gave me a banana skin and said" I don't know how you are going to weigh this" no problem, I got the line manager to get another banana and I weighed that!!!

I've been a victim of this - bought some fruit juice in M&S - when I got it out of the bag it was evident that it had already been opened, half drunk and put back on the shelf - urgggh I had to throw it away. So I paid twice for that thief!!

Never seen it at my supermarkets. Quite surprised to know it goes on. Just shows you I don't get around much, must make more effort ?

I have my granddaughters staying with me this week because mum is packing their house and moving 600 miles.
Where they lived before the only supermarket in town, Tesco, had fruit by the door for children to eat on the way round.
Yesterday I took them to Morrisons and got a net of oranges, opened it to give them one each, as they had never been in a supermarket that didn't let them eat fruit! I, of course, payed for the net. I've never done this before but I don't think it's wrong. I think that at 2 and 4 your a bit young to have a lecture on differing supermarket policies

In a trendy boutique (I was a teenager at the time) I stood next to a lady who picked up a pair of earrings by the counter as though she was examining them, she let them drop into a large shopping bag by her side. Blatant and unashamed.
I was horrified, felt myself blush then go hot and cold. There was just one assistant (others at lunch) who'd been called over by another customer (accomplice?) so there was no-one to mention this to. It must have been carefully planned. Yes, we're all paying for this.

left that store with the management being taunted by' Chicken' being called at him by the till staff when he refused to intervene after a blatant shop- lifting episode

I wouldn't expect any member of staff, not trained to deal with possible violence, to intervene with a shoplifter.

You can call the police yourself, if you have been assaulted. You don't have to leave it up to shop staff.

I ve never seen anyone nick goods I have seen empty packets paid for when kids have chewed their way through a bread roll or something
As for those that wouldn’t eat unwrapped food wants wrong with the tap water for fruit or just eat it I hope you NEVER ever eat in restaurant as you d be surprised without doubt at what goes on in the kitchens
I do know nicking goes on though certainly in the charity shop I volinteer in

There is never an excuse for consuming food before it is paid for. I understand you are diabetic ican but as such you should carry your own emergency supply, what if you were in the street when you felt ill ?
You wouldn't walk into someones home and rifle through the fridge and then take what you fancy leaving the wrappers on the worktop.

On a recent visit to Glasgow which we loved, we were in a supermarket by the Station, looking at fruit when suddenly a few young boys ran in picked up an apple each then ran out again, we werent quick enough to stop them, they obviously do this regularly, what a shame people go in and out of the same door, nobody to check them. I would rather have bought the boys some fruit instead of them stealing it, they obviously needed a snack after School!

I used to work in Tesco and I've had the empty banana skin too! If they had bought more I just weighed one again ! Too bad if it was bigger than the one consumed! The ploys shoplifters get up to is mind boggling! Many years ago I saw an elderly woman (I'm probably her age now?) open a box with a bottle of cough medicine in it have a swig and put it back on the shelf!! Don't get me started on unsupervised children poking their fingers through the fresh meat wrapping!! ??

Our local marks has uncovered bread and cakes at waist high level and I have watched customers leaning over and coughing. Yuk.

I would never buy uncovered food and always wash fruit and veg before cooking /eating . I would not report anyone eating food in a supermarket although I must say I have never seen it done . I feel differently about this happening in independent shops and think I would say something to the perpetrator !

continuing my rant! what about parents letting, not one but two children sit or stand in the trolly? apart from dirty shoes (and nappies ugh) if the child falls out and cracks their head open, whose fault is it? who has to fill out an accident form, call for a paramedic and sooth the mother who is getting hysterical?and these are usually the mothers who let their children eat goods which HAVE NOT BEEN PAID FOR!!
rant over.

As well as the supermarket I also work in the a charity shop....the theft that goes on there is also bad...we have people go in the changing rooms (always seem to slip in whilst you are busy so you don't always see what they have taken in)! they come out in a new outfit!! of course we dont notice till later when we find the tags ripped off and hidden in the changing room...
Also we have had some one come in and cut the bottom half off a dress!! presume to make a skirt!!.'

We have a few people banned but they just send their kids in to steal...they do it quite openly.

If I come over hungry when I am shopping in our supermarket I will open a multi pack of cheese biscuits or crisps to eat. Then at the till they are, of course, paid for. This has never been a problem - no one looses out and I am prevented from feeling ill. (Yes, I usually have a snack with me) I fail to see what is wrong with this??

First time I noticed free eating was Sainsbury's in a Midland university city. Entitled female students with naice accents were chatting next to the grapes as one munched her way through them. It wasn't just trying one for taste as I assumed at first. Now I'd say something loud and clear!

My mother, years ago, regularly saw a lady in her local Co-op taking small eggs out of the box and replacing them with large. The staff said they couldn't do anything as she didn't understand the language. She seemed to understand prices.

I must say it’s never occurred to me or my children and grandchildren to eat the stock while in the shop? but I must say I don’t like picking bread products or sweets from the loose section as I worry about people touching them eg the fresh croissant in the bakery in Waitrose or M&S ! so I tend to buy sealed packs or from an independent deli bakery where at least gloves are worn?

Lots of Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells here!

Out and out shoplifting where there is no intention to pay is very different from having a swig from a bottle of water that you're going to pay for, or a mother giving a child a biscuit. As Biker says 99% of customers are intending to pay.

I must say I haven't really seen much of this (only shop in Waitrose and M&S) and wouldn't be clutching at my pearls if I did - maybe I would at the miscreants who scoffed the whole chicken!

Can you honestly say if you're in a self-service and sliding along your tray towards the till, you would think it's theft to eat a chip off your own plate?

I think that sliding your tray along is completely different- but no it wouldn't occur to me to eat a chip at that point.

I have never understood why people need to eat when shopping or give children something to eat. I simply told mine that you can't eat anything until you have paid for it.

However I don't understand why people need snacks. You are supposed to be hungry when you get to a meal time. Constantly grazing is very unhealthy.

Unfortunately I avoid buying loose rolls having seen people touching them for crispness!