Eating in the supermarket

sed - am tempted to say "get a life". What I do in the supermarket is none of your business, but am worried that it might come across as confrontational and horrid

But truthfully, I can't see why anyone's got a problem with it. I'm happy. DS is happy and not bothering ANYONE, and the supermarket staff all seem over the moon for him to eat whatever he likes - and we ALWAYS pay. It's only theft if you actually walk out of the store without having paid.

I can't believe I'm reading this thread. I honestly don't think I'm moralistic or a control freak - but the food simply isn't yours till you've paid for it. Yes, the supermarkets make big profits, yes, you plan to pay for it, but again that isn't the point. It's stealing.
(Don't you also worry that you'll forget one day and walk out without paying for the stuff your kids have already eaten?)
Am I a completely lone voice? Should I have changed my name?

Hi everyone, Brilliant thread, I've just spent nearly an hour reading it all (how long can I make my post-operation recuperation last? I have tons of time for mumsnet while I can't do laundry, cooking etc)

You all stop at unweighed grapes?? Last year my ds developed a passion for fresh peas, and I used to give him 3 or 4 pods to open and eat the peas from while I was shopping. see, no problem with washing them. One day I offered him smarties, and he chose peas instead (shocked me too).

I agree that the supermarkets make enough profits from us to withstand parents doing this. If profits rose, I don't think they'd pay the staff more anyway, they would just pay shareholders a bigger dividend.

When it's not the pea season, then ds often has a packet of crisps or sommink, then we pay at the end. He reads his comic while we're going round too, and pay for that at the end.

Oh, my posh plastic peg basket broke last week (helped by ds) Now I keep my pegs in a Sainsbury's carrier bag. Posh, me ???

My ds (20 months) clamours for grapes when he sees them. I pre-weigh them, then he gets a small bag. Will stop letting him do this when he's old enough to understand that he can eat them when we get home. My others 3, 5, 7 don't bother asking for food in the shop although I usually let them choose something for eating at home for lunch.

Re internet shopping - I do mine with Tesco's and it takes me between 5 and 10 minutes to do the whole shop, plus putting the shopping away when it's been delivered. Worth every penny. And 95% of the time they can deliver next day, although admittedly I am a sahm so that makes finding a time slot easier.
I go the shops maybe once a month with one or more children because I think it's good for them. Plus once a week I pop into the small local supermarket to buy more milk, bread etc.
Can't emphasise enough, what a difference internet shopping has made to my life.

Tossum your post made me laugh - I think Tallulah should take a chill pill because I have read both your posts ie. this one and the other one about other peoples kids misbehaving. Being a parent is hard work and not always easy as a mum of 4 you should know that.

I'm with marynz too. I would be very wary of eating a pre-packed snack or piece of fruit that I had bought from another shop beforehand. They might think I was stealing it. I like to have the receipt handy in case I'm questioned, and I like it to have been bought from the supermarket I'm in. Seems cheeky otherwise.

I'm with prufrock - I had to eat or collapse when pregnant. It comes over you quite suddenly too. When pregnant with DS1, I had to take snacks to work to eat just before my lunchtime, as a woman in my office always insisted on taking the earliest lunch-break, leaving me to wait until 1pm for my lunch. I would have fainted clean away to wait that long.

Come to think of it, I often put a toy in the baby's hands to keep him amused and if he's mangled it beyond recognition, usually feel guilty enough to pay for it at the end rather than put it back. Usually.

Yes Lil... my ds isn't even 2 yet. I'm not going to lecture him on the moral implications of eating a grape before the check out.

sed, most of us here are referring to their little pre-schoolers here. I think lessons in stealing can wait until they have learnt what money is!!! (and where it comes from, and what paper rounds are for?)

No time to read through all this, but my solution has always been to buy DS's snack/fruit etc first, ie grab it, go to fast checkout, pay for it then shove it in his hot little hand and get on with shopping in peace.
Sorry if this has been said.

Absolutely never. I tell the children that eating stuff you haven't paid for is stealing. Whether or not you intend to pay for it later is beside the point.
Feel very strongly about this one.

Oh dear I always stuff my face all the way round
Waitrose. Am I a revolting monster? The reason being that I can only bring myself to go shopping when I have had no food in the house for 2 days and am ready to eat own arm.

Hi, I am new to mumsnet and this is the first thing I have read on here and I have to say that it is hysterical. I have to take a 3 year old and a 1 year old shopping with me every week. Dh can't do it because he works long hours. I shop in Asda and as you go through the door they have a stand with tubs of muffins/mini doughnuts. I pick up one of these and my kids munch them on the way round. They are prepriced so I don't have a problem with it. It saves them fighting in the trolley and I get to shop in semi-peace. My kids don't eat in clothes shops because they don't see anything there that they would like to eat.

Look forward to reading more threads like this one, it has made my day.

Hahahahaha! (evil cackle).

It's funny though, I always imagined that it would be easy to spot who people were when using a different name. I thought the style would be glaringly obvious.

welcome cerp

Hi, I am new to mumsnet and this is the first thing I have read on here and I have to say that it is hysterical. I have to take a 3 year old and a 1 year old shopping with me every week. Dh can't do it because he works long hours. I shop in Asda and as you go through the door they have a stand with tubs of muffins/mini doughnuts. I pick up one of these and my kids munch them on the way round. They are prepriced so I don't have a problem with it. It saves them fighting in the trolley and I get to shop in semi-peace. My kids don't eat in clothes shops because they don't see anything there that they would like to eat.

Look forward to reading more threads like this one, it has made my day.

Message withdrawn

edgarcat or doormat???

Good idea. Or what about trollies with built-in strait jackets? edgarcat, nobody on floor 8 of the multi storeys round here ever has a golden retriever in their mouth.
I've got a peg bag which hangs on the line but still have to hold spare pegs in my teeth. I like my pegs to match on each item of washing so the non-matching ones have to be stored somewhere.
Have to go to Tesco for dog food later. Can't wait. Will be looking out for all the mumsnetters whose kids are eating all the profits.

Whymummy - who is she????