People eating food they haven't paid for....

[maddiemookins16mum]

....It just really bugs me. To the point of utter revulsion.
In a supermarket, grown adults opening a pack of 4 pork pies and happily munching their way around the shop, only to toss the empty pack to be scanned as their shopping goes through. Why do people do that, have you ever, and why??? (DD had to wait until the car for her gingerbreadman biscuit from Waitrose).

It's not something I would do and I'm pretty sure it's not something supermarkets are going to encourage people to get into but I wouldn't get worked up about it. We're all different, makes life interesting.

What I don't get is the ridiculous comparisons with how you pay in restaurants as there's usually a valid reason why you can't pay your bill upfront.

If it was a choice between a screaming child and a quiet one then yes of course I would. Why does it matter what sort of shop?

I guess the problem is if people give in to screaming the first time then the child will scream every time they go to the super market because they know they'll get food. Eventually parents will just give their kids food to eat to preempt the screaming when they go shopping.

I do think it's weird that people can't wait 30-60 mins for a snack. It is a bit gross. Dropping crumbs on the supermarket trolley, handing a cashier your litter to scan (lovely, I'm sure), just not having the self control or being able to teach your children the self control to wait a very short amount of time.

I've dealt with many a horrendous meltdown in a supermarket and never with food because there are other strategies.

And plenty of people do it without intending to pay, grabbing a donut from the bakery section with no wrapper is theft. There is no intention to pay there.

Completely agree OP. It seems no one can wait for even a small amount of time for something to eat or drink nowadays. Snacking and lack of willpower to just wait is why so many people in this country are overweight and obese. If I was that hungry, I'd buy something, leave the shop and then return to do the rest of my shopping.

OP I am totally with you on this one. It is my absolute room 101. You wouldn't go in to a clothes shop, put on new clothes and then scan them whilst still wearing them, would you?

We've actually done this a few times. Quite often when DS is fitted for a new pair of shoes he'll ask to keep them on.
I was fitted for a new bra on Thursday (pregnant, desperately needed new super comfy underwear) the lady who did the fitting asked me if I wanted to keep it on and handed me the packaging to take to the till to scan.

But how do you KNOW they haven't paid for it?

I personally don't do it. However, for a child to be thirsty or hungry is quite normal. As long as you pay for it at the end, how does it matter?

Oh, and OP YABU in slagging off mums who let their children have a nibble or a drink. for that.

Argh font fail, the first paragraph was actually of another posters comments but the bold failed!

IfAtFirst where are your super comfy bras from?! (Fellow pregnant woman in extreme discomfort)

Agree with you OP and barkinginessex has summed it up perfectly.

Unfortunately some people are so entitled they think they deserve what they want, when they want.

I don't see the need for it although, to be fair, I rarely see it.

Don't know why everyone is so het up about it though.

Only on Mumsnet would people who give their child a satsuma be characterised as not talking to their children......

Get a life op, why do you even care?

Bertrand fruit is BAD! It's full of sugar! Stuff of the DEVIL!!!

PamBagnall has put my thoughts into words....

Because I'd much rather see a child eating a satsuma than being performance parented.

Indeed. If you really must have a child with you in the supermarket, try not to actually engage with them unless there is absolutely no other food option available.

You know, I don't think I've seen anyone doing this for ages, and I live in a low budget town and shop in Asda.

If I did I wouldn't really care.

Why should the OP 'get a life'? It's clearly a subject that people are strangely invested in, given the number of replies. So she's not on her own is she? No matter what 'side' you are on.

Only on Mumsnet would people who give their child a satsuma be characterised as not talking to their children

If you're trying to insinuate that I said that, you might want to read my posts again.

Why do people fall for these stupid goady threads? Are you exceptionally bored or mainly newbies?

bibbity you've got to admit the anger towards a child drinking a bottle of water/satsuma/raisins in a supermarket is quite entertaining...

But why on earth do you care so much?? It's all very trying to be all moralistic about it - but if the supermarket isn't saying you can't do it, where are you getting all this legal crap from? If it was genuinely some weird form of theft (in which, umm, you pay for the stolen goods,) don't you think people would be picked up on it (officially, I mean, not by the MN police).

I'm enjoying all the pathetic 'just teach them to wait' stuff - why waste an opportunity to pour scorn on other people's parenting, hey? Couldn't be that, say, they're busy focusing on other parenting priorities, like teaching tolerance or not being overly judgemental?

Are we all suddenly appalled by other people eating? What about at the park, or at toddler groups? Should they all just wait till they get home? People eat on trains, in shopping centres. It all depends how long they're out, where they're going... Why are you so bothered?

"Utterly revulsed" the op said, about an imaginary, adult family walking round the supermarket chewing down packets of pork pies.

Yes, so the people you have offended op, may have an opinion.

Why disgusting?

Because you haven't paid for it.
Because you may be dropping crumbs.
Because it's not something supermarkets encourage, otherwise more people would do it.
Because if you're with children it's not good for them to see their parent having no patience to wait 20 minutes or so for a snack.

mermaid 2 snickers is my secret fantasy meal.

Op I wasn't being mean-I was joking. We all have our bugbears-mine is cake bars. Honest to god-fucking cake bars shudders. I don't care if your child eats in the supermarket, the car, church etc-just don't give them a cake bar

What about non food items?

For me personally I've only ever done it with tissues. Now I think it would have been much more uncouth to wipe my nose on my sleeve.

I have probably bribed my children when they were tiny with food (mainly to get them to sit in the trolley without having a strop). But tbh online shopping is the main saviour for people with toddlers. I think people who want to shop lift will do so anyway.

I have honestly never seen an adult wandering round eating a pork pie or a whole cooked chicken.