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).

[Cheby]

The issue is that supermarkets hate it because they can't tell who is an honest MN type who will absolutely definitely pay at the checkout and who is just stealing food. So it's banned in most places.

I've been shopping loads with a hungry toddler. Takes all of 2 minutes to grab a snack from the fridges at the front, pay at the tobacco counter thing and then allow child (or yourself, if you really can't walk round a supermarket for an hour without sustenance) to eat/drink on the way round, with the receipt in your pocket should you be asked about it.

You're making the security staff's job much harder by eating on the way round otherwise.

[Pinkheart5915]

DS often gets some baguette or a biscuit when he gets pushed around waitrose, it keeps him happy. I really don't see the problem

disgusting you can't wait until you've paid wtf? Seriously do calm down far worse happens in the world you know

[Writerwannabe83]

I have done this - it keeps DS quiet in the trolley whilst I'm at the check-out?

Do you pay upfront at a restaurant or do you eat food there that you have not yet paid for? Im assuming you aren't "starving" whilst at the restaurant?

[frikadela01]

Does it matter where you got your gingerbread man from? hmm

Maybe that's why op is disgusted... Because how very dare someone act so common, this is waitrose don't you know

[Cherrysoup]

Bit loads of people don't pay. I see lots of discarded packaging and people eating their way round supermarkets, grazing like fucking cows, never paying. That is theft. Drives me mad.

[callycat1]

I think giving a toddler a fruit bag or breadstick is fine but I think eating in public like that for an adult is a bit yuck.

[GingerbreadLatteToGo]

All sing along...

Wind the Mumsnetters bobbin up
Wind the Mumsnetters bobbin up
Poke poke
Poke poke poke

[WankingMonkey]

I have never seen an adult do this. have seen a few parents open (for example) a multipack of raisins to give one to their child though. I don't really see the issue aslong as it gets paid for.

I never thought I would do this but a few weeks back DD started screaming for a drink of water while we walked past the bottled water. I did get one from the shelf and give her it, which she quickly downed. I was so embarrassed at the till giving over an empty bottle of water but the assistant just said to DD 'oh you were thirsty I take it' with a smile, then assured me it happens a lot.

[tofutti]

OP

Your kid is not "starving" on a supermarket shop.

if you're going to argue semantics/hyperbole, I'm not sure your choice of words - 'utter revulsion' - is great either.

[MerchantofVenice]

I'm not one for taking issue with what annoys other people - AIBU is the perfect place for our trivial bugbears. BUT I can't abide this weird, arbitrary decision that certain things are 'disgusting' or 'revolting' when they manifestly are not. Use words according to their actual meaning ffs.

[Blueberry234]

Surely it's not yours to eat until you have paid for it? It's a bit weird but not the end of the world

[maddiemookins16mum]

Yep, slagged for mentioning Waitrose. Supermarkets are not self service restaurants. The number of mums who think their kids cant survive an hours shop without feeding them.

[AnArrowToTheKnee]

What's the problem, as long as they pay for it? There's nothing disgusting about eating when you're hungry, or having a nibble of something you're buying anyway.

[cornishglos]

I think it's really rude. If you need snacks and drinks to go shopping, take them with you.

[ovenchips]

You irrationally dislike it. Fair enough - we all have our irrational hatred of things.

But in and of itself the practice isn't bad. People choose to eat a bit of their shopping as they go round the shop and pay for it minutes later. You choose to wait to eat something until you're back in the car.

I don't mind the practice. Certainly prefer that approach to the convent school I went to. It forbade eating in the street at lunchtime as it was deemed 'uncouth'.

[AppleJac]

Well she paid 3 times the price for a gingerbread in waitrose than elsewhere.

Michael mcintyre does a great performance on people who shop at waitrose.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=RwAKsADk-aQ

[bookbuddy]

If I get a warm French stick it's alway half gone by the time we get to the till! Who cares I'm paying

[Omgkitties]

Could be worse.

When me and DP used to shop with MIL she would eat and drink things and just dump the empty packaging without paying.

[HopeClearwater]

'Dd is a pain for pestering for food in the supermarket so i get her a sandwich'

Say no? Teach her that you can't always get what you want when you want it? Teach her that supermarket shopping is dull and you need to learn to put up with dull things rather than stuff your face to pass the time?

Just saying...

[Jellybean83]

Haha 'gingerbread man from Waitrose' only on MN do we see this completely unnecessary naming of Waitrose love it!

I opened a bottle of water walking around the supermarket once, it was the height of summer and I'd left DSs water bottle in the car, we were both thirsty, I paid for it, no big deal.... But I don't shop at Waitrose so I suppose it's expected of my kind!

[HopeClearwater]

No wonder child obesity is so common now.

[Mummyrowland]

I will always pay for the item before shopping. Either that or as it's usually tesco they get the free fruit as we go round!

[AdaLovelacesCat]

actually I make a point of driving to my nearest Waitrose and playing a game with my teens, of who can eat the most on the way round, and hide the packaging somewhere on our bodies! such fun! and i am teaching the teens great housekeeping skills for the future~!

[Sparklesilverglitter]

people actually get worked up over this

[VashtaNerada]

I've never seen anyone actually do this, only heard about it on MN! I'm not particularly snobby but I do think it's unfair on security staff who don't know if you're intending to pay for it or not.