Do you "Eat" whilst you shop ?

MarinoMark · 20-12-2006 06:57AM #1

Apart from free samples,taste of soup/wine in the supermarket do you eat their food while going down the aisles ? I specalise in open or torn packets.
Today at my local supermarket, There was a box of celebrations split open on the shelf to which I ate about 10. Around the corner in the cheese section was a torn open net of babybel cheese (The ones covered in red wax) I ate about 3 of those. I taste the fruit too.

Ruu_Old · 20-12-2006 07:06AM

What age are you? I'd expect it from a 10 year old so unless you are 10 or under...

I have seen people regularly take a few sweets from each box at the pick 'n' mix thingy in the local shop and parents letting their snotty nosed, little brat open the packets of cereal.

pepper · 20-12-2006 08:15AM

MarinoMark wrote:

Apart from free samples,taste of soup/wine in the supermarket do you eat their food while going down the aisles ? I specalise in open or torn packets.
Today at my local supermarket, There was a box of celebrations split open on the shelf to which I ate about 10. Around the corner in the cheese section was a torn open net of babybel cheese (The ones covered in red wax) I ate about 3 of those. I taste the fruit too.

no but if my niece wants a bar ill let her have it n scan the wrapper

User45701 · 20-12-2006 08:17AM

there was a topic on this a few weeks back ill eat a french stick while im walking around or waiting in the checkout queue

20-12-2006 08:51AM

No, I would not eat something I hadn't purchased yet. It's not yours until you pay for it. If you eat it and not pay for it, it's theft plain and simple.

Dave! · 20-12-2006 09:16AM

This topic prompted a surprisingly emotional discussion a week ago......... You'd be surprised what people think about.

20-12-2006 09:27AM

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mikemac · 20-12-2006 09:53AM

Of course. My local Tesco's normally has 3-4 demonstations giving samples of food and drink for free.
It's how I survived through college when my useless VEC took 4 months to process my college grant

Rabies · 20-12-2006 10:02AM

I posted a thread about something along this line ages ago. I was in a petrol station in Nass. Some guy came in, went to the cold drinks. Opened one, had a few gulps. Put it back and walked out.

Stephen · 20-12-2006 10:09AM

MarinoMark wrote:

Apart from free samples,taste of soup/wine in the supermarket do you eat their food while going down the aisles ?

Absolutely not. Until its paid for, it ain't mine.

Gobán Saor · 20-12-2006 10:14AM

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

No, I would not eat something I hadn't purchased yet. It's not yours until you pay for it. If you eat it and not pay for it, it's theft plain and simple.

Actually, legally, it's not. An essential ingredient of theft (otherwise known as the offence of larceny) is the unlawful taking of property with the intention to permanently deprive the legitimate owner of its use. If you eat a chocolate bar in the supermarket queue and subsequently present the wrapper for scanning, there is no intent to deprive and the offence of larceny is not committed. On the other hand if you neglect to pay for the item, you most certainly DO commit the act of larceny.

Similarly, so-called "joyriders" are charged with the specific offence of "unauthorised taking" and not with the larceny or theft of the vehicle as it would be difficult to show intent to deprive.

20-12-2006 11:27AM

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petes · 20-12-2006 11:44AM

Gob&#225 wrote: »

Actually, legally, it's not. An essential ingredient of theft (otherwise known as the offence of larceny) is the unlawful taking of property with the intention to permanently deprive the legitimate owner of its use. If you eat a chocolate bar in the supermarket queue and subsequently present the wrapper for scanning, there is no intent to deprive and the offence of larceny is not committed. On the other hand if you neglect to pay for the item, you most certainly DO commit the act of larceny.

Well eating the chocolate bar deprives the legitimate owner of the bar (the shop) of its use. How exactly are they going to get the use of it then? Regurgitation?

Dreamer 7 · 20-12-2006 11:55AM

Years ago when i was 13 or so me and friends used to go to Dunnes and open bottle of coke, eat a doughnut, packet of crisps, finish the coke, hide the wrappers and off with us. Seemed like a great scheme at the time! also would give kids one of those tiny bread rolls while shopping to keep them quiet, eould like to pay but no wrapper unfortunately

Gobán Saor · 20-12-2006 12:03PM

petes wrote:

Well eating the chocolate bar deprives the legitimate owner of the bar (the shop) of its use. How exactly are they going to get the use of it then? Regurgitation?

Picky, picky - ever thought of being a lawyer? It also has to be UNLAWFUL ie taking without the owners consent. Taking goods from a display in a shop and actually paying for them is the lawful activity otherwise known as shopping and there is an obvious implied consent to engage in such taking. Also if you pay the owner his asked price he is getting all the use and benefit he wanted from the goods. Agian, there is no unlawful intent to deprive.

Now, if you went into my private orchard and took some fruit and then knocked on the door offering to pay - you'd be on stickier ground. That taking would be unlawful and you'd have to argue that offer of fair payment constituted lack of intent to deprive.

Gobán Saor · 20-12-2006 12:04PM

Dreamer 7 wrote:

Years ago when i was 13 or so me and friends used to go to Dunnes and open bottle of coke, eat a doughnut, packet of crisps, finish the coke, hide the wrappers and off with us. Seemed like a great scheme at the time! also would give kids one of those tiny bread rolls while shopping to keep them quiet, eould like to pay but no wrapper unfortunately

Yep, that's larceny all right. In both cases. Lack of wrapper is no defence!

Mossy Monk · 20-12-2006 12:48PM

only last night did i see a woman with 5 children hand the cashier at the local supermarket an empty multipack of hunky dorys to scan through. thought it was rather odd myself

Stench Blossoms · 20-12-2006 01:28PM

I ate a bar of chocolate in the que in Marks & Spencer today. Only because i was feeling weak, and i paid for it aswell.

muckwarrior · 20-12-2006 01:39PM

MarinoMark wrote:

I taste the fruit too.

And then buy it or leave it back on the shelf?

Geek Nose · 20-12-2006 01:47PM

Yes - I eat spicy wedges from the deli. And maybe a 500ml bottle of 7up to wash it down.
If the supermarket staff don't have a problem with it (nobody has ever as much as looked at me funny), and there are no signs up asking people not to do it, why does the OP give a sh*t? I always pay for the stuff. It's legally not theft unless I leave their property without purchasing said items.

CuLT · 20-12-2006 02:40PM

It's great to see people bandy around what they think the law is as fact without any reference to statutes, previous cases, or any sign that they actually have any qualification to make such claims.

Oh, After Hours.

Personally, I've never known anyone other than your average snot-nosed teenage bag-packer to have a problem with it when you're paying, delayed or not. The people running the stores don't appear to have a problem with it.

biko · 20-12-2006 03:55PM

I wouldn't do it myself but someone in the queue snacking on an apple and paying for it is fine by me. Stealing from open or torn packets is a no-no, it's not like you are paying for it "oh, yeah and I had 3 babybells aswell".

Ickle Magoo · 20-12-2006 04:07PM

DaveMcG wrote:

This topic prompted a surprisingly emotional discussion a week ago......... You'd be surprised what people think about.

Yep, if I recall correctly it went something along the lines of anyone with children, more than 5 items, a cold, not the correct money, anyone that is not them really, should be banned from shopping in public & let the good, tolerant folks get the hell on with THEIR lives...:cool::D

Backtoblack · 20-12-2006 08:08PM

The Scientist wrote:

I'd bate away into the grapes alright

T.Sc.

Without washing them???? :eek:

il gatto · 20-12-2006 08:32PM

I don't care what the legalities of it are, or if the shop management have a no problem with it or not. I don't even consider doing it. Have some bloody will power. You'll be outside in a couple of minutes. Eat it then ffs.
If you're blood sugar levels have reached such a critical level standing in the line at the checkout for a couple of minutes, eat the chocolate, then go to a doctor immediately. You're diabetic. Otherwise there's no reason to do it, other than you just feel like something to eat "now, now, now" to quote a five year old.
(also, I see alot more women do it then men. why is this?)

phantom_lord · 20-12-2006 09:06PM

MarinoMark wrote:

Apart from free samples,taste of soup/wine in the supermarket do you eat their food while going down the aisles ? I specalise in open or torn packets.
Today at my local supermarket, There was a box of celebrations split open on the shelf to which I ate about 10. Around the corner in the cheese section was a torn open net of babybel cheese (The ones covered in red wax) I ate about 3 of those. I taste the fruit too.

that's pretty bad.

Sangre · 20-12-2006 09:11PM

Geek Nose wrote:

Yes - I eat spicy wedges from the deli. And maybe a 500ml bottle of 7up to wash it down.
If the supermarket staff don't have a problem with it (nobody has ever as much as looked at me funny), and there are no signs up asking people not to do it, why does the OP give a sh*t? I always pay for the stuff. It's legally not theft unless I leave their property without purchasing said items.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA50Y2001.html

Actually its theft the second you pick it up and decide to steal it. Leaving the store only makes it easier to prove.

Big Ears · 20-12-2006 09:20PM

When you go to buy something you are only making an offer for this item , the shop do not have to accept . Therefore eating something before paying would be illegal as in theory the shop may not wish to sell the item . In reality of course they do .

Anyway as pointed out unless your a diabetic I don't see why you couldn't wait .

robinph · 20-12-2006 09:36PM

Would never even consider doing that until after I had paid for the items.

I did once have a Garda go and steal a bottle of Lucozade for me from one of the newsagents down Grafton Street though when I had a hypo and had collapsed in the street.

Backtoblack · 20-12-2006 09:38PM

phantom_lord wrote:

that's pretty bad.

hmmm... conjures up images in my head of a dirty vagrant!
Euwwwww.... I won't be buying in the fruit section today!!!!

Red Hand · 20-12-2006 11:58PM

No OP, I don't eat things I haven't bought.

Incidently, I wonder how many people are going to select their live turkey from the free-range farm-shop tommorrow or Friday?:D

Do you "Eat" whilst you shop ?

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