crimes against grocery

[ellencho]

Depending on the store, a place like Trader joe's or Whole Foods will encourage you to sample their products before making your decision. My bf used to work at WHole foods and he was allowed to give out tastes of products to customers of things that were up to 25 bucks in value. He even let this lady try 5 different types of mayonnaise, and since she dipped her spoon back into one of bottles, he let her have it for free. Ew!

And at Trader Joe's all I wanted once was a single orange, but they only little shopping bags full of oranges to buy. So the manager just gave me an orange out of one of the bags and said it was on him.

When supermarkets treat you kindly like this, and at their expense, it probably helps them in the long run, because I find myself returning to Whole Foods and TJs all the time.

[jgarner53]

like Trader joe's or Whole Foods will encourage you to sample their products before making your decision.

I've never seen this at any of the TJ's I've shopped at over the last 15 years, but maybe I'm just not curious enough?

I did have a TJ's checker ask me once if I'd checked my eggs for broken ones. I looked at him and said, "you mean there are people who don't?" He replied, "you'd be surprised." But he's the only one who's ever asked me. The supermarket drones can barely manage to grunt out, "thankyoumsgarnerdoyouneedhelpouttoyourcar."

[ellencho]

like Trader joe's or Whole Foods will encourage you to sample their products before making your decision.

I've never seen this at any of the TJ's I've shopped at over the last 15 years, but maybe I'm just not curious enough?

I did have a TJ's checker ask me once if I'd checked my eggs for broken ones. I looked at him and said, "you mean there are people who don't?" He replied, "you'd be surprised." But he's the only one who's ever asked me. The supermarket drones can barely manage to grunt out, "thankyoumsgarnerdoyouneedhelpouttoyourcar."

All you need to do is ask. And after you take your taste (at Whole Foods at least) they're supposed to put out the remainder of the food in a sampler type passive display so it'll benefit everyone else shopping in the market.

At most Trader Joe's that I've shopped at they have a little nook where a TJ worker stands while people take samples - you can ask usually ask those workers for a taste. Usually a "What does this taste like?" will get you a sample of what you like.

[jschyun]

At Trader Joe's I go to, the checkers actually open the egg cartons and check the eggs for me.

[bleachboy]

I know that Wild Oats (and presumably other "organic/gourmet" groceries) will definitely let you sample any produce you ask to sample. I dunno if they'll put it in a display, but at my local Wild Oats they have signs posted that say you can ask to taste things. I've never tried it -- usually if it's some exotic piece of produce I (or my wife, usually) will just buy one and try it out.

[phlox]

The Whole Foods in my city does this too. However, don't ask to take advantage of this policy IN the checkout line. The other day, I was behind this little old lady who asked to sample a jar of soy nut butter. The cashier actually called one of the guys from grocery over for a spoon and they both stood there and watched her try it. She rejected it, of course. Why did we all have to wait in line for her to do that? You're supposed to decide what you want to buy BEFORE you get in line. I guess that lady is special. Grrr.

[foodie52]

At Trader Joe's I go to, the checkers actually open the egg cartons and check the eggs for me.

Hate to burst your bubble, but what the checkers are actually doing is making sure that you haven't secreted some expensive item in the egg carton!!

[Basilgirl]

I admit that I've been tempted to break off the big fat stems on red/yellow/orange peppers. At $3.00 a pound it seems like such a ripoff when the stem weighs more than the pepper itself. I haven't done it though.

[JPW]

I admit that I've been tempted to break off the big fat stems on red/yellow/orange peppers. At $3.00 a pound it seems like such a ripoff when the stem weighs more than the pepper itself. I haven't done it though.

At $3 /pound, this isn't a crime against grocery, it's a grocery crime against you!

[jschyun]

At Trader Joe's I go to, the checkers actually open the egg cartons and check the eggs for me.

Hate to burst your bubble, but what the checkers are actually doing is making sure that you haven't secreted some expensive item in the egg carton!!

Uh, actually no. I used to work at Trader Joe's way back when and it was a courtesy thing. I did it too.

--if there was a cracked or broken egg, we got another carton for them.

Edited August 6, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[Basilgirl]

I admit that I've been tempted to break off the big fat stems on red/yellow/orange peppers. At $3.00 a pound it seems like such a ripoff when the stem weighs more than the pepper itself. I haven't done it though.

At $3 /pound, this isn't a crime against grocery, it's a grocery crime against you!

That's $3.00/lb on sale. At Giant they're usually about $4.99. Sheesh. I guess shipping them in from Holland really jacks up the price. If they're on the salad bar, already sliced and WITHOUT THE STEM, I scoop them up.

[nice_guy1812]

Hello everyone. This is my first post!

At the supermarket I go to I am always tempted to sample the produce, especially the berries packed in cartons, but never do because of the glares I'm sure I would receive. I've never asked any of the produce guys for a sample cause they are all stoned teenagers, but maybe I should ask some day. Anyways, the only grocery-store crime I commit is not correcting the cashier when they ring something in wrong. I consider it my little treat when I pay the price of one fig for half a dozen. Judge me if you will, I will still continue to do it.

[Pan]

As I mentioned before, if you correct it, you'll just get the cashier in trouble. For that reason, I believe it's morally superior not to correct it.

[Ohba]

The food industry, most of us would agree, is responsible for some pretty sharp practices. I think it's second nature to a lot of food corporations to con their customers - farm fresh eggs etc. - while keeping just to the right side of the law. The more you find out about what they do, the more depressing it gets. A recent one in the UK: a supermarket (Tesco, I think), took to displaying pork with added water next to fresh pork. Legal yes, ethical no. There's almost nothing they wouldn't stoop to to save a buck or force rubbish down our gullets that we wouldn't eat if we really knew.

But...

Snapping off mushroom stems? Because it's weally expensive? That's for kids. If you want the mushrooms, pay for them. Don't want them at that price? Don't buy them. And if you want to fight the food corporations, find a better way.

[Farmer Dave]

Snap all those mushroom stems off at home....put them in a bag in the freezer until you have lots.......and infuse the lot in some 35% cream on a rainy day....

strain and reduce it........all that flavour you paid for at the grocery store just became one kick-ass soup or the base of a pasta dish...

[Pickles]

As I mentioned before, if you correct it, you'll just get the cashier in trouble. For that reason, I believe it's morally superior not to correct it.

Hmmm...you mean I should be charged for something I haven't bought (let's do the reverse and I get charged for radicchio when I chose red cabbage) because some kid is going to get "in trouble?" How do they get into trouble? By learning something about being a cashier, which is their JOB...about the products they are ringing up...so they don't keep ripping people off? Maybe I am just reading your post wrong...

[Pan]

I would indeed correct a mistake in the store's favor, because that's money out of my wallet, but I found it a bit much when I corrected a mistake in my favor and seemed to have gotten the cashier in trouble disproportionate to her error. And it felt to me like I was punishing someone for doing me a good turn. I described the incident earlier in the thread. The cashier was clueless about what had happened, and the manager came over because of my persistent attempts to explain the mistake. If I were ever given more change than I should be, according to the receipt, I would give back the excess, but correcting wrong input in favor of the customer really isn't my job.

[Transparent]

I don't do any de-stemming or anything, but whenever I'm at Costco or BJ's and a package is open, "yoink!" Heck, they've already been open. They just throw them out during closing time.

[Pickles]

I don't do any de-stemming or anything, but whenever I'm at Costco or BJ's and a package is open, "yoink!" Heck, they've already been open. They just throw them out during closing time.

I certainly wouldn't eat opened, unwrapped food in those places....or any place for that matter...but to each his own, I suppose. Even taking wrapped merchandize "already open" is still STEALING. Like the little boy (about 3) this evening in Shop Rite who ran up to the green bean bin and grabbed two fistfuls and was running up to Mumsie while stuffing them in his fat little face. Not much different from adults stealing candy and grapes and snack sized chocolate bars.

[dumplin]

I thought of this thread today when I was at Jewel buying eggs. I set aside 5 cartons of ooey egg cartons before I found a dozen that hadn't been cracked. Do people jump up and down in the egg bin when other's aren't watching??

[bleachboy]

...Like the little boy (about 3) this evening in Shop Rite who ran up to the green bean bin and grabbed two fistfuls and was running up to Mumsie while stuffing them in his fat little face. Not much different from adults stealing candy and grapes and snack sized chocolate bars.

I have seriously mixed feelings about a child stealing raw green beans in a grocery. On one hand, he's stealing. On the other hand, he's stealing fresh produce.. is that normal for a three-year-old?

[dumplin]

...Like the little boy (about 3) this evening in Shop Rite who ran up to the green bean bin and grabbed two fistfuls and was running up to Mumsie while stuffing them in his fat little face.  Not much different from adults stealing candy and grapes and snack sized chocolate bars.

I have seriously mixed feelings about a child stealing raw green beans in a grocery. On one hand, he's stealing. On the other hand, he's stealing fresh produce.. is that normal for a three-year-old?

Not normal for the typical American child. Someone must have taught him to like his vegetables. Now they just have to work on teaching him not to STEAL!!!!

[Pickles]

On one hand, he's stealing. On the other hand, he's stealing fresh produce.. is that normal for a three-year-old?

For a three year old brat...yes.

[hjshorter]

On one hand, he's stealing.  On the other hand, he's stealing fresh produce.. is that normal for a three-year-old?

For a three year old brat...yes.

I hate to break it to you, but three-year-olds think that everything in the world belongs to them. Just sit in at a preschool sometime and watch. It takes a good long while to convince them otherwise.

[mklynch]

We were in a Park City, Utah grocery store last month stocking up for camping in Moab. We split the list and I was in the back of the store when a dog came running down the aisle. My husband wasn't far behind and told me the dog had just taken a dump by the cash registers. The cashiers cleaned it up but didn't tell the dog owner to get the dog out of the store. He ran around the rest of the time we were in there.

I guess the laws are different in Utah.

Gives new meaning to "clean up on Aisle 7"