I was in the grocery store earlier today and I see a woman in the produce section

[Coventina]

with her mask hanging off of one ear.

First person I've seen in a while, violating the store's mask policy. So, I was looking at her, and I see WHY she has her mask 1/2 off.
She's nomming grapes! There is a sale on grapes now, and they come in these ziplock bags that are usually left open. So she's working her way down the line of grapes and munching out of just about every bag! When she got to the end, she wheeled her cart away AND DIDN'T EVEN BUY A BAG!

I had planned to get a bag of grapes (sale was good), but lost my appetite for them now that I knew a crappy, inconsiderate woman had been fingering them.

Who does that? Especially DURING A PANDEMIC!?!?!

I went and reported her to an employee, but the employee said they are not allowed to do anything.

Gross! It makes me wonder about all the things I DON'T witness!

[Lunabell]

1. Lazy employees.

She was shoplifting.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

9. Blame blame the minimum wage employee and not the customer.

Service industry employees have been putting their lives on the line during a pandemic and they still get shit on. Shame on you.

[Sherman A1]

16. Precisely

[Lunabell]

45. I've worked grocery

They could have at least alerted Security. Lazy

[Aristus]

64. Yeah, if they even had security.

Who, by the way, are also probably on minimum wage.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

72. Good for you.

Still a dumb comment.

[cstanleytech]

14. More likely they are following company policy.

[Sherman A1]

18. Never worked grocery

Have Ya?

[leftyladyfrommo]

28. No. They don't want their employees hurt. Or shot. nt

[Codeine]

36. Shoplifting grapes?

As someone who has spent most of their adult life in grocery I can assure you we expect a certain number of grapes to be eaten. This is why you should rinse your fruit.

[Lunabell]

44. They could have alerted Security

Yes lazy. I'm a working class hero too, it's the least they could have done.

[Codeine]

51. Security wouldn't have done anything.

Eating a few grapes is not an issue. It’s expected. Nobody minds.

[Ms. Toad]

56. Those of us who are paying more for the shoplifted grapes mind.

The cost of shrinkage gets passed on to the customers via higher price per pound.

It is one thing for the store to decide as a marketing ploy to have a table from which they hand out samples. It is a very different matter for a customer to decide to create her own banquet by sampling her way through the store.

[Codeine]

58. Welcome to the produce section.

It is as it has ever been. People eat the grapes, that’s just the way it is. It’s nothing new and the markup on produce is already huge to cover spoilage and damage, so it’s safe to say that illegal grape consumption is not impacting your price.

[Ms. Toad]

61. Lost product does impact the price -

Especially if, as you say, everyone does it.

Stores who discourage employees from confronting customers or reporting it to security - or who laugh at customers who report it - encourage the practice. It is harmless to them, because they just pass the cost on.

NOT appropriate. That passes the cost of misbehavior on not to the misbehaving customer, not to the store who refuses to halt it - even when reported - but to those of us who are honest and expect our goods to be priced in a fair manner.

Rationalization of stealing (or turning a blind eye to it) is not an attractive thing.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

73. Far more is thrown away than stolen.

Glad to see your priorities are in check.

[Ms. Toad]

74. So if I'm paying $1 more for something and only $.20

covers theft, I should be happy - and it is perfectly acceptable for the store - when informed of the theft - to pass the cost on to me rather than addressing the customer doing the stealing?

Nope. People need to stop stealing - and when it is pointed out to the store they need to address it, rather than cost the added cost on to its honest customers.

[Codeine]

79. Grape theft isn't impacting anything.

Seriously, the amount of produce that becomes unsellable through age or damage (or just being ugly) and has to be tossed into the compost pickup is enormous. A big stores dumps hundreds of pounds weekly. Those few handfuls of grapes just do not matter and grocers do not care. They aren’t adding anything into the price because the amount is so minute as to be immeasurable.

[Ms. Toad]

83. You have heard of the rounding schemes

that siphon off a miniscule amount of money by always rounding down or up. Those miniscule amounts add up to significant cash hauls (whether for charity - or for illicit purposes).

Whatever the source of the shrinkage, and whatever the relative proportions, it is all added into the price point that I pay.

Stop trying to rationalize why the store ignoring theft, and adding it to my tab, is acceptable.

[Blue_true]

76. Produce sections can be spread out. I have seen workers attending in Publix, they have

their hands full just restocking items, they can’t police morons that should know better.

Stores have security cameras. The footage should be checked daily by a security person and people that are stealing stuff should have their image sent to police or a private investigator.

[Codeine]

80. An enormous cost in labor

for a pittance lost. Less than a pittance, really — vast quantities of fresh veg get sent to compost every day. That’s where the costs lie. Spending a ton on labor (easily the largest expense at any grocery store) to recover the pennies lost in The Great Grape Heist of 2020 would be poor financial management indeed.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. It's more work, but I see them going through the plastic boxes of berries...

and occasionally grab a banana.

I doubt anyone comfortable with this sort of low level thievery cares much about the pandemic.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. She's an idiot, but in reality the grapes were not contaminated

and you could have purchased what you wanted quite safely.

[Frasier Balzov]

4. Safe is one thing. Yuck is another.

[Codeine]

37. All your fruit gets touched.

Touched in the field, in the processing center, by employees unboxing it, other employees straightening and restocking it, and customers selecting their preferred items. I guarantee you move apples ad avocados looking for your ideal selection. This is normal and it won’t hurt you.

[Blue_true]

77. I can promise you that any fruit that you buy has been touched by several

people besides the ones that prepare it. That is why you wash every piece of fruit and vegetables before doing anything with them. The burden is especially large now because of the detailed wash procedures needed and the fact that you can’t touch any part of your body after, before thoroughly washing hands and forearms.

[Crunchy Frog]

71. She was getting her saliva on her fingers and her fingers on the grapes.

Would it be okay if she just skipped a step and spat on them?

[stopdiggin]

5. this is where selective memory and retention

become an evolutionary advantage
(or at least a superior coping mechanism) ---- ----

[Lady Freedom Returns]

6. That was one of the biggest pet peeves...

I used to work for a grocery store. And I wasn't allowed to do anything about shoplifting. If I saw one I was to report it to security or the on duty manager.
By the time I found one the shoplifter was gone and I got in trouble for taking time to report it.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. I love cherry tomatoes.

I wish they weren't so damned expensive. Next time I go to the grocery store, I'm taking a salt shaker with me.

[BigmanPigman]

8. That goes on at ALL the stores around here that sell food.

I never saw that type of behavior while I was growing up. It is stealing and it is disgusting. It seems to be the norm in Southern CA. The bags of grapes and cherries are all unzipped all the time. Where and when did this practice become "normal"?

[cstanleytech]

15. Technically it is but the reality is more grocery stores allow it because they do not want to drive

potential customers away for good over a minor issue like someone eating a few grapes.

[nuxvomica]

21. The business model for supermarkets changed a long time ago

They used to just make their money from the profits of selling food items but now they make a lot of it renting out shelf space to the big suppliers, which is probably why half the shelves in the cookie section are filled with the forty or so varieties of Oreos, and collecting marketing data. I remember under the old model snitching a few produce items could get you in trouble but now they depend more on that lucrative customer traffic.

[BigmanPigman]

22. I feel like I'm an old model too.

[yardwork]

31. So businesses aren't selling merchandise anymore, they're selling data?

I guess I knew that but the overall implications just hit me. Ugh.

[nuxvomica]

33. They're still seeling merchandise

It's just that they have other revenue streams that are affecting their policies. The shelf rentals have been around a long time. I remember reading years ago of one chain that signed a 6-month contract to promote Coke and limit the shelf space for Pepsi, but after that ran out they signed a 6-month with Pepsi and limited Coke, and on and on. The data selling has just been since the scanning became widespread,

[Codeine]

39. Stores have been contracting out shelves forever.

There are, as an example, three major soft drink vendors in the country - Coke, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper/7Up. Coke and Pepsi often pay for shelf space at major retailers, whereas 7Up rarely does. This is why you’ll see half an aisle of just Coke product with 8 ft of Dr Pepper/7Up tacked on to the end. There are a few regions where this doesn’t apply, but in the main that’s the system.

Same happens with Nabisco, Purina, and similar large brands.

[lpbk2713]

63. So that explains it.

I was wondering why Publix has half an aisle of Frito Lay products (Fritos, Doritos)
in different sizes and flavors. Plus they have other displays at the end of the aisles
and at the entrance to the store. Thanks for filling me in.

[Codeine]

38. It allows people to examine their selection

and adjust quantities. Open zip-seal bags increase grape sales dramatically, and they prevent the very common occurrence of sealed bags being torn open so somebody can eat a grape.

Seriously guys, people have ALWAYS eaten the grapes. I’ve been in grocery since I was 17, it’s the absolute norm.

[Ms. Toad]

57. It's stealing. Period. n/t

[Codeine]

60. Of course it is.

But it’s stealing that literally nobody gives a shit about in the industry. Two rules to live by are 1) Pick your battles, and 2) Don’t sweat the small stuff. A couple of illicitly-nommed grapes don’t matter in the scheme of things. More money in labor would be spent preventing it than could ever be lost by the grape pilfering.

Don’t get me wrong, after years in the industry I hate shoplifters with a passion. Most of them are filthy human scum, completely able to pay but simply not willing to do so. But a couple of grapes? Come on; that’s a non-issue.

[Ms. Toad]

62. It adds up, and it should not be tolerated -

especially when reported to the store or witnessed by an employee.

To do otherwise is not fair to the law-abiding customers for whom the price is increased without any added benefit.

[Doodley]

10. She thinks she is Making America Grape Again!

[Coventina]

11. Good one!

[Laha]

20. The Grapist

Be careful, she may grape you in the mouth.

[PCIntern]

24. Wow. That's something!

We are more than halfway there now.

[eShirl]

12. "Who does that? Especially DURING A PANDEMIC!?!?! "

my guess is people without a lot of food money

[Coventina]

13. Well, she was a stout, well-dressed white woman.

I know that's not actually proof of anything, but she didn't look like someone who was in any kind of distress.

Putting that aside, it's still stealing and extremely selfish and rude to the other customers.

[yardwork]

32. Shoplifting is a mental health issue, often.

The shoplifters I've known were educated, upper income white women. They stole small objects constantly. I don't know why. Some kind of craving? Entitlement? Don't know.

[Sherman A1]

17. I worked Produce for 20 of my 43 years in the business

And to answer your question of “who does that?”


Lots and lots of folks. And yes, it was/is rather disgusting.

You would have been fine buying the grapes 🍇. I would think that you would wash them before you consumed them at home.

[Coventina]

19. Yes, I realize that my hangup was mental.

She just worked so methodically through the whole stock that it almost felt like she'd marked a territory or something.

[Ilsa]

23. It's easy to get a mild intestinal bug doing what she's did.

She's eating what everyone before her has touched, including fingers up their noses, their kids' hands and faces, etc. Gross.

[no_hypocrisy]

25. I work in a large grocery store and we used to see customers do that all the time.

We had loose pistachios and hot food (mozzarella sticks, chicken balls, etc.) before the Pandemic. I'd find nut shells left indiscreetly on the floor, on displays. My supervisors allowed me to accost customers who ate before they bought as long as it was I wasn't aggressive. My MO was to saunter up to their sides while they were stuffing themselves. Sometimes I'd drawl, "You going to buy that?" and they'd stop.

While I haven't seen customers go after grapes, etc. since the Pandemic, occasionally I'll find abandoned half-eaten boxes of donut holes around the store. And yes, it's more than shop-lifting without leaving the store, it's putting our employees and other customers at risk for spreading the Virus. (I'm uncertain whether our customers could get away with in-store grazing on grapes as there are too many workers in the Produce section who WOULD intervene.)

[Klaralven]

26. The retail model of having goods on open shelves for self-service worked in the 40s and 50s

Back in the day when supermarkets started people were honest.

As the population becomes more and more stressed economically and society continues to fragment and deteriorate, the supermarket model won't persist.

Pickup and delivery are the future models.

[brewens]

27. I wear one surgical glove to open those produce bags without licking my fingers. Otherwise it would

take me an hour to buy my produce. Those bags are impossible with dry fingers. I also only eyeball produce and take my chances. Don't fondle the produce!

[Zeitghost]

46. That produce

Has already been touched by dozens of people. They get picked by hand, packed by hand, stocked by hand and then handled by customers. It also needs to be washed to get dirt, pesticides, germs, bugs, spider webs etc. off prior to eating. Refusing to touch it unless you plan on purchasing isn't reducing any risks to you or others.

[Codeine]

66. This.

When did everyone become terrified of fruit and veg? No wonder everyone is so fucking unhealthy — they think the produce is poisoned!

[tanyev]

29. I usually see at least one mask dangler per shopping trip.

I realized the cause (excuse) is that my Kroger has a Starbucks kiosk and the danglers have a coffee in their hands. My goodness, they have to take their masks down to drink their coffee, don't they? The one last week was particularly annoying because it was a man and woman shopping together. She had mask up, he had mask down and was pushing the cart with coffee in hand. Why didn't he just hang out outside until he finished his precious coffee? For that matter, why were the two of them shopping together when it's still best practice to have fewer people in the store?

[PTWB]

30. Why not shame her?

When I see such offending behavior I take joy in loudly pointing it out to whomever I am with. Loud enough to make sure that the offender and anyone else in the vicinity hears me.

[bif]

34. Say something. I do!

The Kroger's in Michigan have one-way aisles. When I see someone going the wrong way, I always point it out to them. Once of these days, I'm going to get the crap beat out of me, but at least I've made my point.

[Tracer]

35. My grocery store is a very small chain,

that has to compete with a Whole Foods and a Shaws that are only a quarter of a mile away.

One way they do so, is to put out a lot of food samples that people can help themselves to. (Unfortunately, that has gone away due to Covid).

I imagine that also helps prevent "grape sampling", as I've never seen anyone doing anything like that in this store.

[seaglass]

40. I usually smell fruit and test grapes before I buy but not since the pandemic. Grapes

do not ripen once picked so if you buy a bag of sour grapes you are stuck. Or you could drive back to the store and return them or I guess eat one out in the parking lot and return them if they're sour. I figure (pre-pandemic) that I have eaten fewer grapes in a grocery store than I've bought sour ones. I don't buy any grapes now.

I'm not defending this woman AT ALL but perhaps grocery stores should leave samples of produce such as grapes that don't ripen so customers don't waste money buying food that is no good (post pandemic of course).

[Lucinda]

41. ...

❤️ ~✿~❧~🌿~❧~✿~ ❤️

[notinkansas]

42. I saw the weirdest thing in the grocery store -

A youngish white man was walking along a long aisle of produce touching something in every section of the aisle. He was not shopping - picking things up to check them. He was just strolling by touching everything. Made me wonder if he had just sneezed into his hand or something and was 'sharing'. Decided I didn't really need any produce that day.

[Coventina]

43. Maybe OCD?

[Awsi Dooger]

47. I see this all the time at a nearby Aldi

Low income local Hispanic families walk to the store and eat grapes out of every bag. Then they walk home. They never buy anything.

The particular Aldi was expanded so the produce section is well to the side and out of view of the registers. That's how the grape eaters remain out of sight and don't feel threatened at all.

One time I was in such astonishment I stood there and watched. One of the grape eaters apparently thought I was waiting my turn for a free meal. He tried to give me a huge handful of grapes.

I've mentioned this here previously. Nobody liked it. Who cares? It actually happens. I'm glad an OP showed up with a similar example.

Aldi employees and customers report on the subreddit that this happens more frequently with a different fruit. Maybe cherries. I don't remember. I was surprised because I see it overwhelmingly with grapes.

[Silent3]

48. I would never steal grapes like that! I do grab a few grapes...

...nestle them in my underwear while I continue to shop, then put them back before I leave.

I hope this won't upset you.

[Codeine]

52. Amateur.

I do that with plums.

[Silent3]

55. I'd say you really have balls...

...but now I know they're fake.

[LiberalFighter]

49. I would had reported it to someone higher up.

Even talked loudly and pointing her out for what she did.

[KWR65]

50. I boil all the fruit I buy for a few minutes. I buy only frozen vegetables in a sealed bag to boil.

Buying fresh fruit and vegetables can be dangerous.

[Codeine]

53. That's ridiculous.

Seriously, I hope you’re just kidding.

[KWR65]

78. Get sick from fresh fruit & vegetables in a grocery store and end up in the hospital like I did.

[Codeine]

81. If you got sick

from veg it was likely E. coli from the field, unrelated to anything in the store. Anything that a customer gets on an apple or onion will rinse off just fine.

[Ms. Toad]

54. I encountered virtually the same thing a few weeks ago.

Except that I encountered 6 people out of 10 in the produce section (one nomming grapes).

When I reported that she was stealing (in addition to not wearing her mask the manager just laughed). So - aside from more serious things, I'm paying more because the store thinks stealing is hilarious (since they ultimately don't bear the burden).

My conversation with the manager was within earshot of another unmasked customer using the copy machine who, on her way out of the store, sidled up to me and informed me that I looked like a burglar.

On my way out, I asked the policeman why he had not said anything as each of these unmasked customers walked past him. His response was to ask me if I could confirm that the people I had encountered (>50% of the customers) didn't have a medical excuse.

I lost it on him - informed him that EVEN in the unlikely event that they DID all have medical excuses, the accommodation is not to expose everyone in the store - but to have them order ahead and have the store deliver their order to curbside.

The kickers:

1. The state has a mandatory mask order
2. The county has a mandatory enforcement order ($100 fine per incident)
3. The city has a mandatory enforcement order ($250 fine per incident)
4. Police are obligated to cite them (a prerequisite to the city enforcement).

The store and the police insisted they could do nothing. So I reported them all to the health department (the enforcer for both the state and the city) and wrote to corporate management for the store.

[Vinca]

59. Here's hoping there was something nasty on the grapes and she pays the price.

I can't imagine why anyone would eat unwashed grocery store produce, even if Covid wasn't a factor. I cringe sometimes when I see people with little kids in a store giving them some of the grapes they've got in the cart.

[Crunchy Frog]

65. That's why we're mostly avoiding fresh produce,

unless it's sealed or tightly closed.

[Codeine]

67. That's not how COVID works.

Fresh fruit and veg is fine. Wash it as normal to get the wax and dirt off and enjoy. You’ll be fine.

[Crunchy Frog]

69. Just don't touch your face while you handle it.

We're doing okay with frozen or canned.

[Codeine]

70. Best just not to touch your face at all

unless you’re washing it, that’s for sure.

You have to eat greens though, right? Frozen spinach qualifies, I suppose, but we should all be eating multiple servings of leafy greens daily.

[Crunchy Frog]

68. Can you complain to the manager, or corporate headquarters?

Maybe get a video next time and offer to put it on social media if management doesn't do anything.

[Blue_true]

75. When I buy grapes and cherries, I always pick a sealed bag toward

The back of the display. I have been able to tell when people have been in bags. The practice of munching on stuff like that is totally disgusting.

[Celerity]

82. nasty fruit