A grocery store is not a restaurant.

[Archae]

I was reading about the girl in Texas who licked a tub of ice cream and then put it back on the shelf.

Got me to thinking about all the groceries I've seen half- or nearly eaten groceries that were still on the shelf.

Bags of candy.

Fruit.

Packages of lunch meat.

Bread and buns.

Hostess (and other brand) snack food.

It's gross finding them, and I always turn them over to a manager.

[Ohiogal]

1. Really?

I can’t argue that was gross to lick the ice cream ... but I can’t say I’ve ever encountered half eaten items in the grocery store.

[rurallib]

7. Spent about 4 years working in a grocery as a teen

that was a constant problem.
The public has little respect for retail merchants in my experience.

[True Dough]

2. My wife sometimes gets hungry while grocery shopping (the worst time to go, of course)

and I've witnessed her eating a snack partially or in full and then putting that item on the conveyor belt to pay for it. She always tells the cashier that she couldn't wait to devour it. The admission is usually met with a smile. Technically you're not supposed to eat anything until it's paid for, but we haven't had the police chase us down any aisles yet.

[Archae]

3. That is different.

Your wife didn't eat half a snack and then put the rest back on the shelf.

That's what I've found over the years.

Even half-drank sodas!

[hlthe2b]

4. Ewww... I guess I've been fortunate never to have encountered that...

Maybe the staff is quicker at finding it and discarding...

[Polybius]

20. My girlfriend does that too

I can never. Even when I'm super-hungry while in the supermarket shopping, I just think of all of the poor people who are actually starving. I can always wait the extra hour to eat.

[RKP5637]

5. Wow, I've never encountered that ... but I can surely see it might happen. I have

a friend that is diabetic and sometimes he will have to devour 1/2 a candy bar while shopping ... but never puts it back, never would, just gives it to the cashier to ring up at check out with the other groceries.

[Generic Brad]

29. It reminds me Joe Namath in C.C. Ryder

[RKP5637]

31. Yep, sure does!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. Bought 2 packages of hamburger buns the other day for a July 4 cookout...

Supposed to be 8 in the package but one package had only 7. The buns generally are kind of stuck to each other in a foursome, two layers, so you don't expect there's going to be a packing mistake.
I hope that because these were sitting near the deli counter that no one in the store decided to reach in and grab one but who knows.
The other buns looked fine so I'm not going to freak about it. If I had big issues with germs I never would have invited some of my family over.

[panader0]

8. I knew a drunk who would open up a bottle of booze

and chug some, before they had those little locks on the top.
He was arrested several times.
The Fry's I go to has a rack of free fruit for kids, bananas, apples, etc.

[Freddie]

11. So does Giant

They have bananas and clementines free for kids and they can get a piece of cheese at the deli. I am guilty of eating grapes while shopping.

[procon]

9. I see people grazing through the grocery

stores every time I shop. They'll pull off a tag of grapes, strawberries, a tangerine, or carrot sticks to feed their kids. Stores that serve foods in bulk bins are a favorite feeding area for grocery grazers. They'll take a hand full of candies, chocolates, crackers or dried fruits and munch while shopping.

They open boxes of individually wrapped cookies and snack cakes and just take one. I saw a woman order some cold cuts and sliced cheese from the deli counter then open a package of bread in her cart and proceed to make sandwiches for all her kids. Then they hit the beverages and grabbed the small cartons of milk and juice or a cold soda to wash down their free meal. For dessert they'll open a carton of ice cream bars and take one.

This is in addition to all the free food samples the grocery stores hand out. Instead of just taking the one little bite sized piece offered they shamelessly ask for 4-5 pieces and end up with a smorgasbord plate of free food.

For safety reasons I'm more cautious about directly confronting these thieves, but I do tell the store staff if I can find someone close by.

[Delmette2.0]

10. When my son worked at Walmart--the night crew

They would find Early Pregnancy Tests in the stalls and on the floors. It seems sad (can't afford the test and no where to go) and sick (stealing something like that) at the same time.

[samnsara]

13. they are 1$ at the Dollar Tree....

...can you imagine trusting them?

[Delmette2.0]

14. Oh, Hell No!!

[Major Nikon]

23. They actually work the exact same way as the more expensive ones

They all are designed to check for pregnancy hormones. The more expensive ones often have features that contribute nothing to accuracy.

[Delmette2.0]

25. Isn't there an expiration date?

[Major Nikon]

28. If it's FDA approved, yes

You’d be hard pressed to find any that aren’t at least in the US.

[RobinA]

24. I Might Be Able

to feel sad if they tossed them in the trash can after using them. On the floor? No. Pigs.

[samnsara]

12. i took my elderly father on a road trip and we stopped at a jelly belly store...

...he reaches his hand inside the bin and starts eating them!!! IM HORRIFIED! No one saw us but i bought about 2 pounds of candy from that bin.

[KT2000]

15. Yuk!

I haven't seen that but I do see where people will put what they decided they did not want in the wrong place - fresh and frozen foods too. Had to tell a friend who did that I would not shop with her if she kept doing that (never fresh or frozen but still). It's not like people need a Dewey decimal system to return the goods, they make it pretty darn easy.

[Doc_Technical]

16. At least he put the cans back.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. I am always appalled and furious at people I see eating

food in a grocery store before it's been paid for. Giving their kids candy to eat while they are shopping. My mom never let us do that, and I passed that on to my kids. You eat something after it's been paid for.

And if you're diabetic and know you might need a sugar boost, you should always have something for that.

Personally, I'd like to see some high profile arrests of people eating food they haven't paid for in a grocery store.

As you said, a grocery store is not a restaurant.

[customerserviceguy]

18. Mine is a beer bar!

In the corner of the Lowe's supermarket, there's a place called the "Beer Den". You can get a growler filled, have a sample, or buy a pint, and sit there with like-minded folks and chat awhile.

That said, I share your revulsion for what are essentially shoplifters and litterers.

[in2herbs]

19. A couple of months ago was in the grocery store to buy a container of frosting. When I lifted the

container off the shelf it felt light so I took off the top and saw that the foil seal was removed and all of the frosting had been eaten. I understand this kind of food sampling is common in grocery stores.

[ProudLib72]

21. Like this?

[In_The_Wind]

22. Are they that poor ?

[femmocrat]

26. Unfortunately, this is becoming a "thing."

Saw it on TV. People licking the ice cream and putting it back. They showed a woman who chugged some mouthwash and spit it back into the bottle. Check everything very carefully!

I frequently see opened packages stuffed on the shelves in Walmart. Ugh. They need to increase surveillance.

[OnDoutside]

27. It seemed like the ice cream tub didn't have a tamper lid .... Is that

normal in the US?

[dalton99a]

30. Most brands don't have a plastic seal

After the video surfaced, Blue Bell issued this statement:

"We want to thank our consumers for alerting us to the incident this past weekend of a video posted to social media showing a Blue Bell item being tampered with. We take this issue very seriously and are currently working with law enforcement, retail partners and social media platforms. This type of incident will not be tolerated.

Food safety is a top priority, and we work hard to provide a safe product and maintain the highest level of confidence from our consumers.

During production, our half gallons are flipped upside down and sent to a hardening room where the ice cream freezes to the lid creating a natural seal. The lids are frozen tightly to the carton. Any attempt at opening the product should be noticeable.

We will continue to monitor this situation.”

[OnDoutside]

32. Wow, that sounds like a weak excuse.