sampling fruits

I live in a very diverse neighbourhood with lots of newcomers...and the neighbourhood grocery store constantly has people testing and sorting the produce. most people pay for only the best, and if purchasing by weight will discard stems, leaves, and anything that adds any amount of extra bulk to their fruit/vegetable produce. i used to scoff when i saw it, now i see it as very smart shopping. i probably wouldn't sample a grape, and i don't buy grapes from that store just because i see so many people handling them (with this store or any other store, to be honest), but i actually have come round to thinking sampling one is perfectly fine. why shouldn't you know what you're buying? you shouldn't be stuck with a bad batch, and who returns grapes to the store when you have to wait 20 minutes to check out?

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Originally Posted by r0c0upons

why shouldn't you know what you're buying? you shouldn't be stuck with a bad batch, and who returns grapes to the store when you have to wait 20 minutes to check out?

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You can return a bad batch, with receipt.
You can shop at a store when it is least busiest. Staff can let you know peak and off peak times. No need to wait 20 minutes at check out.

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Originally Posted by Shwa Girl

You can return a bad batch, with receipt.
You can shop at a store when it is least busiest. Staff can let you know peak and off peak times. No need to wait 20 minutes at check out.

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In a perfect world that would work fine. I sure wouldnt waste 10 bucks of gas just to bring back a batch of grapes..lol... and plus, the off peaks are usually before flyer day, and i just dont see myself driving about 30 minutes with grapes between my legs knowing i have to go back later on that week.

May I add: The off peek hrs are normally during my work hrs like almost everyone else ;)

Produce items are something I would feel ashamed to return. :redface: *maybe it's just me

Nothing like unwashed, touched by many, grocery store fruit YUMM!! Attachment 136685

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Originally Posted by Shwa Girl

You can always bring back the sour grapes, with receipt to get a refund.
Stores need to know which suppliers are sending bad stock.
Stores can get reimbursed.

It is better to wash the fruit before eating -- don't know who has sneezed on it in the store.

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lol thats the threat i use to get my family to wash their fruit before eating it " you dont know whos SNEEZED their nostril juice out onto those!!" lol

My boyfriend used to work in the produce department and he can't stress enough the need to wash your produce before eating it, he would know. People sneeze into their hands then pick over every pepper, stuff that fell on the floor gets put back on the shelves, the store owner going into the dumpster to take out produce they deemed unfit to sell and put it back out(sometimes reduced price, other times not), people lick fruit and put it back, fingernails found in the produce bins-all kinds of crazy stomach turning things.
He also said that stores were looking into having as much produce as possible prepackaged in certain weights to prevent people from picking over everything (and probably to sell people more than they need).

This is not directed at anyone, so please do not take offence. This is just what I've seen in local grocery stores that really really irritate me.

I HATE when people eat in grocery stores. For every person that is careful not to spill their coffee/juice/water/whatever, or carefully put the wrapper in their pocket/purse, or not leave a trail of cookie/bread/danish/whatever crumbs all through the store, there are 5 that are not & leave a mess. I have yet to see who the heathen is that leaves their half-empty coffee cup on the shelf beside the cereal, but they seriously need a stern lesson from Miss Manners. Or the nuns (my vote is for the nuns :P).

I have some health issues which require me to drink an insane amount of liquid. Guess what? I can actually survive for more than an hour without having something to drink or eat. Grrr. Sorry, it just irritates me to no end.

OK, my 2 cents are spent, better go see if I have any change left in the piggy bank. :P

I report everyone to the store manager ....quietly.

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Originally Posted by Eva-M

May I add: The off peek hrs are normally during my work hrs like almost everyone else ;)

Produce items are something I would feel ashamed to return. :redface: *maybe it's just me

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I returned a bag of spoiled apples and the produce manager was quite gracious about it!

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Originally Posted by RebeccaRYoung

It's still stealing. If your kids have a hard time at the grocery store, then bring a snack from home. I usually get a Timmies coffee before shopping because I know that I get hungry/thirsty. Why not bring a snack in your purse for the grocery shopping trip. This habit of stealing at the grocery store is just teaching your kids bad habits. They might apply this idea to a different situation and argue that mom/dad/caregiver let's me take stuff at the grocery store, so why not at some other store. One or two dollars is still taking something that doesn't belong to you.

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do you eat at restaurants? do you pay before you eat? this is the same thing,she was talking about keeping the package and paying for it

i think you're making people out to be shoplifters when they arent...eating and apple and then not mentioning it is stealing.sampling a grape before buying a whole bunch isn't shoplifting..if you intend to buy the whole bunch.munching on produce and then not buying it is stealing.the people buying something with a barcode and giving their kid one isnt stealing because you are paying for the whole box.

it isnt teaching kids that stealing is ok if you are paying for the items,its teaching them to be accountable if anything.

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Originally Posted by Tweets77

I report everyone to the store manager ....quietly.

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You do? :eek: ...crap! LOL!! I'm sorry, i know laughing at this is not nice but it just got me thinking.. i was imagining myself running around the store trying to find the manager and picturing myself with a serious face saying: excuse me but that lady just ate a big green grape and she didnt pay for it!" ...go get her!

Do not eat the fruit in grocery stores without washing them. Do you know how many people touch them, cough on them, drop them on the floor then put them back, how many little kids with runny noses handle them, how many people spit the seeds back into the bin. I do because I have watched them do it from the area I used to work in above the store area. It is beyond disgusting. So really those people that are munching on the fruit the laughs on them because they are eating more germs on those grapes than if they picked up a handful of mud and ate it. You are also right it is stealing. Anything you did not pay for is theft. Theft with germs. Lots and lots of germs:)

Same with me :) I don't find anything wrong with it, sorry if others do. But really, it is the same thing as picking up different apples, oranges, etc. I also prefer the produce bags over the usual bags with the holes that grapes come in

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Originally Posted by manzervite

I do this all the time. I'll pick up a cluster by the stem from the bag, hold it up in the air and rotate it 360 degrees to check for rotten or crushed grapes then place it in a produce bag. I can't eat a whole bag of grapes myself so this works for me. I won't rip open bags to do this though.

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Originally Posted by Kalmel

You do? :eek: ...crap! LOL!! I'm sorry, i know laughing at this is not nice but it just got me thinking.. i was imagining myself running around the store trying to find the manager and picturing myself with a serious face saying: excuse me but that lady just ate a big green grape and she didnt pay for it!" ...go get her!

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haha yeah that is funny - not sure how I would approach reporting that (unless she was taking huge bunches and lots of other things too lol)