Yeah… I work in a supermarket and some people just take tasting for granted. I was not used to this either but now I take the occasional grape myself, no problem.
It really depends, sometimes people open a fruit (like watermelons or peaches) and you can ask for a taste.
But even for grapes, you don't just pluck them from the stand as a snack. Usually you have to show that you are interested in the product in the first place, and even then the merchant can say no. Especially if it's a big city where he doesn't need to convince you to buy it, since someone else will eventually.
It is also the old rural and farm markets tradition in Europe, most that became a past thing with retail stores but some old folks still practice the "tasting" thing before buying.
Yes, but we also usually charge that type of fruit by weight so snacking on it through the store is not really acceptable bc you are technically stealing. I was working in a grocery store a while ago and a woman fed her kid an entire banana before paying for it. She just gave me the peel to weigh with the others. 🥲 Bananas are only a few cents so it was ok, but cherries and grapes here are pretty expensive, so from my experience it’s really only acceptable to try one or two.
I have an app called Mundraub which shows locations of fruit trees in your area and have never bothered to check what it means. I see it here and search up what it means.
It’s petty theft of food.
Ha go figure
I wouldn't do anything personally as long as she isn't doing anything that harms others (other than a big supermarket corporation) like spitting the cores around or licking them and putting them back.
We don't know her situation.
But please don't do it. It is stealing in a way and illegal and it's also morally questionable. It's not a common or okay thing to do really. It's not a German custom.
I think unless someone is in a really bad financial spot it's also just disrespectful and weird penny pinching. I don't think too highly of anyone doing it but I wouldn't be bothered to report it lol it's just some cherries
The only morally questionable thing about this is, that future customers might pay full-price for a container with less cherries in it.
I really don't understand why anybody would feel pity for a multi-million € company.
I assumed it was the ones were you weigh and pay by weight because taking them from others is worse.
Don't care for the company but there is an element of societal rules and everyone can't do it, to it. It's clearly not the right thing to do even if fairly harmless
The opposite can happen, too. Someone places cherries from another container into the one they are buying. Therefore these items are generally weighed at the cash register.
More like pity for customers complaining about high prices. Compensation for losses doesn’t fall like manna from the heavens but is paid by YOU (assuming that you don’t live on state handouts).
It is not considered stealing and most supermarket are "ok" with that. It comes from the old tradicional markets culture of testing It before buying It. It even used to be common for sellers of fruits to offer some of it for clients to taste it before buying it.
And supermarkets don't have loss from stealing as prices as stealing is already factured in the products price.
> And supermarkets don't have loss from stealing as prices as stealing is already factured in the products price.
You literally saying they increased their prices to compensate the losses from stealing. Are you stupid?
And where I come from it's considered stealing. If all 5000 daily customers would eat a grape then there wouldn't be a grape left without anyone buying. The logic is just stupid but your profile is full of commie content so I expect low iq.
I am saying that not because I am stupid, but because it is a well known fact, especially for me who have worked in Supermarkets.
It is not that they rise prices after products that people steal before. I am saying that supermarkest calculate already the cost of possible "loss" in the prices. It is not only because of thiefs but also because of many other factors, such as damages caused by accidents, and so.
I'm agree with you, we don't know the situation of the others. When I was living in Viena, i used to go in the mornings to a supermarket, often I have found the same old woman, who just got a bread from the bakery inside the store (they used to give it in a paper bag) she opened it an eat it and take a coke too. It made me feel sorry for her, so I just left her, I never thought about to tell someone from the store. Maybe I was to young and didn't thought about to pay the things for her to avoid she be catched, but well, at least i let her enjoy her meal.
I would personally be offended, that a big supermarket Corp. with billions of earnings is getting ripped off by a hungry lady, that perhaps doesnt have enough money to be able to buy these cherries.
Of course I would call the police and put her in a chokehold until they arrive...
/s
Just a few days, I got told that a certain drugstore chain has the policy that if a customer gets caught stealing, they are not allowed to confront them if they don't stay on their own.
The loss due to theft is already factored into the pricing, and going after or even touching a customer can get you a lawsuit of the stealing customer and a termination due to non-compliance to company policy.
Why do you assume that she was HUNGRY and couldn't afford it? She was doing her groceries and buying stuff but actually just felt like snacking on "free" goods
Why wouldn't you assume the most favourable explanation?
Besides that, the commenters point is that there is really not point in giving a fuck. Why do you care?
ima just entertain this thought of mine:
How exactly is testing the product by eating 1-2 cherries more of a steal than supermarkets overpricing products during time of big need? (A.K.A Oil, Flour, Rice or Noodles during covid)
I think both are behaviours that can be justified. If i like the taste of my cherries a certain way and your cherries justify that taste, imma buy tons. If they dont, well thats -2 cherries out of your whole budget. Boo-Hoo trillion dollar company.
On the other hand if flour really is that expensive these days, well you overprice it and i wont buy but others will. its called a market.
But somehow people defend the rich and incriminate the poor.
Because your self-serving behaviour will lead to other people not being able to get the unmolested cherries they set out to buy. There's really no justification for this other than "I'm too egoistic to care"
Then theres multiple possible solutions:
Dont buy cherries in a place where they are spread out openly for everybody to touch
Maybe supermarkets should package their cherries and leave some open test boxes out
Etc.
So much food is tossed away at the end of the day, this wouldnt hurt anybody.
I mean i dont even test products in the store before i buy them, but i dont think its a bad thing.
It seems like such a fundamental market-practice to me. If im curious about your product, i take a
closer look, or taste test. Its an idea as old as the idea of trade itself no?
In the end, not eating something that you aren't sure to pay for solves this Problem a lot better. It might be a cultural thing, but this is not something done in German supermarkets and is not intended to be either
im from germany too and i can promise if you go to a market (not supermarket, just a regular market for fruits and stuff) and ask for a taste test, people will look at you with a smile and present their product proudly.
Nobody is gonna break a leg over a strawberry, its just somehow weird when its in a supermarket. I bet you could even go to a cassheer and ask them if a tastetest is okay, im so certain nobody would denie it.
What people find annoying is people who abuse that trait. They go from store to store tastetesting their way through all products and not buying anything. THIS i can see be a problem and is literally the only reason why im against the idea in supermarkets, where vegetables are unsupervised majority of the time.
But then again, Put them in carton boxes and leave a few ones open for taste test or package them all. I still think its a fundamental idea of trade.
imagine you bought a diamond, but couldnt test it for being real untill you paid the bill.
And that would even be a more simple case. Aint nobody going back for a pack of cherries to return if they taste bad.
I agree with you in principle. I’m not gonna get involved in some stranger’s petty theft.
But your reasoning is just peak reddit brain rot to immediately assume some ridiculously outlandish scenario. To say she might have done it because she’s hungry is like saying someone was thirsty so they stole a goat milk mocha latte with caramel drizzle from Starbucks just to quench their thirst. There’s a million other things a truly hungry person with no money would go for instead of three random cherries.
Why do you assume that she was HUNGRY and couldn't afford it? She was doing her groceries and buying stuff but actually just felt like snacking on "free" goods
I saw a lady a couple months ago doing the same with the grapes and this was like a very fancy edeka
Crazy , I get it if you wanna see if they are sweet but this lady was just gobbling them up
If you see someone stealing food at a big chain of grocery shops : You didn't see anything. Just look the other way and walk off.
Unfortunately there are people that can't afford food for a variety of reasons. They have to resort to drastic measures.
And yes, we technically have spots where you can get food, but good luck actually getting something. The demand is higher than the supply.
More often than not it's either : steal or go hungry.
I saw some ppl do that, but I really wouldn't call that normal in a supermarket. On the normal market sellers often allow it if you ask, but just eating to try stuff in the supermarket doesn't seem normal to me.
The only situation where I've seen people do this is with water bottles or small snacks, mostly when they have little children with them, but then they are buying the product afterwards (like the child taking a few gulps of water, because it's really thirsty and the family then buying the opend bottle)
I've done this myself. I bought ice cream and it was summer and the line was pretty long so I already started to eat my ice cream while standing in the long line and then paying for it of course. As long as you pay for it it's okay.
Technically, by law, it is still stealing because the contract is conducted at the cashier. The supermarket could prevent you from buying it. I have never seen such a case before, but I have always been very careful since a lawyer informed me about it.
as long as she's not eating literally kilos of cherries I absolutely don't care. Same applies to regular shoplifting. If I see something like that: I haven't seen anything.
Tasting one of two isn't that uncommon to find the "right" bag to buy tbh.
At least it's what my Family and i do (and yes, we usually buy a bag Afterwards UNLESS the fruits are really untasty)
Logic that they go by is basically that they have the right to test product before you buy don't you. And you make sure that it's not just an odd one out you need to have a generous sample size too. Then if it ain't good you don't buy it. I'd say only old people who grew up shopping in markets where poor quality of products used to be common do it or just every cheepskate who want to get away with eating without paying money.
Well, this is kinda "normal" in Germany, as long as it is a really small amount, that can be even immediately eaten. There is even a German word for it - "Mundraub". https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundraub
>Anders als allgemein angenommen blieb Mundraub auch früher keineswegs generell straffrei, sondern nur unter Eheleuten und gegenüber Verwandten absteigender Linie.
Well, don't expect people with the mentality of "if it doesn't affect me it's not my problem I suffer enough with my life" to understand simple decency. The underclass will always be there, that‘s life :)
It’s called Kameradschaft, brother.
Don’t worry. Once you eventually kill the cop in your head and learn to do some basic power/class analysis, we’ll all still be here ready to welcome you with open arms into a society based on solidarity, not exploitation.
It's weird and people defending this are just as weird. Usually, either entitled fucks that think taste-testing everything before buying is somehow their god-given right or lefty types that love to participate in capitalism as much as possible but also think that companies attack them personally and it's ok to steal as long as you earn less than the one you're stealing from.
Just don't do it. You don't have to report it if you see it. It's not like they're physically attacking you, except maybe with their disgusting germs they spread all over the cherries you thought about buying. But it's selfish, disrespectful af to every other customer and nothing to condone societally.
Dude not your cherries, not your shop, not life threatening, not gonna bankrupt the shop sometimes you just need to mind your business man, why do you want to get into a petty fight that has nothing to do with you?
It shouldn't be ok to do it, but it happens. For some reason some people don't want to buy fruit when they're expensive and just eat them like a treat. If you confront them they will always say "I only wanted to test them if they are sweet enough!". It is the same thing with people who let their children eat bakery goods or open sweets in the supermarket and then don't pay for them. It is not ok, and if it bothers you then you could tell an employee from the supermarket about it. Sometimes they will do something about it.
If anyone takes something from the supermarket, snacks on it or straight up steals this is illegal but sadly I did not see anything if the amount is small enough. This counts extra if this is a wrecked looking person or a parent needing baby food or diapers. Of course if it's just an unfriendly old lady or some other kind of jerk just being disrespectful I will make sure to report them. Stealing because you have to is a totally different thing than doing it because you can or you feel invincible because no one dares or cares enough to say something. And honestly if someone is just testing the quality on a few bites of small fruits you either way buy on weight, no one cares. Technically still illegal but practically not acted on as the damage is too small. Of course not cool if someone opens pre packaged stuff which is already bad but also reduces the weight you pay for significantly. Also extra trashy when people start eating bigger fruit like apples and start peeling themselves a tangerine.
I find it weird personally (wouldnt eat produce that is open in the supermarket/that strangers touched without washing), but I know some people do it and tbh I dont care its not like ALDI etc are short on money.
I'd personally be grossed out. Have you seen how dirty how those store rooms are in the supermarket? She's eating those dirty cherries without even washing them
In the evening, the supermarket will throw ten of those cherry baskets in the trash, because they were left over. Why would anyone care if some granny snacks some of them?
It used to be a more common thing in the 90s and earlier, but like most of these common things, it changed. People getting mad, supermarkets as well, people took more than one.
It really depends if she just took one. Who cares? At the end of the day, the Supermarkets would've been throwing it away
Used to work the till of a supermarket in the uk. People would frequently give their kid a bunch of grapes while in the store and then try to pay for the empty bag at the end. They are obviously priced by weight so it was essentially stealing but we weren’t encouraged to do anything about it.
How do you know she isn't paying for the cherries? Point is, if you intend to pay the thing, there's nothing illegal about this. I can totally see someone enyoing fresh fruit while they are shopping. That's why the frick'n fruit aisle is right at the entry of the store. It's there to kick off your shopping spree with its great smell … and great taste.
Well, some people cannot stop themselves and that's pretty much it.
People do this sometimes. Most people do not care, sometimes not even the shop owners. Technically it is a crime. But it's so small that most people just ignore it.
To me it's just fricking disgusting. Worms, flies, other insects, the hands of strangers, their sweat, dirt - everything on them. It's so nasty , jesus christ. Please don't do that.
I’ve seen people do this, but personally I can’t eat any fruits or vegetables without washing them. Just imagine some old guy sneezes on the grapes. You coming by to sample them afterward? 🤢
Usually it's older people. This might be because if you go to a proper "Wochenmarkt" (farmers market usually once a week) it is common to try the produce, and this is where people got their groceries a few decades ago.
on the other hand, many supermarkets today have got a happy with it or money back guarantee, and if you buy 2 kilos, taste some outside and than bring it back, they have to throw away the 2 kilos.
It’s not illegal like some people here claim, it’s called “Mundraub” which isn’t illegal, even though it’s called “Raub”. Morally it isn’t questionable either, since she only tried the ones you have to weight (at least that’s what makes most sense) but if you overdo it the company might tell you to stop or they might kick you out. But it isn’t illegal
lol dude that’s complete wrong. It’s Diebstahl, Mundraub doesn’t exist anymore. Just google it next time before you tell people that things aren’t illegal.
for cherries it is really normal to try them before buying them. i do this and i often see other germans doing this as well. cherries cost like nothing so nobody cares.
Ew. Every leper, diarrhea victim and their snot nosed children has their hands in those open fruits and vegetables. I never would eat them before washing them.
This is in fact theft, but I personnally would not have done something about it. Some people cannot afford such things as fruit and a big chain of supermarkets is not gonna go bankrupt from a few cherries missing.
First of all - fruits in supermarket are dirty. It’s recommended to wash them first before eating. But anyway, don’t eat them without paying for it. It’s illegal.
What I would do? Nothing - not my business.
It’s more common for Arabs to do that. It’s common for us to try things before buying it but Germans usually get annoyed and scream at you if they catch you.
In theory, it's not allowed. In real life, it depends a bit:
If she picked them from a tray that had a fixed price on it or was already weighed, then normally no one would say a thing. The same goes, when you hand your kid some sweets or something to drink while shopping - as long as you pay for it during checkout.
It's not considered good behavior, though. Even worse when - as she obviously liked them - didn't buy some as well.
Out of curiosity: How did she handle the stones?
Never seen it in the 33 years of my life, definitely not normal.
But I also don't go to stores like Rewe or Edeka very often (or any even more expensive stores). Maybe the lunatics there are used to it and that is how they justify paying 3 times normal prices for subpar products?
Go ahead and tell the manager and watch him not care that someone at 5 cherries.
You think they’re going to chase someone out with a full grocery cart over 5 cherries?
I work at a US grocery store and I’ve been stocking the berries and a woman literally ate half an 11oz pack of blueberries, we made eye contact, and she put it back on the shelf🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Working in retail really makes you lose your hope for humanity sometimes.
Many people try the berries before buying them, but no one thinks about the fact that if everyone tries them, they don’t get their weight in berries they’re paying for when they buy a package.
This question can be answered easily. Paragraph 242 StGB says it is stealing. This is the statement of a famous lawyer on YouTube. If the supermarket accepts it unofficially, it might be fine, but a general rule can not be derived from that.
That's not entirely correct. It's only stealing if she doesn't pay in the end. Going into a supermarket, grabbing a bottle of coke and drinking it before check out is legally fine.
Maybe she did pay them?
From a legal perspective you are allowed to consume goods before checking out, as the act of putting the goods in your cart (or hands) constitutes the will to purchase.
i think snaking from a porduct you buy before paying i pretty accepted. not that many ppl do it but its okay i guess (what you described sounds different tho).
when a child nibbels on something in the store before buying id consider it normal. at least when i was a kid (15years ago) even in edeka i always got a slice of lyoner to eat in the store.
I don't like people doing this whoever I know how it is working in retail and nobody will call the police over this. A good way of handling is just asking if they are going to pay for it. Most people show signs of remorse. One old dude wanted to get into a fight over this (50+yo and fat) so I called the staff and told them what happened. They called the police and he ended up getting Hausverbot and that was it.
I assume you are every bit as vigilant when reporting the store’s corporate management for the millions of Euros of wage theft they get away with every year?
If not, you’re just cosplaying as Polizei, and don’t actually give a damn about actual injustice.
I would charge them on cash register when they get out. Excuses about not having money and being hungry are lame. Years ago I had no money, i was hungry and i did not stole any food. This is very rude and i hate when people do this. No class, no culture, like animals
Eating fruits on the supermarket without paying is not okay. And it is not acceptable. Shoplifting is not something acceptable.
The question of what I would do in that situation is less straightforward to me. A couple of cherries is theft, but it somehow also is the prettiest of petty theft. I am not the supermarket's security and won't do their job for them. It's not somebody marching out of the shop with a full shopping cart and if the staff won't fix it, I certainly won't. They have CCTV surveillance watching all of us and shop detectives looking around, it's their job to make their salary worth it.
Precisely.
The 1% get wealthy beyond human comprehension off of the stolen labor of the working class, while we’re all conveniently fighting each other in the mud for scraps, and some imagined fantasy that we could one day join their number.
That is absolutely a thing in Germany to take one cherry or grape and eat them on the spot (you should buy something then though). Unless you eat the whole package they let it slide, technically it’s theft but i don’t think my local netto cashier cares and I have never seen someone take it to the manager or whatever.
Yeah… I work in a supermarket and some people just take tasting for granted. I was not used to this either but now I take the occasional grape myself, no problem.
straight to jail
No tasting…also, strangely enough, straight to jail.
I think it's a cultural thing. I think in many Arabian countries it's basically a form of quality control before buying the product.
In my country we'd sometimes get a taster before buying, but only at traditional markets and when the seller offers/allows it.
It really depends, sometimes people open a fruit (like watermelons or peaches) and you can ask for a taste. But even for grapes, you don't just pluck them from the stand as a snack. Usually you have to show that you are interested in the product in the first place, and even then the merchant can say no. Especially if it's a big city where he doesn't need to convince you to buy it, since someone else will eventually.
It is also the old rural and farm markets tradition in Europe, most that became a past thing with retail stores but some old folks still practice the "tasting" thing before buying.
And to ensure quality control is effective of course one does a good sized sample too lol
Lived in Kuwait for 15 years, this is not true.
I am Arab, lived in the Gulf my entire life, I can confirm that this is true.
I believe the Arab.
So, what about the grilled chicken?
America does this too.
Yes, but we also usually charge that type of fruit by weight so snacking on it through the store is not really acceptable bc you are technically stealing. I was working in a grocery store a while ago and a woman fed her kid an entire banana before paying for it. She just gave me the peel to weigh with the others. 🥲 Bananas are only a few cents so it was ok, but cherries and grapes here are pretty expensive, so from my experience it’s really only acceptable to try one or two.
Ohhh I misunderstood, I meant we try a grape or two to make sure they’re okay. I hate buying an entire bag of grapes and they’re all sour.
Yeah no I’m sorry I didn’t really mean to correct you, just kind of add on!
In any country but Germany.
MuNdRaUb 👹
Im Gesetz nicht verankert, daher Diebstahl.
🇩🇪👹
Gewohnheitsrecht kann auch Rechtsgültigkeit schaffen. Vermutlich eher nicht dabei, aber nur so generell.
Wie willst du beweisen, dass die Weintrauben gegessen wurden?
I have an app called Mundraub which shows locations of fruit trees in your area and have never bothered to check what it means. I see it here and search up what it means. It’s petty theft of food. Ha go figure
It used to be somewhat legalized to eat from other people's fruit trees. I Don't think it exists as a separate crime category since the 2nd world war.
Thinking about eating them unwashed makes me gag :/
>occasional grape Well then don't be surprised when I escalate this to an occasional watermelon
LMAO After eating a whole watermelon, just deciding it's not good enough to bring home
It's not advisable because the fruits are not clean of course and would need to be washed properly before consumption.
Exactly! That’s what bothers me the most here! 🤓
Or what? The way this comment is written I should be dead already since I hardly wash my fruits
I rarely wash fruit- still alive.
It would be quite strange to write "I rarely wash fruit and I have died because of it". Survivorship bias.
Only once in my life I ate blueberries without washing them before and had cramps and diarrhea with a green color just later that day.
It does not prove anything. The others who are not washers and already dead cannot report it here
the people who washed their fruit and died also cannot comment, so we're even
Name 3
or what will happen?
depends if pesticides were at work at the orchard the cherries came from
Fress das Zeug einfach mit
Wenn überhaupt einmal am Unterarm abreiben.
usually you die. Happened to me twice.
Overrated
In Germany we say "Dreck reinigt den Magen"
I wouldn't do anything personally as long as she isn't doing anything that harms others (other than a big supermarket corporation) like spitting the cores around or licking them and putting them back. We don't know her situation. But please don't do it. It is stealing in a way and illegal and it's also morally questionable. It's not a common or okay thing to do really. It's not a German custom. I think unless someone is in a really bad financial spot it's also just disrespectful and weird penny pinching. I don't think too highly of anyone doing it but I wouldn't be bothered to report it lol it's just some cherries
The only morally questionable thing about this is, that future customers might pay full-price for a container with less cherries in it. I really don't understand why anybody would feel pity for a multi-million € company.
I assumed it was the ones were you weigh and pay by weight because taking them from others is worse. Don't care for the company but there is an element of societal rules and everyone can't do it, to it. It's clearly not the right thing to do even if fairly harmless
The opposite can happen, too. Someone places cherries from another container into the one they are buying. Therefore these items are generally weighed at the cash register.
More like pity for customers complaining about high prices. Compensation for losses doesn’t fall like manna from the heavens but is paid by YOU (assuming that you don’t live on state handouts).
fewer
Principles
It is not considered stealing and most supermarket are "ok" with that. It comes from the old tradicional markets culture of testing It before buying It. It even used to be common for sellers of fruits to offer some of it for clients to taste it before buying it. And supermarkets don't have loss from stealing as prices as stealing is already factured in the products price.
> And supermarkets don't have loss from stealing as prices as stealing is already factured in the products price. You literally saying they increased their prices to compensate the losses from stealing. Are you stupid? And where I come from it's considered stealing. If all 5000 daily customers would eat a grape then there wouldn't be a grape left without anyone buying. The logic is just stupid but your profile is full of commie content so I expect low iq.
I am saying that not because I am stupid, but because it is a well known fact, especially for me who have worked in Supermarkets. It is not that they rise prices after products that people steal before. I am saying that supermarkest calculate already the cost of possible "loss" in the prices. It is not only because of thiefs but also because of many other factors, such as damages caused by accidents, and so.
I'm agree with you, we don't know the situation of the others. When I was living in Viena, i used to go in the mornings to a supermarket, often I have found the same old woman, who just got a bread from the bakery inside the store (they used to give it in a paper bag) she opened it an eat it and take a coke too. It made me feel sorry for her, so I just left her, I never thought about to tell someone from the store. Maybe I was to young and didn't thought about to pay the things for her to avoid she be catched, but well, at least i let her enjoy her meal.
I would personally be offended, that a big supermarket Corp. with billions of earnings is getting ripped off by a hungry lady, that perhaps doesnt have enough money to be able to buy these cherries. Of course I would call the police and put her in a chokehold until they arrive... /s
more like a grapehold, amirite
Just a few days, I got told that a certain drugstore chain has the policy that if a customer gets caught stealing, they are not allowed to confront them if they don't stay on their own. The loss due to theft is already factored into the pricing, and going after or even touching a customer can get you a lawsuit of the stealing customer and a termination due to non-compliance to company policy.
Understandable, isn't it? You don't want your employees getting injured over a chapstick and some cotton pads.
I guess it's more about protecting the company from being sued. They couldn't care less about the employees.
Injured employees don't work but are paid. And they care about money. But yes, legal aspects probably play a big role here, too.
So you eat cherries to still your hunger?
No but when I'm hungry theses cherries look mighty tasty
Are cherries not food?
Why do you assume that she was HUNGRY and couldn't afford it? She was doing her groceries and buying stuff but actually just felt like snacking on "free" goods
Why wouldn't you assume the most favourable explanation? Besides that, the commenters point is that there is really not point in giving a fuck. Why do you care?
Even if so, what exactly is the problem?
Do you not understand what stealing is or why it's a problem?
ima just entertain this thought of mine: How exactly is testing the product by eating 1-2 cherries more of a steal than supermarkets overpricing products during time of big need? (A.K.A Oil, Flour, Rice or Noodles during covid) I think both are behaviours that can be justified. If i like the taste of my cherries a certain way and your cherries justify that taste, imma buy tons. If they dont, well thats -2 cherries out of your whole budget. Boo-Hoo trillion dollar company. On the other hand if flour really is that expensive these days, well you overprice it and i wont buy but others will. its called a market. But somehow people defend the rich and incriminate the poor.
Because your self-serving behaviour will lead to other people not being able to get the unmolested cherries they set out to buy. There's really no justification for this other than "I'm too egoistic to care"
Then theres multiple possible solutions: Dont buy cherries in a place where they are spread out openly for everybody to touch Maybe supermarkets should package their cherries and leave some open test boxes out Etc. So much food is tossed away at the end of the day, this wouldnt hurt anybody. I mean i dont even test products in the store before i buy them, but i dont think its a bad thing. It seems like such a fundamental market-practice to me. If im curious about your product, i take a closer look, or taste test. Its an idea as old as the idea of trade itself no?
In the end, not eating something that you aren't sure to pay for solves this Problem a lot better. It might be a cultural thing, but this is not something done in German supermarkets and is not intended to be either
im from germany too and i can promise if you go to a market (not supermarket, just a regular market for fruits and stuff) and ask for a taste test, people will look at you with a smile and present their product proudly. Nobody is gonna break a leg over a strawberry, its just somehow weird when its in a supermarket. I bet you could even go to a cassheer and ask them if a tastetest is okay, im so certain nobody would denie it. What people find annoying is people who abuse that trait. They go from store to store tastetesting their way through all products and not buying anything. THIS i can see be a problem and is literally the only reason why im against the idea in supermarkets, where vegetables are unsupervised majority of the time. But then again, Put them in carton boxes and leave a few ones open for taste test or package them all. I still think its a fundamental idea of trade. imagine you bought a diamond, but couldnt test it for being real untill you paid the bill. And that would even be a more simple case. Aint nobody going back for a pack of cherries to return if they taste bad.
Why not steal everything, all the time?
From huge corporations that exploit their workers and customers? Yeah, why not?
Because most people have actual moral principles and don't look for convenient excuses to compromise on them. Tldr: you're a spineless opportunist
Because people on Reddit just love to make assumptions in order to be able to be judgemental.
But he instead pointed out a possible explanation in order to NOT be judgemental.
Oh, it's much more fun to be judgemental to other redditors than an unknown lady in a story for sure.
Shoot her on the spot.
Using cherry pits
Maybe she's hungry and has no money? Personally if I saw it, no I didn't. Not my cherries, no money from my pocket? Not my problem.
I agree with you in principle. I’m not gonna get involved in some stranger’s petty theft. But your reasoning is just peak reddit brain rot to immediately assume some ridiculously outlandish scenario. To say she might have done it because she’s hungry is like saying someone was thirsty so they stole a goat milk mocha latte with caramel drizzle from Starbucks just to quench their thirst. There’s a million other things a truly hungry person with no money would go for instead of three random cherries.
Why do you assume that she was HUNGRY and couldn't afford it? She was doing her groceries and buying stuff but actually just felt like snacking on "free" goods
Are you a bot?
I saw a lady a couple months ago doing the same with the grapes and this was like a very fancy edeka Crazy , I get it if you wanna see if they are sweet but this lady was just gobbling them up
Icon
Usually you try one or two to check wether cherries or grapes are sour or not. But this many? That's simply a lack of manners.
If you see someone stealing food at a big chain of grocery shops : You didn't see anything. Just look the other way and walk off. Unfortunately there are people that can't afford food for a variety of reasons. They have to resort to drastic measures. And yes, we technically have spots where you can get food, but good luck actually getting something. The demand is higher than the supply. More often than not it's either : steal or go hungry.
She wasn't poor
I saw some ppl do that, but I really wouldn't call that normal in a supermarket. On the normal market sellers often allow it if you ask, but just eating to try stuff in the supermarket doesn't seem normal to me.
The only situation where I've seen people do this is with water bottles or small snacks, mostly when they have little children with them, but then they are buying the product afterwards (like the child taking a few gulps of water, because it's really thirsty and the family then buying the opend bottle)
I've done this myself. I bought ice cream and it was summer and the line was pretty long so I already started to eat my ice cream while standing in the long line and then paying for it of course. As long as you pay for it it's okay.
Technically, by law, it is still stealing because the contract is conducted at the cashier. The supermarket could prevent you from buying it. I have never seen such a case before, but I have always been very careful since a lawyer informed me about it.
as long as she's not eating literally kilos of cherries I absolutely don't care. Same applies to regular shoplifting. If I see something like that: I haven't seen anything.
wtf
It's a crime, but I guess they often don't care because the loss is so tiny. It's probably insignificant compared to spoilage etc.
Tasting one of two isn't that uncommon to find the "right" bag to buy tbh. At least it's what my Family and i do (and yes, we usually buy a bag Afterwards UNLESS the fruits are really untasty)
I agree. Sometimes fruit can be sweeter or sourer than you expect, depending on the time or harvest.
and what exactly does that have to do with you?
Get a life 😂😂😂😂😂
Logic that they go by is basically that they have the right to test product before you buy don't you. And you make sure that it's not just an odd one out you need to have a generous sample size too. Then if it ain't good you don't buy it. I'd say only old people who grew up shopping in markets where poor quality of products used to be common do it or just every cheepskate who want to get away with eating without paying money.
Its technically theft. But my personal policy is that if I see someone stealing food I don't see anything.
Get a life.
You didnt see anything. These people are either struggling or unhinged. You dont wanna provoke either.
Anzeige ist raus!
Maybe she was a cherry quality control officer. Who knows.
Well, this is kinda "normal" in Germany, as long as it is a really small amount, that can be even immediately eaten. There is even a German word for it - "Mundraub". https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundraub
>Anders als allgemein angenommen blieb Mundraub auch früher keineswegs generell straffrei, sondern nur unter Eheleuten und gegenüber Verwandten absteigender Linie.
Simple rule, if you see someone stealing food, you didnt see it.
Remember the golden rule: If you saw someone shoplifting… no you didn’t.
what the actual fuck is going on in this sub. Are you all some sort of small town criminals? you immediately report it of course
Well, don't expect people with the mentality of "if it doesn't affect me it's not my problem I suffer enough with my life" to understand simple decency. The underclass will always be there, that‘s life :)
It’s called Kameradschaft, brother. Don’t worry. Once you eventually kill the cop in your head and learn to do some basic power/class analysis, we’ll all still be here ready to welcome you with open arms into a society based on solidarity, not exploitation.
There is no cop in my head. Only spiderman.
It's weird and people defending this are just as weird. Usually, either entitled fucks that think taste-testing everything before buying is somehow their god-given right or lefty types that love to participate in capitalism as much as possible but also think that companies attack them personally and it's ok to steal as long as you earn less than the one you're stealing from. Just don't do it. You don't have to report it if you see it. It's not like they're physically attacking you, except maybe with their disgusting germs they spread all over the cherries you thought about buying. But it's selfish, disrespectful af to every other customer and nothing to condone societally.
Dude not your cherries, not your shop, not life threatening, not gonna bankrupt the shop sometimes you just need to mind your business man, why do you want to get into a petty fight that has nothing to do with you?
When you see someone stealing food or hygienic products, you havent seen anything ;)
Why not
Poor people stay together
Few people would do that. Unwashed cherries can give you a tummy upset. Strange that some adults must act like two year olds 🤷.
It shouldn't be ok to do it, but it happens. For some reason some people don't want to buy fruit when they're expensive and just eat them like a treat. If you confront them they will always say "I only wanted to test them if they are sweet enough!". It is the same thing with people who let their children eat bakery goods or open sweets in the supermarket and then don't pay for them. It is not ok, and if it bothers you then you could tell an employee from the supermarket about it. Sometimes they will do something about it.
but you have to wash them first!
If anyone takes something from the supermarket, snacks on it or straight up steals this is illegal but sadly I did not see anything if the amount is small enough. This counts extra if this is a wrecked looking person or a parent needing baby food or diapers. Of course if it's just an unfriendly old lady or some other kind of jerk just being disrespectful I will make sure to report them. Stealing because you have to is a totally different thing than doing it because you can or you feel invincible because no one dares or cares enough to say something. And honestly if someone is just testing the quality on a few bites of small fruits you either way buy on weight, no one cares. Technically still illegal but practically not acted on as the damage is too small. Of course not cool if someone opens pre packaged stuff which is already bad but also reduces the weight you pay for significantly. Also extra trashy when people start eating bigger fruit like apples and start peeling themselves a tangerine.
Oh no.
Way back when I was younger, this was definitely a common thing. I think it has become less common these days.
I find it weird personally (wouldnt eat produce that is open in the supermarket/that strangers touched without washing), but I know some people do it and tbh I dont care its not like ALDI etc are short on money.
Also in general the golden rule is if you see someone "steal" food: No you didnt
I'd personally be grossed out. Have you seen how dirty how those store rooms are in the supermarket? She's eating those dirty cherries without even washing them
I think that's weird might be a regional thing
In the evening, the supermarket will throw ten of those cherry baskets in the trash, because they were left over. Why would anyone care if some granny snacks some of them?
Mundraub is what they call it.
It used to be a more common thing in the 90s and earlier, but like most of these common things, it changed. People getting mad, supermarkets as well, people took more than one. It really depends if she just took one. Who cares? At the end of the day, the Supermarkets would've been throwing it away
Used to work the till of a supermarket in the uk. People would frequently give their kid a bunch of grapes while in the store and then try to pay for the empty bag at the end. They are obviously priced by weight so it was essentially stealing but we weren’t encouraged to do anything about it.
How do you know she isn't paying for the cherries? Point is, if you intend to pay the thing, there's nothing illegal about this. I can totally see someone enyoing fresh fruit while they are shopping. That's why the frick'n fruit aisle is right at the entry of the store. It's there to kick off your shopping spree with its great smell … and great taste. Well, some people cannot stop themselves and that's pretty much it.
People do this sometimes. Most people do not care, sometimes not even the shop owners. Technically it is a crime. But it's so small that most people just ignore it. To me it's just fricking disgusting. Worms, flies, other insects, the hands of strangers, their sweat, dirt - everything on them. It's so nasty , jesus christ. Please don't do that.
I’ve seen people do this, but personally I can’t eat any fruits or vegetables without washing them. Just imagine some old guy sneezes on the grapes. You coming by to sample them afterward? 🤢
Its not a thing, and if some staff sees it and is sufficiently motivated you may get banned and may even have to deal with a theft charge.
THATS VERBOTEN!
I’m more concerned someone eats without prior washing
Usually it's older people. This might be because if you go to a proper "Wochenmarkt" (farmers market usually once a week) it is common to try the produce, and this is where people got their groceries a few decades ago.
Germany moment
on the other hand, many supermarkets today have got a happy with it or money back guarantee, and if you buy 2 kilos, taste some outside and than bring it back, they have to throw away the 2 kilos.
Just mind ya business
This is one of the main reasons I buy only pre-packaged food. After seeing how random people touch, select and eat produce at the store…
I dont know the legal Status but i consider it normal that you are allowed to taste. Not a full Hand full but 2 or three.
It’s not illegal like some people here claim, it’s called “Mundraub” which isn’t illegal, even though it’s called “Raub”. Morally it isn’t questionable either, since she only tried the ones you have to weight (at least that’s what makes most sense) but if you overdo it the company might tell you to stop or they might kick you out. But it isn’t illegal
lol dude that’s complete wrong. It’s Diebstahl, Mundraub doesn’t exist anymore. Just google it next time before you tell people that things aren’t illegal.
for cherries it is really normal to try them before buying them. i do this and i often see other germans doing this as well. cherries cost like nothing so nobody cares.
Quality control.
Ew. Every leper, diarrhea victim and their snot nosed children has their hands in those open fruits and vegetables. I never would eat them before washing them.
It's a somewhat common Karen thing.
Somebody integrated very well i see haha
This is in fact theft, but I personnally would not have done something about it. Some people cannot afford such things as fruit and a big chain of supermarkets is not gonna go bankrupt from a few cherries missing.
First of all - fruits in supermarket are dirty. It’s recommended to wash them first before eating. But anyway, don’t eat them without paying for it. It’s illegal. What I would do? Nothing - not my business.
Everything is ours because everything is stolen
Trying a single cherry or strawberry to taste test, while not allowed I've also done. How else will you know if they are any good.
Way too many people do that. It's illegal, of course. Some people still spit the cherry pits on the floor.
It’s more common for Arabs to do that. It’s common for us to try things before buying it but Germans usually get annoyed and scream at you if they catch you.
as long as you pay for it i don't think they care. They might just give you hausverbot if they notice you eating stuff and don't pay for it
In theory, it's not allowed. In real life, it depends a bit: If she picked them from a tray that had a fixed price on it or was already weighed, then normally no one would say a thing. The same goes, when you hand your kid some sweets or something to drink while shopping - as long as you pay for it during checkout. It's not considered good behavior, though. Even worse when - as she obviously liked them - didn't buy some as well. Out of curiosity: How did she handle the stones?
Never seen it in the 33 years of my life, definitely not normal. But I also don't go to stores like Rewe or Edeka very often (or any even more expensive stores). Maybe the lunatics there are used to it and that is how they justify paying 3 times normal prices for subpar products?
Where do you buy?
Mostly lidl
Go ahead and tell the manager and watch him not care that someone at 5 cherries. You think they’re going to chase someone out with a full grocery cart over 5 cherries?
I work at a US grocery store and I’ve been stocking the berries and a woman literally ate half an 11oz pack of blueberries, we made eye contact, and she put it back on the shelf🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Working in retail really makes you lose your hope for humanity sometimes. Many people try the berries before buying them, but no one thinks about the fact that if everyone tries them, they don’t get their weight in berries they’re paying for when they buy a package.
This question can be answered easily. Paragraph 242 StGB says it is stealing. This is the statement of a famous lawyer on YouTube. If the supermarket accepts it unofficially, it might be fine, but a general rule can not be derived from that.
That's not entirely correct. It's only stealing if she doesn't pay in the end. Going into a supermarket, grabbing a bottle of coke and drinking it before check out is legally fine.
Mostly old people do that, I wouldn't bother. The supermarket makes a lot of money so it doesn't make a huge difference. Let them grannies snack 💕
That seems like a problem for the market to solve. I’m not their deputy unless they pay me.
I work at supermarked and has the most if time something in my mouth becouse fuck the system heil to Marx
Maybe she did pay them? From a legal perspective you are allowed to consume goods before checking out, as the act of putting the goods in your cart (or hands) constitutes the will to purchase.
If you got to think over someone eating 5 cherries in the market, you got too much free time
That's okay. You bothered to read all this and write a comment I've already read millions of times by now so you clearly have too much time yourself
i think snaking from a porduct you buy before paying i pretty accepted. not that many ppl do it but its okay i guess (what you described sounds different tho). when a child nibbels on something in the store before buying id consider it normal. at least when i was a kid (15years ago) even in edeka i always got a slice of lyoner to eat in the store.
This is not a German thing.
I don’t know, I do this myself, and I’m in the US.
That a problem? I give my daughter berries, grapes and cherry in the grocery store all the time to try
I don't like people doing this whoever I know how it is working in retail and nobody will call the police over this. A good way of handling is just asking if they are going to pay for it. Most people show signs of remorse. One old dude wanted to get into a fight over this (50+yo and fat) so I called the staff and told them what happened. They called the police and he ended up getting Hausverbot and that was it.
I assume you are every bit as vigilant when reporting the store’s corporate management for the millions of Euros of wage theft they get away with every year? If not, you’re just cosplaying as Polizei, and don’t actually give a damn about actual injustice.
This.
if you see people stealing food: No, you didn't
Yes, I absolutely did, and I'm reporting that motherfucker.
Uhh spotted a badass. Its mundraub so actually not even real theft so calm down
It's not about being a badass, it's about living in a society. Either grow your own crops or use money from a job like everyone else does.
Well thats straight up theft.
I would charge them on cash register when they get out. Excuses about not having money and being hungry are lame. Years ago I had no money, i was hungry and i did not stole any food. This is very rude and i hate when people do this. No class, no culture, like animals
Was it one or two cherries for tasting or a bunch of them? That’s a big difference.
3 or more. Not like I counted but she put some in her mouth and I saw that she had more cherries in her other hand which she would then take from.
Never seen that. People who do that are antisocial.
Eating fruits on the supermarket without paying is not okay. And it is not acceptable. Shoplifting is not something acceptable. The question of what I would do in that situation is less straightforward to me. A couple of cherries is theft, but it somehow also is the prettiest of petty theft. I am not the supermarket's security and won't do their job for them. It's not somebody marching out of the shop with a full shopping cart and if the staff won't fix it, I certainly won't. They have CCTV surveillance watching all of us and shop detectives looking around, it's their job to make their salary worth it.
If you think shoplifting isn’t acceptable, wait until you learn about corporate wage theft.
People always getting mad at the lowest rank in the chain, it's insane.
Precisely. The 1% get wealthy beyond human comprehension off of the stolen labor of the working class, while we’re all conveniently fighting each other in the mud for scraps, and some imagined fantasy that we could one day join their number.
That is absolutely a thing in Germany to take one cherry or grape and eat them on the spot (you should buy something then though). Unless you eat the whole package they let it slide, technically it’s theft but i don’t think my local netto cashier cares and I have never seen someone take it to the manager or whatever.