Opening something for your child/ren to eat whilst shopping?

[Amaunet]

I often open a packet of pikelets for DS to snack on and grab a diet coke for me to drink as I go. I think if we are talking "moral or immoral" it's about intent. I fully intend to pay (and always have) so don't see a problem. I have never had any staff member query me about it and I shop at all major supermarket chains.

[Ozziehoffy]

With my own, would I do it, no, I find it morally wrong, I won't even open a drink before I've paid for it.

I felt the same until I was in the middle of dealing with toddler meltdown inc. The good thing is he doesn't expect it when we walk in and I do what I can to avoid situations arising, but toddlers being what they are can throw those curveballs when you least expect. I do it cos it means I can get in and out quickly with as little upset as possible to all involved and also for the sanity of the other shoppers!

[briggsy's girl]

i think there is always going to be two very divided camps on this one based on your moral standpoint. i don't believe it's immoral, as long as you pay. as far as i understand it, as long as you don't actually leave the store without paying for items... as i said before though, i always check we have enough cash just in case there are any issues with cards as we always pay by card.

i read a few comments about getting food at the local cafe/bakery before going into the shops - for us, this just isn't possible. our local woolworths is a stand alone store - there is nothing there (except on Saturdays - the local Lions Club does a sausage sizzle). our options are to grab something semi healthy in the shops, or to stop at KFC or something equally crap on the way. i would prefer for DD not to associate shopping with chips or similar...

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I have always let Liebling hold what he wants to eat (eg cheese) and say he can give it to the cashier and eat it when it is paid for. It works for us.

I have a personal issue with flexible boundaries though: I don't want to let Liebs eat in the shop before we buy now then change the rule later. Too confusing. It's just always not done. No point in praising something one week then demonising it the next - but my mother did that with a lot of things, so that's an issue for me: not saying that it should be done that way for everyone else.

[*Efjay*]

I will with my little ones who are too little to really understand. Like others if it means no tantrum while getting it done then great. But No the big kids have to wait. DH though, will happily open a bottle of coke & drink that before its paid for. I have done that before when I had a itchy throat, you know those eye watering ones. I have also done it with a box of tissues too (more then once actually) When I have had a runny nose or one of the kids has I am not prepared. I don't really see the issue with it.

[lilima]

One of our local stores has a stand in it. You put 30 cents in a money box and can grab a piece of fruit. My kids think that this is great.
If the shop is ok with you opening a package, I don't see what the problem is. Can't say I have ever seen a sign that says do not consume goods until they are paid for.

[Glamourcide]

I have a set shopping day every week and go prepared - throw a couple of muesli bars in my handbag and make sure DD2 takes her water bottle (DD1 goes to daycare, it's too much of a hassle to take them both!) so we don't even get to the stage of umming and ahhing over whether to open a snack before we get to the checkout. I usually stop for a coffee at Donut King before hitting Woolies anyway, so DD2 gets a plain donut to keep her amused.
That being said, there are times when I've had both kids with me, or the pantry's been bare and I haven't had snacks at home to pack for the outing, but I've drilled into the kids that they simply have to wait until we've paid before they can open an item. They're bad for grabbing chocolate bars etc and tearing them open straight away, which is the main reason I try to push the point so strongly - I don't need an extra $10 on my weekly grocery shop because the kids are being piglets and won't take 'no' for an answer! They already know that if they open something, I'll let them have it and be forced to pay for it, but they know by now that doing so gets them in big trouble
I have had occasions when they've opened something before getting to the checkout, and dropped the wrapper or thrown it in the trolley and I've totally forgotten about it. I'd really hate to have a criminal record for a slip in my (admittedly poor) memory, so to save myself the heartache of wondering where that bloody Kinder Surprise wrapper or empty Breaka carton went, or forgetting it even got consumed and ending up charged with theft, I've just pushed that we can't eat it until we've paid for it. Works for us, I don't *disagree* with people opening and consuming items in the supermarket (provided they intend to AND follow through with paying for the item), it's just something I try to avoid with my kids as they tend to be 'give an inch, take a mile' kind of children

[MummyNaomi]

I've given DS something before we get to the checkout on the odd occassion, but as we grocery shop online the issue of a tantruming 2yo in the supermarket doesn't usually affect us. When I call into the supermarket with DS, its usually on the way home from work after picking him up from Child Care when he is usually hungry and looking forward to dinner - if I give him something its usually a preemptive strike by me to distract him as I know he is genuinely hungry as always is ready for dinner when we get home. I always pay for anything opened and frankly I've never had any checkout staff have a problem with it. I usually ask DS to hand it over to the checkout operator so he understand that it needs to get paid for - he gets it!
Pre-motherhood I used to work in a large supermarket chain as a Front End Service Manager - we never had an issue with it as long as people paid at the checkout, and most did. We'd sometimes find empty wrappers etc on shelves, but they were also from the nightfill staff
I think you'd find that Supermarkets don't mind, they do look at the big picture of keeping their valuable customers loyal to the store as long as you do the right thing and pay its not an issue. Our Fruit and Veg Manager also used to encourage our customers to try the grapes before they bought a bunch, and I still do this as a habit, some would view this as stealing - However I wonder if one grape would even register a price on the scales if you tried to pay for it

[fionas]

I think this is another occasion where I may be showing my age when I say, "hell no".

This is in the etiquette section and for me it's irrelevant as to whether it's illegal or not. It just feels like bad manners to start opening and scoffing on food before it's paid for.

Mind you, I'm a pretty boring shopper to a 3-year-old. Very rarely buy anything that she wants to eat there and then.

[wysiwyg]

Is really interesting to see how many people take snacks into a food shop for children to eat - I always thought this was a big no - no - maybe it was different in the UK? maybe was a line my parents spun me? because then anyone in the store can't tell if you brought it in or picked it up off the shelf (sometimes you might have the receipt for the thing you take in with you is true but at that point you are at the point of being challenged about whether is a bought elsewhere item or not - and snacks from home I assume you wouldn't carry receipt with you). Is funny how ingrained habits can be, I had never thought of taking food with me for DD into the shop for above reasons, and to me that does feel weirder than eating an item before paying for it at check out.

[Glamourcide]

^ I usually take single-serve things that come in big boxes, if anybody tried to accuse me of having got the food from the shelf instead of home, I'd invite them to review security footage (as each aisle in our grocery store has a camera at both ends) and see whether I went near the item in question

[Phteven]

Is really interesting to see how many people take snacks into a food shop for children to eat I always thought this was a big no - no -

I was taught the same - that taking something into a shop to eat or drink that you could purchase in the shop was really rude.

I don't think that snacking in the shop is an age thing. My father usually grabs a drink if he is thirsty and I assume that he is older most BB members.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

How any shop sells my home-made flapjack I do not know. Sometimes he gets things that can be bought, but in small tupperware-style cases. Cos he is NOT having a whole bag of rice cakes to keep him quiet on a shop, 4-5 will sate his hunger enough to get home.

I just don't eat or drink in a shop - but I was brought up told that eating and drinking when out and about was rude and why would anyone want to see me eat?

[ladybird11]

I like to feed my kidlets before we go shopping, not for any other reason than it helps me stop buying snacks I wouldn't otherwise usually buy to keep them quiet .

But if 'life happens' and I can't get the opportunity to feed them before doing the shopping I have opened food in the supermarket to keep their yells to a dull roar!

[Phteven]

If I'm thirsty I drink - if people don't want to see that they can look the other way.

[misty]

Forget the moral / ethical implications (FWIW, I do think it is immoral, unethical to consume something you haven't yet paid for), It is illegal.

To me, that is enough.

It is against the law.

I also personally feel that it doesn't hurt kids to wait for things, and to learn that they cannot have everything as soon as they want it. Even my not yet 2yr old grasps the concept that he has to pay for thing BEFORE he is allowed to eat them. He will dutifully hold the treat until we get to the checkout where it can be scanned. Although I will admit to occaisionally opening the treat straight after scanning and prior to actual payment on the rare occaision.

[courts&munchkins]

I don't do it but I don't care if others do. I feel weird about it so its just not something I do. My ds1 will either get a drink or a small lolly if he is good for the shop. I have always told him we need to pay for something before we can have it. So he never even thinks to ask to open it beforehand. Never had a major supermarket meltdown (a few minor ones but not over having something to eat) Ds2 I rarely get anything for and never had any meltdown with him either. They all come shopping with me every week. I think its all they have ever heard, pay before you can have so they just accept it. Not that I care if anyone else does. It's not wrong unless you actually don't pay for it. I just personally find it uncomfortable to do myself.

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[lilima]

I believe it is theft only if you conceal with the intent not to pay, or hide the evidence within the store and leave.