Money Moral Dilemma: Is pick and mix nibbling theft?

minerva_windsong

I stole a pick and mix sweet from Woolworths when I was eight (as in put it in my coat pocket and walked out the shop, purely to see if I could get away with it), and for several weeks afterwards lived in absolute terror of being arrested. So to me, it's theft if you haven't paid for it/aren't going to pay for it - carlgriffiths' example to me is OK because you're still going to pay for what you actually bought.

On the taking your own sweets to the pictures note, I've always done that, but only because I think the best part of £5 for a big bag of Minstrels and a bottle of water is taking the proverbial. I know cinema chains make all their money on confectionery, but I resent paying almost twice as much again to get sweets after I get in.

Dru2

Don't do this please. It pays to be honest in ALL THINGS (even the little itty bitty ones). It's the 'rocky road down' if you don't adhere to honesty. Of course, sometimes it doesn't feel like honesty is rewarded but, look into yourself! What if children are in the queue? They see everything!!. I should know - I have 4 x nieces and nephews. Let's show them the correct way to behave.

Dru2

Just to clarify here. I meant, Don't nick the pick and mix. I'm all for taking your own ('paid for' or....home made) sweets and drink to the cinema

ThinkingOfLinking

blued wrote: »

I really couldnt care less and find it quite funny that some of the replies include "they would become and ex friend" and "I wouldnt trust them anymore". We dont buy food in the cinema due to the ridiculous prices, we buy in tesco and take them in. What do you lot on your high horses think of that?! Should we be arrested? Should our friends disown us?!

I agree completely with your answer, although if it's a small art house or independent cinema I actually tend to buy my snacks at the venue.

Technically, in answer to the OP, though, it IS theft, but it's not an issue to the staff if you try one or two, just if you snaffle loads.

Chinkle

It doesn't matter how small it is whether its a sweet or grape in the cinema or supermarket - its all theft. I don't believe it's right to grab something off the shelf and start eating/drinking it - even if you intend to pay for it at the end. I sometimes wonder if the bottles/packets just get discarded rather than genuinely paid for.

And if you don't like the "extortionate" prices for food at the cinema don't buy them. I never understand why people have to gorge themselves when watching a film. But my OH is one of them and I make sure he has a can of drink from the supermarket and a freshly microwaved popcorn packet with him before we go.

bylromarha

Yes, it's theft.

Eating grapes in Tesco is theft. (I've never understood why people consider this okay - you wouldn't take a bite out of an apple and buy the rest at the till...)

Anything you buy by weight and eat before it is weighed is theft.

Having worked restocking pick and mix, I would never eat the stuff. So easy for ants to breed in there (she says from experience)

ThinkingOfLinking

bylromarha wrote: »

Having worked restocking pick and mix, I would never eat the stuff. So easy for ants to breed in there (she says from experience)

Yuck!! Glad I never eat pick and mix now...I'm a popcorn and diet coke person.:D

rpb

rinoa778 wrote: »

My only exception to this rule is the grape rule. You are allowed to try one grape to see if they are worth buying!

The only exception I make is also the grape rule. The number of times I've bought a bunch of grapes marked "sweet and juicy" to find them horrible and sour...

Many supermarkets offer small samples of various food stuffs, presumably because it boosts sales. Fabric stores will provide free swatches when asked for the same reason. In fact, many businesses will offer small test samples of items for free if a buyer is genuinely planning on buying a reasonable quantity.

So although technically 'theft' if permission is not sought on every occasion, I believe current social norms accept the testing of a single grape for quality prior to purchase of a bunch of a hundred.

[The pick-and-mix argument is a no-no, though. The uniformity of sweets is such that everyone should know which ones they already like, so they have no genuine need to "test". And if you are unsure about some new variety of sweet then you are able to buy just one to try and then you will know for next time - this is not usually the case with grapes!]

Munger

the price of the pick n mix sweets in the cinema is where the real theft is happening, they have some good profit margins on them sweets!

Billionpounddreamer

relaxtwotribes wrote: »

Stop using the word 'extortionate' to describe prices for cinema tickets, sweets, coke, popcorn etc. There is no extortion involved. They offer you a product/service and if you accept the price you get it. If you don't accept it you don't get it.
'Extortionate price' is usually just a term used to justify theft.

Simples.

Cinema prices ARE extortionate.

What you have described is a "transaction at arms length" whereby in a free market the price of a product is the meeting point at which the seller is willing to accept for his/her product or service and what the buyer is willing to pay.

In a cinema, the company has a monopoly over the price of popcorn. There are no competitors offering it at a lower price. We cannot choose to go elsewhere as the cinemas enforce bans on bringing food in from the outside. And I feel sorry for the person who does not feel that popcorn and a drink are not a part of the cinema experience, so yes we have to buy it.

Therefore the cinema has total control over their prices without fear of loss of custom. Forcing people to pay heavy prices for such cheap commodities is, by definition, extortionate.

Do you know the profit margin on popcorn? According to a recent article on MSN, it's over 10,000%. That's higher than cocaine. Tell me that's not extortionate.

Not even the banks charge that kind of margin on overdrafts.