Why do adults have to eat around supermarkets?

cybergibbons

You keep on reinforcing the point that you are being petty. There's plenty of research showing that imposing petty rules simply cause rebellion and resentment. There's yet more research that un-enforced rules and regulations are frequently worse than no rules and regulations at all. But armchair rule-makers rarely look into the social sciences.

There's no evidence that stopping eating in supermarkets will make society better. You'd need to do a trial to see if it did, rather than basing it on anecdotes and facts pulled from thin air.

Anyway, it sounds like banning it might result in violent confrontation. Would you rather see injured store workers or people eating sandwiches? Maybe we should get the police to enforce it.

How do I know about spoilage? The big supermarkets publish this data so that investors can see why they aren't making as much money as they could do.

The supermarkets don't try hard to discourage it at all, otherwise I would have been asked to stop and there would be prominent signs. There are also ways to discourage it, like not having the sandwiches at the front of the store.

Digestive issues from eating on the go is an old wives tale. Show some scientific evidence saying otherwise.

crabyducky

Lirin wrote: »

It's theft until you actually buy it. Sadly, there's a percentage who don't.

Asked my partner who manages a store how he would feel- his answer was that if someone took something off a shelf and started eating it, unless they had a medical reason, they'd be escorted to the tills to pay for it.
He's continually throwing kids out who open bottles of Coke from the shelf and then maintain they bought it in another shop.

In any case, regardless of what laws are dragged up, it's bad manners.

surely the police should be called not escorting the thieving little sods to the doors.

Dizzy_Ditzy

blimey- its taken me more than half an hour to read this back!!

I have on occasion needed to take ibuprofen and water while in morrisons (for some reason the lights in there seem to be more artificial than in other supermarket), as I had the telltale flashing in my eyes and knew that if i was going to stop my migraine becoming a full blown one, I had to do something about it there and then. 5 minutes makes all the difference in situations like that.

How will i ever sleep tonight....? :-P

Thanks for making me laugh so much througout this thread!!

cybergibbons

Lirin wrote: »

It's theft until you actually buy it. Sadly, there's a percentage who don't.

No, it's theft when you have no intention of paying for it. If I was eating a sandwich, in the shop, and someone tried marching me to the till, it would be them in the wrong, not me. I'm not a thief, as I'm going to pay for it. The law doesn't see it like you - why do you think security guards don't apprehend people until after they have left the premises?

Barneysmom

It's a bit like trying to explain to a stroppy teenager why they shouldn't drink booze.........................................................................:rotfl:

cybergibbons

Barneysmom wrote: »

It's a bit like trying to explain to a stroppy teenager why they shouldn't drink booze.........................................................................:rotfl:

Well, yes it is. So often parents attempt to convince their kids to make certain choices, but a lot of the time it doesn't work.

Frequently I overhear parents telling their children not to follow rules, and use "white lies" to convince them they shouldn't do those things. The second the child realises it is a "white lie", they have no reason to obey the rule and will break it.

Then there are times when parents try to tell children not to do certain things, and it backfires because the child rebels against the rule.

Parents often tell the child to do something and won't give a reason, which just angers and infuriates the child.

Then there are certain things the parents try to encourage their children to do purely based on their upbringing, when society has massively changed in the meantime.

And of course, there are things that parents tell their children not to do, but do themselves, such as drinking and smoking.

NEH

cybergibbons wrote: »

No, it's theft when you have no intention of paying for it. If I was eating a sandwich, in the shop, and someone tried marching me to the till, it would be them in the wrong, not me. I'm not a thief, as I'm going to pay for it. The law doesn't see it like you - why do you think security guards don't apprehend people until after they have left the premises?

You would argue black is white wouldn't you?

How does the store determine that you are going to pay for it? At the end of the day , they see you eating something you haven't paid for how are they to know that you aren't going to stuff it on a shelf somewhere and run off...

The very fact you've started eating something that is technically not yours and then saying honest guv i was going to pay for it, they're hardly likely to believe you...

POPPYOSCAR

cybergibbons wrote: »

No, it's theft when you have no intention of paying for it. If I was eating a sandwich, in the shop, and someone tried marching me to the till, it would be them in the wrong, not me. I'm not a thief, as I'm going to pay for it. The law doesn't see it like you - why do you think security guards don't apprehend people until after they have left the premises?

I see your point.

Technically the sandwich is still on the premises.

I agree it is only theft if you leave the store without paying for it.

NEH

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

I see your point.

Technically the sandwich is still on the premises.

I agree it is only theft if you leave the store without paying for it.

Techincally it has left the store, it's in someone's tummy...:rotfl:

eranou

NEH wrote: »

You would argue black is white wouldn't you?

How does the store determine that you are going to pay for it? At the end of the day , they see you eating something you haven't paid for how are they to know that you aren't going to stuff it on a shelf somewhere and run off...

The very fact you've started eating something that is technically not yours and then saying honest guv i was going to pay for it, they're hardly likely to believe you...

Their right though its not theft in the eyes of the law as it would only become theft once you leave the store without paying.