Exactly the same here. Many times I've opened a pack of Luden's cough drops, taken one and put the rest in my cart.
Supermarket sells Peet's coffee to shoppers, pay at the register. Are people actually saying I can't take a sip until I've finished shopping and paid? Iced coffees would be water and hot ones cold by that time. Hey, I'm an honest guy. I always pay. Always. And that coffee is always half gone by the time I finish shopping. Nothing wrong with it.
I bought some shelled bulk pecans once and they were kind of mushy, not crisp, and stale. Nothing wrong with trying one before you buy. Just don't try two, three, a handful!
Follow a chef around a produce market. He'll sample lots of things before buying them.
I've always thought it was okay, as long as you only took one small nibble to test the quality of a bulk item. Once you open a sealed package, though, it's yours and you have to pay for it.
I agree, LibWhacker. I have always paid once I opened a Seltzer or something similar. If a package is open, you have to pay for it. However, if someone samples something as small as a grape.. what do they owe? I personally believe that the manager in this case could have handled this situation better. The article doesn’t state that this woman has a record of shoplifting. Now.. someone could say, “Mom, if you know you are having cough attacks then bring a bottle of water or drink with you”. How in the world would the store know that I already have a purchased bottle of water when I enter the store? I am fully aware that I am on a security camera and I don’t hide the fact that I open the drink and consume it.