IMHO, the store manager should have reminded this woman about the sandwich that was eaten. It could have been a mistake since she paid for fifty dollars of groceries. I have never eaten in a store BUT I have drank in one on occasion. Once when I had to take a prescription and once when I had a allergy/coughing attack. Yes... I paid for my seltzer purchase but simply because a rather large, empty bottle was in the cart.
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.
Sometimes I’ll sample something from a package, etc. and I always put the wrapper, box, bottle, or price tag in the cart. They should have done likewise.