I see a lot of it in my neighborhood. People munch on bread, nibble cookies and sip bottles of juice while in the store aisles or in line at checkout, and bring the empties to be rung up. I think it's a bad habit, especially when taught to children. It causes them to not associate consumption with paying for the merchandise first, and does not teach delayed gratification. It also looks sort of gross and ill-mannered to be consuming food and drink in a venue meant only for buying food and drink. I am of course excluding the food sample stations here and there in the store where shoppers are given a taste of something on sale, or the toddler clutching a small Zip-Loc bag of cheddar goldfish crackers because her mom knows the small one's tummy can't wait. No, I am talking about the people who should know better.
Our favorite grocery closed because people came to dine and brought their kids and did NOT pay. They had to lock up the formula because women were filling their kids bottles and leaving the empty cans in the aisle. They’d eat produce too, you know, the stuff sold by weight.
I agree with you.