Grinds my Gears - Shoping related.

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Right this has been going though my head for a few day's and it has kinda stewed, sorry if it get's a little angry.

Right Super Stores are a just a daily or weekly necessity for most people, I haven't got a problem with that (for a given value of CBA) but what hacks me off is -

"When the Spawn of the loins of a yuppie family collect there kid's and go shopping and feed the said spawn food before paying for it"

Let me explain, On Wednesday I saw this twice once in Manchester and once in Liverpool.
A upper middle class working couple (both had wedding rings and still had ID badges around there neck) pushing a kid round in a shopping trolly, the child is cranky just at the stage where they can say embarrassing things etc, and is thronging a fit and wants snack food. Again no problem with the kid getting some food until...
The parents of this snotty little hell spawn who is screaming for food so loudly dog's 15 miles away where crying, take a Packet of Crisps (Might I add at this point in Manchester I heard the words "Not that one they are not Organic") off the shelf and open it and give it to the child, then once the child has finished or in one case threw it at the mother who was pushing the trolley put the empty random pack on a random shelf and walked away.

This is not the first time I have saw this, and it wont be the last it hacks me off royally for the following reasons:

1) Bad parenting, make sure your Child has the best food possible.
2) What message are you giving your kids, if you eat it before the till it's not stealing.
3) What in buggery are you doing doing your weekly shop, with a hungry kid. If you are wearing a Rolex and can afford a Freelander 2 costing a min of 40K with the factory options and some dealer level after market mods you can dam well afford the 50p - £1 for a bag of crisps. Let alone a child care option that feeds your child.

This was at 3pm and at 6pm I saw both couples, but I see it at the weekend and after school a fare amount of times every day of the week, you know what REALLY annoyed me, the first time I saw this (on the day) it was in the Asda in Hulme, a shop that a lot of genuine refugees and immigrants shop that have kids, who I have seen say to there kids no not until we have payed, in fairness the Liverpool store I saw it in was Mather Avenue Tesco and that's a upper market part of Liverpool. But still it annoys me that some people will gladly condemn people from other cultures as thieves and muggers (I am talking about the Manchester couple here. who where sadly quite vocal on the subject in the till line) but casually feed the screaming child that demands a snack just to be quiet and dispose of the wrapper without a conscious thought of "Oh, I should pay for that", not realizing or worse ignoring that it's theft, consuming that particular item without paying, is outright theft.

Thing is, it shocks me that people who are living genuinely on or below the poverty line (and could genuinely have a case for eating and not paying) have a greater respect for property of others and also I would say a moral responsibility, than that of "Native" middle class moaners. Who have just casually stolen a packet of crisps to shut the child up rather than being parents and shutting the kid up and saying no snack food we are having dinner in a moment, because snack food is a easier option than being a decent parent.

/ rant, sorry just got under my skin.

 

[santaman2000]

Did the couple keep the empty packet for the cashier to scan? If they did (and then payed for it) it ain't stealing. If they hid the empty packet it IS stealing. Having worked in my grandfather's country store (which later became my uncle's) I can say this is not only common but really we don't mind (at least we don't mind the ones who bring the wrappers and pay) Even now as an adult, it's common to get a cold drink out of the cooler (there's a reason they put them at the check out line) and open and drink it while waiting my turn.

Nor really much different from wearing the new shoes and putting my old ones in the box as I go through a check-out line at a department store. it's common paractice.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Not even a half arsed attempt to pay, just "Empty pack? back on the shelf with you"/

 

[Stew]

Well its theft and should be reported.

Simples.

 

[boatman]

But, what can you do? Couple lifted a pasty from the display next to a supermarket Lottery and ciggies till. Ate it and started to walk out. Drew the assistant's attention to them and she shrugged? No Hi sign to security bod or any other reaction. The thieves certainly didn't seem to be Yuppies, hesitate to use the word Chavs.

 

[mountainm]

Not even a half arsed attempt to pay, just "Empty pack? back on the shelf with you"/

Did you challenge them?

 

[rik_uk3]

They are more than likely vegetarians and the child is genuinely starving, give the child a nice pork chop before shopping.

 

[VANDEEN]

I was brought up that if you don't report a crime/intervene then you're as bad as the criminal.

So I tend to get involved, something along the lines of, "Excuse me, you seem to have dropped something" when people drop litter & i hand it back to them.

or like the kid leaving the petrol station with chocolates stuffed inside his coat, "if you step outside those doors without paying for that you will be commiting a crime and be arrested for it, do you want to go and put them back?"

My favourite was in Tescos, I saw a guy spit his chewing gum onto the floor in front of his family of 3 kids an wife.
I went and informed a couple of the shelf stackers, who politely challenged him, he denied it, they informed him I was a witness to him doing it, he shrugged his shoulders and intimated he didn't understand English.. I advised him that the store has CCTV & would he like to be arrested for littering? Suddenly he regained his knowledge of English, remembered where he'd spat it, went back picked it up and apologised. The tesco lad was really enjoying himself by this point & suggested he would do well to educate his children & put them right as to the error of his ways.

 

[Bowlander]

I'd never do it or let my child do it.

I don't like seeing kids stood in trolleys either, who knows what they've stood in on the way there!

 

[santaman2000]

I'd never do it or let my child do it.

I don't like seeing kids stood in trolleys either, who knows what they've stood in on the way there!

to be honest, you really, really, really don't want to think too hard about the cleanliness of the buggies. It'll only lead to madness uppy_dog

 

[santaman2000]

Yep. That's definitely stealing. And Rik, you may be right.