Do You Open/Consume Items from a Store before Paying?

Lniggardly on 15/01/2025 - 14:33
Last edited 16/01/2025 - 16:16 by 2 other users

So Bilalwentwild's family seems like they open icecreams and eat from supermarkets before they pay for the items.

Just want to check if this is normal/ok?

What stops someone doing this then if security guard sees they'll pay, and if no one sees, they put the opened icecream box back onto the shelves? Risk free theft?

I was always taught to pay for something before I open/eat/use etc. I know some stores specifically mention not to open until payment and a lot of places have a process in place for people that is in a hurry to pay and open then go back into the store as the security guard will have a sticker to indicate the item has already been paid for.

FYI, no other countries do this.

Do you pay before you open?

Poll Options

  • 752
    Pay before use
  • 15
    Use and dont pay
  • 112
    Use before pay
Food & Grocery

Comments

      • saltypete on 16/01/2025 - 08:44
        +3

        Try short changing a 3 yo with fruit instead of yogurt and see what brand of hell you end up with in that supermarket. They know how to bargain better than half the folk who post here….

        • Bruceflix on 16/01/2025 - 11:06
          +4

          You reap what you sow.

          Brought my kids up to not eat in supermarkets. Crazy I know but sometimes you have to parent outside the box…

          • saltypete on 17/01/2025 - 09:05

            @Bruceflix: Same here - but it was hard fought. And they were different times. And it was negotiated. If it takes a reward for offspring to let parents get shopping done Im not judging. Its probably no different in nature to all of the negotiations our kids do with us throughout parenting anyway.

          • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 12:04
            +3

            @Bruceflix: FTFY>
            Crazy I know but sometimes you have to parent

      • 811b11e8 on 16/01/2025 - 14:18

        You try and reason with a 2-3 year old. I also shove a yoghurt pouch in my kids face, much better then her throwing a tantrum in the store.

        • Bruceflix on 16/01/2025 - 14:41
          +3

          Awesome, teaching the little one that they'll get what they want if they throw a tantrum. You going to have fun when they are a teenager.

          You try and reason with a 2-3 year old

          'I didn't. I parented. Now I get the benefits of respectful, well mannered teenagers.

          • OzzyBrak on 17/01/2025 - 22:04

            @Bruceflix: But parenting is so hard, can’t I just feed them sugar tubes and watch Netflix while I wait for my uber eats to be delivered.

            • Bruceflix on 17/01/2025 - 22:07

              @OzzyBrak: Problem with sugar tubes is you need to keep buying them. I bought them an ipad once. That's been raising them for near a decade.

  • apple2016 on 15/01/2025 - 17:19
    +4

    So Bilal's family seems like they open icecreams and eat from supermarkets before they pay for the items.

    Nothing wrong in this. as long as you pay for it, its not theft.

    • flywire on 16/01/2025 - 16:13
      +1

      Nothing wrong in this.

      Well, unless they pay twice!

  • Muppet Detector on 15/01/2025 - 17:42
    +1

    How do you rip the wrapper off a chup a chup to eat while you shop and preserve the integrity of the bar code so that you can pay for it before leaving the store?

    • Protractor on 15/01/2025 - 18:08
      +1

      That's the exact point. It's also why they keep more near the counter. To preserve at least some stock for paying customers.

    • WeHaveRicePudding on 17/01/2025 - 07:08

      I don't think it is on the wrapper from memory. I think it is a little cardboard ring that sits around the bottom of the chup itself.

  • Drakesy on 15/01/2025 - 18:09
    +1

    @niggardly did you actually read the post?

    The original OP bought the icecreams from Coles..

    FFS

    • Protractor on 15/01/2025 - 18:10

      The word 'alleged' comes to mind.

    • MS Paint on 15/01/2025 - 18:43
      +6

      As I mentioned above the icream dude mentioned in his thread that he regularly opens stock mid shop. That's why his wife never challenged scanning a half open packet of ice creams.

      • AustriaBargain on 16/01/2025 - 06:08
        +1

        Detective MS Paint 🕵️

      • Drakesy on 16/01/2025 - 16:12

        ahhh, that would make sense

        Where did they say that?

        • MS Paint on 16/01/2025 - 17:07

          here

          • Drakesy on 16/01/2025 - 17:43

            @MS Paint:

            As I mentioned above the icream dude mentioned in his thread that he regularly opens stock mid shop.

            It doesnt read that way though, it didn't say that he regularly does it.

            • MS Paint on 16/01/2025 - 18:54
              +1

              @Drakesy: Well his wife didn't challenge it or think it was unusual so I'm guessing it's happened on more than one occasion.

    • niggardly on 15/01/2025 - 22:05
      -1

      MS paint explained it perfectly. Bilal's wife scanned the opened icecream box while the kids eating the icecream. Likely she is used to Bilal and co opening things whilst still inside the shop.

      • Drakesy on 15/01/2025 - 23:36

        Youre making a lot of assumptions when its there in black and white

      • Cave Fire on 16/01/2025 - 17:52

        It says she assumed he opened it once, eg that time in Woolworths. A lot of these stories don't make sense when you think about lol. So the cashier would also have to ask, are you ok with it being half empty…

  • Tech5 on 15/01/2025 - 23:03

    I used it do it if I was walking in just to get a bottle of water or soda, but can't anymore due to the weight scales. Icecream is a bit much lol

  • HangryCakeStore on 16/01/2025 - 00:56
    -1

    I thought everyone’s learnt now you aren’t the shop police, so go suck yourself? Mind your own business!

    Edit: same for people getting quick to judge how someone shops because of their race.. either you’re a effin racist and can kindly F off!

  • TEER3X on 16/01/2025 - 06:26

    FYI, no other countries do this.

    False

    What stops someone doing this then if security guard sees they'll pay, and if no one sees, they put the opened icecream box back onto the shelves? Risk free theft?

    It's not risk free theft, only to a child or someone with the mind of a child perhaps.

    I haven't seen any security guards at my grocery shop, so by your logic, I'll just eat everything in store and not pay for the items.

  • THICKnSLOW on 16/01/2025 - 07:28
    +2

    Opening up an ice cream, eating it before it melts and paying for it twice is better than stabbing a Colesworth worker in the back, so there's that.

    https://youtu.be/5Jz1590zMIw

  • Eeples on 16/01/2025 - 07:33
    +1

    I’m surprised how low the vote is for ‘Use and don’t pay’ as I have seen many people eating grapes and just moving on.

    • wisdomtooth on 16/01/2025 - 07:46

      Unwashed?? 😱

      • Eeples on 16/01/2025 - 22:48
        +1

        The people who do this?

        Not always.

  • TerryJustTerry on 16/01/2025 - 08:16

    Do I do it often ? - No.

    Have I ever done it ? - Yes

    E.g Went on a long walk and forgot water, ended up the next suburb over and found a woollies. Located the water isle and grabbed a bottle to sip on while putting other items in my basket.

    • wisdomtooth on 16/01/2025 - 08:27
      +2

      The alternative is paying for the water, and walking out the store to drink it — so you're not suspected of cOnSUmiNG wiTHouT pAyiNG, God forbid! — and then maybe leaving the other purchases for later, perhaps at another store, or giving them up entirely. That's why stores don't much care whether about people consuming in store before paying; it keeps them there longer, and willing to purchase more. If they did care, they'd be policing it like those staff at the exit of Kmart checking receipts. They don't need you Karens to do the policing for them.

      • TerryJustTerry on 16/01/2025 - 08:35

        Not going to lie that had occurred to me(buying before consuming), but personally that just makes me more anxious because then I have to go through the checkout process and not pay for an item that is clearly from that store (because I had purchased it in the first shop ofc).

  • curtturtle on 16/01/2025 - 08:21
    +1

    I generally pay first. I once after a big run opened a gatorade while in the line to pay because I was feeling a bit feint. People gave me such a weird look. So I felt I needed to make sure that the checkout assistant saw me scan the drink right away.

  • connorlo on 16/01/2025 - 10:18
    -1

    I do at the supermarket, just for when the kids are with me we grab the little milks and they drink them while we go around. We do pay for them.

  • 1d0ntkn0w on 16/01/2025 - 10:19
    +3

    Need a pay and don't use option since we're on Ozbargain

  • mikekiwimike on 16/01/2025 - 10:46
    +2

    Eating or using before you pay is is arrogant and disrespectful. You do not 'own' the thing until you pay for it, the retailer has paid for the item and they have no guarantee that you will pay for it either until you have paid for it…..

    Don't do it, there is not reason to try and show you somehow 'own' the store, show a bit of respect and wait.

  • TheKas on 16/01/2025 - 12:01
    +2

    When at the supermarket, my son can't wait until I pay so he snacks before paying and I join him too. I don't think its a big deal, staff are also not bothered. But I always pay. I make sure I hold on to the packaging and that it is paid for. I wouldn't do this at a deli or similar though.

    • wisdomtooth on 16/01/2025 - 12:45

      staff are also not bothered.

      Exactly. Only the Karens here are.

  • fgfash on 16/01/2025 - 12:07
    +1

    Some of the comments here are just….
    What you will do is if you are thirsty, if you have a crying baby etc is you go and buy that particular item first, keep the receipt in your hands and go about your shopping.
    That's what I will do anyway to avoid being labelled as someone stealing from the supermarket or consuming an item before paying for it, or "forgetting" to scan it at checkout.

  • simplystu on 16/01/2025 - 12:16
    +1

    I was saddened on Sunday …

    A man eating a banana - then putting the disposed skin on shelf in the bread isle … in a Coles store.
    although … by looking at the guy … guessing he was homeless (bare feet).

    Atleast he is eating fruit :)

  • Cave Fire on 16/01/2025 - 13:04

    ? It doesn't mention eating before paying in old thread. I think it even says after they paid at Coles. Just interesting how people can project and make stuff up.

  • OzBarAnon on 16/01/2025 - 13:13

    I almost always pay first, with the only exception coming to mind being a coffee from the petrol station (sometimes the ice in the iced coffee will cause it to overflow, so I drink a little before putting the lid on). Whether or not it is "okay?", I guess that's subjective, but I'd say in the vast majority of cases, the answer is no.

  • msalmank on 16/01/2025 - 13:17

    Always pay before use. But with three young kids, the only exception I've made is when purchasing water when a young one needs a drink ASAP for a specific reason… Pick up water, open and let the kid have a drink, and then pay at the counter.

  • Morphio25 on 16/01/2025 - 13:26

    I personally don't do it, mostly because I don't ever feel the need to grab a drink or something to eat while I'm doing my shopping - I've done that before I get to the store. My daughter on the other hand likes to sit in the trolley and have a couple of Bluey yoghurt pouches (which keeps her occupied for a decent chunk of the shop!). I even asked one of the checkout girls a few weeks back and she says she personally doesn't mind with stuff like the pouches, which the lid goes back onto, but draws the line at having to touch anything a child had slobbered all over. Those that say they would never do it or think it's disgusting obviously don't have kids.

  • quick-dry on 16/01/2025 - 13:31
    +4

    on a forum where it is common practice to hide the prepaid mastercard gift cards so you can buy them during the 5% off discount, we're concerned that people who actually pay for the products might use them before the money has changed hands?

    oh but theft: any supermarket scenario involves "oh but theft" - they put the stuff out there for people to walk past and pick (or pocket). We're not talking about thieves, just people who pay for a product, but use it beforehand.

    "oh but mess": this isn't specificaly about people making mess, you could take the bachelors handbag and leave it in a different aisle without eating it, still a mess and no theft. You can take a bushell of bok choy and leave leaves in every aisle. Mess isn't the essential element. It's consumption/usage before payment.

    People invoke both of these complaints and then say they'd buy it first, then hold the receipt so they can re-enter the store with the drink. As if that doesn't leave open the possibility of mess - by leaving empty garbage on the shelves, or by consuming it all outside and picking a second out of the fridge and claiming it as the first. (would you lose OzB points for theft, but gain OzB points if it was a 'hack' to get extra 10c on recycling credit?)

    Yes, if I'm thirsty I may on occasion open my Oak choccie milk and drink it while shopping, then scan it at the register, pay for it, take it home, then collect my 10c later on recycling.

    Who cares - if the product is paid for then it isn't theft, and they're not making a mess I don't care.

    • Reggyscum on 20/01/2025 - 09:51

      Get outta here with your reason.

  • R4 on 16/01/2025 - 13:43
    -1

    Pay first. Doing otherwise is for peasants.

  • hopper on 16/01/2025 - 15:27
    +1

    sometimes i open pringles from coles while shopping, to keep my autistic kid calm when he starts his tantrum. And i pay at the checkout. Coles store in our area has quite hours for special needs people. I just take him during those hours to make him more comfortable

    https://www.coles.com.au/help/accessibility/quiet-hour?srslt…

    I do agree that its not correct, but trust me I have no option as I want him to be in public and learn things when not in school. Sorry if this hurts anyone but I have no choice.

  • ThadtheChad on 16/01/2025 - 15:56
    +1

    What stops someone doing this then if security guard sees they'll pay, and if no one sees, they put the opened icecream box back onto the shelves? Risk free theft?

    Being a decent human being?

    This is basically the reason why there is a (or used to be) a fair bit of social capital among the Aussie populace. Sadly it seems to have eroded over the past decade.

  • drfuzzy on 16/01/2025 - 16:14

    At my supermarket I watch the peasants take handfulls of premium cherries and nuts to consume as they roam around, buying little or nothing.

    • wisdomtooth on 16/01/2025 - 16:21
      +2

      OMG, not the peasants! 😱

      • YoursTruly on 16/01/2025 - 19:33
        +1

        …I watch the peasants take handfulls of premium cherries and nuts to consume as they roam…

        OMG, not the peasants peanuts! 😱

    • Hadranius on 16/01/2025 - 18:34
      +1

      Clutches pearls!

      I hope you called tripple-zero!

      • wisdomtooth on 16/01/2025 - 20:15

        13 years, 2151 comments and… ONE post. Interesting!

  • Hangryuman on 16/01/2025 - 17:28

    you're unlikely to be hassled about it as long as you pay for it before you leave

    if you consume it and put the packaging back, and then leave the store, that would be grounds for arrest for theft

    the quandary for business is they don't want to discourage good customers from coming again - but they would like to discourage a$$holes who steal and eat their food and then discard the packaging in the store - this is theft, a criminal offence, and someone who does that is likely to already have a criminal record, so … FML, etc.

  • xrayed giraffe on 16/01/2025 - 17:40
    +2

    So the supermarket doesn't really care, but all the Karens are on here saying "how dare you do that!"
    I guess it's another case of myob

  • xrayed giraffe on 16/01/2025 - 17:47
    +2

    But what if the person doesn't pay!
    Won't somebody please think of the billion dollar profit margins of the supermarkets!!
    (Insert Mrs Lovejoy jpeg)

  • Hadranius on 16/01/2025 - 18:33
    -1

    1 grab a lettuce, start wrapping leaves for a rough shred ,
    2. Grab some tortillas open the packet
    3. Go grab a set of tongs from the kitchen aisle cause step 4 you’ll need them.
    4. Go get a cooked chicken start tearing meat off with tongs.
    5. Return unused lettuce portion to shelf again, same with tongs .
    6. Pay for chicken and wraps

    • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 21:33

      How about some chipotle mayo dude?

  • YoursTruly on 16/01/2025 - 19:20

    Do You Open/Consume Items from a Store before Paying?

    With the exception of condoms, sunscreen, fruits, veggies, etc, etc, YES.

    Eg. I’ve got no time to waste waiting to enjoy a melted magnum ice cream once I arrive home (if I’ve been craving one), or wait to quench a thirst with a bottle water in a lengthy shop session.

  • aong152 on 16/01/2025 - 20:59

    I personally dont do it but…
    * if i'm really hungry/thirsty, i pay, then come back into the store while eating it, and no one's ever asked me about it
    * or super emergency dying then i'll do it while in line and pay after.
    But 99% i'll hold the urge for the 10-15 minutes that i'm doing my shop.

    For the people that are doing it frequently, as long as they aren't monsters who leave half eaten food on shelves, its all good by me.

  • Aap Ke Papa on 16/01/2025 - 21:56

    I usually do it with kids wanting chips while we shop. I feel it's okay as we are paying for it anyway.
    Never thought of doing it with ice cream or perishables.

  • GoatSuprise on 16/01/2025 - 22:30

    I've seen too many people then decide to just put the empty or half eaten item somewhere on the shelf. I get that some people intend to pay, but too many dont.

  • us3rnam3tak3n on 16/01/2025 - 23:47
    +2

    Frontrunner for the most Karen post of 2025.

  • cnrmlj on 17/01/2025 - 08:00

    Very rarely when i have been shopping and felt a bit parched i have grabbed a cold drink and drank it on the way around and paid with the rest of the groceries being checked out. Not going to miss out on my 10% off on the drink just to pay for it when i use the 10% off for the whole shop. Can't remember the last time i did it though.

    Other than that, i would pay first.

  • sauce2k on 17/01/2025 - 09:15
    +1

    Rarely but once or twice I was super thirsty I just drank the bottle I was about to pay but I would never open food

  • Leeroy Jenkins on 17/01/2025 - 09:36
    +1

    I only do this for the little one. Everyone who's done it know what I mean.

  • RolandWaites on 17/01/2025 - 09:39

    I eat before I pay at restaurants. I'll damn well eat before I pay at a supermarket if I want to. The devil can take all those who disagree.

    • Muppet Detector on 17/01/2025 - 21:18

      A restaurant let's you sit down to eat.

  • AEKaBeer on 17/01/2025 - 10:52

    I'll often give my toddler a yogurt sippy packed while we're shopping and pay for it while checking out. Stuff for me? No, I'm not a toddler.

    • shutuptakemymoney101 on 17/01/2025 - 19:07
      +1

      At what age are you going to sit him/her down and tell them the cold hard facts about consuming yogurt before you've paid for it?

  • pformag on 17/01/2025 - 11:21

    This is only okay for small children with pre-packaged items like Yoghurt Pouch. For adults, wait until you are out of the shop.

  • samfisher5986 on 17/01/2025 - 11:41

    I draw the line at a cold drink, mostly because if I go through and buy it and then come inside to shop, it feels like I'm stealing it because I don't scan it. An empty bottle/can is almost the same so it seems reasonable.

  • npnp on 17/01/2025 - 11:55

    What sort of sick question is this. Surely someone is taking the p*ss here!? There can't be normal people thinking this way.. if this is a genuine question, then you should really see a psychiatric asap. It's okay to seek help when you're not well you know .

    • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 12:10

      No officer, I wasn't taking the piss, I was just really thirsty.I was gunna pay on the way out,honest!

      BTW another close, nail biting poll.

      • nahi11 on 19/01/2025 - 13:40

        You don't need to respond to every single message on every single thread, particularly when it's not very relevant or funny. It's annoying. Please get some fresh air, it's better for you.

        • Protractor on 19/01/2025 - 14:52
          +1

          Thanks for your input ref, that air was just the ticket.

  • cunningdrew on 17/01/2025 - 13:00
    +1

    If I am really thirsty, I will do it at a supermarket with drinks. I might get a water or chocolate milk. I always pay. I have scanned an empty container a few times. I see this a bit like an honour system.

  • cunningdrew on 17/01/2025 - 13:10

    Some people are sharing their view based on their context, and that's fine. However, there are more than one ways to skin a cat per se.

    If you have a hangry kid in a trolley you just dropped half a dozen yoghurt pouches in, are you really going to say no to them. And that you need to take the half full trolley through so you can buy an item or half be in and half out so you can buy one item and keep receipt and show is later to a clerk who will look at you like "yeah, why do I care?"

    • Muppet Detector on 17/01/2025 - 21:22
      +1

      It is ok to tell a child "no". Just sayin'

      One of mine had a tantrum in a shopping centre once. Just the one kid and he only did it that one time.

  • Gongxifachai on 17/01/2025 - 13:18

    Dont be so rigid… just make sure you pay at checkout…

  • cswine on 17/01/2025 - 17:08

    savages do that

  • Darude Sandstorm on 17/01/2025 - 18:38
    +1

    This post is so weird.
    So many people are up in arms about what someone does with food (that they haven't paid for yet, but are going to).
    They think it's disgusting, either because they haven't paid for it yet, (Please see the majority of sit-down restaurants and pubs where you eat your food, drink your drinks then pay after), or because they're eating in a public space/shopping centre for food they haven't paid for, (see example of someone going to bakery and eating the food while they're walking into Coles, completely normal etc).

    Assuming most of these people don't go outside otherwise they'd see plenty of people paying for things after they eat and plenty of others that can walk and eat at the same time, they don't have to be stationary to do it.

    • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 19:41

      Seeing as you're still having a go, I'll reiterate my point. Most ppl 'could' do the right thing. But they're not the f/wits who exploit this current anomaly. These untrained zombies happily spill,drip,drop,stash,throw shit,goo,wrappers and peels everywhere and it's feral.
      Nothing Karen about it.
      The same dicks are the ones who chuck items willy nilly back in the wrong places in Bunnings. Also why I carry an ice pick.
      Karen is the one whinging that they did a stupid thing and paid the price, maritally and financially and still chose to expose the tale of woe to an online forum berating etc.And Karen is the one ( psst) who says he said she said, when neither of them did.

      • Muppet Detector on 17/01/2025 - 21:23

        What do you use the ice pick for?

        • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 21:34

          Gouging my eyes out. ( sometimes ppl need to filter imaginary scenarios from real ones)

        • Darude Sandstorm on 17/01/2025 - 21:39
          -1

          I think they picked some ice up from a dealer after reading that incoherent nonsense.

  • shutuptakemymoney101 on 17/01/2025 - 18:54

    4th in the queue at Coles waiting to be served at the checkout, yes if I'm thirsty I'll have a couple of mouthfuls of a drink I've got in my trolley to purchase. Plenty of cameras overhead now, I never would but if I did decide not to pay for it I'd deserve everything I got.

  • Agarwal on 17/01/2025 - 21:20
    +1

    Sometimes if i have a busy day ahead, I’ll bring my air fryer to the supermarket and heat up a pie from the freezer and continue my shopping until it’s done before consuming it on the way to the checkout. I don’t see a problem.

    • Protractor on 17/01/2025 - 21:43

      What setting? ( Asking for a friend.)

  • Guerilla89 on 17/01/2025 - 23:09

    I don't know why everyone on here is getting so upset about this and acting all high and mighty. The supermarkets couldn't care less about us. Ever since KMart/BigW/Target they moved check outs to the centre of the store and force everyone to "present" upon leaving the store, they can get stuffed. They cut hours of workers, we pay higher prices because of shoplifters and they do it anyway.

    None of these stores have policies against opening anything in the store, no worker will admonish you if you do so. I will however get "double checked" if something doesn't scan right. F the lot of those corpo mega stores. Don't steal and don't support them whenever possible.

  • bigbadboogieman on 18/01/2025 - 08:55

    I would be interested to know if supermarkets have a policy in place around this practice?

  • iknowtj on 18/01/2025 - 11:47

    Sometimes for my toddler when he's cracked it and is hangry.

    Otherwise god no.

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