Friday, April 13, 2007

Reader Poll

Do you let your kids eat food at the grocery store that you haven't paid for yet?

For example, you give them a couple of cheese slices from your deli selection. Or get them a donut from the bakery {of course letting the cashier know when you pay}. Or open a bag or box of some snack food. Snag a couple of grapes from the bunch. Or is this just plain inappropriate? Share your {kind} opinion now!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I get my lunch meat or cheese at the deli, yes I will let my kids nibble however, the deli is usually my last stop. The price is already marked when I am paying for it so it doesn't matter. I never let them eat the grapes or bananas until we are in the car. Although lately I have been fortunate enough to not have to take all my kids when I go to the store. I don't have a problem with the lunch meat because it already has a set price, other things I do.
Jori

Erin said...

I have to admit that when I am really thirsty I will occasionally open up a bottle of water or juice and share it with whichever dd is with me. I don't think I can think of an occasion that I gave the dd's food though. Not because I have a huge issue with it...just because we haven't. Oh wait...I take that back. We have opened baby crackers to give to one of our dd's if they were being fussy and I couldn't just stop and bf them. So...I guess we have. It has just been quite a while!

Rebecca said...

The reason I bring this up is because there was a lady in front of me at the check-out at Super-WM yesterday who had two bananas on the conveyor belt with an empty peel on top. I was wondering how it was going to play out. Was she just expecting to pay for the empty peel & not the banana that was inside? She ended up asking the cashier to ring up one of the uneaten bananas twice.

I usually let the kids have a piece of cheese from the deli for the same reason Jor does, because it's already pre-priced. I've also let them get donuts from the bakery, paying at the end. That's usually the only thing I ever let them open before paying. It also doesn't help that all of our grocery stores are about 25 minutes away, so we are spending an hour just getting to & from the store. I think when I was pregnant, I desperately drank a bottle of water while I was shopping because I was so thirsty {of course paying for it at the end}. ;>)

Anonymous said...

I also let the kids have a piece of lunch meat or cheese from the deli, and actually even though I ask them to give me four pieces once its been priced they usually end up just giving it to us for free, so that's nice!! I have never given them snacks from a box, knowing that one of the little ones will eventually dump it on the floor, but have once we've gotten to the car. And I have never given them a fruit or veggie because I don't like it that there not washed yet and I was always concerned that it would be cheating because of the weighing part of the price (but never thought about them ringing up one banana twice, hmmm!) So that's my piece!! ;0)

Beth said...

Okay, so I am the odd ball in this one. Before I share I just want to make it clear that I DON'T look down on mothers when I see their kids eating something in the store before paying for it...well, unless it is produce because even if you weigh the same fruit or whatever, they don't weigh the same. Anyway, no I have never opened something for my kids in the store and here are my reasons: I just feel wrong about it to start with. I just don't want my kids, who are too young to understand that Mommy really is going to pay for that, to think we can do that whenever we want. I don't want to teach them that the grocery store (or any store) is like a big resturant that they can take whatever off the shelf and just start eating it. I see nothing wrong with telling them that they can wait ten or so minutes til I can pay for it and we get to the car. Kaitlyn now understands and will pick something out and be patiently waiting for it until we are to the car. I want them to learn that it isn't about instant gratification and they can and have to wait for a lot of things in life. I do pack snacks that I offer them on the way to and on the way home from the store to avoid the whole issue.

Rebecca said...

Ok, Beth. You've crossed the line. How dare you look down on me. Let's take this outside.....;>) {*insert giggling & sarcasm here*}

Beth said...

I don't want to hurt my unborn child so watch out come the end of August...you're on! :-)

Hollie said...

I've never let my kids eat anything before paying for it either, although I don't think that eating a banana and asking the cashier to ring up two of them! They price them by weight so unless all bananas weigh the same there was no way of knowing if the banana she ate would cost the same! Now I think I'm reading too much into it! I don't have a problem seeing mom's giving their kids something like crackers or cheese from the deli because you pay the same no matter how many you eat! But I agree with Beth, my kids need to learn that they can't get everything they want right when they want it! Anyway, that's all I've got for now, I hope I didn't offend anyone this time! ;o)

Hollie said...

Ok... hang on, I should have proof read before posting the comment. What I was trying to say was this...
I don't think that eating a banana and asking the cashier to ring up two of them works!
Make sense?!? Oh well, that's what I get for multitasking!