Shoplifting issue

[Honest]

A group of darker-skinned Finnish people were going through the check-out

Must be in summer that a group of tanned Finns ......

I have heard that the Kesko group is considering putting weigh scales in at the cashier's as the Lidl group has done.

In my stay of 7-8 years here I have not seen customers tagging their stuff in Lidl, so I think they haven't changed they were just like this.

[Flossy1978]

Yeah, I think Lidl has always had the method they do. In all my time in Finland I've never seen any self labelling of foods in Lidl.

There are idiots everywhere in Finland. As with the world.

I've never seen anyone eating produce in stores here, but in my own country I've seen it. And I've seen message boards from America where there have been debates about it being an alright thing to do if you have a small child who is hungry etc. Which I think is bullsh*t. You don't open or eat any produce in stores regardless of having a child or not. Prepare yourself better if you are shopping with a small child.

[Rip]

Prepare yourself better if you are shopping with a small child.

If it is been weighted and labeled (or sold with a fixed unit price), what is the big problem? And how would it be better explained at the cashier desk if the item had been brought there by you?

[Liam1]

If it is been weighted and labeled (or sold with a fixed unit price), what is the big problem? And how would it be better explained at the cashier desk if the item had been brought there by you?

I know this divides opinion. With my kids I err on the side of caution - i.e. I've not yet paid for it so shouldn't consume it. It is quite marginal, because you can argue that this occurs in e.g. many restaurants (you eat then pay). Also if you were intending to steal something, it is not so subtle to do it by eating in the shop, so real shoplifters wil take anyway, those that pay will pay even if they've started eating!
However as I say I don't let my kids do this as the original post proves, it is not wise to do this.

[Flossy1978]

People who take food into a store which sells the food usually inform the cashier beforehand.

At least I would if I had food I knew was sold in the store.

Is it really necessary to take food into a store to eat anyway? What's wrong with a small amount of preparation before going shopping? Usually food shopping in Finland doesn't take hours, or even an hour in most cases.

[Honest]

I agree with Liam and Flossy about children.

One difference between a restaurant and a shop is that in restaurant they tell you what you have eaten not the other way round as is the case in shops. So the chances of cheating or unintentional mistakes by the asiakas are not there.

[Rip]

People who take food into a store which sells the food usually inform the cashier beforehand.

At least I would if I had food I knew was sold in the store.

Is it really necessary to take food into a store to eat anyway? What's wrong with a small amount of preparation before going shopping? Usually food shopping in Finland doesn't take hours, or even an hour in most cases.

And I thought "preparation" with children in certain age meant you had nearly always with you (in the carriage or in your bag) some milk and some bread or similar material available. Like diapers (no, I would not have changed those in supermarkets, but then noise pollution spreads far wider than smell). Never told the cashier, would have though I was nuts after first few times, if I had, I'm sure. Sometimes I forgot the preparation, and probably couple times then gave a small piece of bred or one milk with straw from my shopping basket.

Sometimes people also do their grocery shopping immediately after also doing something else outside there homes.

[Tullynessle Turnip]

The real criminal issue here is that the question still hasn't been answered, exactly why she left the shop without paying for her nuts.

[Liam1]

Maybe I'm am an intolerant parent.......and hard on myself, BUT

Unless you are the world's slowest shopper, there is no way that anyone can be so overcome with hunger to NEED to eat or feed their children. When I lived in Belgium, I could almost hit an hour as the bigger hypermarkets were huge and the culture was more towards big weekly shops, but here even the largest supermarkets are 30minute run throughs - and the bigger ones have cafes where you can (HINT) pay and eat things.

Even when I took my 4 year old when he was 1, he was expected to wait the 20 minutes to eat what we had bought. Agree that it can be tempting or an easy way, but a necessity? No.

Just not sure why anyone would put themselves in a position to be open to accusation of theft

[sk81210]

I dont know what to say, because I am not sure what was going on with my frnds brain when she did this dumb thing.

She made a mistake, eating and came out of the shop without paying for the nuts..so she suffering for it now.

[Liam1]

I dont know what to say, because I am not sure what was going on with my frnds brain when she did this dumb thing.

She made a mistake, eating and came out of the shop without paying for the nuts..so she suffering for it now.

Sorry looked like I was ranting again at the original post - I wasn't! I was commenting on the more recent replies which discussed whether OK to eat stuff / feed kids with stuff before paying.

[Honest]

Totally agree with Liam, children should be taught some discipline and patience. Or if child is hungry for too long time and can't last for next 20/30 minutes, then his/her parents should be taught some discipline.

[Rip]

but here even the largest supermarkets are 30minute run throughs

Looking from the point of view of the supposed aggrieved party: It is in the interest of the supermarket manager/owner that the family with kids tries to rush out as quickly as possible?

and the bigger ones have cafes where you can (HINT) pay and eat things.

Extremely practical places with small children?

Even when I took my 4 year old when he was 1, he was expected to wait the 20 minutes to eat what we had bought. Agree that it can be tempting or an easy way, but a necessity? No.

Yes, very few things are necessities in life. Worked well with you. Good. Personally, If I were there again, I'd still try to avoid arguing with one year olds in public places.

Just not sure why anyone would put themselves in a position to be open to accusation of theft

Some realism back to this discussion: If they previous shopper at the citymarket would stuff a microwave oven under her skirt (and it was noticed), they would still stop her only at the point where she tries to get out without paying. They would not be more aggressive with a now empty 2 dl pack of milk or opened pack of bread in the cart.

[Liam1]

Rip
I think shopkeepers would prefer that we pay first, even at the risk that we may shop for a slightly shorter time to feed our hungry offspring. There really are no shops (except that Tuuri place!) that are so big that you need so long in them. Also your explanation takes the extreme - in reality a typical "big" shop is say 20-30min, but you may get to the bread and milk halfway, so we really are not talking about starving any child for that long - if they genuinely cannot wait 20 min, how do they survive the rest of the day? - my daycare gives our kids a snack once in the morning and once in the afternoon - not seen any riots from starving children! All supermarket cafes that I have seen ARE child friendly. Our only shop capable of taking even 20 minutes for me (K Super at Mankkaa) has a cafe with a free mini fairground ride actually in the shop.

Not really a post about child rearing methods, but suffice to say I'm with Super Nanny that parent decides things like when, what to eat, when to sleep etc.

Still maintain that consuming something before paying - even if fully intending to pay is at best in a grey area. No one else knows if you are intending to pay and I've seen enough empty cans/packets to know that there are others that do not pay. But also what about practical things with young kids? Mine can control hunger for 20 min but forget getting them to wait 10 mins to go to the toilet ?! Having 3 kids, I have been given at least 100 "2 minute toilet warnings" when out and more than a few in supermarkets. What do you do if they have sampled the merchandise? Queue? rush out having not paid?

[Tullynessle Turnip]

There's nothing wrong with taking stuff off the shelf and eating/drinking/using it inside the shop, so long as you keep the packet/price label and pay for it at the check-out.
Gypsy women should be weighed upon entry into the shop, and weighed at the check-out for they invariably have nicked items stuffed up the folds of their skirts (which KELA pays for by the way did u know?).