Putting items in your calico bag before you've paid for them?

[Coach Beth]

Absolutely pounderwoman. You summed up my thoughts exactly.

[savvygirl]

So the gist of this thread seems to be that the man did nothing wrong in placing grocery items straight off the shelf and into his personal shopping bag before going to a check-out machine. Unbelievable! This is wrong on so many levels. Firstly the baskets/trolleys are there for a reason, so that you can place the items you want to purchase into them. Secondly, if it would cause some sort of problem toting said basket/trolley around, then I'm sure a member of staff could be made available to help. For the life of me though, I cannot see the difference weight-wise in carrying it in your own bag rather than the store's basket as any weight difference would be negligible. Surely we're not all so gullible as to believe this is acceptable behaviour, because it isn't! However, if the staff had been alerted to his behaviour and then did nothing I can only think there must have been a reason for that. Maybe they knew him and accepted the way he chose to shop or maybe they just couldn't be bothered. Maybe he was someone famous, like an old 70s pop star! Who knows! I do think that the OP is being treated as the villain of the piece here which I think is wrong. What I do think is that she should not have challenged the man but immediately alerted the staff and left it at that.

[Sue]

Agreed.

[sheff]

I often carry crisps and sandwiches on my lunch break by removing the excess wrapping, storing them in my stomach and then paying at the counter. It?s also much more convenient than using my Calico bag.

[cella]

Personally, I think customers should pay before they eat stuff in shops. It's more transparent and must be easier for the staff to deal with if goods are in the baskets provided. Sometimes I see parents giving food to their kids in trolleys and then discarding the wrappers so often wonder if that gets paid for as there nothing to show at the till. If only seems to happen in supermarkets, not the smaller independents, so maybe there's an element of "big business can afford it".

[Penguin68]

Baskets and trolleys are put out by supermarkets partly at least to encourage purchase (it's marketing) - of course using them is convenient but it's not obligatory. If I just want one or two items I will normally just carry them, without basket, to the check-out. Putting items openly in your own bag, with no intent to steal (and intent is key here) is absolutely fine, particularly in a relatively small outlet where (and additionally) you may already be known. If you think someone is stealing, alert a member of staff. I suspect that if the assumed perpetrator had been six-two and in a hoody the OP might not have been as keen to confront him. Indeed, and in that case, the OP might have been very foolish so to do.

[rendelharris]

I have been so amused by this thread and the spluttering outrage it's engendered (plus it's been a really slow work week and yes I know I should get a life) that I emailed Sainsbury's this morning (Co-op don't have an email for customer service) to ask for their policy. They replied:

Thanks for your email.

I can confirm that it's fine to place your shopping in your own bag or trolley before purchasing your items. As long as of course you pay for your purchases at the checkout.

So at least in Sainsbury's BusyBody, sorry Rabbit, can mind their own business and not march around accusing others of being shoplifters.

[edcam]

Thanks rendellharris for confirmation that although some people are clearly quite mad, at least Sainsbury's aren't.

[cella]

edcam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks rendellharris for confirmation that

> although some people are clearly quite mad, at

> least Sainsbury's aren't.

Your phraseology isn't great.

Carrying a few items to the till sounds fine to me as it's visible. I'm more intrigued by people deliberately not using the store baskets/trolleys. Just plonking your own folded bags into theirs seems less work than unpacking then repacking at the till.

[edcam]

What an odd comment. It's a shame if my phraseology doesn't pass muster for you but I find it quite difficult to give two hoots what you think.

cella Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> edcam Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Thanks rendellharris for confirmation that

> > although some people are clearly quite mad, at

> > least Sainsbury's aren't.

>

> Your phraseology isn't great.

> Carrying a few items to the till sounds fine to me

> as it's visible. I'm more intrigued by people

> deliberately not using the store baskets/trolleys.

> Just plonking your own folded bags into theirs

> seems less work than unpacking then repacking at

> the till.

[rendelharris]

cella Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Carrying a few items to the till sounds fine to me

> as it's visible. I'm more intrigued by people

> deliberately not using the store baskets/trolleys.

> Just plonking your own folded bags into theirs

> seems less work than unpacking then repacking at

> the till.

You don't think the fact that the supermarkets themselves (or at least Sainsbury's) have absolutely no objection to this practice makes your objection to it just a wee bit redundant?

[Willard]

"Thanks for your email.

I can confirm that it's fine to place your shopping in your own bag or trolley before purchasing your items. As long as of course you pay for your purchases at the checkout."

Thank you. No further questions your honour.

The jury shall retire for deliberation and to consider their verdict. See you all back here in 90 seconds.

[Earl Aelfheah]

What if I'm in the shop to buy a calico bag?

[edcam]

You need to take a bag to put it in.

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What if I'm in the shop to buy a calico bag?

[precious star]

Well why dont the shops make it more clear for people, can they put items into a ruck sack, a hand bag, a suitcase, a trolly, or does it have to be a calico bag A very grey area i think ! Along with eating food before you have even payed for it ! Eat half bunch grapes pay half the price when its weighed !... very grey area.

[cella]

edcam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What an odd comment. It's a shame if my

> phraseology doesn't pass muster for you but I find

> it quite difficult to give two hoots what you

> think.

>

> cella Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > edcam Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Thanks rendellharris for confirmation that

> > > although some people are clearly quite mad,

> at

> > > least Sainsbury's aren't.

> >

> > Your phraseology isn't great.

> > Carrying a few items to the till sounds fine to

> me

> > as it's visible. I'm more intrigued by people

> > deliberately not using the store

> baskets/trolleys.

> > Just plonking your own folded bags into theirs

> > seems less work than unpacking then repacking

> at

> > the till.

It's obvious you don't care about your language - defiantly so.

[cella]

rendelharris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> cella Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > Carrying a few items to the till sounds fine to

> me

> > as it's visible. I'm more intrigued by people

> > deliberately not using the store

> baskets/trolleys.

> > Just plonking your own folded bags into theirs

> > seems less work than unpacking then repacking

> at

> > the till.

>

> You don't think the fact that the supermarkets

> themselves (or at least Sainsbury's) have

> absolutely no objection to this practice makes

> your objection to it just a wee bit redundant?

I'm not necessarily objecting to it - just intrigued why people choose not to use baskets provided. Feel more strongly about eating stuff before paying tbh.

[Sue]

cella Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's obvious you don't care about your language -

> defiantly so.

Is that supposed to be a joke?

[cella]

A joke? No quite the opposite. Dislike the "mad people" type of language.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Can we put items in our grey area?

[cella]

Sounds painful!

[precious star]

Yes, its a Very" grey area !... if a bunch of school kids come in and started loading up their school bags full of shopping, they would be followed round the shop by security. Or a rule of 1 school child at a time with calico bag policy.

[hellosailor]

I think the fact that a major supermarket has clarified their position on it is fairly relevant.

But I would also say that the original discussion was not about people?s individual shopping bag habits but whether it was ok that busy rabbit took it upon themselves to tell a total stranger that as a co owner of the cooperative they needed to stop using their bag. I?ve seen lots of people putting shopping directly into their bag to take to the till. Personally I probably wouldn?t do it because I?d wonder if a security guard would question it. If I did do it I would not expect for another customer to take it upon themselves to tell me to stop. If the OP had genuinely thought that the man was shoplifting they surely would have just quietly gone up to speak to a member of staff. They didn?t think that. They knew what was going on and wanted to make a self important point. And then they?ve posted the entire thing on here with the caveat that they?re too busy to read or engage with replies. It?s just..so..,.bonkers...

[Passiflora]

Yes, very bonkers! But the OP did go up to a member of staff to report what was going on but was met with complacency by the co-op workers.

[civilservant]

Passiflora Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> to report what was going on but

> was met with complacency by the co-op workers.

what 'was' going on?

a man was putting things into a container which wasn't a shopping basket

that's all

did he then walk out without paying?

if the shop staff weren't bothered, is there an issue?

what a self-righteous attention-seeking to-do from the OP