# I cut the tough, woody ends off the asparagus...in the store. Did I steal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544 "2010-03-15T15:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/41 "2010-03-15T17:50:19Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > One or two might be “taste testing”. > > The rest is just snacking on the company dime. I agree. So my two per bunch of 200 equates to me eating 10-20 of a few bunches, no? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/42 "2010-03-15T17:51:57Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > I agree. So my two per bunch of 200 equates to me eating 10-20 of a few bunches, no? Whatever lets you sleep at night. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/43 "2010-03-15T18:54:09Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Whatever lets you sleep at night. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/44 "2010-03-15T19:04:34Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > No, but it’s not quite the same. Grocery stores don’t sell cored applies or peeled bananas. But they do sell trimmed asparagus. However in this case, way too much unusable, inedible stalk was left on, doubtless on purpose, in order to inflate the total weight of the product, and thereby make extra profit for the store. Again, I’m not saying that what I did was in any way right. But I don’t quite think it was a cut and dried case of stealing either. Something in between I think. It doesn’t matter how much stalk was left on. It was the store’s stalk, not yours. You altered the store’s property for your on financial benefit. Yes, it’s a form of theft. Extremely _petty_ theft, but theft. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/45 "2010-03-15T19:13:36Z")
The rationale people always use for sampling from bulk bins, eating grapes before paying for them, etc. is that they’re only taking one or two. The problem is that you are not the only person in the universe - if Safeway has a million customers a year, and each takes one item out of the bulk bin, that’s a million items stolen. It’s the same logic as why you need to stay on paths and not pick flowers in national parks; one person doesn’t wreck things - a whole bunch of people wreck things. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/46 "2010-03-15T19:14:05Z")
Well, if it makes you feel better, I once stole an entire bunch of asparagus. Entirely by accident, too. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/47 "2010-03-15T19:17:12Z")
Since much of the discussion here is on the ethics of the question, rather than on factual legal aspects, at this point this is probably better suited to GD than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/48 "2010-03-15T19:19:52Z")
46 … no, 47 posts in (!) and no germophobes have yet chimed in all grossed-out by the thought of all these people grubbing around in the grape bins? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mbetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@mbetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbetter)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/49 "2010-03-15T19:26:28Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I don’t eat my grapes in the store (since that would be stealing, as they can’t weight what’s in my stomach), but I do pick the bad grapes off the bunch and not buy them - is this dishonest too, do you figure? I just figure that I don’t want to pay for bad grapes, and I don’t want them making the rest of the bunch bad if I don’t eat the grapes right away. I found this post to be most interesting as it seems to parallel the OP’s crime and yet it somehow seems more reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/50 "2010-03-15T19:35:12Z")
It’s not. It’s the same thing. It’s vandalizing store property. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/51 "2010-03-15T19:54:11Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I don’t eat my grapes in the store (since that would be stealing, as they can’t weight what’s in my stomach), but I do pick the bad grapes off the bunch and not buy them - is this dishonest too, do you figure? I just figure that I don’t want to pay for bad grapes, and I don’t want them making the rest of the bunch bad if I don’t eat the grapes right away. I do this too but I think it is a bit different from the OP. My grocery store sells grapes in sealed packages and also in bulk. If I buy grapes in the sealed packages I don’t go picking through them to get rid of the bad grapes. The bulk grapes lead me to believe that I can remove whatever portion I want and bag them so I can pay for them at the cashier. Since I don’t want the bad grapes I will remove them without feeling bad about it the same way I have no problem purchasing bulk apples or other fruit and leaving the bad ones behind. My rule is that if it is wrapped up or sealed as a single purchase I leave it alone and if it is bulk I pick out the pieces I want individually from the selection they offer. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/52 "2010-03-15T19:58:58Z")
> [@mbetter](#): > > I found this post to be most interesting as it seems to parallel the OP’s crime and yet it somehow seems more reasonable. Not really. Removing individual spears from the bunch would be more parallel, as that does not affect the price per pound. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/53 "2010-03-15T20:21:57Z")
I had a girlfriend who thought nothing of opening a small snack in the store, eating it while shopping and then leaving the trash somewhere. She claimed “everyone does it and the stores expect it.” Her mother did it, that’s where she got it from. I was stunned as this is no different from any other theft and she clearly knew it was wrong in the way she ditched the trash. She went on to become a lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/54 "2010-03-15T20:55:24Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Stalking. What the SDMB needs for responses like this is a thumbs up icon. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/55 "2010-03-15T21:12:49Z")
Our store sells tomatoes on the vine in bins. There are single tomatoes, and various sized groups up to 6 or so on the vine. If I see a vine with 5 good tomatoes, and one bad one, I pull that bad one off and buy the rest. Is that wrong? If it is, I’m not going to stop my rampage. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/56 "2010-03-15T21:19:04Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I had a girlfriend who thought nothing of opening a small snack in the store, eating it while shopping and then leaving the trash somewhere. She claimed “everyone does it and the stores expect it.” Her mother did it, that’s where she got it from. I was stunned as this is no different from any other theft and she clearly knew it was wrong in the way she ditched the trash. She went on to become a lawyer. This is why we need pre-pregnancy parenting tests. Question 1) T/F - It is OK to steal. Question 1a) T/F - It is OK to snack on food in the supermarket and leave the empty carton behind. Question 1b) If you answered F for question 1 and T for question 1a, what the fuck is the difference, you idiot? No children for you. Next! This is where someone takes this post entirely too seriously ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/57 "2010-03-15T21:25:24Z")
> [@Mikemike2](#): > > Our store sells tomatoes on the vine in bins. There are single tomatoes, and various sized groups up to 6 or so on the vine. If I see a vine with 5 good tomatoes, and one bad one, I pull that bad one off and buy the rest. Is that wrong? If it is, I’m not going to stop my rampage. I’m assuming the tomatoes are priced per pound or per tomato. You are not cheating the store in any way. This is similar to seeing a bunch of 6 bananas, and only buying 2 from the bunch. The only income you may be depriving the store is the “I buy bad produce” income - this is more similar to ensuring that all 12 eggs are unbroken, and consolidating broken eggs into one container. It is not the same as the asparagus example. The asparagus example is more like the chicken example…buying bone in meat and deboning it while walking through the store. The price per pound includes the weight of the bones - it is why boneless of the same part costs more. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/58 "2010-03-15T21:32:22Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I’m assuming the tomatoes are priced per pound or per tomato. You are not cheating the store in any way. This is similar to seeing a bunch of 6 bananas, and only buying 2 from the bunch. The only income you may be depriving the store is the “I buy bad produce” income - this is more similar to ensuring that all 12 eggs are unbroken, and consolidating broken eggs into one container. It is not the same as the asparagus example. The asparagus example is more like the chicken example…buying bone in meat and deboning it while walking through the store. The price per pound includes the weight of the bones - it is why boneless of the same part costs more. Good answer. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/59 "2010-03-15T21:47:58Z")
How sure are you that the asparagus was sold by weight? All the stores around here sell it pre-bundled, at a set price per bundle. ---
**Author:** ![focusonz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@focusonz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/focusonz)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544/60 "2010-03-15T22:19:14Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > I never said I didn’t think it was dishonest. I was just musing about exactly _how_ it’s dishonest. > [@Kearsen](#): > > I doubt I’d cut the stalks off asparagus but I do eat my grapes as I traipse through the store. I don’t do so discreetly either but I can’t imagine 10-20 grapes is going to cost much by weight per pound either. You each had a choice and at cusp you chose wrongly! Rule #8 - You shall not steal (damaged property that was not yours) Rule #9 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (at checkout you lied about the weight) Rule #10 - You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor (profits at every level of the supply chain) If you break the deal you spin the wheel. It is sad that your childhoods did no bless you with a sense of right and wrong. right and wrong are not situational; Gruntled you are exploring becoming a dialectic thinker; someone who truly believes that perception is reality; who runs on feelings rather than cognition. The reality is that perception is false and feelings are merely a gossamer vale to a truth that you do not want known or acknowledged. You stole from me personally as I have to pay for your pilferage because the stores have a budget line item for such acts and that is built into the price I pay. You guys seem intelligent. Is shop lifting a good example to set for children who might witness your criminal acts and in so doing raise the bar on what is allowed behavior and they will in their innosence exceed that permitted even by you and convicted in a court of law and suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives Gruntled and Kearsen it is the gulag for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cut-the-tough-woody-ends-off-the-asparagus-in-the-store-did-i-steal/532544.md?page=4)