# OK removing 1 banana from a bunch at grocery store? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895 "2013-08-22T18:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/1 "2013-08-22T18:30:16Z")
Earth shattering question ahead: I was at the grocery store today and spent a few seconds looking over the banana bunches to get just the right one. It had to be just the right degree of ripeness. I’d reject the entire bunch if a single banana showed signs of damage. Before I finished, a man came up, peered at one of my rejected bunches, tore off the single banana that offended him, and took the rest. Well! But then I thought about it. Is he really being rude? Or just smart? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/2 "2013-08-22T18:33:18Z")
You pay by weight. You are not obligated to buy the entire bunch of bananas. Same with grapes. Pick through and rip off a couple of stocks of the best-looking ones. Who says you have to buy a giant bunch of grapes if you don’t want that many? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/3 "2013-08-22T18:33:25Z")
I’m single. Sometimes I need one banana. I will pull one off. Isn’t that what everyone does? ---
**Author:** ![retrac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@retrac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/retrac)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/4 "2013-08-22T18:33:26Z")
smart. i never take a full bunch and always get bananas of varying ripeness, otherwise they are all ripe at the same time and you have to eat 5 bananas or whatever in a short amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/5 "2013-08-22T18:35:05Z")
Won’t someone think of the poor rejected banana? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/6 "2013-08-22T18:39:47Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Won’t someone think of the poor rejected banana? Actually the ones I reject the most are the green ones. I want a fresh banana now, not three days from now. I don’t have kids in the home so I only buy what I can eat in the next day or two. Except for something like peaches and nectarines; I see those as treats and will plan ahead for those; but not for a lowly banana. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/7 "2013-08-22T18:40:27Z")
I’ve learned that if I get more than 5 bananas, I can’t eat them fast enough before they go bad. So if a nice-looking bunch has more than 5, I just remove the extras. And sometimes other people’s “rejects” are better looking than the bunches, so I buy them. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/8 "2013-08-22T18:40:43Z")
I’ve bought one banana at a time. When my son was a toddler he’d throw a fit if I didn’t let him eat a banana while we grocery shopped. So I’d pull of one banana, get it weighed and pay for it and he’d eat it while we shopped. Cookies or crackers would have been easier but he had to have a banana. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/9 "2013-08-22T18:45:08Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Actually the ones I reject the most are the green ones. I want a fresh banana now, not three days from now. I don’t have kids in the home so I only buy what I can eat in the next day or two. Except for something like peaches and nectarines; I see those as treats and will plan ahead for those; but not for a lowly banana. I was just being goofy. I like the ripe ones, and break up bunches of bananas often. I see others doing it too. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/10 "2013-08-22T18:45:57Z")
As long as you pay for it before you eat it, it’s OK. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/11 "2013-08-22T20:07:20Z")
I’ve pulled a bunch in half, or pulled one particular one off. As long as you’re not messing up the bananas you’re leaving behind (like, if the peel catches and opens) I think it’s OK. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/12 "2013-08-22T20:10:09Z")
I always pick up the bananas that are laying individually, trying to find the ripest ones. My fruit issue at the store is those big bags of grapes that are pre-packed and by weight end up costing like $7-8. Forget that mess. I take half of them out, but always feel like I’m doing something illegal! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/13 "2013-08-22T20:21:57Z")
Like others have said, you buy by weight, not by the bunch. My 2 year old son LOVES bananas, so I’m guilty of buying 6-8 at a time in pairs by stage of ripeness- 2 yellow with spots, 2 yellow, 2 yellow-green, and 2 green, just so I can keep him in properly ripe bananas for a few days. I have to rip up bunches to do this though. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/14 "2013-08-22T21:59:01Z")
It’s an oldie but a goodie… The life cycle of a banana. **###################################** ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/15 "2013-08-22T23:29:15Z")
Like Bump, I always take just a couple of bananas from a bunch. Usually two each from a ripe, half-ripe and green bunch. Almost a weeks worth of perfectly ripe bananas with no mushy ones. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/16 "2013-08-22T23:33:31Z")
Go for it. When I worked at a grocery store, none of us would’ve batted an eye. (In fact, I think I used to do just that, if I wanted a banana for my break) Okay, now I want a banana right now. Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/17 "2013-08-23T00:23:38Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Won’t someone think of the poor rejected banana? That would be me. I frequently pick up the stragglers when I want 3 or fewer banananananas. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/18 "2013-08-23T00:28:44Z")
Exactly. Buy what you need. Why buy more? I did witness a man breaking off the large stems on broccoli, and bagging just the crowns. This wasn’t cool. But, I have since noticed that some stores sell broccoli crowns, plus sell broccoli with stems at a lower price. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/19 "2013-08-23T00:49:42Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve learned that if I get more than 5 bananas, I can’t eat them fast enough before they go bad. Try the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895/20 "2013-08-23T01:40:00Z")
I always feel bad about leaving one banana behind when I buy a bunch. I worry that no one will want to bother picking up a single banana, so it’ll go to waste. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-removing-1-banana-from-a-bunch-at-grocery-store/666895.md?page=2)