# "Sampling" grapes: theft, uncouth, or perfectly legit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521 "2014-04-07T01:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/61 "2014-04-07T19:22:03Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I would have found an employee and tried to rectify it, yes. Moral absolutes are so tiring. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/62 "2014-04-07T19:29:33Z")
I don’t think it’s stealing to eat one grape if you feel that you need to confirm your selection if you’re spending $150 on groceries that day. However, I have no idea why people feel they need to taste grapes, of all things. I don’t taste grapes. I have been buying grapes for 35 years and have never gotten home with grapes to find that they didn’t taste good. Grapes and most other produce is easy to judge by appearance. I have had much worse experiences with seafood. The only time I taste anything is to try samples put out for a new product to see if I like it, not to see if I like the specific batch of a product that I want to buy. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/63 "2014-04-07T19:43:30Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Moral absolutes are so tiring. Sounds like something a thief would say. So I’m going to the grocery store now. I don’t even plan on buying any food. I’m just gonna take some grapes. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/64 "2014-04-07T19:47:43Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Whole Foods has a policy that you can sample anything in the store - though they expect you to ask. Usually for things like this they’d just open the whole pack and put out samples for everyone. Anything. > > I always eat a grape before buying. I don’t consider it stealing if the property owner doesn’t - and the fact that samples are freely given is an indicator the store doesn’t consider it stealing. I’m willing to bet Whole Foods has much bigger margins on their merch than a regular corporate supermarket does. Also, your comment seems unclear: do you ask before sampling grapes, or not? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/65 "2014-04-07T19:57:53Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > It’s odd that people are trying to make up their own minds about what it means when they take someone else’s property without paying for it. I would expect the store, who owns the grapes, would be the one to decide whether it’s OK to sample their grapes or not. In the absence of explicit permission from the store, I’m at a loss to understand how anyone can consider it anything other than petty theft. I’ve thrown away entire bags of apples that I paid good money for because they were mushy. I’ve tossed entire containers of strawberries because there were moldy or rotten ones on the bottom. I’ve thrown away entire bunches of bananas that never ripened. If my grocery store ever balked about customers sampling grapes, I’d start returning the rotten produce they sold to me for a refund. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/66 "2014-04-07T20:16:43Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’ve thrown away entire bags of apples that I paid good money for because they were mushy. I’ve tossed entire containers of strawberries because there were moldy or rotten ones on the bottom. I’ve thrown away entire bunches of bananas that never ripened. If my grocery store ever balked about customers sampling grapes, I’d start returning the rotten produce they sold to me for a refund. Wait. You buy the other produce and throw it away, but if you had to do that with grapes, you’d start returning all the other produce? I’ll admit to bafflement. (And it’s still gross.) ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/67 "2014-04-07T20:38:19Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s theft. That is not an opinion. Isn’t that up to the store to decide? If they don’t mind if people sample grapes, then how could you possibly claim it’s theft? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/68 "2014-04-07T20:47:58Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > It is all in the intent of the tasting IMHO, if you are sampling with the consideration to buy then it is sampling and not stealing. I agree with this. Tasting one to see if they are OK is one thing; helping yourself as you pass by is another. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/69 "2014-04-07T20:53:54Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’ve thrown away entire bags of apples that I paid good money for because they were mushy. I’ve tossed entire containers of strawberries because there were moldy or rotten ones on the bottom. I’ve thrown away entire bunches of bananas that never ripened. Where do you shop that you keep getting such poor merchandise? I don’t buy as many fruits and vegetables as I should, but when I do I get them almost exclusively from Wal_Mart. I’ve never had the issues you describe, even though Wal_Mart is often looked down upon in terms of the quality of their goods. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/70 "2014-04-07T20:54:15Z")
Why is there no “No, but I stick them up my butt and then put them back” option? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/71 "2014-04-07T20:58:03Z")
I’m with Shodan, tasting in preparation for buying is OK. I’d also rather share a store with a kid happily eating a banana than a kid crying because he’s hungry and doesn’t understand why he can’t have one of those perfectly tasty bananas in the cart. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/72 "2014-04-07T21:07:16Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > Before I buy your grapes, I’m going to sample one. When I do it, it’s not stealing. I’m not going to buy US$3.00 worth of grapes, get them home, and discover they taste like shit. If I have no interest in buying your grapes, I’m not even coming close to them. Yesssss. I’m not sampling my ONE grape for lunch. I’m trying to figure out if the damn things are worth buying. Is there a “Dear God, seriously?” poll option to choose? > [@SlackerInc](#): > > I would have found an employee and tried to rectify it, yes. Apparently there is. > [@Penfeather](#): > > Why is there no “No, but I stick them up my butt and then put them back” option? Now I’m definitely going to turn mine into a meal instead. What have I been missing?? Finally, if you’ve never had bad grapes, aren’t you all the lucky ones. Maybe only Walmarts in Texas have nasty ass (due to **Penfeather** perhaps) produce. I think you all should give the rest of us cookies over it. And if not, we’ll just sample the hell out of them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/73 "2014-04-07T21:07:22Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Wait. You buy the other produce and throw it away, but if you had to do that with grapes, you’d start returning all the other produce? > > I’ll admit to bafflement. > > (And it’s still gross.) I’m saying if the grocery store becomes petty enough to start balking about people sampling a grape, then I’ll become equally petty and start returning the rotten fruit that they sell me. I’d come out way ahead in that game. (And FTR, I don’t sample grapes, but I don’t see it as theft to sample one grape, either.) Nor do I believe the store does, because I’ve never heard of one person being chastised, let alone arrested, for grape sampling. But to put this in another context, I’m honest enough that if a cashier overpays me, or doesn’t charge me for an item, I’ll make it right even if it means getting back out of my car and going back into the store to talk to a manager. I’ve done this maybe 4 or 5 times in my life. But, I was talking dollars here, not a few cents. For 3-4 cents, I wouldn’t bother. In some people’s mind, that makes me dishonest. I disagree. (And note that people are only talking grapes here. We’re not talking about apples and bananas, etc. for obvious reasons.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/74 "2014-04-07T21:11:49Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Why is there no “No, but I stick them up my butt and then put them back” option? [Like ass pennies?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO1Q7F23DxM) ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/75 "2014-04-07T21:23:41Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > I wish stores would post a sign that it’s OK to sample one grape, because very occasionally you run into some that are very sour. People aren’t sampling them for a snack. Agree. I want to make sure they are not sour. Then again, I fully intend to BUY if they are OK. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/76 "2014-04-07T21:27:21Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’m saying if the grocery store becomes petty enough to start balking about people sampling a grape, then I’ll become equally petty and start returning the rotten fruit that they sell me. I’d come out way ahead in that game. (And FTR, I don’t sample grapes, but I don’t see it as theft to sample one grape, either.) Nor do I believe the store does, because I’ve never heard of one person being chastised, let alone arrested, for grape sampling. But you just said that you would punish them if they revealed that they thought it was theft, so you don’t actually know what they believe about grape sampling. They may perceive it as theft (albeit minor) that isn’t worth pursuing because of the fallout from people who want to be able to do it. When there are penalties for a company from speaking, I don’t think you can consider their lack of speech as any sort of positive claim. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/77 "2014-04-07T21:31:51Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I’m willing to bet Whole Foods has much bigger margins on their merch than a regular corporate supermarket does. > > Also, your comment seems unclear: do you ask before sampling grapes, or not? Their margins don’t change the nature of the transaction. Sampling is encouraged. If I need help opening a package, they will do it for me. As I’m eating it, I also can have a conversation with the person working. It’s fairly common. I also can go to the customer service desk, and they will give me food for my kids to eat while I shop because it makes the shopping experience nicer. Usually it’s the single serve fruit snacks, some Annie’s goldfish type crackers, fruit roll up type items. They present a choice and the kids get to pick what snack they want. Those items retail is probably a dollar or so, but they are given free to anyone who asks. Eating in the store is encouraged. They are selling food you know. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/78 "2014-04-07T21:57:41Z")
And you don’t imagine that, once before the all powerful court of fruit poaching, that all the packages sitting wide open, will sway court at all? Looks to me like they were asking for it! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/79 "2014-04-07T23:01:07Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > And you don’t imagine that, once before the all powerful court of fruit poaching, that all the packages sitting wide open, will sway court at all? > > Looks to me like they were asking for it! That’s just perpetuating grape culture. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521/80 "2014-04-07T23:04:03Z")
That’s it, blame the victim! Statutory grape. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sampling-grapes-theft-uncouth-or-perfectly-legit/685521.md?page=5)