Sometimes it is hard to resist a little snack at the grocery store.
While sampling is almost mandatory at some places, not all stores promote eating in the aisles. With a cart full of delicious foods and easy-to-eat-while-perusing snacks, is it ethical to enjoy a snack or beverage before the cashier rings up the next customer?
This is a question that is dividing TikTokers currently.
A 12-second clip filmed during an influencer's grocery store checkout has gone viral and sparked an intense debate about whether opening and eating food before checking out is ethical.
TikToker Cecily Bauchmann filmed herself handing her items to the checkout worker and captioned the clip, “Opening food is a normal thing at the grocery store k?”
“I also opened this in-store,” Bauchmann says in the video, holding up an empty sushi container, which she had shown herself picking up and scoffing in a separate grocery store vlog.
“I also opened this in-store. Sorry, I was hungry,” she added.
@cecilybauchmann OPENING FOOD IS A NORMAL THING AT THE GROCERY STORE K?🍓✨#relatablemom #relatablemomlife #groceryshopping #groceryhaul #grocerystore ♬ original sound - Cecily Bauchmann
Whilst the cashier did not react to the half-eaten packet, a lot of her TikTok followers had other ideas.
One user wrote: “I feel like you're probably not supposed to do that.”
A second user wrote: “When I’m a cashier I get annoyed sometimes when people hand me their trash to scan lol.”
A third commented: “My mama never ever let us do this and I get lowkey embarrassed when anyone I’m with does this.”
As a fourth struck in, asking: “And if your card declines? Did you bring cash? Otherwise, it’s stealing and how do you expect the store to react?”
Some seemed more baffled by how worked up some reactions were, adding that the most important context is that she ultimately paid for what she ate.
"Idk why people are mad like as long as you pay for it it's fine?" one user wrote.