I know what you're saying, but that may not be the best example. I'm white, but I've trained my children a couple of times now that they should never bring anything into a store that the store sells, white kids or not. Of course the store has to assume you're stealing it if you walk back out with it and visibly did not pay. A reasonable person (in the legal sense) is going to put the burden of proof on you to prove you had it when you walked in.

I can say that myself, on hot days, often go into stores, grab a drink, drink the entire thing while doing the rest of my shopping, and pay for the empty bottle when I leave. My wife was horrified when she saw this behavior, and made me stop when we had kids to not set an example for them (I now do it only when I’m not with the kids), but not once (in at least 100 instances) has anyone ever questioned me on it. Contrast my experience to whatever experiences that kid had to make him yell to a cashier until she acknowledged his drink.

Edit: to people wondering why I do this, I can only say that it’s something that I never even thought of as weird. That’s what growing up rich can do you.

> drink the entire thing while doing the rest of my shopping, and pay for the empty bottle when I leave

I have a friend that does the same thing and it just seems really weird to me.

My groceries aren't mine until I've paid for them. And also, as a person with not always a lot of money I sometimes (very rarely, but still) find that I don't have enough money for the things I wanted to buy. What if I'd started consuming the goods, got to the till and couldn't pay?

If I needed to drink first I'd buy the drink first, drink it, and then proceed with the remainder of the shopping.

Anyway, people can do what they want. I'm not going to berate anyone for this. But I still think it's really weird.

I fully agree with you and recognize that a person can only become the way I am (and doesn’t necessarily) by growing up in a privileged environment where store owners are always happy to see you and your family and you have never been questioned by anyone.

If you feel that “groceries aren't mine until I've paid for them,” then how do you ever eat at a restaurant?

Hmm, touché :)

I think a restaurant is different though because that is explicitly how it works (eat first then pay).

To take your comparison further, what would happen if you sat down in a grocery store and started consuming hundreds of dollars worth of food and drink? I think it would raise a lot of eyebrows, and the employees would probably confront you. So there is a difference.

Furthermore, in a restaurant you place an order and they serve you, and from a legal perspective (IANAL) there might be something about some sort of implicit contract that you will pay them. Whereas with a grocery store you are not allowed to remove the items from the store until you've paid for them. And I feel like consuming the items inside of the store is sort of analogous to removing them from the store.

When I was young, I avoided restaurants because of exactly this! Always preferred cafes/fast-food places where you pay first. It just didn't make logical sense to me. I've grown out of it now obviously... :P

Doesn’t make sense. Paying beforehand is customary at grocery stores, not at restaurants.

I've never had unpaid-for groceries in a restaurant.

That may feel weird to some people (it does to me, for instance), but it's not in the same category of events. You paid for it. Rationally, as long as you know you're good for it, there's nothing massively wrong with it. I say it "feels" weird precisely because I know rationally it isn't wrong, or is so little wrong it doesn't matter much. (I mean, I've been in situations where it turns out I ate at a restaurant but didn't have my wallet, and I had to go make it right. That sort of thing happens. If you really get down to it, yeah, sure, it's wrong, but we can't run a society of human beings if we start bring in the legal system or something for all those things.)

I would also add that if the store owner came up to you and challenged you to please pay for that right now, you're obligated to do so. Considered as a whole, it's not a good idea for someone to do that over a bottle of soda for all kinds of reasons, but I'd say the right still is essentially there.

Also if I do take something in I make sure I have a receipt for it as well as carry it in the store bag, but most of the time, if I’m in s car, put my things in the car. If transit, receipt and store bag to avoid scrutiny.

>Hopefully less than human bias...

Well you can hope, but it's made by humans, so I wouldn't count on it.

I mean the systems are programmed by humans right, why wouldn’t they have some of our biases? Not to mention once they’re made it gives everyone the excuse to say “oh sorry for bugging you I wasn’t being racist but my store’s AI said you were going to steal”

That guy's parents had a talk with him.