I would be afraid to confront anyone these days. In this situation, after they left, I think I would remove the jars from the shelf that I saw them open and take them with me to the cashier where I would explain what I saw. That gets the product off the shelf without any risk to you.

Yes, you are right. I wished I have done that :o(

Knowing me I'd be stupid and say What The Heck? Or pull out my video phone. My husband yells at me regularly for my brazenness.

(One time I pulled up behind a couple doing the deed in their car in mid day in the grocery store parking lot and laid on my horn. I know, I"m an idiot.)

I guess I would have had to been there to know for sure how I would have acted. I couldn't tell from your post, but is there a chance these people were new to our country and didn't know how the products are packaged and that they should not be opened and tasted? If that seemed like the case, I may have tried to explain it to them so that they wouldn't continue to do it at other stores.

Obviously, I would inform the store that the jars were open so that they could clear them off them shelves.

OMG! That is SOOO disgusting!!!! Now, I'll be checking jars before I buy them (I already check sour cream and pb -- have purchased "previously tasted" sc and pb.)

I think forhgtv has the right way to handle this type of situation. I think that if I had witnessed it, I would have been so grossed out, I wouldn't have been able to think straight about what to do.

Btw, where in Houston are you? (not that this is something that would specifically happen in Houston; it probably happens all over the country all the time, but it's not in the news.) I'm just curious because I live in The Woodlands and have adult kids in Cypress, Jersey Village, Galleria & League City -- I'm all over the Houston area ALL the time! :-)

Carla, that thought had crossed my mind. This couple were of the same origin that a few of my friends at work are. I know people from this origin are very traditional and tend to stick to their culture. Yet, this young couple looked very Americanized as if they've been in the US for awhile. That could be one of the reason why I hesitated to approach and explain. I also sensed trouble if I would say anything, and I always follow my 6th sense!

Drewsmaga, you've got it! Right after thinking of what Carla mentioned, I felt exactly what you just described. That was it! I was grossed out and practically was a bit mistified in what to do for the first few seconds.

FYI... Yes, I'm in Houston, FM 1960 area.

Actually, I think this was just an isolated incident. But still, I would check all food and drugs packaging before purchasing from now on. It was my main purpose to pass on this incident. So, everyone would do the same, ... checking before purchasing.

I would have found someone right away to take those products off of the shelves. I probably would not have confronted the people, best to let the store manager do that. Maybe they got their act on tape.

WOW, no telling how many times this has happen and other people may be doing it also.
Lets all make sure we check our jars from now on.

I probably would not have confronted them either but would have reported it and pulled those jars off the shelf.

Wow, I can understand your hesitancy to confront them, I certainly would be leery to do so, but i do think the store should have been notified before leaving. I'm not slamming you, none of us know for certain what we would do in any situation, and you did notify the store later. We hear about how stores are covered by security cameras, these days, and if the store has the approx time, they might have it on tape. Sure takes grocery shopping to an all new level, doesn't it?

I will never grocery shop the same again.......YUCK!!! Who knows how many people do this!

I have never heard of such things. I probably would have confronted them. I would have felt safe in the store, but would never confront them outside. I would have found a clerk immediately and had them watched and I would have put the jars in my cart for the clerk. That's disgusting.

I would have called it to the attention of a store manager when I saw it happening. Would probably not have confronted the offenders, but definitely would have reported it right away.

This serves as a good reminder for all shoppers to check jars, cans, packages, cartons, etc. for damage before putting them in their carts.

That is so disgusting that I would have confronted them right then and there! But I am not disabled, I am very able bodied and able to take care of myself. Besides, any Wal-Mart I've ever been in has had plenty of people around in case they would react inappropriately. I am not buying the cultural differences and not knowing if that was right or wrong. Anyone knows you don't do that. Oh, and I also would have taken the jars that were compromised off of the shelf and found a manager to give them to.

Ew!

Thanks for trying to find someone to help, and for calling later to report the incident.

Because you shared this, I'll be more careful about checking packaging and lids before I purchase.

I wouldn't be able to walk away from that situation....Giving them slack for being new to the country is beyond acceptable.....anyone opening jars and sticking their fingers in is bound to know better no matter what country you are from. I would immediately get a store manager. Most jar's have an inner seal that would have to also be removed.

Working in a store that sells those jars and others, that are vacuum packed, I would have removed the ones from the shelf I knew they opened and I would have brought them to the customer service counter and told them why I was bringing them there. It happens more often than you think. I always listen for the 'pop' when I open a vacuum packed jar of anything. If it doesn't pop, it goes into the garbage.

Often I don't even trust frozen or foods that are in the coolers. Customers often, and I stress the word often, will take a cold or frozen item, walk to the other side of the store and decide they don't want it. While the store I work at prompty takes those items and 'distresses' them (we write them off and destroy them before throwing them out), I wonder if all stores do that, or if someone puts them back to be refrozen or cooled again. And people wonder why prices are going up and up and up...... Someone has to pay for all the damages and theft, right?

Oh, I wouldn't have cut them slack for not being from this country... it would have been even a bigger reason for me or the manager to confront them so they wouldn't do it again or elsewhere. If they didn't know it was wrong (and the fact that they kept doing it when the poster was there suggests to me that they didn't) that's really the problem. They need to be taught, corrected, and/or punished if it was on purpose. Just having those speicifc jars removed is not going to solve the real and probably ongoing problem.

There are areas in the world with no refrigeration,etc.. that make the Amish seem advanced. I have no idea where they were from but there's no telling what they were thinking. I mean they did buy a jar so they weren't just there to tamper with stuff.

I once saw a woman open a container ofyogurt, stuck i her finger, took a taste, then closed the container and put it back on the shelf. I was totally grossed out, din't want a confrontation, so as soon as she left, I picked up the container, took it to the front desk and told them what happened. I saw themthrow it in the trash. I had a friend who worked at McDonalds 20 years ago. She was walking holding a tray of Big Macs in boxes, when she slipped and dumped the tray. The manager was present, saw what happened, and told her to throw them all away. Not sure if McD trains all its' employees this way, but it made me feel safe.

Just last week in a restaurant, two woman at a nearby table, who also were speaking in a foreign language, opened a bottle of pepper sauce, pulled out some of the peppers with their fingers, then closed the bottle and left it on the table. I informed the waitress what I had seen and she removed the bottle from the table and took it to the back. Needless to say, I will not be using pepper sauce in a restaurant again.

I saw a child eating the candy sprinkles out of the bowl at the ice cream counter. I told an employee and they removed it. Makes you feel good when you eat at places like that.

I would never have assumed that when you left the store and called from home that the WalMart person you spoke with would have actually taken those jars off the shelf (for a variety of reasons, including some workers don't want to be bothered with doing anything extra, or the person could've gotten distracted by another task).

While you watched the pair do that, you saw exactly which jars they were touching -- or at least the vicinity of the brand. There's no way a clerk or customer service person is going to be able to spot the compromised jars without trying every single one that's in the front row, and unfortunately I have my doubts that person would do that. I would bet money those jars are still on the shelf.

Was there a reason you could not have gone over to that shelf and taken the jars that you saw with your own two eyes that they opened? And then taken those up to the cashier when you went to check out? (And when the pair left with 1 jar, was that one of the jars they had opened? Or did they take one behind that, one that was still sealed?)

Yes I certainly would have walked up to these 2 people and laid down the rule--it's just not acceptable to do taste-test food in the store. I would not have cut them very much slack for them potentially being new immigrants.

Even on a busy night, there is a store manager. I would have taken the time to find that person, describe the 2 people I saw and go back to the aisle with that manager so he/she could take those jars off the shelf. (And if that manager told me "don't worry, I'll get an employee to go over there," I would not accept that. I want to see them taken off and put in the garbage.) If you do the right thing first--even if it means you have to go out of your way and spend more time in the store when you're disability may be acting up worse-- you don't have to live with the "what-ifs" later.

Who knows -- those products could've later been purchased by someone who doesn't notice that the vacuum seals were broken. And maybe that someone is a member of your church preparing something that you might be eating!

If you are feeling unsure of your safety as a disabled person, you might want to look into some protective devices, like a can of Mace or a very loud whistle so that you can attract other people's help. There are so many circumstances in this world that could require you to take action and not think of the consequences. There are already too many people in this world whose only reaction to this would've been "It's not my business."

(That Friday night ABC TV show "What Would You Do," a hidden-camera program hosted by the news reporter John Quinones, is a real eye-opener when it comes to things like this.)

I would have screamed. LOUD. LOL!

Blessings,
Haley

Twice in my life I have opened a jar that was previously opened. I was horrified each time and I took the jar back. It happened with a half gallon of milk, when I got home the the plastic band was broken and the milk was down an inch, ewwwww. I told the manager to check all the milks and I'd go with him which we did.

That is so gross!! Something else to be careful off, it would have never occurred to me that someone might do this. I mean, sealed jars?? That's pretty nervy.

I won't buy baked goods from one of our local stores because I've seen small children reach into the display and scrape off frosting and lick if off their fingers and then move on to a different pastry. All with their mother/parents ignoring their behavior. And grown women handling unwrapped bread loaves, smelling them and handling them, and then putting them back on the shelf. Of course, this has caused me to bake most of our stuff at home, which is healthier anyway.

Wow - that is gross! Never thought about the fact people might do that. I quickly started thinking about what I've bought that might fall victim to this kind of thing but fortunately I don't buy much of anything processed in a jar. Guess this is one more reason not to. If I ever do I'm sure I will now be pulling a jar from the back and/or listening closely for the vacuum seal when I open it.

New to this country or not would make no difference to me, that is unacceptable behavior regardless of where one lives. And it is theft, plain and simple. I too would have said something to them and carried the items to the service desk. But that said, I am not disabled. Different circumstances call for different actions.

I would have gone immediately to the customer service desk or the nearest employee and told them what I'd observed. You can't be expected to gather up the jars and take them anywhere. Besides, who knows what *else* in the store they had opened?

It's our own responsibility as consumers to only buy jars of food we can tell are still sealed. It's like cheking the expiration date!

This reminds me of a friend who was foster mother to a boy who came into her care at age four. She had to re-train him not to pilfer from the grocery store. His mother had trained him to do it, and he was VERY good at it. He could open a box, remove some of the cookies (or pasta, or cereal, or anything), hide it in his clothing, re-close the box perfectly, and return it to the shelf. His mother surrendered several of her children -- as they 'aged out'. She only wanted babies and little ones. (Who could forget THAT saga?) My friend later adopted the boy and helped him through his abandonment issues.

I think you handled it just fine. You can't make other people behave the way they should. People in Wal-Mart scare me. I've seen fights and other nasty things happen. I would not have confronted them for fear of my own safety. I would have tried to call what they to someone's attention which is what you did. It would have been nice to get the stuff off of the shelf yourself, but it wasn't feasible at that time.

I just went to my cupboard and checked the tops of all of my jar food. You can tell if the seal on the jar has been broken by running your fingers over the lid and making sure it's still concave, that is, slightly curved inward. If it's popped out and you can press in the top slightly and get a "tock" sound, the seal has been broken.

I'll never buy a jar of sauce or other food without first checking it in the store from now on! I don't care if the guilty people were green and furry with 3 eyeballs each -- what they were doing is THEFT and they knew they were wrong but didn't care that someone was watching them. I'm glad you notified the store, ntt hou, and I hope they had the sense to check all of the jars.

Ewwwww! I think that you did the right thing ntt hou by at least notifying the store about what you saw. You have to go with your gut and you did what was best at the time. I'll be checking my jars too ~ that is just gross.
I was at a resturant having brunch one day when I noticed a young child at the next table licking the lid of the ketchup bottle while his mother and her friend totally ignored him. Finally one of them noticed and just put the lid back on the bottle. Yuck! As soon as they left I told the waitress who promptly disposed of it.

Posted by Pammyfay...
"While you watched the pair do that, you saw exactly which jars they were touching -- or at least the vicinity of the brand. There's no way a clerk or customer service person is going to be able to spot the compromised jars without trying every single one that's in the front row, and unfortunately I have my doubts that person would do that. I would bet money those jars are still on the shelf."

No, I didn't see the exact jars. I let the customer service know the approximate area where those jars would be. I know the customer service did what she needed to be done because while on the phone, I heard her calling someone and asked to check those jars right away. Then, she came back on the phone and thanked me for notifying. I also let her know the time I was there. It's printed on the receipt as well.

"Was there a reason you could not have gone over to that shelf and taken the jars that you saw with your own two eyes that they opened? And then taken those up to the cashier when you went to check out? (And when the pair left with 1 jar, was that one of the jars they had opened? Or did they take one behind that, one that was still sealed?)."

Have you ever seen someone in a wheelchair grocery shopping? About half of the shelves are not reacheable for me. That was basically one of the reason why I didn't pull out those jars. I simply couldn't reach them. Not only that, I had a full lap of groceries on me. It was just not feasable. Yes, I could call someone but they were all very busy and I was in a hurry to get home. I was hungry and tired. I needed to feed myself & rest before thinking of what I could have done. The whole incident just hit me later when my mind was more clear.

Pammyfay, you also mentioned about using Mace, did you know that it really does not protect you? Many reports showed that it can even harm you when you miss spraying directly to the eyes. It made the criminal more angry. Have you tried to sit down and spray mace to someone that is standing up? Makes you think what it's like to be bound to a wheelchair, doesn't it?

My health is basically not negotiable to just about any circumstances. Mine comes first, then yours. As ruthless as it sounds, that doesn't mean I'm not concern about your health. Otherwise, this thread wouldn't even be here.

Oh, that is gross!! I just seen this and earlier did some grocery shopping at Walmart..I WILL be checking the lids! I am not superwoman (5ft.,110 lbs.) but it would have made me very angry to see some idiot do that! I can hear it now...jar fight in aisle 8..lol. Best to pay close attention in grocery stores I guess...yuk!

Not sure what I would do. One doesn't know until actually confronted with a situation, but it would make a good subject for the show "What would you do?"

I'm not disabled. From past experience I know I would have confronted them and created a scene. Their bad.

It's the same as theft. I don't care who is doing it. When someone or their child is destroying or contaminating something they should have to buy it. Of course that doesn't happen in these overly PC lawsuit fearing days. But right is right.

I understand how someone might not want to confront someone directly but taking the time to find a manager or a security person would be the the correct thing to do.

Hindsight is just that. But you did call after thinking it over and I'm glad you did something.

I think we all know our own limitations and should work within them. You were not comfortable confronting the couple, you were not able to readily spot an employee, so you called and reported it when you got home. Maybe you could have mentioned it to the cashier when you checked out, but I am sure there were other things on your mind.

But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think you did anything wrong.

As a consumer, I usually check items when I select them from the shelf to make sure they don't look opened or damaged. And I would think that stock is somewhat checked when they add items to the shelf or neaten things as part of the daily routine.

Not saying that one of those jars couldn't slip by and be purchased. If the food is spoiled in the jar, I would hope that whoever buys it notices mold, or realizes the lid isn't secure and will bring it back.

What would I have done? Mentioned it to the cashier.

No, I wouldn't be able to describe this couple. I'm bad when it comes to remembering someone outer appearance in details. I normally remember someone's action or conversation.

You know how all Asians look alike to you, or how all Blacks and Mexicans look alike to me? Well apparantly, this couple were not the only people from the same origin shopping at Walmart yesterday. I got confused when I saw a couple saying hi to another couple. I thought to myself... wow they multiplied :o). Not that it's a bad thing or anything. LOL... It's just too many of them for me to remember who was who. It gets worse as I grow older too.

Hmmm.

How would you have handled this situation? is a good question but can be tough to answer. Without being in the situation makes it more difficult to say. Would I physically confront them, slap them in cuffs, lynch them or the like, well no. But I'd *like* to think I would have spoken up then and there in some manner, whether I'd clear my throat, say WHAT THE??? or something. Guess it's a had to be there thing. And really, if for some reason I felt threatened in a store, I think I'd have been leaving the store before the incident anyway. Why would I stay where I don't feel safe? I certainly can shop stores where I feel safe.

I don't judge what you did or didn't do with the exception of applauding that you did call later. It may have helped. Good for you.

The reality is that there's a good chance that at least one of those jars went home with someone. Hopefully they used it right away since I doubt many people would pay any attention to whether it had a tight seal.

I'm generally one here who says let's get the whole story, more facts or something before jumping to conclusions on a lot of things but on this one, I too cut them no slack. Theft is theft. Vandalism is vandalism. And their vandalism could affect other people. Most things in a grocery store are not guaranteed sale items meaning the store buys it and can't return it for credit so any broken jar, stolen jar or opened one that has to be written off is a cost to the store, which means a cost to every customer since those losses are simply passed on.

I know these things go on in stores. What people do is often so disgusting. People open up boxes of things, switch them then seal it up and head to the checkouts. I always check the seals on jars and I check boxes and bags. I'll often open the top on a jar with inner seal to see it's intact. I also check that the eggs aren't cracked! And I generally make a wide path around those self-serve bulk bins where people are so often grazing!

On a different note, what bugs me more is when people hide behind the lines like "You never know what they'll do" or "They might____". It's code for "I don't want to get involved" and that's why some criminals walk free, some thieves go unpunished, taxes go higher, insurance prices soar and other costs go up. I feel we often have a responsibility to stand up for what's right. If we witness something, do something, watch out for your neighbors' homes. The "everyone for themself" is long obsolete. Cops can't be everywhere. We have to be their eyes and ears. What each person can physically do of course varies.

As far as the cameras, so what? Yeah they have cameras but are they really going to be expected to take security personnel, sit them down to watch video and try to find the incident? What are they supposed to do then? Launch a search for them? It's a petty theft so it's not worth the cost for the store to waste the time of doing this. The time to do something is when it's happening. Then all that really would be done is to ask them to leave. And casually telling a cashier on the way out is effectively worthless too. At least take the time to go to customer service. At that rate, even calling them later was a far better option than mentioning it to a cashier on the way out. A cashier is too busy to stop checking people out to go alert Customer Service, which is what they'd need to do and then hopefully they were able to get the info from you accurately, which could be questionable if they're concentrating on cashiering (or other things job or non-job related). Telling a cashier would be fine in a convenience store but not a mega store.

It's been a long long time since I've shopped in a Walmart. Do they have any customer service call buttons or phones scattered as do some stores? That could be a possibility.

I keep a digital notetaker in a case on my belt at all times. I take notes on it often, record phone calls, conversations etc since my memory is getting challenged more as I age. When I'm driving and remember I need to do something I don't have to fumble for pen and paper to make a note for later. You could have used this to get a description of the people, time, details etc. About 2 weeks ago I was at a target and just getting ready to leave when I saw a woman pull in to a parking space in the next row. It caught my eye because she was *so* far over instead of being centered in the lines. Then I saw the vehicle next to her sort of "shake". Obviously she hit it. She got out of her car and I was by then recording the vehicle description, her description and the 2 digits of the plate that I could see. She got back into her car, backed out and drove off. I decided I couldn't live with myself to let this go so I followed her but all she did was move down 2 rows and park way at the end. I got her full license number, better vehicle description and then debated what to do. Didn't want to wait so I decided to leave a note on the affected vehicle. When I got over there I couldn't see any damage. Where she had to have hit it had the side guards which apparently is what she hit. I even got out and took a close look and there was no damage so I let it go. But I felt good that I did what I did. I look at it this way, if I won't get involved, why should someone get involved if something happens to me?

BTW, the lids on many jars have instructions to tell how to check the seal.

I would never ever confront a stranger. Too many crazies out there. Just today I read in the paper, a man was sitting outside a Seven Eleven convenience store in his car. A woman leaving the store said "Hi" to him. He didn't like the way she said it, so he jumped out of his car, grabbed her and held a gun to her head. He took off but the police grabbed him.

I would have confronted them. My mom always accuses me of not having enough sense to be fearful of people. I probably would have taken the jar out of their hands and said, "What are you doing?" That is gross and the fact that they are from another culture is no excuse.

Thanks for caring about others enough to call Ntt...I don't think it's as gross as I do despicable that all those open jars will be thrown out and our prices raised to compensate the stores loss...I can't see that being from another culture enters in either...a sealed jar is a sealed jar no matter what country your shopping in...This couple was disrespectful and wasteful...

Years ago when I worked at a supermarket we got credit for broken or damaged spaghetti sauce. We just saved the kids until the company rep stopped by. Its always easy to 'arm chair quarterback' after an incident like this. It is very hard to find any workers on the floor at Walmart. Tough call on what to do at the time. I'd like to think I would start making a commotion about it to attract the attention of security, but who knows?

This would be a great topic for that "what would you do?" show. I was going to say that, my DH told me about checking jars by, making a fist and hitting the top of the jar, fairly hard. If it's sealed, you'll hear a loud clicking sound, if it is not sealed, there won't be any sound. Also, on most jars, it will tell you to check the indent on the top.

I think I would have taken the chance and confronted them, and tell them, now that they have ruined those jars, who's going to pay for them?

Unfortunately the fear of confronting bad behavior is what has led us to this rude broken world we live in today. A few generations ago this question wouldn't have to be asked. People understood the power of shame and people spoke up for right against wrong.

I confront. Some years back I saw some kids messing around the grocery store destroying stock (climbing in the toilet paper) with their behavior. I asked them what the heck they were doing and told them to get out of there. It was night and when I went to my car they approached me and said that they were conscerned that I confronted them because they were basically good kids but "we might of been gangbangers". I told them that the idea I should fear them because they "might" be banger was exactly the wrong thing to do. Told them that their idea made them worse than the bangers because they were using the reputation of bad ones to get away with their own mischief. Not in my world they won't.

I hope it got through to them. Maybe today they are adults who get involved because of that night. I don't know. Doesn't matter. I will always step up to the plate and do what's right. It's not optional. Not for me nor my kids.

Although, the question was "What would you have done?" and not "What I should have done?", I appreciate all of your understandings and inputs.

I know I should have reported it right away. Seing such incident for the first time, I was a bit in disbelief. Next time of course, I'd be more prepared in handling such situation. Isn't it how usually it is.

I know some of you would confronted with people face to face. However, this is Houston. A big city with daily crimes and violence happenings daily. Just last week, there was an incident with a 5-year old kid bringing a gun in school. The gun went off as it fell from his pants. 3 kids were brought to the hospital. Fortunately, they only had minor injuries. If a 5-year old had a gun, imagine how many people in this city have or carry one.

So... again, this is Houston. Unlike where you may be living, this is a big, huge, humongous city with all sort of people. It makes more sense not to confront anyone in this city unless you carry a gun! LOL... just kiddin' about the gun. It is best to let the authority worry about them. After all, that's why we pay tax for.

You know, I'm the type of person that would take a bullet for someone but would avoid confrontation just to stay away from having someone pulling out a gun.

Hope you all had a good Easter weekend and a great one ahead!

Natalie

I think people should speak up more often too, but not everyone is physically able to confront someone in a case like this. Doing the right thing in this case is just trying to make sure no one eats contaminated food.

Wal-Mart in general has a reputation for attracting some bad individuals. If someone is brazen enough to violate the social norms, you never know what else they will do. You never know who is on drugs or is carrying a knife or a gun. Wal-Mart employees can not be counted on for back up and it seems like you can never find one when you need one anyway. The police aren't going to show up unless you get hurt. A few jars of spaghetti sauce aren't worth the risk of a physical confrontation. If possible, it would be nice to get a manager or security there. By the time you find them, the bad guy is gone. Wal-Mart sometimes has strange policies. If they didn't see it happen, it didn't happen. Employees sometimes get in trouble if they try to chase down shoplifters, flashers, etc.

I'm not above standing up for what I believe in and have done it on several occasions. We all have to pick our battles. I know a physical/verbal confrontation with some weirdos eating sampling food off a shelf is not one I'd feel confident in winning.

My nephew who works as a store inventory person (Company that counts goods on shelces so stores can figure profits/how much to order, etc) says all stores include a factor for stolen,damaged, otherwise unsellable goods. Sam Walton would have wanted those jars thrown out. What if someone hits a display with a shopping cart and jars fall and break?