I was today years old when I found out that people, rather than eyeing their produce, actually try it before they buy it. Particularly when it comes to grapes. I guess some people just need to ensure how juicy their grapes are before they put money on 'em. Personally, I feel like it's pretty easy to discern their quality by simply eyeballing them, but what do I know?
To get to the bottom of things, we turned to handy dandy Reddit, where people are very unafraid of sharing their unfiltered opinions. We asked the community whether trying a couple of grapes from the grocery store is considered sampling or stealing, and they came to our rescue. Here's what grocery store employees had to say.
"Former produce employee, and imo tasting a single grape is not a big deal. Fresh produce is not washed so plenty of other people touched the grapes before you try one," noted one person. "However if you sample cherries and leave the pits everywhere, you’re disgusting." Ok, that's nasty.
"Produce employee here too, I don’t care. A little dirt never killed anybody," another person agreed.
"Just ask an employee - hey, can i try the grapes to see if i like them? they will tell you yes! Also, unwashed grapes are absolutely filthy, so, you know, good luck with that. if you ask, they might let you have a few washed ones from the veggie market!" one person shared.
"Produce manager here, I don't care about one or two but when you walk around eating half the bag, that's a problem. Also, remember that someone might have dropped a bag or two on the floor and that's what you're eating," another grocery worker shared.
"Grapes are one of the dirtiest items we sell. Ask the fruit market. The water is black after we wash them," shared another employee.
So while it seems as though those who work in the produce section don't really mind if you sample a grape or two, it might not be the most sanitary of practices. Next time you're shopping at the store, stop and think what's more important to you: scoring the perfect grape or protecting yourself against germs?
