Admit it: You've done it … but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Is It OK to Snack on Your Groceries Before Paying for Them? Here’s What the Experts Say
Published on Jun. 06, 2025
The other day, I was at the grocery store, shopping for new flavors of Hi-Chews (I’m obsessed—don’t judge), when I stumbled across something truly horrifying in the International Foods aisle: a pile of half-eaten chicken wings. It was just a sad stack of bones, some skin and mystery-meat remnants nestled between the Pocky sticks and gefilte fish, like some unholy charcuterie. As someone who never snacks before paying—and who enjoys things like basic hygiene—I noped right out of there. No candy, not even soda-pop Hi-Chews, is worth navigating that biohazard. And all I could think as I fled was: Who does that?! What horrible grocery-store etiquette.
“As a general etiquette rule of practice, eating should be kept for eating situations, like restaurants or at the kitchen table,” says etiquette expert Jo Hayes, founder of EtiquetteExpert.org. “But there are some gray areas when it comes to snacking in the store.”
Maybe you’re halfway through your grocery run and your stomach’s louder than the store’s Muzak. Or your toddler is melting down in Aisle 9 and you know a handful of yogurt melts will buy you five blessed minutes. There are plenty of reasons people nibble pre-purchase. But not all those reasons are equally valid—there’s a vast canyon between casually sampling a grape and going full rotisserie-chicken savage.
So does that make eating before paying a grocery crime? A courtesy? A public-health violation? People have feelings about this. A 2024 USA Today poll found Americans were split nearly 50/50. It’s divisive enough to start a family feud or a Reddit war. And while most of us have done it at least once (don’t lie), the rules are murky. We talked to Hayes, a grocery-store manager and a bunch of folks on Facebook to help us settle the debate once and for all. Read on to find out if snacking mid-shop is a moral failure or just smart shopping.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more etiquette, shopping, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
Is it rude to snack on your groceries while shopping?
This is the part where I tell you I used to work as a grocery-store checker for several years—and this is why I never snack before paying. At my store, eating while shopping was officially against policy, and we were told to politely ask customers not to do it. Did I follow that rule? Technically, yes. Did I actually stop anyone? Absolutely not. I wasn’t paid enough to argue with a grown adult about an open bag of Cheetos at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday.
That said, I did notice a pattern: A lot of people only paid for their open Diet Coke or empty deli container after I pointed it out. Which made me wonder if they were really planning to pay for it or were just hoping I wouldn’t notice their snack crime. Hard to say. But it’s that desire not to put employees in an uncomfortable position that has led to my personal policy of paying before eating.
But here’s the thing: It’s not illegal (as long as you plan to pay), and yet it is often against store policy. And it’s that weird little gray area—technically frowned upon but commonly done—that fuels all the fiery opinions. So where does that leave us? Divided: snack-stans on one side, hungry heroes on the other. Here’s how the camps break down.
Yes, it’s rude
The general etiquette rules surrounding eating in a grocery store are “just don’t,” Hayes says. And yes, this includes “sampling” things like grapes or “tasting” deli items on a salad bar.
There are a number of good reasons for this rule. For starters, what if you forget to pay for it or something goes wrong with your card at the register and you can’t pay for it? Then you’ve crossed the line into stealing.
It also sets a bad precedent. “If everyone went ahead and felt free to eat or drink while shopping, before buying—opening packets of chips, eating bananas or downing bottles of Coke while strolling the aisles—grocery stores would descend into chaos,” Hayes says.
Not to mention what it does to the poor checkers. “It makes the checkout process that much more difficult for staff,” Hayes says. “It’s like, ‘OK, so, we’ve got four normal bananas, and how many banana peels?’ Scanning empty packets of chips, potentially smeared with oily handprints, and children’s messy yogurt pouches—it’s all too messy and complicated, and it should be avoided.”
There’s also the “ick” factor. Chomping on food while navigating crowded aisles, handling carts and touching communal items? Germ city. And paid for or not, you should never leave wrappers or, heaven forbid, half-eaten foods on the shelves or floor. Grocery workers aren’t your mom and did not sign up to clean up your gross chicken bones.
No, it’s not rude
To others, this is a mountain made out of a molehill—or maybe a granola-bar wrapper. If you’re planning to pay for it, what’s the big deal?
“I wouldn’t call it rude. I mean, we see this all the time—it’s daily,” says Angel L., who manages a grocery store in Florida. “It is not technically allowed, but it’s not worth angering a customer over. As long as people pay for it eventually, it’s not a big deal.”
Hunger strikes at random times, and eating a snack isn’t hurting anyone. It may even be a health-conscious move that will help you “avoid making hangry impulse purchases” later on, according to my dietitian-nutritionist friend, who admits to doing this but also doesn’t want her name in the article (hmm). But that is how I ended up buying $9 artisan cookies that looked amazing but tasted like cardboard, so she makes a good point. And hey, those produce misters don’t just keep lettuce crisp—they’re practically a fruit-washing station for snacking on the go, right?
“Grocery stores do expect and plan for some of this,” Angel says. “If I had to talk about rude customer behavior, this wouldn’t even make my top 10 list.”
It depends
“There are some exceptions to this rule, especially for children,” Hayes says. Here lies the moderate middle: This group agrees that it can be rude—or just plain weird—but isn’t always. If you’re quietly eating a banana and clearly plan to pay? Fine. Ripping open a rotisserie chicken and gnawing it cave-person-style in the deli section? Maybe rethink your life choices.
Age, intent, messiness and how you’re planning to pay all factor in, Angel adds. Context is key.
When do most people agree that it’s OK?
I took this debate to Facebook, and people had some big feelings—I got more than 20 comments within minutes of posting. It turns out that most people have done it and think it’s fine as long as it’s under what they consider “acceptable” circumstances. So when is it OK?
When you have a small child
Moms, for one, are over it. “I feel like most people would prefer me giving my toddler a fruit snack in the cart over having to listen to him scream like a banshee,” one mom wrote. Fair. And some stores even put out free fruit or cookies for kids for exactly this situation, Angel says.
When you want to sample produce
Produce samplers made a strong case too. “I’m not paying $6.99 for strawberries unless I know they don’t taste like cardboard,” said another commenter. A nibble to test for flavor? Apparently that’s the fruit equivalent of kicking the tires.
When you really need to eat
Medical emergencies were another top exception. “I have POTS, and sometimes I have to drink an electrolyte drink immediately,” one person said. Another added: “I’ll grab candy to avoid a blood sugar crash.” Basically, your pancreas gets a pass.
The general consensus
While there are some etiquette purists who say “never eat until you’ve paid,” most people agree that emergency snacks are a social-contract loophole. Just don’t make a mess, and don’t treat it like a free buffet.
One important caveat: A friend who is Black shared that she never eats anything before paying, ever, because she worries about being racially profiled and unfairly accused of stealing. It’s a sobering reminder that while some folks can get away with casual snacking, others face much higher stakes. Grocery-store etiquette isn’t the same experience for everyone—and that matters too.
If you choose to do this, what’s the proper etiquette?
So you’re gonna do it. Fine. But do it right.
Let the cashier know
The golden rule of grocery store grazing: Pay for what you eat. Ideally, you hand the empty wrapper or produce bag to the cashier and say, “I ate this while shopping—please ring it up,” Angel says. “Don’t make it awkward. Don’t make them ask. Don’t pretend you didn’t do it.”
Pick items priced by the unit, not by the pound
Unless you’re cool with the grocery store weighing you on the way in and out, there’s no honest way to pay for food sold by weight once it’s already in your digestive system. So if you snack on one apple and then only pay for the rest in your bag, congratulations—you’ve just stolen an apple. Stick to items priced per unit, like a bottled drink or a granola bar, so you can scan the empty wrapper later without needing a bathroom scale or a moral crisis.
Be neat
No one wants to dodge sticky apple cores or smeared yogurt lids. If you’re going to snack, choose something tidy (think: granola bars, not glazed doughnuts). “If you make a mess, clean it up,” Hayes says. “This is true at home, in the grocery store, everywhere.”
Don’t treat it like a buffet
One grape to test for sweetness? OK. Grazing your way through half the bunch and then bagging the rest? Not OK. You’re not at Costco on sample Saturday.
What’s the biggest mistake people make in this situation?
Forgetting to pay. Whether it’s an honest mistake or not, walking out with an empty wrapper in your pocket looks shady. It’s a quick way to turn a minor moment into a major problem. Even if you meant to pay, if you’re caught leaving the store without doing so, the optics are bad—and you could end up banned or even charged with a crime.
“We won’t call the cops for eating a candy bar, but if it’s a lot of food or if it’s a habit, we’ll certainly get our loss-prevention people involved and sometimes the police,” Angel says. “Also, people should know that we have cameras everywhere in the store, so even if you think we don’t see you eat it, we see you eat it.”
What should you do if someone criticizes your choice?
First, don’t panic. A calm “I’m planning to pay for it at checkout” should settle most grumps, Angel says. If not, you can smile, keep walking and resist the urge to say, “Worry about your own bananas, Brenda.”
“Don’t escalate a conflict or engage in a back and forth,” Angel says. If you are confronted by a store employee—rare but it can happen—follow their directions to pay for it immediately, he adds.
That said, if you’re frequently getting side-eyes, you might want to rethink your approach, or just keep a protein bar in your bag for next time.
Of course, there is a polite way to avoid all this: Just pay for it first. Hop in the self-checkout line, pay for your snack, and munch away—with the receipt to prove you’re not a grocery bandit.
“It really doesn’t take much longer to do the polite thing,” Hayes says.
RELATED:
- New Report: More Americans Are Doing This to Pay for Groceries. Here’s Why Experts Are Concerned
- Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Skip Aldi’s “Aisle of Shame” on Your Next Trip
- Here’s Why You Always Feel a Burst of Cold Air When You Walk into a Grocery Store
About the experts
|
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of etiquette stories that help readers navigate communication in a changing world. We regularly cover topics such as the best messages to send for any occasion, polite habits that aren’t as polite as they seem, email and texting etiquette, business etiquette, tipping etiquette, travel etiquette and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on snacking before paying in the grocery store, Charlotte Hilton Andersen tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who specializes in etiquette and communication for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Jo Hayes, founder of EtiquetteExpert.org; email interview, June 3, 2025
- Angel L., grocery-store manager; in-person interview, June 4, 2025
