The saga of the "two" bags of chips

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

So I'm ringing out a family at the sandwich shop and the mom and dad are handling it while the kid sits at a table. They only ordered two sandwiches and got meals with both. Each had a bag of chips.

The man clearly told me he wanted: "The two meals and nothing else."

That's when I notice the kid at the table has a bag of chips too. Now it's not opened or anything he's just sliding it around on the table. So I decide to inquire about this...

Me: Just the two meals, nothing else at all?
SC: That's what I JUST said.
Me: Ok, well he <motions to kid> has a bag of chips in his hands, that's why I was asking.
SC: Oh we're not buying those he's just playing with them.
Me:
Me: Chips are not toys, please tell him to put them back.

I go ahead and ring them out, take care of my next few customers and then go take care of some stuff in the back for a few minutes. When I come out the family is still there and I see the back of chips torn apart on the table and the kid eating them up.

Me: Hey, if he's eating those you have to pay for them.
SC: He was playing with them and the bag broke all over the table. I figured no big deal if he ate them because they'd just get thrown out anyway right?
Me: That's not the point, the point is the boy stole a bag of chips.
SC: NO he didn't, he was playing with them and they broke. Rather than waste the chips, I told him he could eat them.
Me: You need to pay for those chips.
SC: I'm not paying for anything. It was an ACCIDENT. <to family> Let's go, we're leaving.

So they left. I wasn't about to make even more of a case out of it over a $1 bag of chips but I did make sure to get that guy (and his family) banned from our shop.

[XCashier]

Great parenting there, Daddy. Let your kid play with unpaid food, then tell him to go ahead and eat it when the bag breaks. It's called stealing, jackass. And it's the reason your Precious Little Darling is going to serve time for shoplifting somewhere down the road, and you'll be wondering where you went wrong!

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Glad they got banned. I'm sure that dad knew exactly what was going to happen and thought he could weasel his way out of the "stealing" aspect with that stupid story. I hope he's proud of himself... /sarcasm.

[Mytical]

Wow, had I been that kid..first there is no way I would have been allowed to 'play' with the bag..but should I have broken it, and chips spilled out? Armageddon would have seemed a picnic in the park compared to what would come down on me. My parents never had to spank me or anything..the mere thought of what would happen kept Mytical a good little boy (at least around them )

[Eireann]

They probably do this everywhere they go:

"Oh, I told him he could play with them. It's no big deal."

Then the chips "accidentally" break, and:

"Well, I told him he could eat them..."

Sounds like the Scammer Family at work here. Can you alert other restaurants to keep an eye out for them? They should be aware that a family is out there ripping off businesses. Eventually, someone WILL call the police on them.

[Thatgirl71]

The more shit I read on here, the more my faith in humanity goes down the tubes. What a great thing to teach your kids, that stealing is ok.
I'm glad you banned them. I would love to be there when they come back (if they do) and you tell them they are banned. I'm sure there will be a lot of hemming and hawing and lame excuses from the scum-dad.

[blas]

I'm not surprised. Some parents let their kids play with everything they get their little nasty hands on, just to keep them from wailing, and for some reason think they can just have it for free or no one will notice. The real jerk parents blame the kids instead of themselves when they are caught.

When I worked at the clothing store, young mothers would constantly stuff clothes and accessories under their babies/toddlers in their strollers. My favorite shoplifter story involved a girl who swore that her *newborn size* baby grabbed the sweater while she pushed the sweater past and the sweater must have somehow gotten stuck under the baby.

[Bright_Star]

IF the bag broke & they didn't touch the contents in anyway then I'd give them the benefit of the doubt BUT seeing them eating it, that means it was done on purpose. I would have told them.."either pay for the chips or the cops will be called for RETAIL THEFT".

[hotelslave]

Some parents will do any thing to keep from parenting. I watched some lady yesterday in Target let her kid play with a toy and the kid had her tongue on it so when the mom was done paying the cashier pointed out the kid still had the toy and was licking it and so the mom put it down on the candy rack. I about threw up and told the cashier where it was

[slavetotheman]

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our guest for tonight: Arthur "Two Chips" Jackson.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

Last weekend, my husband was getting an ice cream for himself & our daughter at a park. While he was paying, then next customer put her ice cream(same brand, Dove bar, but a different flavor) right against ours. My 4 year old loves being helpful, and after we paid, carried the ice creams over to me, and handed her up to my husband to open. It was then, as he opened it that he realized she still was holding two. We turned around to say "Oops! honest mistake, we'll pay" but before we could say anything the cashier was furious, CB faced and saying "You opened it?! I can't sell it now, I can't take that back!" As I said, once we saw the mistake we absolutely where going to pay. We never got the chance to say so, and sort of fell all over ourselves trying to say that as she glowered at us.

I'm pregnant, and hormonal. I walked away while my husband finished paying for the mistake(the other woman even said she put hers with ours by mistake), and I started crying. I couldn't understand why we where treated so poorly, when we where coming back to fix a mistake.

Then I read about this family, and I get it. Those parents seem like scammers to me. And then refusing to pay? I was taught that you always pay for what you consume or break.

ETA: I hope this makes scense, that I'm not excusing the people in the OP's story, but saying that people like them are the reason my family was treated poorly.

[Sunshine]

i saw this at a grocery store once...guy in front of me got a drink, opened it, and drank some and then put it back (not in the cooler, of course!). i got it out and set it on the conveyer belt before putting the divider down for my food. his wife ending up paying for it, and i got glared at. oh well. LOL

[MadMike]

Me: That's not the point, the point is the boy stole a bag of chips.
SC: NO he didn't, he was playing with them and they broke. Rather than waste the chips, I told him he could eat them.

These thieves really get all high and mighty when you throw the word "Steal" at them. My ex was the same way. She "borrowed" my ATM card towards the end of our disastrous relationship, but boy did she scream at me when I said she "stole it."

"I didn't steal it!"

"You took it without my permission. That's stealing."

I'm not sure what pissed her off more -- me pointing out that she stole it, or that I discovered it missing and called it in before she had a chance to use it. I only wish I could have seen the look on her face when the machine ate the card.