"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
5.250...
> On Mon 12 Jan 2009 05:49:05a, Nancy Young told us...
>
>> Serene Vannoy wrote:
>>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>> Banned for life from popular Berkeley market
>>>> for taking samples. And he deserves it!
>>>>
>>>> http://cbs5.com/local/berkeley.bowl.ban.2.823933.html
>>>>
>>>> I don't know about the guy using "too much"
>>>> cream and sugar in his coffee. Did it exceed
>>>> the volume of the coffee? Was he feeding his
>>>> family off this stuff? That would be an abuse.
>>>> I remember hearing stories about during WW2
>>>> people would abuse sugar offered at restaurants
>>>> and diners because it was rationed.
>>>
>>> Thing is, at least with the produce, the Berkeley Bowl will GIVE you a
>>> sample of any fruit you want, so there's no need to steal it. I am so
>>> annoyed with people who stand there nibbling away at the produce I'm
>>> about to buy.
>>
>> There was an article in the paper some time ago about these
>> grazers, especially at a local orchard/produce place. People
>> would walk in, grab a bag of grapes or a bunch of cherries and
>> eat them as they shopped. Like Aesop's fable, they'd get to the
>> checkout swinging an empty bag.
>>
>> Berkeley Bowl's farmers must be losing a fortune for them to
>> take such drastic measures. I imagine there were big signs
>> that people ignored.
>>
>> Not sure about the coffee thing. I have seen people put
>> 10 packets of sugar into a cup of coffee. I don't know if
>> it qualifies people to be banned or whatever.
>>
>> nancy
>>
>
> I agree with the issue of "sampling" fruit. However, preferences in sugar
> and cream in coffee vary widely. If the store feels they need to limit
> that, then they should post a sign by the coffee bar noting the limits.
> When coffee is offered free, most people would naturally assume that the
> sugar/sweetner and cream would also be free to the degree that they need
> it. It's not as though they're filling their pockets with it.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright
> (correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)
>
When I worked at the coffee shop on a local 'foo-foo' university (Lehigh) we
had to lock everything up nightly. Outside the shop(pe) was a small dining
area and a condiment counter that had the usual cream, sugar, salt, pepper,
ketchup, mustard, relish, etc. as well as plastic utensils and napkins. We
had to inspect the area hourly to refill and when we closed down in the
evening, we had to put everything under lock and key as a full container of
sugar or all the utensil containers would be empty when we arrived in the
morning to opening prep. Seems if you can afford to pay upwards of $60K a
year for your college education all these things are 'gimmes'. I actually
stopped a girl from off loading the forks into her purse and asked her 'what
about others needing them'....her response was a blank stare and 'so what, I
want them, I got them first. After all, they have YOU to put more out, and
since I'm having a party at my dorm, when do you expect to put them
out?'........Pompous twit. Needless to say, I didn't stay there too long,
as even Walmart paid better with less aggrevation!

The only thing I will take out of a restaurant/eating area of a
store/grocery is napkins. Once they put them on the table out of the
dispenser, they are required to toss them, so I just toss them in my purse.
Then I only take what came with the meal or was left by waitstaff, never
emptying the dispenser.
-ginny