UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
a horrible, unspeakable crime.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337

Mark Thorson wrote:
> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337


Good for them. I don't want people manhandling muffins that I am going
to eat. The article said that she squeezed three muffins, taking the
third one. That left two manhandled muffins for someone else to eat, and
goodness knows how hard she squeezed them. If there is a bunch of
muffins sitting out it is likely that they all came from the same batch,
so none of them is going to be fresher than the others.

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:59:04 -0700, Mark Thorson > wrote:

-->UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
-->to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
-->a horrible, unspeakable crime.
-->
-->http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337


Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to be alittle heavy
handed, as most of the comments of the story stated.
With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of just put the two
muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was mentioned that Tesco targets
younger persons, I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap on
someone older.

ffu wrote:

> Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to be alittle heavy
> handed, as most of the comments of the story stated.
> With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of just put the two
> muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was mentioned that Tesco targets
> younger persons, I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap on
> someone older.

Left it at that? Not used it as a "teaching moment" Just because a store
has waste doesn't mean it is acceptable to *add* to that burden. You and
I pay for that waste.

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:59:04 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:

> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337

The real crime should be that they were out for public display,
unwrapped/uncovered where people had the opportunity to fondle them
one by one in the first place.

I'll take one from behind the counter, please.

-sw

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:25:54 -0400, Goomba > wrote:

-->ffu wrote:
-->
-->> Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to be alittle
heavy
-->> handed, as most of the comments of the story stated.
-->> With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of just put the
two
-->> muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was mentioned that Tesco
targets
-->> younger persons, I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap
on
-->> someone older.
-->
-->Left it at that? Not used it as a "teaching moment" Just because a store
-->has waste doesn't mean it is acceptable to *add* to that burden.

I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told them it
wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could be
paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.

-->You and I pay for that waste.


Actually I don't

All our stores have the muffins in display cases where customers can't touch,
any pastry or baked goods are boxed if on the displays.

Goomba wrote on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:25:54 -0400:

>> Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to
>> be alittle heavy handed, as most of the comments of the story
>> stated. With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of
>> just put the two muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was
>> mentioned that Tesco targets younger persons,
>> I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap
>> on someone older.

There are two views on the subject of exposure to natural contaminants.
It has been shown that kids who grow up in less than pristine
circumstances with pets and messing around in gardens have less
allergies than those kept clinically clean. On the other hand, there was
a dumb call from some professor in England to close petting zoos to
avoid the poor dears being exposed to horrible things.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"ffu" > wrote in message
>
> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
> them it
> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
> be
> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.

They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it is
an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:59:04 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:
>
>> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
>> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
>> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>>
>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337
>
> The real crime should be that they were out for public display,
> unwrapped/uncovered where people had the opportunity to fondle them
> one by one in the first place.
>
> I'll take one from behind the counter, please.
>
> -sw

I don't know the actual practice there, but in the US, food is kept behind a
closed door for protection, but still can be accessed if you want to buy
some. Yes, they can be squeezed, but they have protection from the
elements. The alternative is to eliminate self serve bakery departments.

At the Stop & Shop, bakery rolls are 69¢ each, but a bag of six already
packed is $2.49. Once in a plastic bag though, the crust gets soft. If
should be criminal to put good crusty bread in plastic.

James Silverton wrote:
>
> Goomba wrote on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:25:54 -0400:
>
> >> Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to
> >> be alittle heavy handed, as most of the comments of the story
> >> stated. With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of
> >> just put the two muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was
> >> mentioned that Tesco targets younger persons,
> >> I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap
> >> on someone older.
>
> There are two views on the subject of exposure to natural contaminants.
> It has been shown that kids who grow up in less than pristine
> circumstances with pets and messing around in gardens have less
> allergies than those kept clinically clean. On the other hand, there was
> a dumb call from some professor in England to close petting zoos to
> avoid the poor dears being exposed to horrible things.

Four petting farms in the UK have been closed
because of an outbreak of E. coli O157 among
children.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/se...s-children-ban

This isn't dumb advice.

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
>
> Four petting farms in the UK have been closed
> because of an outbreak of E. coli O157 among
> children.
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/se...s-children-ban
>
> This isn't dumb advice.

Teach the kids to pet the other end.

On Sep 22, 5:33*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
>
> > Four petting farms in the UK have been closed
> > because of an outbreak of E. coli O157 among
> > children.
>
> >http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/se...s-children-ban
>
> > This isn't dumb advice.
>
> Teach the kids to pet the other end.

Really! Sounds like there might have been some heavy petting going on
there.

Maybe those kids would like a holiday in Missouri:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/1999-...sed-say-neigh/

--Bryan

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:21:05 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

-->
-->"ffu" > wrote in message
-->>
-->> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
-->> them it
-->> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
-->> be
-->> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
-->
-->They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it is
-->an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.


Can you? I don't believe so...they'd destroy their stores' credibility first.

James Silverton wrote:
> Goomba wrote on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:25:54 -0400:
>
>>> Yes they shouldn't of handled the muffins, but Tesco seems to
>>> be alittle heavy handed, as most of the comments of the story
>>> stated. With the amount of waste most food stores have, they could of
>>> just put the two muffins in the garbage and left it at that. It was
>>> mentioned that Tesco targets younger persons,
>>> I'm sure they wouldn't get away with pulling this crap
>>> on someone older.
>
> There are two views on the subject of exposure to natural contaminants.
> It has been shown that kids who grow up in less than pristine
> circumstances with pets and messing around in gardens have less
> allergies than those kept clinically clean. On the other hand, there was
> a dumb call from some professor in England to close petting zoos to
> avoid the poor dears being exposed to horrible things.
>
A local petting zoo was closed after one of the horses was infected
with rabies,probably from a visiting skunk .

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "ffu" > wrote in message
>>
>> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
>> them it
>> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
>> be
>> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
>
> They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it
> is an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.

Slight change in topic, I once picked up a package of meat to buy and after
I finished shopping, which wasn't long after I put the meat in my cart, I
changed my mind and went out of my way to return the meat to the meat
department, just where I got it from. I got really dirty looks from the
meat stocker. I could have done what I see others do all the time, which is
leave it on an unrefrigerated shelf to rot. But I wouldn't do that.

People have gotten really lazy. People never want to return things to where
they belong. Even shopping carts. So many stores have parking lot parking
spaces for carts. I once saw someone let a cart loose after they finished
unloading it into their car, and the cart went down a slight incline toward
the store, across "traffic" and crashed into a car. By the time the cart
came to rest against someone's car, the person who let it go willy nilly
through the parking lot was gone. Who do you think pays for the damage to
cars when carts damage them? I doubt the stores do. They post signs saying
they are not libel for damage due to carts.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337


Mashing muffins?

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

gloria p

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:59:04 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:
>>
>>> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
>>> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
>>> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>>>
>>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337
>> The real crime should be that they were out for public display,
>> unwrapped/uncovered where people had the opportunity to fondle them
>> one by one in the first place.
>>
>> I'll take one from behind the counter, please.
>>
>> -sw
>
> I don't know the actual practice there, but in the US, food is kept behind a
> closed door for protection, but still can be accessed if you want to buy
> some. Yes, they can be squeezed, but they have protection from the
> elements. The alternative is to eliminate self serve bakery departments.
>
> At the Stop & Shop, bakery rolls are 69¢ each, but a bag of six already
> packed is $2.49. Once in a plastic bag though, the crust gets soft. If
> should be criminal to put good crusty bread in plastic.
>
>
Thats one thing that cracks me up with big box stores who trumpet their
in house bakery. They sometimes make decent bread but then pack it in
plastic bags which turns it into wonder bread which totally negates the
value of an on premises bakery.

Mark Thorson said...

> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337

Mark,

Putting them out for the girls to paw at is unsanitary at best. Insects can
have their way with the muffins too!

My supermarket bakery puts out a variety of "fresh" loaves of bread in
paper sacks standing on end on a wide, 3 or 4 stair-stepped shelf for the
public to handle/inspect/sniff. They don't seal the tops so they're going
stale practically the moment they put them there. The muffins, cookies,
etc., are in a glass display case like any other bakery.

Twice I bought a bag of Pepperidge Farm hamburger buns at the ACME and at
home as I used them up, I'd pull out a 3/4 (4/5?) bun, as if something
happened to them at the factory. Not broken in the bag, just a missing
piece of bun. I switched brands.

The only thing I can think of is the convenience store crates of soft
pretzels of old, out in the open at the cash registers where you'd pluck a
food-grade tissue from a dispenser and grab any one of them. Everyone knew
they were guaranteed fresh daily. Bug/dirt/germ free? Probably not. I
haven't seen the open crates in ages. Maybe they fell out of favor after
9/11?

Best,

Andy

Goomba wrote:

> Left it at that? Not used it as a "teaching moment" Just because a
> store has waste doesn't mean it is acceptable to *add* to that
> burden. You and I pay for that waste.

Exactly. People should just keep they hands where they have to, not on goods
on shelves, expecially food items. I hate those suckers going around in
stupidmarts touching and looking from 1 inch every single packet of a
certain item, it's gross and almost always totally unuseful.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

ffu wrote:

> All our stores have the muffins in display cases where customers
> can't touch, any pastry or baked goods are boxed if on the displays.

Good move. I think that it should be mandatory for whoever sells any
non-boxed food.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:19:50 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

-->
-->"ffu" > wrote in message
.. .
-->> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:21:05 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
-->>
-->> -->
-->> -->"ffu" > wrote in message
-->> -->>
-->> -->> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of
-->> told
-->> -->> them it
-->> -->> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they
-->> could
-->> -->> be
-->> -->> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
-->> -->
-->> -->They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know
-->> it is
-->> -->an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.
-->>
-->>
-->> Can you? I don't believe so...they'd destroy their stores' credibility
-->> first.
-->
-->It is damaging property. Maybe that is not a crime where you live. Sure, it
-->is petty but sometimes people go after the publicity to make a point.
-->

OK ED, here's what a lawyer says, a dear friend Gord whose been a lawyer 20
years said that the company may charge them, they may take them to court. But
once there the court will quite probably take the view that the case is
frivilous and a waste of their time and throw the case out. Then the media
would quite probably pickup the story and the company would have themselves in
the middle of negative media for weeks, and all for 60 Pence ($1.05 Cdn),
($0.99 US).
It would never happen... I would hope that the company has smarter people
( than you) who wouldn't allow this farce to get past the reprimand stage.

Andy > wrote in :


>
> Putting them out for the girls to paw at is unsanitary at best.
> Insects can have their way with the muffins too!
>
> My supermarket bakery puts out a variety of "fresh" loaves of bread in
> paper sacks standing on end on a wide, 3 or 4 stair-stepped shelf for
> the public to handle/inspect/sniff. They don't seal the tops so
> they're going stale practically the moment they put them there. The
> muffins, cookies, etc., are in a glass display case like any other
> bakery.

I don't think it goes stale quite that quickly :-)

Would you never buy bread from a traditional bakery - where the loaves all
sit on shelves, no bags at all? Like this (though this is a modern version
- just knew I'd be able to find photo of this company)

http://www.maiala.com.au/recent/F1000005.JPG

That's a national chain (franchises I think) - the one at the shopping
centre I go to is set up similarly. The bread's not accessible to the
public, but it is out in the open. It is all baked onsite fresh daily, and
has all seemed fresh enough when I've bought it - even late in the day.


--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold.
My Country, Dorothea MacKellar, 1904

Rhonda Anderson said...

> Andy > wrote in :
>
>
>>
>> Putting them out for the girls to paw at is unsanitary at best.
>> Insects can have their way with the muffins too!
>>
>> My supermarket bakery puts out a variety of "fresh" loaves of bread in
>> paper sacks standing on end on a wide, 3 or 4 stair-stepped shelf for
>> the public to handle/inspect/sniff. They don't seal the tops so
>> they're going stale practically the moment they put them there. The
>> muffins, cookies, etc., are in a glass display case like any other
>> bakery.
>
> I don't think it goes stale quite that quickly :-)
>
> Would you never buy bread from a traditional bakery - where the loaves
all
> sit on shelves, no bags at all? Like this (though this is a modern
version
> - just knew I'd be able to find photo of this company)
>
> http://www.maiala.com.au/recent/F1000005.JPG
>
> That's a national chain (franchises I think) - the one at the shopping
> centre I go to is set up similarly. The bread's not accessible to the
> public, but it is out in the open. It is all baked onsite fresh daily,
and
> has all seemed fresh enough when I've bought it - even late in the day.


Rhonda,

I bought a loaf of sourdough bread that was out in the open similar to your
bakery. While extremely crusty, the flavor didn't meet up to my
expectations. How long it had been out, the recipe or what made the
difference, I dunno.

Commercial sliced bread in the bread aisle, here in the USA (with the sad
benefit of additives and preservatives) stay fresh much longer and manage
to retain their "artificial" flavors longer.

Best,

Andy

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Wed 23 Sep 2009 02:08:46a, George told us...
>
>> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:59:04 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> UK's biggest supermarket chain is threatening
>>>>> to prosecute two Italian teenagers for committing
>>>>> a horrible, unspeakable crime.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215337
>>>> The real crime should be that they were out for public display,
>>>> unwrapped/uncovered where people had the opportunity to fondle them
>>>> one by one in the first place.
>>>>
>>>> I'll take one from behind the counter, please.
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>> I don't know the actual practice there, but in the US, food is kept
>>> behind a closed door for protection, but still can be accessed if you
>>> want to buy some. Yes, they can be squeezed, but they have protection
>>> from the elements. The alternative is to eliminate self serve bakery
>>> departments.
>>>
>>> At the Stop & Shop, bakery rolls are 69¢ each, but a bag of six already
>>> packed is $2.49. Once in a plastic bag though, the crust gets soft.
>>> If should be criminal to put good crusty bread in plastic.
>>>
>>>
>> Thats one thing that cracks me up with big box stores who trumpet their
>> in house bakery. They sometimes make decent bread but then pack it in
>> plastic bags which turns it into wonder bread which totally negates the
>> value of an on premises bakery.
>>
>
> At most of the in store bakeries here in the Pheonix area, crusty bread
> products are packed in backs where the material is somewhat more like
> cellophane that has thousands of minute perforations to keep the bread
> crusty, yet relatively shieelded from actual hand contact.
>

Even the Kroger store here packs the artisan breads in paper bags, no
plastic or cellophane either. I thought for a long time they were
shipping the bread in from some place else but, after being hired by
their insurance company to do a safety inspection of the whole store
here, I found out they actually did make and bake the artisan breads
they were selling. Made me feel better about what I was buying.

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:21:05 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> "ffu" > wrote in message
>>
>> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
>> them it
>> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
>> be
>> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
>
> They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it is
> an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.

cue andy.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:19:50 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> "ffu" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:21:05 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
>>
>> -->
>> -->"ffu" > wrote in message
>> -->>
>> -->> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of
>> told
>> -->> them it
>> -->> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they
>> could
>> -->> be
>> -->> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
>> -->
>> -->They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know
>> it is
>> -->an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.
>>
>>
>> Can you? I don't believe so...they'd destroy their stores' credibility
>> first.
>
> It is damaging property. Maybe that is not a crime where you live. Sure, it
> is petty but sometimes people go after the publicity to make a point.

*de minimis non curat lex*, "the law cares not for small things." A legal
doctrine by which a court refuses to consider trifling matters.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:46:22 -0400, Cheryl wrote:

> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "ffu" > wrote in message
>>>
>>> I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
>>> them it
>>> wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
>>> be
>>> paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
>>
>> They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it
>> is an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.
>
> Slight change in topic, I once picked up a package of meat to buy and after
> I finished shopping, which wasn't long after I put the meat in my cart, I
> changed my mind and went out of my way to return the meat to the meat
> department, just where I got it from. I got really dirty looks from the
> meat stocker. I could have done what I see others do all the time, which is
> leave it on an unrefrigerated shelf to rot. But I wouldn't do that.
>

even though i tease people for getting bent out of shape about what other
people do, this bugs the shit out of me, too. considering the razor-thin
margin supermarkets run at, the have to sell a shitload of goods to make up
for every dollar's worth of meat they must discard.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
George > wrote:


> Thats one thing that cracks me up with big box stores who trumpet their
> in house bakery. They sometimes make decent bread but then pack it in
> plastic bags which turns it into wonder bread which totally negates the
> value of an on premises bakery.

Our local supermarket (Safeway) has a bakery. Their crusty bread comes
in loose paper bags. The bags have a small plastic window where you can
see the "slash" on the top, and seeds for the seeded bread. They also
sell rolls, doughnuts, bagels and other baked items loose. They provide
bags and little sheets of plastic for picking up these items with your
fingers without touching any of the product with bare fingers or hands.
The plastic sheets and bags are very conspicuous and *right* next to the
items (multiple dispensers).

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article > ,
Rhonda Anderson > wrote:

> Andy > wrote in :

> > Putting them out for the girls to paw at is unsanitary at best.
> > Insects can have their way with the muffins too!

Fortunately, all the insects in my area read well, and understand that
the back room is off limits to them because the door has a sign saying
"authorized personnel only". The bakery items in that back room are out
in the open cooling.

> > My supermarket bakery puts out a variety of "fresh" loaves of bread in
> > paper sacks standing on end on a wide, 3 or 4 stair-stepped shelf for
> > the public to handle/inspect/sniff. They don't seal the tops so
> > they're going stale practically the moment they put them there. The
> > muffins, cookies, etc., are in a glass display case like any other
> > bakery.
>
> I don't think it goes stale quite that quickly :-)
>
> Would you never buy bread from a traditional bakery - where the loaves all
> sit on shelves, no bags at all? Like this (though this is a modern version
> - just knew I'd be able to find photo of this company)
>
> http://www.maiala.com.au/recent/F1000005.JPG
>
> That's a national chain (franchises I think) - the one at the shopping
> centre I go to is set up similarly. The bread's not accessible to the
> public, but it is out in the open. It is all baked onsite fresh daily, and
> has all seemed fresh enough when I've bought it - even late in the day.

Our local supermarket with a bakery has a sign next to their french
bread saying fresh by four pm or it's free. When you get bread for
dinner, as long as you go after four, you know it's pretty darned fresh!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:46:48 -0700, Dan Abel wrote:

> They provide
> bags and little sheets of plastic for picking up these items with your
> fingers without touching any of the product with bare fingers or hands.
> The plastic sheets and bags are very conspicuous and *right* next to the
> items (multiple dispensers).

I use thongs.

The tough part is getting my butt cheeks through those small
plastic doors.

-sw

In article >,
"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "ffu" > wrote in message
> >
> > I never said anthing about a teaching moment. The store could of told
> > them it
> > wasn't acceptable and handed them the two muffins in a bag so they could
> > be
> > paid for, but no...they had to get heavy handed for $1.05 CDN.
>
> They could have taken the easy route, but now thousands of people know it is
> an unacceptable practice and that you can be prosecuted.

Now thousands of people know that if you are a teenager from another
country, if you do something different from how it's done in your
country, you will be dragged down to the basement and threatened with
the police. You won't have someone come and explain it to you, they
will wait until you leave the store. They won't ask you to pay for the
"damaged goods", it's the police and criminal prosecution.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"ffu" > wrote in message
> -->>
> -->> Can you? I don't believe so...they'd destroy their stores'
> credibility
> -->> first.
> -->
> -->It is damaging property. Maybe that is not a crime where you live.
> Sure, it
> -->is petty but sometimes people go after the publicity to make a point.
> -->
>
> OK ED, here's what a lawyer says, a dear friend Gord whose been a lawyer
> 20
> years said that the company may charge them, they may take them to court.
> But
> once there the court will quite probably take the view that the case is
> frivilous and a waste of their time and throw the case out. Then the media
> would quite probably pickup the story and the company would have
> themselves in
> the middle of negative media for weeks, and all for 60 Pence ($1.05 Cdn),
> ($0.99 US).
> It would never happen... I would hope that the company has smarter people
> ( than you) who wouldn't allow this farce to get past the reprimand stage.

So, I was correct, they can be prosecuted. Now, if you had better reading
comprehension, I never said they should or that I would and you would have
not have had to make a personal attack.

Nah, five years probation would be enough.

"ffu" > wrote in message
>
> Not a personal attack at all, just stating a fact concerning this topic.
> A muffin squeeze is not a criminal offence, they didn't even give the
> girls the
> chance to pay for the product. Want to bet the company has lost business
> because of this fiasco? Poor customer treatment spread by word of mouth,
> newspaper, or internet can be a powerful deterent against shopping there.

Just stating fact., damaging goods that makes them usalable is a criminal
act, petty as it is.

Was it handled properly? I was not there so I don't know. It may have
started out as a simple incident that escalated.

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:16:41 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

-->
-->"ffu" > wrote in message
-->>
-->> Not a personal attack at all, just stating a fact concerning this topic.
-->> A muffin squeeze is not a criminal offence, they didn't even give the
-->> girls the
-->> chance to pay for the product. Want to bet the company has lost business
-->> because of this fiasco? Poor customer treatment spread by word of mouth,
-->> newspaper, or internet can be a powerful deterent against shopping there.
-->
-->Just stating fact., damaging goods that makes them usalable is a criminal
-->act, petty as it is.
-->
-->Was it handled properly? I was not there so I don't know. It may have
-->started out as a simple incident that escalated.
-->

You're not stupid, you know it wasn't handled properly so why not just state
it? The company's security decided to overstepped their mandate by harrasing
and intimidating the two girls. This will cause lost business to Tesko, you
don't treat people like that.

In article >,
"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "ffu" > wrote in message
> >
> > Not a personal attack at all, just stating a fact concerning this topic.
> > A muffin squeeze is not a criminal offence, they didn't even give the
> > girls the
> > chance to pay for the product. Want to bet the company has lost business
> > because of this fiasco? Poor customer treatment spread by word of mouth,
> > newspaper, or internet can be a powerful deterent against shopping there.
>
> Just stating fact., damaging goods that makes them usalable is a criminal
> act, petty as it is.

I guess we'll just have to take your word that you are very familiar
with the laws of England. I barely know the laws of the US, where I
live. I certainly don't know the laws of England. These "criminals"
were teenagers, age not specified. They may not know much about *any*
laws. That's why children are treated differently than adults when they
break laws. To add insult to injury, these teens were also not from
England, they were from Italy. That makes it even less likely that they
know the laws of England.

> Was it handled properly? I was not there so I don't know. It may have
> started out as a simple incident that escalated.

If the store wanted to be really harsh, they should have tried to make
the girls pay for the muffins they squeezed. It was about US$1, for
purposes of comparison for you and I. The girls would have thought
twice about squeezing the muffins next time if they had to pay for them.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:44:26 -0700, Dan Abel > wrote:

>If the store wanted to be really harsh, they should have tried to make
>the girls pay for the muffins they squeezed. It was about US$1, for
>purposes of comparison for you and I. The girls would have thought
>twice about squeezing the muffins next time if they had to pay for them.

I didn't bother to read the article because I inferred it was about
squeezing bread products. However, that's how anyone determines if
something is fresh or not. Back when we had *real* sourdough bread,
that's how we determined if we would buy or not. You could tell how
fresh it is by the feel and sound. Nobody thought twice about doing
it either. Only fools squeeze balloon bread though.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"ffu" > wrote in message
>
> You're not stupid, you know it wasn't handled properly so why not just
> state
> it? The company's security decided to overstepped their mandate by
> harrasing
> and intimidating the two girls. This will cause lost business to Tesko,
> you
> don't treat people like that.

I'm not going to state anything or draw conclusions that I don't know the
facts about. Neither of us knows the details. Perhaps it started out with a
scolding and the kids reacted in some manner. That started the escalation.
Stuff like that happens all the time, deserved or not.