Is it theft to break off the broccoli stalk before buying it?

[Renew Deal]

I was just at a Whole Foods in NYC. I saw a woman break off the stalk from two broccoli then bag the broccoli. So my question is this.... Whole Foods (and everyone else) sells the broccoli with the stalk in tact. Is breaking off the stalk theft even though it's not usually eaten?

[Winterblues]

1. Are you paying by the bunch or by the pound?

If by the pound then yes it is stealing..

[Renew Deal]

4. By the pound

[comtec]

341. Just curious...

all this talk of "omfg she's a thief OFF WITH HER HANDS!"
and I wonder...
WHERE does said golden broccoli come from?
Is it local? same state?
hell is it even American?

Whole Foods charges an arm and a leg.... and a few toes, for their "whole foods". But where does it come from? Is is actually better than what I get from Food 4 Less, or Safeway, or the local farmer's market? (All much cheaper)

Is it somehow MORE nutritious? (btw in every study organic foods are shown not to be significantly more or less nutritious that "normal" foods)

And fwiw I use the entire veggie. I don't particularly CARE for the stalk. I find it too fibrous, and not enough of it is pleasant (like the middle 40% is soft and yummy) but I still eat it. Usually I clean it, and slice as little off as I can, at least until it's fairly uniform (one of me very few OCD's I like my veg to be 'smooth' with no bits pointing out, florets an exception, but I even snap off leaves)

I also admit to being lazy and buying frozen florets. Dont take as long to cook, and with as little time a day I have TO cook (wife doesn't cook much and i have 3 hours after I get home to eat n goto bed) they're convent.

So there you are...

Also consider this... in this economy she's trying to reduce her personal waste, and maximize what she's getting.

That's not theft, that's smart.

If it were a farmer's market, im sure she's do the same thing - but ask the farmer to trim it for her. Less weight, less cost, and less waste (on her part, who knows about the store/farmer)

[Bacchus39]

9. if its by the pound, she is paying for it. the checkout scanner uses a scale n/t

s

[Renew Deal]

11. But they don't sell broccoli stalk, they sell broccoli.

So they are stuck with the stalks.

[elehhhhna]

129. kinda weird. if you have to bring a utensil to buy produce, you're prolly over the line

[janx]

363. Pssst...the stalk is part of the broccoli!

:rofl:

That's like snapping off the tips of asparagus stalks! :rofl:

[KamaAina]

392. Are you casting asparagus again?

:P

[pnwmom]

334. No, she isn't. The price per pound is for the whole stalk, not just the top.

Tops alone cost more per pound.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Heh. Sounds like she's minimizing the waste product she pays for.

[elleng]

146. Which we all try to do, right?

I do similarly. If the store has problems with it, they can figure out ways to change it.

No, its not theft if paying by the pound at register.

[pnwmom]

336. Yes, it IS theft because the price at the register is for per pound of the whole stalk--

not just the most expensive part.

[elleng]

345. I don't think so.

In criminal law, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft

[pnwmom]

346. Shoplifting law covers this situation and in my city this exact offense

has been prosecuted as shoplifting.

Stores don't freely consent to people breaking off the tops and trying to avoid paying for the rest of the stalk, since the price per pound is based on the whole stalk (unless stated otherwise).

[SoCalDem]

356. Exactly.. many places sell "broccoli tops", at a higher price

The only exception to this issue would be separating banana hands.. Many people do not want 10 bananas.

It's the same with the meat department. You can ask the butchers to open & trim a cut of meat, but they repackage the trimmings with the trimmed cut.

[elleng]

357. Thats the way to handle it.

I do NOT agree that the above is theft of any kind, and sure wouldn't advise a client to lie down and roll over for such prosecution.

[SoCalDem]

358. I used to be a grocery checker, and I did this all the time

when they brought items to the register that they had "altered", I weighed them with the "other" code.. I never told them or even commented on it.. No one ever came back to complain:evilgrin:

[elleng]

360. So you were stealing from them.

Nice.

[pnwmom]

361. No, that wasn't stealing. That was charging the appropriate price for

broccoli tops, as opposed to full broccoli stalks.

[SoCalDem]

362. Nope, just charging them for what they bought

:)

they brought me broccoli tops, they paid for broccoli tops. they brought trimmed kohlrabi, they paid for trimmed kolhrabi.

If they trimmed the beet tops off, it was no biggie. they were sold by the bunch (5 to a bunch)

That's why checkers are supposed to "walk produce" before every shift

[elleng]

364. You said you charged them with the 'other' code, tho.

don't understand.

[SoCalDem]

366. whole broccoli code #1234..tops # 1235

charging for what they brought to the register.. (Did I know they snapped the stalks off? )

[Shell Beau]

369. The code for just the broccoli heads is what I took it as. Fair enough.

[Shell Beau]

368. Exactly how would that be stealing from them?

If he was charging for what the broccoli heads would cost, that seems fair enough. What are they going to do with the stalks they removed? Throw them away I am guessing. Very wasteful. Pay the extra to get the already cut broccoli, or cut them up at home.

[elleng]

374. 'Stealing' from the customers would occur

if they were charged for an item they hadn't acquired, so "whole broccoli including stem" instead of 'broccoli' or 'broccoli head.' We the customers must be informed whats what, and I don't think I've ever seen such distinctions made at grocery store. Sure will check from now on, tho!

[SoCalDem]

381. Usually the broccoli tops are sold loose

in a bin, with cauliflower florets & the baby carrots. They are also sold in bags that are sealed.

Most items are "tamper-proof/pre-trimmed"..and untrimmed ones arw often sold by the bunch and not by the pound. We even provided trash cans for people to peel their own corn or to twist the tops off beets & fresh carrots. those items are not weighed.

again..checkers are supposed to walk produce daily , so they know the merchandise & how each item is sold:)

[Shell Beau]

382. Well if you remove the stalk, you know you are only buying the head.

And if you are charged for the head, well then it works out the way it should, and you wasted your time removing the stalk. As people have said here, the head is more expensive than the whole thing.

[elleng]

387. and the price should be same as for 'broccoli'

unless clearly labeled 'broccoli head,' 'whole broccoli,' etc.

[nadinbrzezinski]

397. They do at my local Ralphs

I do cook the stalk though so it is fine with me.

[beac]

156. Except the broccoli stalk ISN'T waste. It's perfectly good and tasty food.

I will never understand the "florets only" eaters of broccoli.

[BlooInBloo]

179. (shrug) Then someone else who wants it can buy it....

I have no problem with "one man's trash is another man's treasure". I don't have to understand it - my understanding people's preferences isn't required.

[Cronus Protagonist]

183. lol too sensible!

haha... this thread should be on the greatest page!

[BlooInBloo]

193. Either it's trash, or it's not. If it's not trash, then someone else can pay for it...

if they want it.

If it is trash, then I have no problem with customers refusing to pay for it.

Done.

[bahrbearian]

265. Do you peel your oranges before you buy them?

How about cutting the fat off a steak. If there is too much fat don't buy it.

[BlooInBloo]

276. Oranges I buy are sold singly, so it wouldn't matter if I peeled them before buying...

And if I want fat trimmed from my meats, the butcher has always been happy to do it.

Any other questions?

[mitchtv]

296. what about Pineapple tops?

I sprout them, but resent paying for them

[Cronus Protagonist]

351. I never, every buy one with the top on

If there are any without, I take that one, and if not, I make it happen myself.

[beac]

270. Unfortunately, I'm guessing those orphan stalks will be culled by WF employees rather than left out

to be bought. I've actually wondered why they don't sell the stalks left over when they make up those packages of "broccoli heads" for those of us that like the stalks, but maybe they wouldn't look pretty enough for our perfection-loving fellow shoppers. :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

389. Our store had a "rabbit lady", who came two or three times a week

and left with free boxes of "trimmings" from all the veggies.. Waste not want not.. the bunnies were happy & well fed:)

[Shell Beau]

371. So that leaves waste. And broccoli doesn't stay fresh

enough just waiting on someone who is going to buy just the stalks. Come on now. That is just ridiculous. She should pay for it and waste it at home if it is going to go to waste.

[wickerwoman]

372. But then the stalk buyer gets cheated.

Say the store is selling whole broccoli for $1.59/lb and broccoli heads for $1.99/lb. That makes the relative value of broccoli stalks $1.19/lb.

The person who tears off the broccoli heads and buys them as whole broccoli is underpaying by .40/lb and the person stuck with the stalks is overpaying by .40/lb.

Yes, broccoli stalks are perfectly edible and nutritious but stores don't sell them at $1.19/lb and nobody should have to pay the full broccoli price for the less valuable part of the broccoli just because some selfish ass came and took all the most valuable parts.

You don't pay the same price for chicken breasts and chicken wings and you would resent have to pay whole chicken prices for a pack of only giblets... even if the giblets were technically edible.

[KamaAina]

393. There's an underlying assumption there

That makes the relative value of broccoli stalks $1.19/lb.

to wit, that the stalk weighs exactly as much as the head.

[wickerwoman]

395. The weight is irrelevant because it's calculated in the price

:P

Excuse my crappy math skills but I think it's:

price of whole broccoli (a) = an average of the prices of crowns (b) and stalks (c)

a = (b + c)/2

so if a = 1.59/lb and b = 1.99/lb

1.59 = (1.99 + x)/2 and x = 1.19/lb

The person being asked to buy (c) stalks for price (a) whole broccoli is paying an extra .40/lb.

[haele]

263. Problem is, no one will buy it. if she's snapped the florettes off.

Not only because of the psychology of the thought of someone handling the food you are buying (I know too many people that freak out at the thought of someone "touching their food" when they're at the store), but those stalks by themselves will appear to be damaged food. Like a seriously bruised apple, no one will buy it; the produce manager will just throw them away as soon as they are found, and Whole Foods makes sure no hungry or homeless can dumpster dive for the produce that is still edible, so it all gets wasted.

It's just a issue with me. Some people get wigged out by slightly "off" or handled produce; I get wigged out by wasted edible food. Comes from growing up in poverty; there were too many times we went to bed having only had a bowl of oatmeal or a pbj for the only meal of the day. The kidlet hates it when I demand that left-overs get eaten before something "new" is made for lunch the next day, and you don't just leave food out to go bad because you "forget" to put up what you didn't eat before you go off and do something else.

Haele

[BlooInBloo]

277. Why not? This thread is FULL of people saying "they're perfectly good food"....

And everything in the produce bin has been handled by LOTS of people before the *last* person to touch it actually buys it.

[haele]

295. I know, I have no problem with produce other people have handled...

But I personally know of at seven people, not including the kidlet, that I have gone shopping with that will go out of their way not to pick up produce that they have seen other people handle - three of them told me outright they don't like other people handling food they're going to put in their mouths.
Not a single one of them had ever been in the position to have had to go without a meal in their lives for any reason other than being too late to the table.
The kidlet's just paranoid, but she's slowly getting over it. I think the others had a touch of OCD.

Weird. But, there are people like that.

Haele

[uppityperson]

297. Had a woman take me to task once, about only time I've come up w right thing @ right time

My child and I were sorting through a bin of strawberries, looking for good ones, rejecting and piling up grey fuzzy ones. An older woman joined us, shooting my child more and more nasty looks. Finally she says "can't you stop him from handling all the berries?" I looked at my child, back at her and said "I've tried scolding him, and beating him, and locking him up in his room but he just won't stop!" My son gave me an odd look and the woman said "Oh, No No No, that's NOT what I meant." I proceeded to explain the problem with this store's produce (grey fuzziness) and we all picked them over together.

Usually I think of the right line an hour later.

So, yes, there are people who want to buy "unhandled food", which is odd.

[pnwmom]

337. You're not seriously arguing this, are you? Sometimes stores sell just the tops,

and the cost per pound is significantly higher. So what these people are trying to do is get the "whole stalk" price for tops only, which would normally cost more.

[Shell Beau]

370. Who goes around just buying broccoli stalks?

Many people want the whole broccoli. It will likely be trashed. Wasteful.

[Monk06]

222. I use the stalks to make vegitable broth especially if the brocolli with stalks is on sale

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. Ummmm if you leave it in the store, how can it be theft?

Don't you have to steal something to be accused of theft?

[Renew Deal]

7. Because they intend to sell the product whole?

What about taking the pits out of mango's, or shells off of nuts, etc? Same idea.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. It still wouldn't be theft.

You have to steal something to be a thief. Taking the pits out of a mango isn't the same thing even although it still wouldn't be theft.

[Renew Deal]

17. How is it different? They're selling the mango whole.

[Cronus Protagonist]

22. God, NOTHING STOLEN means NO THEFT

Why does one have to shout the simplest of concepts? And we're talking about BROCCOLI, not MANGO.

[Renew Deal]

27. I thought we were talking about bananas

:evilgrin:

[Maine-ah]

309. now you're comparing apples to oranges

:P

[Sgent]

33. How is it not theft?

your damaging their goods then paying less for it.

Ok... maybe not theft but fraud or vandalism?

[yawnmaster]

46. It is theft. The store is taking a loss for your action. eom

[Cronus Protagonist]

49. Not if you go through the checkout

The store can refuse to sell. Sorry, no theft.

[yawnmaster]

64. as I say below...

If at the checkout they notice and charge at the, higher, crown only price, then no theft.
If the charge is for the cheaper crown plus stem price, then theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

94. No, checkout error, still not theft

It's not the customer's responsibility to police the checker.

[yawnmaster]

132. then its theft. She paid a cheaper price for a more expensive product,

and she did it knowingly.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

398. You are dead wrong.

They're protected against pilferage under the provisions of the Guacamole Act of 1917.


Link: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/i/in-laws-script-transcript-arkin.html

[Occulus]

98. The way I read the OP, she chopped off that big main stalk at the bottom

Nobody has a use for that. Well, maybe for vegetable stock, but I don't know anyone who would willing eat that part.

Did I read it wrong?

[Arkansas Granny]

134. A little off topic, but broccoli stalks are delicious if the tough, outer skin is peeled.

The texture is much like water chestnuts when raw and it's also very good cooked with the rest of the broccoli or in stir fries.

[Ms. Toad]

384. Very tasty raw, as well - and you are right

about the analogy to water chestnuts.

[elehhhhna]

140. it's like cutting the steak off a half a cow and paying the bulk (halfcow) price

theft by sneakery

[csziggy]

158. Broccoli stems can be used in various ways

The broccoli I bought the other day had big stems. The first day, I peeled and julienned part of the stems and made broccoli slaw to go with my lunch. The next day I took the rest of the stems and peeled and chopped them to mix in with the florets as part of the whole broccoli dish.

If you buy frozen broccoli, you can buy "chopped broccoli" which includes the florets and chopped stems. If you spend more money, you can buy just "broccoli florets" which do not include the stems. There is a significant difference in price.

So frankly, I'd agree that if the woman is altering the product as set out, she is ripping off the store by trying to get just the best parts without paying higher prices.

If I pick up a bag of peas or peanuts, and shell them in the store, I don't expect the store to only charge me for the peas or the nut kernels - they are pricing the entire product, not just the best parts. If I cut up a watermelon priced at $0.49 a pound for the entire fruit, the store is not going to sell me the flesh from inside at that price.

[Occulus]

208. I bet she didn't know the uses for the stems

I certainly didn't when I started reading this silly little discussion (come on, be honest- this is pretty silly).

Now that you and others have posted on their uses, though, I'll have to try them.

[Ms. Toad]

383. I eat it all thetime. n/t

[elehhhhna]

138. once you've tampered w/ it, they're goin g to sell it to you

[endarkenment]

95. 'taking a loss' is not the same as 'theft'

stores take a lot of losses from customer behavior, however it is only unlawful taking that is theft. The person did not take anything unlawfully, she snapped off the stalk of the broccoli, took the top, and lawfully paid for what she took.

[Cronus Protagonist]

99. Gosh, someone ELSE here is sensible?

Welcome to DU. Glad to see you here. Sorry about these people, but hey, that's how life is. :)

[yawnmaster]

136. It is theft. She knowingly paid less for a more expensive product.

As if one took a cheaper price tag off one item and put it on a more expensive item and purchased it.
theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

139. That's called a BARGAIN

And the other red herring you brought in isn't worthy of any more of my attention.

[yawnmaster]

145. That is called THEFT. eom

[kirby]

171. Yeah, ever heard of the 5 finger bargain? n/t

[Gormy Cuss]

206. No, it's called being a pathetic cheapskate.

The low price is based on the heavy and less coveted stalks being included in the weight. They sell broccoli florets for more per lb. for a reason.

[Cronus Protagonist]

237. I apologize for being poor at the moment

I'll try to do better, but quit the name calling please.

[Robb]

241. Ah, the old "is it OK to steal if you're poor?" argument...

...Finally.

[Cronus Protagonist]

254. Pearls before swine

NO stealing involved in the OP. None. No theft. None. Hence your argument is moot. Nice pompous posturing though, really endearing.

[Robb]

286. I've actually read several good arguments in this thread

...that say it is stealing, actually. And I agree. Your vehement denials and crowing "moot" notwithstanding.

Repeating "you are wrong" over and over, then claiming victory in the debate, does not make it so. Your private definition of "theft" is overly narrow and self-justifying. I'd pick your "argument" apart with more specificity, but other have already done so, repeatedly, and you've inadequately defended it, or ignored the substance of the criticisms. So there really isn't a point. :shrug:

[uppityperson]

301. Passing off 1 product for another to get a better price? I consider that theft

why do you complain about others insults when you do worse?

[Sheepshank]

326. exactly!

Taking a $300 14K gold piece of jewelry, willfully masking it (switching the packaging perhaps)and paying $20 gold overlay prices, is theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

You reframed your argument so it does not match reality

Tearing the waste off a piece of broccoli doesn't magically change it into another product. I can't believe I have to explain that to a human being.

[Gormy Cuss]

280. I doubt that poor people are the ones snapping off the stalks in Whole Foods.

Based on my anecdotal observations it's more likely to be the privileged types who resent having to pay for the part they don't intend to use.

As for name calling, if the shoe fits, wear it. No one's forcing anyone to buy the whole broccoli. When I was poor we couldn't afford to buy fresh broccoli very often and when we did buy a bunch the stems and leaves went into the pot too.

[Cronus Protagonist]

283. You would have saved more money if you didn't buy the stems along with the rest

And your family would have liked the meal better too. lol

[Gormy Cuss]

288. When we were so broke that we partook of five finger discounts, food that "fell off the truck"

and the like, we knew it was saving money by stealing. FWIW, broccoli leaves and stems are tasty.

[endarkenment]

150. If the store has two prices then they should charge her accordingly

in the example given we have no idea if the store does this. If the store fails to charge her the correct price that is the store's fault.

So back to bananas. Sold in bunches by weight. If you remove a banana from a bunch, and buy that bunch less one banana, is that theft?

[uppityperson]

300. Exactly. Ignore the insults of other posters. That is comparable situation.

[Ms. Toad]

385. Whether you call the "loss" theft or not - the result is the same

everyone pays a higher price for the misbehavior of the individual in order to cover the "loss."

[Occulus]

91. Well, now, wait. If it's sold by the pound,

and she's cutting off the stalk, that makes the purchase lighter, and thus it costs less. Pennies less, but less.

I don't think the store intends that. It might not be stealing per se, but she's taking (and paying for) less weight than other shoppers. I would suppose it comes down to what store management has to say about it. They might allow it, for all we know.

Now, if it were being sold by the bunch, then cutting off the stalk doesn't affect the purchase price, and she's golden (that, however, doesn't seem to be the case here). Sort of like taking the pit out of a mango, if they're priced per unit and not by weight.

Silliness in any case, though. I've never heard of anyone doing this.

[elehhhhna]

147. "They might allow it, for all we know" -- yep, hat's why they handily

stock knives and veggie peelers for our use in the produce aisle.





not.

[Occulus]

213. Allow and encourage are two different things.

If they do allow this, they very well might have said so to just her to minimize the 'loss'.

If there's a market for broccoli stems (!), they should tell people to go ahead and lop off the tough bit. I didn't know about the uses for broccoli stems until this thread, and thus I wouldn't buy it any other way anymore. I guess this whole thing wasn't a complete waste of my time....

Maybe she didn't know how to use the stem. In any case, we're talking about a couple pennies, tops, if sold by weight. In the end, though, right or wrong, or in a gray area, this whole thread breaks new territory in DU silliness.

I'll roll with it, though. I have forty minutes until I have to start dinner. Spaghetti- and no, I didn't open several packages of ground beef to get an exact three pounds.

:silly:

[RaleighNCDUer]

108. The cost, by weight, is determined with the inclusion of the stem.

Removing the stem reduces the weight of the total product, thus would be stealing as it reduces the cost of the produce to the consumer without compensation to the seller.

If you want broccoli without stems, BUY it without stems and pay the HIGHER PRICE.

[Cronus Protagonist]

115. That's just a fancy way of saying the obvious - it could be a better deal for the customer

And once again, that is not theft. It's a better deal for the consumer.

[RaleighNCDUer]

131. No, the store PAID for the fresh produce with the intent to sell it at

a certain price for the weight. Breaking off the stem means they are not getting the price they want in order to stay profitable - that means they will have to charge the farmer MORE, which raises the prices overall.

If they meant to sell just the cap, they would (and do) charge more, because they have to make back their original investment and their 3% profit. If you are paying less by breaking off the stem, there is no profit, therefore, you are stealing the profit from them even if you are not stealing an object and walking out with it. The theft is in the change you retain that you did NOT pay the store.

[Cronus Protagonist]

137. Gosh, don't get bent out of shape - the store doesn't charge farmers ANYTHING

Jeeze! And a couple of stems here and there won't result in no profit, and them getting less profit on an item isn't stealing, it's a GOOD DEAL for the consumer. Damn.

[yawnmaster]

148. and taking a little out of the register when no one is looking won't hurt anyone, either.

sarcasm

[Cronus Protagonist]

159. Another red herring!

I'm going to have to call PETA soon about all the carnage. The OP is about broccoli, not embezzlement!

[uppityperson]

302. Wrong. The OP is about theft.

[Gormy Cuss]

281. Putting a thumb on the scale is a good deal for the grocer.

That's not stealing either.:eyes:

[yawnmaster]

141. With that logic, the best deal for the customer is to just leave the store...

without paying for the product. Both are theft, might as well maximize the "deal for the customer".

[endarkenment]

153. leaving without paying would be unlawful taking

And that would be theft. I'm wondering if you have figured out the difference yet.

[Cronus Protagonist]

162. It appears to be an insurmountable task!

lol

[endarkenment]

118. Uh - if you show up at the checkout and they have one price

for whole broccoli and one price for without stems and you have the broccoli without stems then the store should charge you that price. If the store does not have two prices then it doesn't matter. If the store charges a higher rate the person can either pay it or put the broccoli back.

Back to bananas: suppose a bunch has eight bananas and one of them is a bit iffy. Is it theft to remove the iffy banana from the bunch and only buy the ones you like?

[SoCalDem]

406. Nope. Bananas are shipped in large hands because the pack better

and because they grow that way.,. Shoppers often buy smaller quantities because bananas spoil pretty fast if your family is small.

Separating the hands does not damage the fruit in any way, and the price per pound is not affected.

Grocers display the bananas by stacking them, so uniformity is a good thing, but as the day goes along, other shoppers do buy those smaller groups of bananas, and at the end of the day when the produce person "tidies up" and re-stocks for the opening of the next day, the left-over smaller groups are just placed on top, and get sold the next day..

A pile of jagged-edged broccoli stalks would not warrant a special place in the produce display, since most people would not buy them, anyway..

apples-oranges broccoli-bananas:rofl:

[Huskerchub]

260. I think the letter of the law would find YOU are Wrong

Just because you did not leave the store with the merchandise does not mean you cannot be charged with theft. If you knowingly break, hide or otherwise manipulate something so that is cannot be sold, you are stealing from the store. Many years ago I was on your side until I saw someone prosecuted and fined for going into a store, finding a "one of a kind" item and hiding it in the store so that she could come back the next day and buy it. She was charged and convicted of theft because she was taking away the stores ability to sell the item to someone else. If you're too cheap to buy the stems of broccoli at Whole Foods, maybe you need to be shopping at WalMart where you can afford the entire head.

[Art_from_Ark]

401. That conviction for "theft" sounds a little extreme

After all, the store did not suffer a loss because it received the asking price for the item, which had remained in the store until it was sold. It all sounds a bit wacky to make a court case out of that, and administer such a harsh punishment to boot, when the store suffered no loss at all from the "incident".

[uppityperson]

299. What if you change the price? That is what someone is doing.

If they intend to sell the whole broc at $x a pound, and someone takes only the best bits and breaks off the parts they don't want, should they be able to buy "premium" broc at the same price as "regular" broc? Or are they stealing?

[Bandit]

264. You are taking saleable product and making it unsaleable, that is a form of theft

I am fairly certain the store also carries crowns and/or florets at a higher price. They sell whole stalks as just that. If a person breaks the stalk off the broccoli they turn it into a crown but at the same price as a stalk. Not to mention the time spent cleaning up the trash left behind. Time is also money and you are in effect stealing time by creating a mess for the store to clean up. Doing what the poster suggests costs the store money, and that is money lost from otherwise salable product.. Whether you stick your finger in their til or create more expense for them and lost product the effect is the very same..

[pnwmom]

338. I know it's been prosecuted as theft here. It is theft because whole stalk

broccoli is worth less per pound than just tops.

[pnwmom]

339. Because you're deliberately damaging a product and leaving it there.

Then passing off the tops for the whole stalk price.

[Matariki]

96. If they give two fucks they can wrap in in plastic and sell it intact.

you're working yourself up over nothing.

[yawnmaster]

155. plastic would increase costs plus it is terrible for the environment.

but maybe that is the cost of expecting people to be honest and finding reality to be well below your expectations.

[yawnmaster]

12. destruction of product then. It still hurts the store. If you are paying by weight,

you buy what is offered unless otherwise specified.

[Cronus Protagonist]

16. I believe the store has the right to eject that customer

If they so choose, and it still wouldn't be for theft.

[kirby]

13. I'll try that logic with Bananas next time. Thanks! n/t

[Cronus Protagonist]

19. Apples and Oranges

Not the same thing.

[yawnmaster]

25. sure it is. Why should I pay for the banana peel?

And I should be able to remove the bone from the steak before I buy it.
Mushroom caps only please. Let me take that head of lettuce apart too and get rid of that unusable stalk.

[Cronus Protagonist]

35. The peel keeps the banana fruit from being spoiled

A better comparison would be the stalk of the banana.

[kirby]

41. But what if I'm eating them in the car ride home?

;)

[Cronus Protagonist]

47. OK, leave the peel in the store, I don't care

However, I do think broccoli heads are easier to carry without the stalk than bananas are without their skins.

[kirby]

67. I have a solution to that...

I look around the broccoli section and find some discarded stalks to skewer my bananas with. Solved!

[Cronus Protagonist]

102. As long as you pay for these nutritious stalks, then sure!

lol

[kirby]

34. I didn't mention Apples or Oranges...

I do agree that it is not theft, but it is destruction/damage of merchandise which is a similar thing. Besides, I eat the stalks and I imagine a lot of people do. No one eats the banana peels, so the peel is something you pay for, but discard.
Sometimes you just have weird customers that you need to deal with. Unless it becomes an issue with a lot of people, I wouldn't bother with the customer.

[Cronus Protagonist]

36. I eat Broccoli stalks, myself

And I do think the store should charge MUCH less for them.

[Buns_of_Fire]

144. Hear, hear! Bananas should be cheaper, too.

After all, once you skin them and throw away the bone, there's almost nothing left. Chaps me raw, I'll tell you! (:))

[yawnmaster]

20. mushrooms would be another one. eom

[Renew Deal]

23. Right

Though this Whole Foods sells just caps and just stems for some mushrooms. They have pretty wild looking "blue mushroom."

[Cronus Protagonist]

26. I pop the stems off all my mushrooms

Although I don't buy the kind with plastic wrapping. That's how they sell you the old, diseased crap that they try to hide from you. I try to keep the odds in my favor.

[yawnmaster]

43. if you do it in the store then you are engaging in theft.

If you are comfortable with that, what can I say?

[Cronus Protagonist]

51. What did I steal?

Someone else can buy the stalks. Nothing was lost and for sure, nothing was stolen.

[yawnmaster]

71. no one will buy the stalk only at full mushroom price...

you have, essentially, put a cheaper price tag on a more valuable product - theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

93. Some will

And, in any case, nothing was taken, something was LEFT, and that's the store's problem. They can use them in the $8 "home made" soups they sell.

[yawnmaster]

157. its dishonest, and it is theft.

"that's the store's problem". If by "store", you mean the people who own the store, the cashiers and stockers, the janitorial staff, the accountants, the family of those who make their living running the store, then yes... it is the "store's" problem.

[theHandpuppet]

349. Thank you.

It's unbelievable the lengths some folks on this thread will go to in order to rationalize the fact that they are stealing.

[wickerwoman]

373. When I worked in a grocery store,

we once had a homeless woman come in, open a margarine tub, take a big swipe out with one finger, eat it, and then leave a quarter at the customer service desk. Technically, she was paying for roughly the percentage of the product that she used, but come on... nobody is going to buy that margarine tub with a dirty swipe taken out of the middle just like nobody is going to buy just mushroom or broccoli stems, however useful they might theoretically be.

Pay for what the store is offering in the units that it is offering or shop somewhere else. Or do something constructive like convince the manager to sell "tops only" mushrooms.

[RaleighNCDUer]

121. Exactly. It is the produce equivalent to switching price tags.

And THAT is theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

255. lol - that was from Seinfeld, right?

Good one!

[Renew Deal]

21. lol

:rofl:

[kirby]

44. The real issue though...

Is if I leave behind the banana peel and someone slips and falls on it, who is liable? Riddle me this.

[Renew Deal]

52. Hmmmmm

Hey, how do you like my new avatar? :blush:

[kirby]

56. Nice avatar! n/t

[Renew Deal]

62. Thank you, thank you

:D

[endarkenment]

100. The store might not want you in there anymore, but theft it would not be

[kirby]

163. Is this theft?

I eat the broccoli in the store and go use the bathroom (Beans might be a better example than broccoli). By your logic since I did not remove
it from the store, no theft occurred.

[endarkenment]

214. No,you 'took' the broccoli and you didn't pay for it.

The woman paid for what she took. There is a weak argument that she committed fraud, based on the assumption that the store charges different rates for broccoli with stalks and without and that she intended to obtain the lower 'with' price. No facts either substantiating of falsifying that theory were presented in the OP. What she clearly did was commit 'spoilage' and that is a normal green grocer cost of business.

So back to bananas. I take a bunch and remove a banana I find questionable and buy the rest. Theft?

[kirby]

228. No, cuz bananas can be separated...

Splitting the bananas to separate them does not devalue the remaining bananas. Two half bunches are the same cost of a whole bunch. Splitting broccoli stalks from their heads does not leave behind an equal value product that can be resold.
I'm still not sure any of this should be called theft, but surely is it not legal. Perhaps some type of vandalism or fraud or some legal term. Surely disorderly conduct ;)

[Cronus Protagonist]

256. Surely the sewers run AWAY from the premises?

I wouldn't shop in your store if that wasn't the case.... ewwwww...

[yawnmaster]

5. is removing the pits from a peach? Cutting the bone off a steak? eom

[hedgehog]

6. My store has one price for stalks and another for bunches.

Whole Foods just has to charge her the stalk price.

[Occulus]

103. That's convenient. No stores around here do that that I'm aware of.

Not even Meijer.

[melm00se]

8. technically

maybe...

the end result would see an increase in the price of broccoli as the weight of the stalks are built into the price.

Plus, broccoli stalks are very edible:

http://www.produceoasis.com/TipOTDay_folder/Tips_folder/Jan16tip.html

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/good-question-do-you-eat-broccoli-stalks-043582

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/good-question-do-you-eat-broccoli-stalks-043582

[Occulus]

242. You and everyone else pointing that out are the actually useful posts in this thread.

Take a bow, you all taught me something today.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

10. Here come the broccoli wars.

:hide:

[Renew Deal]

15. lol

[Occulus]

109. .

:spray:

:rofl:

[KittyWampus]

194. WOW! Your post with pix and avatar just made this whole thread worth it. You're the comedy pay-off

OUTSTANDING

[Occulus]

215. That post wins. Thread over. n/t

[csziggy]

227. !

[Renew Deal]

305. SAVE THE STALKS!!!!!!!!!11111

:rofl:

[KittyWampus]

353. OH NO YOU DIDN"T!

:rofl:

[uppityperson]

306. huh, stalk on that one would already be cooked. what a bargain!

[myrna minx]

24. Yep, I remember it like it was yesterday: the great broccoli wars of 2009.

:D

[BlooInBloo]

57. hahahah!

[Occulus]

104. Next we'll start casting asparagus. n/t

[orleans]

244. casting WHAT???

[Wickerman]

18. Really wasteful

and yeah, probably theft, too. Most stores charge by the pound, not the bunch.

It wasteful because the entire entire bunch can be used and actually, the stalk is pretty damn tasty if prepared correctly. Here is one method:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Cooking-Tips/Freezer-Tips/Fresh-Broccoli-Stalks

[JitterbugPerfume]

28. peel the stalk and cook it

[dugaresa]

32. I do that, the stalk is tasty

people seem to think the only edible portion are the florets.

[enlightenment]

77. And some of us despise it all, regardless of which end it is . . .

only damned thing I ever had in common with Bush, Sr. - a true revulsion of broccoli. blech.

[Occulus]

112. Hmmmm. Peel it how?

What part do I peel off? The outer skin, I assume?

I'll have to try that.

[Arkansas Granny]

249. The easiest way that I've found is to insert the knife blade under the skin on

the cut end of the stem and just lift up. The tough part of the skin just peels off and you're left with the crunchy, tender interior of the stem. I suppose you could also peel it with a regular vegetable peeler.

[uppityperson]

307. I wonder how many people know about Kohlrabi?

I love kohlrabi. For those who don't know, it is another of the cabbage family, like broccoli, but rather than having leaves or flowers to eat, the stem swells into a round thing and you eat that!

[Ms. Toad]

386. Really yummy - unless it was planted too late in the season

and got hot and woody.

[rd_kent]

I do that a lot

ESPECIALLY with broccoli and artichokes. I hate paying for something that I am just going to cut off and throw away.

[Renew Deal]

30. THIEF!!!

:D

[rd_kent]

39. Im so busted!

I guess....

[delete this]

70. You can't...They will specify if they are charging for crowns or with stalks.

[rd_kent]

111. Well, I do

I think its price gouging...making me pay more for having them cut it closer to the crown is BS. That can be done in the field and takes NO more effort than cutting it lower down.

[theHandpuppet]

348. Then you're a thief

Some people don't WASTE the parts of the food they don't like and would make good use of the whole food. So instead you rationalize your wastefulness by not paying the extra price for the picky little parts you'll eat and then leaving the store employees to clean up your mess. Tell me, when you buy bananas by the pound do you remove the peels also?

[defendandprotect]

236. There are "stalks" and there are stalks . . . presume most use stalk about

about the same length of the flowered part --

however, Whole Foods, especially, is selling broccoli with the stalk TWICE as
long as the flowered area -- and the stalk gets wider and heavier towards the bottom.

It's a rip-off.

[Warpy]

29. Yes, it's also stupid

In the first place, most Whole Foods stores sell broccoli crowns separately at a slightly higher cost. In the second place, the stems are the best part, IMO. Just peel them and slice them to cook.

The woman is both stupid and dishonest, not a great combination. She must be Republican.

:evilgrin:

[stray cat]

31. broccoli florets are more expensive - so yes

[quiller4]

37. Yes. It is theft. I've seen people escorted from produce depts by security

for doing what that woman did.

[Cronus Protagonist]

Oh, that means it's theft, for sure!

I'm guessing you haven't been schooled in logic.

[yawnmaster]

58. It is theft and here is why...

Crowns alone sell for a higher price.
If she broke off the stem and still got the cheaper crown with stalk price then she is responsible for theft.
Just as if you took the price tag off a cheaper garment and placed it on a more expensive one and made the purchase.

If, of course, the checkout person noticed it was crown only and charged her higher, then no theft, otherwise - theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

107. lol

I don't know why you assume subterfuge on the part of the customer. There's no evidence of any attempt at theft or lying to the checkout person. You must be projecting.

[Renew Deal]

40. I hate being stalked by security in the supermarket.

:evilgrin:

[kirby]

50. I've seen cops taser people for it!

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

38. Tell the truth: were you stalking her?

Don't spear us any of the details.

I'm sure you had a partner in the corn section who was all ears.

Operative #3 in the leafy greens section screams out: "Let us stop her."

[Renew Deal]

42. That job is the pits

:D

[pipi_k]

61. Oddly enough, I seed what you mean...

:+

[rateyes]

45. Yes.

Anyone doing this is fraudulently not paying full price for what he/she gets. That's theft.

[noamnety]

48. It's inconsiderate and shitty

and I'm not surprised to hear people are doing that. People in grocery stores amaze me sometimes - I saw a guy once pick up a stalk of rhubarb, bite into it to check the taste - and put it back for someone else to buy, with his teeth marks in it. (I accosted him over that even though I didn't work there - just to make the point of publicly shaming him.)

I don't know that it's theft unless they put up a sign saying the entire stalk has to be bought intact. It reminds me though of the story of someone buying a sack of bulk flour by weight and demanding to have the weight of the sack itself deducted. The clerk finally agrees, and after ringing it up opens the sack and dumps the flour right out onto the counter. The woman gets pissed and wants to know what he's doing, he replies: "You didn't want to purchase the sack."

[Renew Deal]

59. Great stories

Especially the sack. :rofl:

[TexasObserver]

53. Yes, it's theft. It's no different than altering the price of goods you buy.

Please do not listen to those who claim it isn't theft. Listening to them will get you arrested for theft. Do you really want to be in cuffs, sitting in a squad car for shoplifting, and saying to the judge "but an anonymous person on the internet was adamant that it isn't theft!"

When you sneak into a movie, is it theft?

If you leave a restaurant or hotel without paying, is it theft?

The lady you mentioned is a thief, and she's stealing from the store and making YOUR costs increase, so she's stealing from you, too.

[yawnmaster]

92. I agree...

just as changing price tags on garments in a clothing store.

[DefenseLawyer]

54. Citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest!

I hope you called the authorities and subdued her with pepper spray until the police arrived.

[Renew Deal]

65. I used a habanero

and some duck eggs. :shrug:

[DefenseLawyer]

218. At least you didn't have to go Charles Bronson on her ass

Hopefully she has learned a valuable lesson from all this.

[scheming daemons]

55. Where are the People for the Ethical Treatment of Broccoli? This is cruel!

[Renew Deal]

74. They are standing naked in times square

throwing Jamba juice at people. :hide:

[delete this]

60. Yes. That woman is sheer evil incarnate.

Broccoli crowns are priced higher than with stalks. Same goes for portobellos, as I learned recently.:banghead:

[Renew Deal]

72. same for chicken parts

vs. a whole bird, or bacon vs. a whole pig. :D

[orleans]

248. awww...apparently someone did "delete this"

just remember, as you go off on your travels, there is much more to life than simply the price of portobellos

[uppityperson]

308. nice username. Too bad you didn't last

[grasswire]

63. I see a lot of "theft" in the bulk food aisle

People get some mixed nuts and then go to the cashew bin and fill the bag with cashews. They're paying the mixed nut price (less). And I know that someone (not me--I'd be scared to do anything like this) buys dried cherries and marks them with the code for dried cranberries.

[deucemagnet]

275. And in the conveniece food section, too.

If I had a nickel for every time I saw somebody at the Chinese food bar picking the shrimp out of the shrimp fried rice, I'd have about $1.15.

[madaboutharry]

66. What she did was very sleazy and dishonest.

The broccoli is sold by the bunch. You can't defend this since no one goes to the grocery store to purchase the stalk alone. She breaking off the stalk so that it will weigh less and cost her less. The stalk becomes useless. She is cheating Whole Foods out of profit. The store has a right to make money.

[DesertFlower]

i've done it with asparagus --

just that bottom part that you break off before cooking.

[Gold Metal Flake]

68. Why stop with broccoli stalks?

Pull up a chair at the seafood section and start shelling, deveining and tailing shrimp. Cut the meat off of rib bones. Shuck that corn. And then on to the lobster tank!

[Renew Deal]

78. Interesting point...

They weigh the fish before cleaning it for you. Seems it's the same concept here.

[kirby]

123. Lobster tank? I'll take just the tails, thanks n/t

[Renew Deal]

172. Do you remove the rubber bands before you buy lobsters

:D

[rd_kent]

125. Hmmm, interesting anaolgy

But flawed. All of the items you mentioned can be bought for a single price. If you want to purchase that product deveined, boneless, shucked, etc, then you pay a higher price because someone had to perform that job for you. With broccoli, when its harvested, it is cut once. It would cost no more to make that same cut, higher up the stalk. It is cut low, on purpose, to add weight to the product so that it sells for more.

[endarkenment]

221. Ok. Probably the store will ask you to leave and not come back.

And they may ask you to pay for the full weight. What they are not likely to do is have you arrested for theft.

My green grocer encourages corn shucking as he uses the stuff for compost for his farm. He also doesn't mind sampling but requests that you dispose of the cherry pits appropriately as otherwise the clean up is disgusting and good help is hard to find. Corn is generally sold by the piece, not the pound. Clams and most other shellfish are also usually sold by the piece. Shuck away, but you had better be cooking them real quick as they don't keep long out of their shells.

[Gold Metal Flake]

279. I had just dropped the crab boil in the pot when the cops arrived.

[BlooInBloo]

69. (shrug) I can take a can out of a sixpack, and buy it.

[Renew Deal]

82. I'm not sure what you mean.

You're buying 5 cans. :shrug:

[orleans]

250. not in any liquor store around my part of town you can't. n/t

[TommyPaine]

73. The market is the thief if they expect me to pay for a useless stalk!

Would you pay for apples, by weight, if you had to buy them attached to a severed branch? Corn on the stalk? Grapes with the vines?? I think not.

[Codeine]

81. The stalk is quite edible and nutritious. nt

[Occulus]

229. I'm thinking a *lot* of people don't know that.

I certainly didn't until I read this thread. I'll be trying ways to use the stem now.

[kirby]

83. But they price it that way...

First off, stalks are not useless, many people each them including myself.

Secondly that is how they factor the price. If they sold them without stalks, they would just increase the cost per pound of the heads. The problem doing that is that some people like the stalks and that since the weight of a stalk is different for each bunch, it would be tough to subtract out that value at the scale.

[TommyPaine]

114. Broccoli stalks may be nutritious, but...

It takes too long to cook them until they're suitably softened. I don't have that kind of time.

[Arkansas Granny]

142. Peel them first and they cook in the same time as the florets.

[TommyPaine]

151. Ok, I'll try that. Thanks for the tip.

Though I still intend to peel them in the store. :evilgrin:

[orleans]

252. !

:rofl: :rofl: :spray: :rofl: :rofl:

[Occulus]

216. Can you steam them for the same length of time? n/t

[wickerwoman]

375. Yes, just slice the stem...

the cooking time depends on how thick the stem is. I peel it and then cut it into slices roughly the same size as the florets. If you leave the skin on the stem, it will need a few more minutes to get tender.

[kirby]

166. LOL...

You don't have that kind of time, but you can de-pit your apples, shuck the corn, and other oddities while at the store? Mmmmkay.

[Renew Deal]

84. Do you pit apples, shuck corn, an take the stems off of grapes when you shop?

Why or why not?

[TommyPaine]

110. Yes, yes, no.

I pit apples because the seeds contain arsenic, a chemical found to be harmful to laboratory humans.

I shuck corn because when I eat it off the cob I can't help but make an old-fashioned typewriter noise that irritates my loved ones.

I don't take the stems off grapes because they contain antioxidants, and I eat them along with the fruit.

[kirby]

117. He meant in the store before you pay to reduce the weight n/t

[TommyPaine]

122. I know. And I do. But it's not about reducing weight, as indicated in my prior post.

And I don't care about the strange looks I get. The market employees know to leave me to my shucking and coring.

[Renew Deal]

152. Why can't you do this at home?

I have to say, this is a little weird.

[dorkulon]

181. Big time. nt

[TommyPaine]

186. Not as weird as your broccoli-guy avatar!

That thing reminds me of VeggieTales, that dreadful series about living vegetables who enact stories from the bible. Creepy, creepy stuff. :freak:

[Renew Deal]

188. lol

I picked it just for this thread.

[uppityperson]

314. glad to see it still has its stem intact. nt

[elehhhhna]

161. i actually marinate the steak before checking out

[uppityperson]

311. You pit apples in the store before you buy them? Apples don't have pits.

Corn I can understand, since it is usually sold by the piece and most people buy what they will consume quickly because it gets old fast.

But you pit apples? How? Apples don't have pits.

Thinking maybe you mean you core them, but do you pay for the cores or just for the edible parts of the apple (which is usually sold by the pound)?

[wickerwoman]

378. If you core the apples in the store, don't they oxidize before you get them home?

You'd have a bag of brown, rapidly rotting apples before you even got to eat any of them.

[yawnmaster]

164. apple seeds contain cyanide compounds, not arsenic. eom

[TommyPaine]

177. You're right, I was thinking about lies my mom told me.

It's tough shedding all that crap you hear growing up: keep making funny faces and it'll stick that way, apple seeds contain arsenic, the quantum of magnetic flux is not a physical constant, etc.

[yawnmaster]

198. don't cross your eyes...if someone hits you in the head they'll stay that way. eom

[uppityperson]

316. and apples don't have pits.

[snooper2]

200. that's some crazy shit dude...

and I think the grape stems are poisonous :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[TommyPaine]

204. Nope, grape stems contribute to the healthful properties of red wines

You don't want to eat grape stems raw, but when added to the winemaking process they greatly increase the antioxidant properties (along with the seeds). The health effects are even more beneficial when the stems are steamed beforehand.

[Cronus Protagonist]

120. lol you state the obvious in a clear and concise way

Yet still, people build straw arguments and shoot them down around themselves! I love this place! lol

[abumbyanyothername]

75. The stalk is the best

and the best tasting part.

[Cronus Protagonist]

235. Hence there is no loss to the store

Simple. Some people like the stems.

[flvegan]

76. At the store I shop at, one can buy broccoli or broccoli "florets"

the florets being the "head" so to speak. Both are sold by the pound. The florets are more expensive by the pound. It would seem that this woman converted a cheaper product into a more expensive product at the store's expense (the stalk is now scrub, and will be thrown away). Is it theft? I'm not positive, but I think there's a measure of intent to be dishonest or something. Is this unjust enrichment? That seems like that might be the case. I'm hoping one or more of the more litigious amongst us will correct me.

[yawnmaster]

87. I believe it is theft. It is as if you moved a cheaper price tag to a...

more expensive product.

[Arkansas Granny]

149. It's the same at the store where I shop. One wonders if she was charged

at the floret price, since that's all she took to the register, or the lower price.

[Occulus]

224. If they had different prices and the cashier noticed, she probably WAS charged the higher price.

I think you just handed in the solution.

I went shopping today and bought a yellow pepper and a red pepper (I'm making spaghetti with salad and garlic bread, yum). The clerk (at the U-scan lane, no less) politely and very quickly informed me that the yellow and the red were priced differently, so be sure to put in the correct PLU code for each pepper.

I've been informed that that particular store is losing money, so the clerk's attentiveness doesn't surprise me in the least. In a lane, the cashier would have put it in themselves, and I probably wouldn't have noticed until I examined my receipt.

[hileeopnyn8d]

247. If she went through self checkout, she would pick her own price

I watched someone ring up their expensive shallots at yellow onion prices. Came out to something like 13 cents for 4 or 5 shallots. What a bargain!

[piratefish08]

79. I SAY UNTO YOU - Whomever among us that has never munched 3 grapes from the bunch before

paying shall cast the first overripe tomato.....

Now ye all shall make vegetable peace and sin no more......

:pals: :pals: :pals: :pals: :pals:

[yawnmaster]

85. are you eating unwashed produce??? eom

[gkhouston]

126. Actually, I don't do that. Can I opt for casting this thread into the Lounge? n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

80. It sure is an asshole thing to do

Kind of like the people who park in handicap spots when they aren't disabled. Those people are simply assholes.

I'm not going as far as theft though.

[yawnmaster]

86. however minor, it is theft, though. eom

[endarkenment]

89. She didn't steal anything.

[yawnmaster]

127. oh, it is theft, for reasons described numerous times here. eom

[Cronus Protagonist]

130. Too obvious for this person

Reality isn't important.

[yawnmaster]

168. it is sad to see such a cavalier attitude toward dishonesty and theft. eom

[Cronus Protagonist]

174. QED

lol

[RaleighNCDUer]

185. She stole a portion of the store's profits. nt

[Cronus Protagonist]

233. One cannot steal money from one's self! It's not their "profit" until it stops being your "money"

lol. The reach that some people think corporations have!

[endarkenment]

88. no but it is creepy.

[RaleighNCDUer]

90. Not usually eaten?

On the rare occasions I buy fresh broccoli I eat the whole frickin thing - and save the rubber band, as well.

Why would you NOT eat the stem? It's delicious.

[kirby]

97. Uh oh...

You just had to mention the rubber band! Now the debate expands as to why you should pay for a rubber band!

[beac]

273. Hey, those rubber bands are PERFECT for holding together my 3+ year old cell phone.

I'm trying to start a fashion trend, but no one but me sees the shabby-chic fabulousness of crumbling technology mixed with cast-off produce S&M bindery, alas.

[Ms. Toad]

394. TV remote battery door for us. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

116. i save all my rubber bands as well...

i have a big carabiner in my junk drawer FULL of stray rubber bands, as well as the various veggie ones.

and yes- i eat the stalks as well.

but after freezing a lot of this year's ongoing broccoli harvest from our garden, i won't be buying it for a long time to come.

[kirby]

119. Why does your signature have a syringe?

It is disturbing.

[dysfunctional press]

167. it's from an episode of south park.

i suppose that the context in which i'm trying to use it doesn't come across the way i had hoped...

"the dragon" is supposed to represent single-payer, universal coverage, and the syringe is full of promises and 'public options' always being promised to voters on the left as a way to string them along and continually make them think that there's hope that single-payer is 'just around the corner'...

but- it could be used to make the same point about a lot of things that the left would like to see instituted as policy, and that the corporacrats have no intention of doing- but would like the voters on the left to think that they are doing all that they can to accomplish it by offering up watered-down and/or ineffective legislation.

maybe i'll change it.

[kirby]

169. Wow, I didn't get that at all...

All I saw was some guy shooting up in his kids bedroom. I guess I'm not that deep ;)

And it reminded my of the shots I have to give myself which I do not like doing.

[dysfunctional press]

101. at our store they sell broccoli by the bunch, or by the crown...

if someone breaks off the stalk, they are simply going to pay the higher per/lb. price for crowns.

btw- the stalk has some great nutrient value.

[tridim]

105. Technically not theft, but two important points..

Broccoli stalks are edible and very nutritious.

Broccoli tops are available for purchase at a higher price.

Not theft, but she is being a cheap-ass jerk IMO, and probably causing honest shoppers to have to pay more for raw broccoli. I'd like to cast asparagus at her.

[greguganus]

106. Only if it is a mom n' pop store. If it's Walmart, it's okay to break them off. n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

113. Why would anyone leave the stalks?

They taste fine and make great salad if you shred them.

[KT2000]

124. It is stupid!

Peel off the husk of the stalk and eat it raw. Around here - we fight for that part of the broccoli.
Yes it is theft. If the store cut off the stalk the whole broccoli that is left would decay faster - same with the storage at home.

[naaman fletcher]

128. of course it is theft.

If you pulled the bone out of a steak, that would be theft, too. The price you are being charged is for the entire product.

[mnhtnbb]

133. She's trying to buy broccoli crowns(higher price) at lower whole broccoli price

which is clearly attempted theft.

A smart checker will catch her.

[anneboleyn]

293. Yes, exactly. Cheap and rude to other customers.

[Mosby]

135. This is the apple thread all over again

[Renew Deal]

154. I don't remember that one

Are people removing worms before buying apples?

[Mosby]

199. There was a thread years ago started by a former DUer

Who asked in an OP why a grocery store employee couldn't just grab an apple off the shelf and eat it, instead of waiting in line and using up his/her break time. It turned into a 500+ post flame war.

[damntexdem]

143. Even worse: it's .................. stalking.

;-)

Maybe it's not theft. Instead it's damage to another's property -- the stalks were broken off before the broccoli was purchased, so the damage was done to the store's property.

Now, how about mushroom stems? After all, they can be eaten.

[akwapez]

160. Theft? no. Fraud? yes. n/t

[yawnmaster]

195. legally theft? depends on the state I suppose...for example...

"The law of larceny and related offenses was adopted in the United States and remained in effect throughout the country's early history. Then, in the twentieth century, many legislatures abolished it in favor of a broad theft statute. In North Dakota, for example, the crime of theft now includes "larceny, stealing, purloining, embezzlement, obtaining money or property by false pretenses, Extortion, blackmail, fraudulent conversion, Receiving Stolen Property, misappropriation of public funds, swindling, and the like" (N.D. Cent. Code § 12.1-23-01 <1995>)."

But legality definitions aside, I personally would treat that person as committing theft.

[Cronus Protagonist]

165. My butcher cuts the fat off the meat BEFORE he weighs it

I like to think the store would allow the same courtesy when it comes to veggies.

[Renew Deal]

173. Not for fish

They weigh the fish before they clean it.

[Cronus Protagonist]

176. I've never seen that... all the fish I see in the store are flat, boneless and bare

Not a bit of waste on them.

[Renew Deal]

180. They have whole fish at Whole Foods

And it's quite good. :9

[Cronus Protagonist]

182. That place is too costly for me

n/t

[Renew Deal]

187. Too many broccoli vandals

:evilgrin:

[gmoney]

170. Refer to the case of Benes vs. Top of the Muffin to You, Inc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muffin_Tops

[dorkulon]

175. Kinda, yeah.

I'm not sure she'd be convicted, but I think it's pretty much understood you buy the whole thing. And the stalk is good food too, just toss it in the pan a minute before the rest.

[Forkboy]

178. i posted a thread the other day about gang rape in Africa and it got 4 replies.

But a fucking thread on stealing or not stealing broccoli is pushing 200.

:crazy:

[Cronus Protagonist]

184. And it's got to be headed to the greatest page!

If there is a God! lol

[gkhouston]

189. It's easier to think about cruciferous vegetables than gang rape.

To be fair, I didn't see your other thread, or I would have read it. Probably would have been too saddened and appalled to have said much, though.

[dorkulon]

190. Gang rape isn't anything people are going to argue about much..

Everyone's got an opinion on broccoli. What opinion could gang rape generate but "Shit, that's awful"? I'd hate to see a lot of controversy there.

[yawnmaster]

191. perhaps at least a couple reasons...

time of day posted?
Perhaps more importantly...this subject (the broccoli stalk incident) is mundane, and as such it is something we can all relate to.
Most of us have the choice whether or not to commit petty larceny and have many opportunities to do it everyday, so its something we can all ( at least most) relate to and therefore it makes it easy to discuss one way or another.
It is also a much lighter subject than a gang rape in Africa, thus making it easier to discuss.

Most of us have the ability day to day to make the decision whether or not to steal broccoli...most of us don't have the ability to be involved one way or another with a gang rape in Africa. I'm just trying to illustrate how mundane subjects are able to be discussed easily. One should not take the number of replies to a thread as a metric of the threads inherent value.

[TommyPaine]

192. People need their little retreats.

We all need a vacation from the horrors of the world. Posts like this offer a kind of refuge.

What can be said about gang rape? We all know it's horrible, awful, disgusting, shameful, a crime against humanity. The number of replies a thread gets often has little to do with its degree of importance in the grand scheme of things.

[rvablue]

207. +1! n/t

[Codeine]

211. There's no arguing about rape.

Nobody here is going to defend rape (of women, anyway -- prison rape is A-OK) so there wasn't much to discuss, right?

[fuzzy britches]

220. G H W Bush hated broccoli. He never said a word about rape.

So the priorities are well established. I think.

[uppityperson]

317. that's because you are everyone's ignore list. Can you see me?

if I'd have seen it, been on DU, I'd have k&r'd it. But I was off breaking produce at the store with my elderly parent.

[PVnRT]

350. Hi! Welcome to DU!

You must be new here.

[LeftHander]

196. Does that make her a stalker?

[snooper2]

197. This may be the dumbest thread in DU HISTORY! and it's funny as shit

what the hell....RECOMMENDED!


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Cronus Protagonist]

230. RECOMMENDED

k&R

[Occulus]

240. After all this fun, I *have* to recommend it.

It's on par with the strange and unusual animal thread. Oscar.

This. Visit the link in that thread's OP first.

:rofl:

A classic pair of threads by anyone's definition. I don't recall if it went further, but that should give you a good jumping-off point.

[Throd]

201. Yes, it is theft.

[ljm2002]

202. Technically, I think it is theft...

...although petty. Also unnecessary -- I love broccoli stalks!! I cut it off when I'm ready to cut the broccoli, peel it, and cut it into little disk about 1/4" thick, then steam it along with the florets -- it's tasty and tender and makes a nice contrast with the texture of the broccoli flowers.

[Hekate]

203. Broccoli Crowns are brocs without stalks, and they cost more. An alert cashier would charge ...

... accordingly. But yes, customer was wrong to do this.

Edited to add: My mom used to make a rather tasty soup out of the stalks, and I peel and julienne them and add them to stir-fry. No waste.

Hekate

[DailyGrind51]

205. You shouldn't have to pay for the stalk, if you pay by the pound.

[Quantess]

209. The store would be wise to cut off the stalks before putting them out

and raise the price accordingly.
I think that's commonly done, anyway.

[Cronus Protagonist]

238. That would be the fair, moral way to do it

Failing that, off with the stalks, I say!

[Kali]

210. of course it is

I am sitting here in amazement that people are too lazy to peel the lower part of the stalk and eat it, but have the energy to go in a store and break them off to steal a few cents from the store????

Buy the tops if the store sells them that way asshole, or do your vegetable prep at home. And to the poster defending this - you are wrong. If the store wanted to sell the tops at that price don't you think they would just do that? You don't get to have prep work done until without paying for the item at marked price. You don't get to have the heart of a melon at whole melon price. Get real.

If you are prepping vegetables sold "whole" by weight at the store and trying to get the price lowered by leaving the lower value "excess" behind and only taking the sweet part you are stealing.

[Quantess]

245. The stalks are good in soups, or if you just cook the hell out of them

and you don't even have to peel the stalks if you eat them that way.
Just think of all that fiber you are getting! :9

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

212. Occassionally, I like to open a pack of hot dogs and take one for sampling. I reseal the pack.

And I've been known to take a swig or out of a carton of chocolate milk. My daughter was mortified when I grabbed a few frozen fish sticks and started munching on them.

[Cronus Protagonist]

239. That's AWFUL!!!

Frozen fish sticks? Raw? ewwwwww...

[uppityperson]

319. frozen fish sticks and CHOCOLATE milk? frozen fish sticks ONLY go with white milk.

I mean, really! What was he thinking?

[laylah]

217. I never thought so...

I always felt it was a rip-off to have to pay for the freakin' stalk! jmvho, of course.

[fuzzy britches]

219. I buy potatos, onions, garlic, corn and other produce by the pound and I cull them.

Is picking out the better ones theft? Obviously not, but I notice they wrap up the broccoli cauliflower and apsaragus in plastic (still costs so much a pound but yo would have to tear open that package to modify the contents. so if they don't trap the product inside packaging the customer should have the option to not buy the parts they dont want. I often pick a banana or 2 from several different bunches...it's still the same price.

[Quantess]

331. Would you like broccoli on your Tombstone Pizza?

[Matariki]

223. 222 posts ( and counting) fighting about broccoli...

it never ceases to amaze...

[Occulus]

225. We're having a food fight.

Fun, isn't it?

:D

[daedalus_dude]

226. Is it a ripoff when "the man" puts stems and seed in your bag of pot?

;)

[Cronus Protagonist]

257. Damn right!

And when I take 'em out before the weigh-in, he has no leg on which to stand!

[dorkulon]

324. Damn straight it is.

Schwag fascists!

[tekisui]

231. QUIT STALKING ME!!!!

[SoCalDem]

377. Next thing you know, they'll be casting asparagus at you

:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

232. You should be able to ask them to cut it off. Not all of it, of course . . .

that's what I do -- I know they try to discourage it, but if more and more of us
do it, we'll get what we want-

I don't need the extra pound of stalk .... half the stalk is fine with me!

Thanks for mentioning this--!!

Are you using one of their new mega stores or do you still have one of the older stores?

Kings cuts the broccoli stalks down -- most stores do --
Whole Foods keep a humongous amount of stalk on and it gets wider and heavier as the
bottom.

[Liberal_in_LA]

234. Yes, it's theft IMHO

[SleeplessInAlabama]

243. It never occured to me that people thought broccoli stems were inedible

I always just popped 'em off and dipped them in ranch!

[TexasObserver]

246. Choppin' broc-co-li!!

How can we not mention Dana Carvey?

[InvisibleTouch]

251. Not technically theft, but maybe vandalism of a sort.

If the broccoli is sold by the pound, she's only paying for the weight of what she has, so she's not technically stealing something - but she did damage the item to the point where it's a loss to the store. The leftovers probably cannot be re-sold. Akin to someone going to a bookstore and ripping pages out of the books. Not walking off with anything, not stealing it, just destroying the merchandise. They could and should justifiably be kicked out of the store, at least, and even fined for the replacement value of what they damaged.

Hey, I like the broccoli heads better than the stalks myself (less trouble to cook), but the stalks also are food. They just need to be peeled, cut, and steamed, then they're very good.

[hileeopnyn8d]

253. I would call it dishonest

especially if she uses the self check-out line. That said, I rarely buy broccoli by the pound, I prefer when it's priced by the bunch.

[Zynx]

258. Yes. The product is priced as a whole and is difficult to sell when it's not whole.

It's priced at whatever it is per pound including the stalk. You buy it at essentially 60% of that and leave the rest as an unsellable item. Try as you might, you won't sell broccoli stalks on their own.

[anneboleyn]

292. Exactly. She leaves her waste behind and shirks the responsibility of paying for the whole item

The broccoli is priced per pound, and that includes the top and the stalk. She knows that she can pay less by breaking off the stalk, so she does so and leaves the waste behind for some store employee ( a person presumably beneath her concern) to clean up after she leaves.

[HopeHoops]

259. SEND THE STALKS TO GEORGE H.W. BUSH!

He hates broccoli. Remember to attach a note saying you're punishing him for his dumb-ass children.

[dhpgetsit]

261. It might not be technically, but morally, of course it is!

Whole foods paid for the product by the pound. Most of that stalk is perfectly good eating. But the store sure can't sell a broccoli stalk with the florets missing. What's the matter with people?

[ecstatic]

262. Is spraying an Air Freshener before buying it theft?

:shrug:

[crispini]

266. I'm not sure I'd call it theft, but it's not very classy.

First of all, typically when stores sell broccoli crowns only, it is at a higher price, because of the perception that you get more of the "good stuff" as opposed to it being sold with stems.

Second, sure she left it in the store, but I can't imagine anyone's going to buy it, so the store's going to wind up throwing it away.

Thus, (as others have mentioned in this thread) if the price is per-pound, she has in effect denied the store the extra twenty five or fifty cents that would have been added to the cost of the broccoli had she checked out with the whole thing intact.

Small stuff, but for retailers, that stuff adds up -- and costs for "wastage" are definitely picked up by the rest of us customers.

[Hippo_Tron]

267. I don't drink with you

[rug]

268. Why is your avatar broccoli?

[TommyPaine]

272. Because the cauliflower one was off-topic.

[rug]

274. Well, I'm stealing it.

[Renew Deal]

303. Cause I thought it was funny

:silly:

[montanto]

269. My grocer sells broccoli

whole, or by the "crown." The crown is more expensive by the pound than the whole. If you take the stalk off, it changes the price, so obviously someone is aware that not all people eat broccoli stalks (I've never seen it done). If the store doesn't have two prices then the de-stalker is trying to steal the value difference between stalked and destalked brocc.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

271. Yes. Anyone who says otherwise is dishonest.

[hippywife]

278. I have heard a WF produce worker

tell customers that they can buy as little or as much as they like of their produce. Since it's by the pound, it's no harm, no foul.

[LostInAnomie]

282. No.

More than likely, the reason they left it on there was to charge you more when you have to pay by the pound. They intended to steal your money. There is no fault in not letting them.

[Cronus Protagonist]

284. lol no kidding, but THAT's not THEFT either!

I love this thread!

[LostInAnomie]

291. Probably not theft in the literal sense...

... but the stores know what they're doing.

[Cronus Protagonist]

285. I prefer my broccoli CIRCUMCISED!

lol :D

[nini]

287. yes, unless brocolli crowns are sold separate from ones with a stalk

Shit like this drives me crazy. You buy it as provided. If you don't want the stalk go somewhere that sells just the crowns and pay the price.

[MoonRiver]

289. Question: Did you choose your avatar before or after this happened? :-)

But, anywho, I would interpret it as theft. The most valuable part of the broccoli is the bushy part. Most of us, at least me, don't eat the stalks. So she was selectively stealing the best part of the broccoli. JMTB.

[rucky]

290. That's like filleting your chicken right in the poultry aisle.

Broccoli crowns always cost more per pound, but I always get them because I don't need half the stalk.

[anneboleyn]

294. A woman this insanely cheap should not be shopping at Whole Foods or leaving her waste behind

for some poor store employee to clean up after her. She doesn't care about the store employees, though.

[Fuzz]

298. This has blown up even bigger than I thought it would. Blow it up real good!

SCTV! ;)

[proteus_lives]

304. Yeah.

It's a scuzzy corner-cutting thing.

[Expedite Trucker]

310. If its sold by the pound, and still unweighed yeah its stealing

[masuki bance]

312. How about i use an apple corer on the apples I want to buy before I check out?

Or remove all the shells from the peanuts I want to buy from the bin?

How about I remove the rinds from all the watermelons I want for my barbecue and toss them back in the stack?

Or cut off the ends of the tomatoes and leave them there? Peel the potatoes?

It's stealing, straight up. People like that are the reason prices stay high.

[ColesCountyDem]

313. It depends, legally speaking.

Do they sell it by the stalk, or by the pound/ounce?

[omega minimo]

315. Why is this a thing and why is this thread so long?

:wow:

[donheld]

318. If ever there was a crime where the death penalty should apply!

:sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

325. CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!!!!!!

[TexasObserver]

320. When they came for the broccoli, I didn't say anything - because I don't like broccoli.

Another legendary DU clusterfuck over nothing.

[dorkulon]

322. LOL!

Yeah, I can't believe this thing is still going.

[asdjrocky]

321. Only on DU.

[W_HAMILTON]

323. I see them do this all the time on Top Chef...

...to make sure they meet their budget :)

[Vickers]

327. She's a cheap cheat. (recipe included!)

FTR, I use the stalks to make cream of broccoli soup.

1. Cut up 3 or 4 stalks into 1" pieces, put in a pan, and cover with water.

2. Boil for like 20 minutes or so, adding salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once they are pretty soft, pour the whole thing into a blender and get it all mushy and liquified.

4. Put back in the pan and add some whipping cream (eh, a cup or maybe a cup and a half), and maybe 2 tbsp butter.

Yummy!

[alittlelark]

328. This thread has Kudzu potential.

;)

[KittyWampus]

352. isn't it awesome? Remember Don's thread about returning shopping carts to the front of the store?

Good times.

[tammywammy]

365. I just thought of that thread the other day

When I was walking a cart back into the store. lol

[DemoTex]

329. I don't know about the legal implications .. but ethically it pegs my BS Meter!

Had to dust this meter off and re-charge the battery!

[ColesCountyDem]

330. It bugged me, too, basically.

It's like seeing people buying grapes and munching on those grapes while continuing to shop.

:shrug:

[underseasurveyor]

332. Now who would have ever thought that a broccoli thread

would have so many responses. Here's to you broccoli stalk breaker off'ers:rofl:

[leftstreet]

333. 4,000+ views! It's finally overtaken the Super-Glued Penis thread

:rofl:

[underseasurveyor]

342. Perhaps the store could hire those women

to glue the stalks back on the broccoli:spray:

[pnwmom]

335. I've heard about stores prosecuting for this, as a form of shoplifting.

Buying the top alone costs more per pound, so this is cheating.

[renate]

340. it *almost* certainly is theft

If broccoli florets are priced differently from broccoli with the stalks, and by her actions she got the nicer form at the lower price, then there is no room for discussion. If they only sold the one form of broccoli, which she modified to suit her needs, I guess there's something to talk about. Maybe. The price was, after all, for broccoli with stems, not for just the florets, which most people prefer and which is usually priced higher.

I don't like her, either way. If she doesn't want to pay the Whole Foods price for florets (I sure don't), she can go elsewhere.

[mamaleah]

343. The cashier should charge her for broccoli crowns then. Most stores have a different set of prices

for crowns vs the whole thing. Just crowns are way more. Charge her for what she wanted....just the crowns.

[many a good man]

379. Not Whole Foods!

Around here they charge the exact same for crowns as they do for bunches. Only an idiot would buy 'em by the bunch!

Actually, broccoli stalks are pretty good if you shave off the outside layer and steam them.

[Norrin Radd]

344. I wonder why Brussels sprouts are removed from the stalk, then?

Perhaps because it is so huge, that it would be obvious that the store is trying to rip the buyer off from the weight? They can get away with the smaller, subtle broccoli stalk. ;-)

[theHandpuppet]

347. Simple answer: yes, she's a thief

And stalks are perfectly good to eat.

[kirby]

354. Congress introduced the B.R.O.C.C.O.L.I. ACT today!

Bringing Responsibility Of Checkout Counter Oversight Legislative Initiative - S.RES 3456

[dbt]

355. Kick so we can get back

to important stuff.

[janx]

359. Not if you give me the stalks. It's the only part of broccoli that I like! n/t

[Texasgal]

367. Only on DU

Can we have a flame war about broccoli! :rofl:

[MilesColtrane]

376. Theft

[Maru Kitteh]

380. I knew in my heart this thread was going to be winner when first I laid eyes on it.

And that was back when it only had 3 or 4 responses. I looked deep into it's eyes, and I saw the awesome.

[reflection]

388. This isn't some kind of euphemism, is it?

There has been a lot of, erm, stalk talk around here lately.

[NoSheep]

390. I eat the stalk...so I don't think she was doing anything wrong.

[K Gardner]

391. The broccoli thread that wouldn't die. Wasn't there a Lounge thread about made-up

pet that took on a life of its own? Soon, I'll be buying the Broccoli Wars in print.

Too funny.

[carlyhippy]

396. all the broccoli I have seen for sale in stores is by the bunch not the pound

wow, I guess I have never thought about this situation..hmmmm.....

[flvegan]

399. Still going.

:rofl:

[LeftyMom]

400. Why didn't you tell me about this thread?

You really, really should have.

Broccoli is the new chicken.

[flvegan]

402. Oh nice job.

Bringing chicken into an otherwise vegan thread.

For shame!

Besides, we're not supposed to talk about chicken.

[dbt]

403. I want to kick a thread that never dies

Kudzu is a vegetable, too.

:evilgrin:

[DailyGrind51]

404. Break it off and jam it down the throat of the nearest unruly teabagger!

[TZ]

405. lol. I hate broccoli and don't ever get near the stuff but

I HAVE to get in on such an epic, epic thread...:rofl: :popcorn:

[Renew Deal]

407. I can't believe this went over 400 posts

and yet at the same time I can. :D

[Tulio]

408. Good Gawd!

I defy anyone here who claims this is theft going up to the manager or cashier and ratting on her! "She broke off the broccoli stalks! I seen her!" In a Whole Foods no less.

~Tulio

[taterguy]

409. Yes