I got lost in the supermarket the other day. It happens.
Age, I say, heightens curiosity which in turn causes the mind to wander.
There’s no better place for it than the supermarket, a labyrinth of alleys and shelves which display a narrative of the way people live their lives.
What we eat, how we clean, what we put in our homes, our yards, our cupboards – it’s all there to analyse in all its wonder.
Then, as I remained lost, I saw someone – maybe in their 50s – pick up a mango and give it a prod with their index finger which pierced the skin of the mango.
The person put the mango back on the pile and proceeded to do the same with another mango which, one can only assume, was slightly firmer than the first because their finger remained on the outside.
Then, a much younger person – a parent – walked past with their child, maybe four or five years old, and took a chocolate bar from the shelf.
The child devoured the chocolate like a vacuum cleaner. One breath. No chews.
The parent grabbed the packet and put it back on the shelf.
Which got me wondering. Is it still theft if the product hasn’t left the store? Have supermarkets become a veritable buffet of delights? Can I now sample what I like as I go? Maybe the stores would be kind enough to supply me with my own waste basket in which I can put the wrapping of my samples.
Ludicrous? Of course it is.
Why have some people simply no respect for the property of others. Okay, so the first mango was a little soft. But given the deep rich orange colour of the fruit, it’s fair to suggest that might happen.
And if you break it, it’s yours folks.
Oh, and if you eat it, you pay for it folks.
Far be it from me to support the greedy coffers of a conglomerate grocery chain. But theft just isn’t okay.
