Grocery Workers Shudder At This Nasty Customer Sampling Habit

Even at grocery chains where sampling is encouraged, bad customer sampling etiquette gets on employees' nerves – and, for customers, the ramifications can be far worse than simply being a nuisance. According to a trove of grocery store workers who have taken to social media to air their grievances, a sizable demographic of shoppers routinely samples the store's produce at their own discretion. Popping a grape or two to "test the quality" might seem harmless. But, produce should always be washed and cleaned before eating — even if shoppers are sampling at a grocery store that encourages sampling. 

Harmful bacteria can come into contact with fresh fruits and veggies at many steps along their production routes. Those germs might be lurking in the water or soil where the produce is grown, or contaminate fully-grown produce during harvesting or storage. Safe handling tips help prevent illness and ensure food safety — which is especially true of any produce that is consumed raw. High cooking temperatures can kill off E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, but if you're chowing down on your fruits and veggies raw, rinsing off bacteria is even more essential. As you browse the produce selection, steer clear of any fruits and veggies that are visibly bruised, which can be a sign of a compromised skin barrier. To that end, if a bag of cherries or grapes looks like it has already been opened and snacked on by another customer, it's probably a good idea to pass it by, too.

While sampling at many chains may be socially acceptable, the produce in the display is still unhygienic. All produce needs to be cleaned before it gets eaten. A Reddit thread in r/kroger from an apparent produce worker entreats customers, "Please don't sample. I do not know how many times I want to beg people not to sample the way they do [...] If you really knew the amount of just everything that ends up on product you would be just as disgusted." Beyond processing contaminants and pesticides, there's the human factor: "I see little kids actually wipe their noses on things all the time," writes the poster. "Grown adults spitting seeds and pits into bags with the stuff they just 'sampled', and then put them back."

Elsewhere online, another post asks grocery store workers to share "something you know that we probably shouldn't know," to which one employee responds, "Your green leaf lettuce was full of spiders and various other insects before we cleaned them. Pretty sure we got all of them." Other commenters share that apples customarily arrive coated in wax, and that leafy greens are almost always covered in dirt (and, from time to time, also bugs). 

Want to try before you buy? Ask a staff member to wash or clean the produce before you sample it. Some chains — like Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Publix, and Sam's Club — are known for regularly offering free samples, and might be more receptive to special requests. But, when in doubt, just don't eat it. Washing store-bought produce isn't just good sampling etiquette; it's hygienically crucial.