Grazing is NOT Sampling

All food stores offer samples. In supermarket terms, there are two types: active and passive. Active samples are scooped into cute little cups in front of you and the table is arranged beautifully with flowers or fruit. The lady in white uniform explains the various ingredients as well as sale price of the item offered. During active sampling, one might think customers are too embarrassed to take more than one at a time, but you would be surprised with the stories they come up with like school children and their "dog ate my homework" fables. "Can I take one for my husband and four children?" "I dropped my sample. Can I take another one?" "Oh no, that was my twin sister that was just here. She recommended that I try one myself."

Passive samples are what customers love best. It's like you are a kid on Halloween night. But instead of someone handing you a piece of candy at the door, a giant bowl of your favorite is set out for you. You know the universal rule is to just take one. Your friends know the rule is to just take one. The whole world knows to just take one. But nobody ever does. As kids, you do it with no guilt because if you didn't pour the whole thing in your pillow case, you're considered a kiss up, or a god-fearing Christian. As adults, you come up with all kinds of justifications for your actions. "I come here all the time. They know me." "Prices are so expensive. They owe me." "Why else would they be here? These are intended to be eaten."

In my experience, there is a third kind of sampling which I call grazing. To graze is not to sample of course, but I think it is the take initiative kind of tasting. Customers like to experience the taste, texture and quality of a product first hand without being asked, like cows in a pasture. Most of the time we eat before paying because we are hungry. And as customers, we feel entitled to do as we please because in the good old United States of America, we somehow came up with the dumb idea that the customers are "always right."

Grazing, in supermarket terminology, is the act of consuming an unpaid item without the approval of an authorized supervisor or leader. It is the polite way to say you stole an item. Instead of sitting in your pocket or bag, we have no proof that it's now hiding in your belly. Smart move.

What I love about bagging is the ability to walk around and check out the psychology of people in supermarkets. If you spend enough time closely observing people at the bulk item, you could smell out a grazer from a mile a way. These are the behaviors to watch out for:

-Hanging out in one aisle for more time than necessary
-Filling bags with a few mixed bulk items and then consuming the entirety whilst walking around the store pretending to look for something non-existent
-Leaving the store empty handed
-Leaving the store looking full
-Approaching check-out with empty bags and then pretending to look confused
-Opening and closing bins with no bags in hand
-Any signs of looking around for people
-Approach check-out with crumbs all over mouth and down shirt, or still chewing
-Damaged price tags
-Purposefully damaging product containers and consuming contents or asking for price reduction
-Browsing prepared food and salad bar wide-eyed

Being a recovering grazer myself, I would never say anything to my fellow grazers because well all know - once a grazer, always a grazer, right? Some professional grazers put my techniques to shame so I stare in awe. But I can't help walking by in my apron to delight myself to tease grazers amidst their action. Immediately, they stop chewing and try to hide the bulge in their cheeks with their hands, or by turning around. Of course, I walk around to their full cheek side and do my job by asking, "And how are you doing today, ma'am? Are you finding everything you need?" And they would stare at me wide-eyed, trying to swallow before opening their mouths. "Iam fiane tfodaay fankyou." And I pretend to pretend not to see the crumbs shooting out at me.

This should help you to fine tune your grazing techniques. More to come...