Why Grocery Stores Hate When You Switch Produce Stickers

The skyrocketing cost of food has people reeling, and we are looking for ways to save an extra dollar at the grocery store. Well, at least some of us are. A few might resort to the good ol' five-finger discount.

Resorting to unethical measures to get food is never a good idea, and it can get you in serious trouble. Although petty theft doesn't warrant serious legal action, FindLaw suggests the value of stolen items often determines the severity of the sentence. Sometimes, cops are kind enough to buy food for those who steal to feed their hungry families, but you might not always be that lucky.

Stealing food might not be on everyone's agenda when they head towards the grocery aisle, but it might be tempting to swap produce stickers when something you want is more expensive than the alternative you'd rather not buy. After all, it's technically not stealing, right? If only things were that simple. Here's why you shouldn't let your intrusive thoughts win.

While you'll be paying money for your grocery items, either way, you shouldn't swap produce stickers for a variety of reasons. Needless to say, the number one reason not to do so is that it's unethical. Price tag switching is common in self-checkout stores, and in some states like Florida, there are penalties for switching labels in retail stores. Offenders might have to pay up to $5,000 in fines depending on the value of the stolen goods, per Corey Cohen & Associates.

Another reason why grocery stores hate when you switch produce stickers is that all stickers have a four-digit code that the cashier can scan to see the product details, per All Recipes. Even at a self-checkout store, you'll have to look up the code anyway so the only thing you'll get out of switching produce stickers is shame and you'll end up wasting everyone's time including your own. Add this to your list of things not to do at the grocery store.