Is it Illegal in Michigan to Eat Before Paying at the Grocery Store?

You might have found yourself snacking on something while shopping at the grocery store.

Or seen someone helping themselves to a few grapes that they planned on paying for.

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As a kid my mom would always yell at me to stop and that I would get in trouble.

Was her objection to my snacking true?

Or was she just trying to get her husky son to stop eating everything in sight?

Maybe both?

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I've talked about Michigan's best grocery store

and my PSA to grocery shoppers to stop doing this when they go out shopping.

Now I'm looking into something I've always wondered about.

Is it Illegal in Michigan to Eat Before Paying at the Grocery Store?

So am I breaking the law if I find myself hungry and walking around Meijer munching on some Doritos I plan on buying?

Thanks to Find Law I was able to get some answers.

While people or employees might give you some side-eye, it is LEGAL to open a bag up and get your snack on to avoid becoming hangry.

But if you plan on snacking on something, ditching the evidence, and not paying for it, then that's against the law and considered shoplifting.