If supermarkets were to keep a close eye on their customers' fingers, they could discover many a criminal offense.
Fortunately for the buyers, Kaufland, Rewe and Co. are usually accommodating.
Munich - theft, damage to property, disregard of house rules.
The list of criminal offenses is long for some consumers - and that with a normal visit to Rewe, Kaufland, Lidl and Co.
In this way, customers can make themselves liable to prosecution when shopping
Some things are considered trivial offenses from the customer's point of view, but are actually a criminal offense. This includes, for example, trying fruit in the supermarket. "Perhaps one or the other, who knows a little about law, thinks: This is mouth robbery and it can be exempt from punishment," says lawyer Christian Solmecke in a YouTube video on the subject and then immediately adds that this is a fallacy: “The offense of mouth theft has not existed for a long time. Anyone who eats a grape or a plum is stealing items of low value. ”In theory, the supermarket could report this. Most shops are accommodating, however.
Consuming goods in the supermarket is a criminal offense - even if you buy them later.
Those who can't wait and bite off the chocolate bar in the shop are not just stealing.
Strictly speaking, it can be about property damage, after all the packaging is then broken, explains lawyer Solmecke.
Reading newspapers, on the other hand, is not a criminal offense, provided that it is not damaged or wrinkled in the process.
However, the supermarket owner can still forbid this because he has house rights.
So just reading on is not an option.
Item dropped: who has to compensate for the damage?
Sometimes an item just breaks through being shoddy. It is a matter of honor to report the damage to an employee and not just leave the glass or the fallen yogurt pot lying around. But who has to pay for it? In principle, the customer who caused the damage must also bear the costs. However, the supermarket is not allowed to demand the sales price, only the purchase price. In most cases, however, Rewe, Kaufland, Aldi and Co. turn a blind eye anyway and simply write off the goods.
If you can prove that the articles were stacked unsteadily, you do not have to pay for the damage in an emergency, advises the consumer advice center. Another special case is damage to an item by a child. Parents then have to prove that they have not neglected their duty of supervision. It is not easy to justify this legally. If they succeed, they are not financially responsible for the damage in this case either. The younger the child, however, the more likely it is that the damage will stick to consumers, says the consumer advice center. Between the ages of seven and 18 it is possible that the child will have to be liable for the damage themselves. The decisive factor for this is individual, intellectual development.
Should a supermarket ever insist on the damage, liability insurance will often cover the costs.
When it comes to large sums, consumers can also seek support from the consumer advice center.
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