The Grape Debate: Shoppers divided over whether you need to buy the full bag

While one person said, "It's per kilo, just take what you need," another said that they thought it was "illegal" to do so. What do you think?

The humble grape has long been a staple of households in Australia, whether your kids treat them like lollies, you use them on cheeseboards or just have them to snack on.

However, it seems that a simple yet revolutionary concept has eluded many grape-loving shoppers until now: you can take out as many grapes as you want to buy and you're not obliged to buy the full bag.

Mind = blown.

The groundbreaking revelation means you only buy what you need, resulting in a cheaper bunch of grapes and less soggy ones at the end of the week!

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Have you ever seen sealed bags of grapes? Image: Facebook

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'You pay per kilo, so they're trying to rip you off'

A post in the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group kicked off the social media storm by sharing a photo of a bag of grapes that had been sealed shut.

The poster, Melanie, wrote: "Went to buy some fruit for the kids for kinder tomorrow with a very small budget, so just wanted a small bunch, but they've sealed each bag with sticker labels. If they're sold by the kilo, can they force you to buy the whole bag like this?"

"Is this legal?" she asked. 

The post now has over 270 comments, with many fellow shoppers weighing in on the dilemma, excuse the pun.

"What?! You don't have to buy the full bag?" someone asked. "I thought there was like this unspoken rule that you couldn't take a smaller bunch from the pack. I've always been too embarrassed to try."

Another wrote: "Grape bags should definitely be loose. If they're sold by the kilo then you have all rights to purchase just the amount you need."

A third echoed: "You pay per kilo, so they're trying to rip you off. Either that, or they're trying to stop people taste testing them lol, cruel."

"I never knew you didn't have to buy the full thing, here I have been for decades just being a  sheep and buying the amount the grape company wants me to," a different woman expressed.

And then this person suggested: "If the bag is sealed just open it up, take what you need and seal it back up! They're trying to upsell you."

But on the other hand, some said that she should have just bought the grapes as they come.

"Yes it's legal for them to sell it in whatever quantity they want, if they want customers to buy pre-packaged grapes then that's how you buy it. If you don't want that many grapes then maybe buy someone else that sells them loose," one woman commented. 

Another said: "No one is forcing you to buy the full bag, they can seal the bags if they want, it's their store. If you don't like it, don't buy it."

'Don't feel pressured' Image: TikTok

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"This is so cruel to the person who buys the half-full bag'

Another TikTok video also went viral recently about the little-known grape-buying technique.

Food reviewer Adrian Widjy, took to the platform to show himself taking a small amount of grapes out of the packet and he even said that he confirmed with a staff member that this practice is allowed. 

"Did you know this?" Adrian wrote.

"You are allowed to buy the amount you need instead of the whole allocated bag.

"I had to make sure and asked the staff members if I could do this, and they told me 100 per cent."

Viewers were shocked that such a long-standing shopping practice actually was based on a myth.

"I absolutely love this, because who actually eats an entire bag?" one person said. 

"Dude this is a game-changer for me when I make a charcuterie board," said another. "I only want like five grapes."

"Yessss, never feel like you have to buy the full bag!" someone else agreed.

But again, not everyone was sold on the concept.

"This is so unfair to the person that scans the bag of grapes, only to find out at home that there's some missing," someone pointed out. 

"Noooo don't do this, they're in individual bags for a reason," one viewer responded.

"This is mean for someone who then gets less for their money with a half-full bag," a third concluded. 

Originally published as The Grape Debate: Shoppers divided over whether you need to buy the full bag