Open those egg cartons before buying them!
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (42747)
March 10, 2025 5:25pm CST
If I am egg shopping, years of experience have taught me that I should open the carton to check if any are cracked or smashed a bit. I've always done that.
My son has a friend who runs a local chain grocery store here. He called my son and they chatted for a bit...he said he was told by the chain store's owners that they may be installing cameras above the eggs section shelves in their stores. It seems people are stealing individual eggs now--they open the cartons and slip out one or two and put them in their pockets. I know many stores have cameras above the meat sections now, and have for some time. The grocery stores have more thefts than ever before.
Many stores are having issues with this. I even watched a blurb on the news yesterday about it. How sad that people have come to this.
Seriously?? Who would want to be arrested for stealing an egg?
16 people like this
13 responses
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
10 Mar
I agree with you, stealing anything is stealing. And honestly, if anyone has a terrible need for an egg or two, I bet in a lot of cases they could ask a neighbor, friend, or family member for an egg. I mean...the ''cup of sugar'' comes to mind.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
11 Mar
@AmbiePam
With the prices of eggs and meat, a person has to often get creative with different kinds of proteins. Just don’t forget to eat some, Amber!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (187821)
• United States
10 Mar
Those dumb enough to do it, deserve the consequences. If they are desperate, most communities have food banks. However, doubt too many are stocked with eggs now.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
10 Mar
I doubt any of the food pantries here have eggs to give away. I know they are always trying to get donations for any protein items at all. But stealing eggs and putting them in pockets...I guess I don't have the mind of a thief, as I would have never thought of anyone doing this.
2 people like this
@rakski (135383)
• Philippines
12 Mar
@MarieCoyle oh yes that is true but who would want to get jailed for an egg or two 
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
12 Mar
@rakski
Yes, those were my thoughts as well. To possibly get arrested for stealing an egg. So ridiculous.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
11 Mar
I’m sure it’s due to the extremely high price of the eggs.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (63763)
• Centralia, Washington
11 Mar
@MarieCoyle There are aprons designed to hold eggs. I'm not sure how that works. That's a funny story about your Grandmother. I used to collect the eggs then put them on the deck in front of our house so that I could go do other chores. One day our largest dog grabbed an egg and took it off to her favorite weed patch in the yard. She was soft mouthed so the egg was still intact and just fine when I found it- she also loved to steal pansies out of the pots after I'd planted them. That's how I knew to look for the egg.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
11 Mar
I bet it was a mess!
My one grandmother had a story about how her mother often collected eggs in her apron. Then they had a very playful, large farm dog, who jumped on her one day with her apron full of eggs. That ended that way of her egg collecting!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
11 Mar
@sallypup
I have heard of dogs stealing eggs, but no one I know that has chickens has that problem. Maybe the dogs are just sneaky!
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (16981)
• Raurkela, India
11 Mar
I buy my eggs from a small store in my residential area.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
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11 Mar
I don't know your prices over there compared to ours here in the US, but the price of eggs is crazy high.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (16981)
• Raurkela, India
12 Mar
@MarieCoyle Here we still can afford eggs. It's cheaper than meat.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37753)
• Toccoa, Georgia
11 Mar
Oh goodness I never thought about people stealing eggs.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37753)
• Toccoa, Georgia
12 Mar
@MarieCoyle oh yes, now I remember, my husband used to work in a grocery store years ago and the stuffing the meat in the pants stealing was going on then. I don't understand crooks.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
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13 Mar
@LeaPea2417
I knew people steal from stores, of course--but in all honesty, I never considered stuffing a steak down the front of my pants!
I don't understand crooks, either.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
11 Mar
Neither did I. But people are strange. The grocery guy I mentioned, he said a lot of grocery stores everywhere have put cameras on the meat cases, because people stuff the cellophane wrapped expensive steaks down the front of their pants. I mean...who thinks up this stuff, anyway??
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (52226)
• United States
12 Mar
That’s a sad mess and it drives me our prices up.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
•
12 Mar
Stealing seems to happen more when prices go up. And then since the item is being stolen often, it makes them go up even more.
@wolfgirl569 (114537)
• Marion, Ohio
10 Mar
Its sad that they are getting that expensive
1 person likes this
@thedevilinme (4295)
• Northampton, England
11 Mar
More eggs being smuggled in than Mexicans!
1 person likes this
@porwest (98982)
• United States
12 Mar
Whenever prices of something get ridiculously high, it leads to massive theft. Remember the Obama years when gas was tickling $5 a gallon and people started stealing gas? That's where all this pre-pay came from. In any event, I have ALWAYS checked cartons and can't imagine why anyone wouldn't. It seems like a no-brainer to me.
@MarieCoyle (42747)
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11 Mar
I don't know why I was surprised to learn this, because it appears people steal anything they can manage to steal.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (42747)
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13 Mar
@grenery8
I recently read that in some places, canned meats, or the meats that come in those pouches and do not have to be refrigerated, are being stolen frequently. They are small, and I guess easily stolen. The article I read said that some stores were moving them to areas that had cameras. Sad.
1 person likes this
@grenery8 (15764)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
13 Mar
@MarieCoyle i was also used to hearing people stealing parfumes but, food, you know it is on purpose then.
1 person likes this
