Okay, when I first saw this I thought it was pretty cut-and-dried ridiculous, and I still agree that it's ridiculous to tie up already overburdened court systems with such a minor deal. But ... she was filling up a bag from a bulk bin and ate a couple of pieces of the candy. Maybe it's different in some grocery stores, but typically when you're buying from the bulk bin, the cashier weighs the bag and charges you according to what's in the bag. It's completely different than drinking a Coke and giving the cashier the empty bottle, because it's a constant price. Same with the deli items - the price has usually been marked on the wrapper by the deli clerk. But in this case, only what's in the bag will get weighed and charged - not what's in the tummy. If the employee had not caught her, does anyone really believe that she would have told the cashier "Oh, by the way, I ate a couple of pieces back there - just weigh two pieces and tack those charges onto by bill." And yes, I realize that it's a risk that grocers take with bulk bins and that they build the price of the occasional nibble into the overall price, but that doesn't mean it's right to nibble. Still, the store grossly overreacted, even though the student should have known better. I've got visions of a "Blues Brothers"-style swarm of armed officers next time there's a shoplifter in that store.
It's like the kid who went on a rampage in a grocery store, eating everything in the produce aisle. His mom told the manager to weigh the kid and she'd pay for everything over forty pounds.
Ditto to 33, HN, and qq re: why is this here? It's an interesting issue but it should be in chitchat. If she is Greek, I hope her chapter/nationals doesn't overreact like the employees.