Grocery store ethics: Does this seem right to you?

I witnessed something in the grocery store yesterday that has been bothering me and I would like your opinion.

A mom and her adorable daughter were in the grocery store at the same time I was there. We ended up in many of the same aisles as we shopped. The little girl was about 4 years old and pushing one of the mini grocery carts for kids. You know, the ones that tear up your ankles when your kids are behind you and run you over.

Mom had put a number of items in the cart including a bag of grapes. In every aisle, the little girl was eating multiple grapes. At one point, she had backed up the aisle for other shoppers who wanted to get by because she stopped to snack so the mom turned around and told her to hurry up. She clearly saw that the child was eating the unpurchased product.

I know some people open packages in the store to appease their kids while they are shopping and pay for them at the register when they check out. In that case, although it is questionable, at least the full amount of the product will be paid when it's a bag of Goldfish or box of animal crackers. In this case, the weight the mom will pay for the grapes will be the amount left over after the daughter enjoys her snack while shopping. I was in the produce dept. when they first got there and I did not see them pay for the product before continuing to do the rest of their shop. The grapes were charged per pound and not pre-weighed per bag.

Is this an accepted practice for parents of young kids these days?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.