To Not Report This Shoplifter

[Tak3n]

Was in Sainsbury tonight about 5ish at was at the self service checkout, whilst doing my shopping this young guy roughly 18ish comes next to me he looked homeless in his apperance (if there is an apperance) i.e unwashed and very dirty clothes, anyway I see him put a large bottle of orange squash in his bag but put it through as a different item by manual choosing something cheap on the screen and not scanning it, of course the alarm goes off as the scale says something is wrong, this terribly young girl comes over and the guy gets all aggitated and a little uneasy, so the girl scans her card to allow what he is doing to go through, but I can see in her expression she can see something is not right but she seemingly ignores it. My moral compass is telling me to report it but then I think by the looks of him he clearly does not need anymore trouble in his life and if Sainsburys want to employ tender young girls on min-wage who feel they are not strong enough to confront this issue then why should I do it for them... But now having got home my Moral compass is making me feel bad...

And I expect I have certainly failed the "big society" test :(

[Methe]

I would have ignored it too, if I were you and if I were the shop worker.

:)

[ImperialBlether]

I think for me it would depend on what he was stealing. If he stole alcohol or something equally expensive then yes, I'd probably say something, though I'm not sure whether I'd have the nerve to speak up at the time. If it was baby food I wouldn't say anything. If there was even a hint of violence or aggression I'd be prepared to back up the shop assistant.

[ohnoudidnt]

I would have done the same as you. :)

[NinkyNonker]

Nah, I'd have done the same.

[nancy75]

shoplifting is part of the reason everything we buy is so expensive, if you are happy to pay for other people to have things for free then yanbu

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Wouldn't have said anything - the shop assistant was dealing with it.

If I saw someone sticking something in their bag straight from the shelf I'd say something to security, but again it would depend on what it was. Loaf of bread/tin of beans for someone who looked like they needed a good feed - no. Ned helping himself to a DVD - yes.

[Methe]

I am happy to pay more so that homeless people get it free.

[fedupofnamechanging]

I would ignore it too. I don't resent paying a bit more so some homeless/skint person can have orange juice. i would object to a DVD though.

[LineRunnerSaturnaliaCometh]

How on earth did you manage to notice that he's not scanned the orange juice whilst busy with your own shopping? Were you ... staring at him?

I can barely manage to get my own shit together at self-checkout.

Anyway I'd have done what you did, and left it to the shop to sort out. I'd probably have given him a quid aswell.

[KittyFane]

I reported a horrible woman who used DD as cover to steal from a shop recently. She stood really close to DD and as quick as a flash pocketed loads of stuff from an accessories stand. Vile.
In your case though OP, I'd have ignored too and would secretly hope he got away with his juice :(

[LineRunnerSaturnaliaCometh]

I think that the actual reason why everything we buy is so expensive price-wise is because the bankers and energy-suppliers fuck with us and our economy on a daily basis, and the reason why our food is cheaper than it probably should be market-wise is that we all exploit the producers of the actual food.

I don't think desperate homeless people are responsible for the downfall of the European economy.

[KittyFane]

Linerunner! :o

[FrenchRuby]

I would have ignored it too. Poor guy just needed some juice.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I'd never have said anything.

Agree, desperate people aren't bringing the economy down and pricing farmers out. Capitalism is.

[SirHumphreyAppleby]

Your moral compass is faulty if it thinks there is an issue here

[IdRatherBeInBed]

Id have ignored it too

[worraliberty]

YANBU for not reporting

But I've never heard so much blatant ageism in my life Lol!

this terribly young girl comes over

if Sainsburys want to employ tender young girls on min-wage who feel they are not strong enough to confront this issue then why should I do it for them

Perhaps she got her National Insurance number free with a pack of Pampers?

[cocoachannel]

YANBU. I'd have done the same. IMO your moral compass is in perfect working order.

[Serenitysutton]

Pmsl at "everything so expensive". Supermarkets are dirt cheap, we've never had it as good. Mind you you can get value squash for like 30p so not sure what he picked cheaper??

I'd have done the same as you.

[dazzlingdeborahrose]

Hmmm, I often put stuff directly from the shelf into my bag. Saves having to lug a basket round too. It's not stolen until I leave the store without unloading it all at the checkout and paying for it. Hope Maisie's not around when I do that Of course I'll have great fun leading the security people on a little goose chase round the store before I dutifully unpile it all at the checkout and pay for it all like the good citizen that I am :o

[RainboweBrite]

I would have ignored it too. YANBU.

[workshy]

the girl at the till will have been at least 18

sales staff are trained to think of their own safety first so if he was visibly aggitated then the girl was doing the right thing

I wouldn't have reported it either

and I'm sorry to say that quite often if you see someone shoplifting there is no point reporting it to the staff as if they haven't seen them select the item and then go past the last point of payment in the store then they generally can't challenge them unless the alarms go off -at which point they generally leg it!

[vincettenoir]

Ynbu. It has nothing to do with you.

[KittyFane]

workshy - the girl at the till will have been at least 18
Not always.
I worked on the tills at tesco when I was in the lower 6th and was just 16.
Also, I chatting to a girl on the till at John Lewis on Saturday who said she was 17.

[AnotherEmptyNest]

What is the matter with all of most of you? No wonder this country is in the state it is! If you saw a theft elsewhere, you would report it - well I would. The OP was watching a thief. He should have been reported.

As for the girl, she might have been connected to him outside the store in some way and could have been in it with him. If we all kept the values like 'thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods', we would all have better lives.