AIBU to “steal” this?

just stop excusing yourself.

So you're willing to buy stuff you know to be stolen by a drug addict so you can have laundry that smells "nice". And you're prepared to buy baby formula form him too because you know of course it is going to be the real thing rather than some adulterated knock off. Your children are going to grow up seeing you do this sort of thing and you'll be whining when they start shoplifting etc as teenagers. Just imagine explaining what you are doing to your children:

"Well there is a very sick man. He steals things to buy drugs to make him feel better but they are actually killing him. I like our laundry to smell nice so I buy stuff from him that he stole because it's much cheaper because he stole it."

At times my family was desperately poor. We didn't steal food let alone buy stolen stuff to make our laundry smell good. We worked our way out of poverty without giving up our moral code.

Actually trying to conceive right now. Would you be inclined to recommend wetherspoons or something more like Starbucks?

I think unreal is the word here.

I can’t believe that anyone is saying it’s okay to steal from anyone, it’s absolutely, and utterly low life and disgusting, how can you live like that buying stolen goods.
What sort of an example is that to your children that it’s okay to steal.
It’s partly because of people like you that supermarket prices are so high, they lose money every time someone steals something.
Raise your morals and your standards … you’re a perfect example of everything the country doesn’t need, you are as much a thief as he is.

You’re knowingly handling stolen goods…that is illegal, never mind morally wrong.

Also £10 for a weeks worth of laundry tablets/powder??? He’s having your pants down! I pay £12 for 56 fairy laundry pods which last us well over a month if not 2 months.

WTF, Buying baby milk from a Drug dealer! Come on OP ,you know this is all kinds of wrong.Why do you spend £10.00 a week on laundry products? Unreal! I probably dont spend that in a month!

Is it even genuine? At best it might be damaged packaging or shoplifted, at worst not what you think or contaminated and dangerous. And yes he will be using income to fund his habits or those of someone else. Own brand washing powder is less than £5 a box , is it really much of a saving?

Stolen possibly contaminated baby milk.... give your head a wobble op!

Food banks aren’t a means of subsiding spend you can’t afford in other areas. Food banks are for people who cannot afford to eat. Using them to subsidise expensive laundry brands is stealing from people who would otherwise have to skip meals. That’s even worse than stealing from the supermarket.

I have family in retail. It’s has become completely awful to work in due to shoplifting. Both large scale and individuals doing this. I’m now extremely careful where I buy from if I see things on Facebook fur example. There’s a huge cost to this and it’s at such a level that it is pushing costs up.

So am I morally wrong for this?. Yes, for all the reasons outlined by previous posters.

It sounds like you've lost a good friend too.

And think about what example you're setting to your children. They'll be telling their mates that their mum saves loads by buying from Dodgy Dave at the door.

I think this is a wind up, and that’s why the items formula (a necessity) and scent balls (a luxury) was chosen.

And also using the word stealing in the head line to draw attention to the post.

I think you know darn well it isn't right by your choice of wording in the title 🙄

How can using laundry scent balls be a need?

It's wrong but needs must sometime. I agree though with the poster who said don't buy baby milk from him. Your friend isn't very nice.

Someone should stage an intervention. The OP's lenor habit is spiralling out of control and affecting her ability to feed her children.

Stop for a moment and just think about what you're facilitating here. I accept times might be hard (though frankly your laundry costs are baffling) but even so.

He's an addict and therefore likely to be vulnerable and desperate.

He is stealing high value items to fund his addiction.

Stealing things for people like you who will buy them might result in him going to prison or overdosing. Do you want to be connected to that just so you can use branded laundry pods at supermarket brand prices?

Shops increase prices to compensate for their losses so you're indirectly contributing to that as well.

And you've said yourself that sometimes he hasn't sold stuff so it's not a case of others will buy it if you don't.

On every possible level what you're doing is a terrible idea.

I voted YABU because you don’t need fabric conditioner or those revolting scent things. So you’re aiding and abetting crime for no reason whatsoever.

If you don’t mind about being a mum with a criminal record, then just go for it! 👍🏼

Also, nobody needs softener or scent balls for their laundry.

You’re committing a crime - handling stolen goods. Of course you are morally reprehensible.

She could achieve this much more easily just by stopping using utterly pointless stuff like laundry scent balls. She could also save herself from the risk of a criminal conviction into the bargain.

Ffs. I wouldn't come anywhere near your house if you were my friend.
Sort your head out. You can get arrested for receiving and handling stolen goods.
And to echo pp who the hell spends £10 a week on washing stuff. That's insane

At least you know that you can’t afford to have another child for a long time.