AIBU to “steal” this?

Laundry products are the most stolen items in our store, huge market for them. In my time I have been threatened with dirty needles, had my windows egged, threatened to be stabbed, spat at etc. My partners been physically assaulted twice punched in the face kicked strangled all by shoplifters.

The CEO doesn’t miss it because they don’t take it out of their pockets, they take it straight from the customer by putting the prices up. Were all paying for shoplifting 🙄

however I wouldn’t judge you for this if I knew you in real life.

Problem is that buying his stolen goods makes it more expensive for everyone else as they raise the price.

You don’t need sent balls or fabric conditioner. They’re both really bad for children’s skin and I definitley wouldn’t use them on baby clothes.

You’re not on the bones of your arse if you’re buying laundry balls. If you’re on the bones of your arse a pointless scent ball to add to laundry is the first thing to go, even before the likes of cutting Netflix. She can still afford food, she’s just choosing to buy stolen laundry balls to buy more food.

Taking the supermarkets out of the equation, you are feeding his drug habit OP. How are you going to feel when he’s arrested and that you’ve been part of the cycle for him? Or if he ends up dead because of his addiction? Are you going to be happy that you got some cheap (and fucking pointless) laundry balls from him then? Other people might still buy from him but you don’t need to be part of the problem. I’m not sure I could walk past his house in a few years with my children on the way to the park, see an ambulance outside and know it’s because his addiction has got the better of him and I’m partly to blame so my clothes can have an artificial scent to them. If you are struggling to afford baby milk, talk to your HV they can give you support on where to get baby formula without feeding someone’s addiction. Near us there are several baby banks that give out formula for free to people who need it. I know the HV can also give you vouchers.

OP, they mostly do this to look inside people's houses while you're choosing and case them out as potential burglary sites

@LlamaTwirl was correct though. That's how capitalism works (for the few!)

The £10 a week is on laundry pods, softener , stain remover and laundry scent balls from persil or lenor.

If you are genuinely struggling for money right now you don't need laundry pods, get powder (or even liquid is cheaper). Fabric softener - fine I'm assuming as you're on mat leave you have a baby but again get the "pure" stuff from lidl/aldi it will last ages. Stain remover- you don't need this EVERY week? And if you were really strapped for cash it wouldn't be a consideration. I know the scent balls you mean and yes it smells nice but actually they are really strong and everyone knows when you've used them. You don't need them for kids and if you're genuinely hard up for money you don't need them at all!!

But it’s not desperate times calling for desperate measures. It’s someone wanting to spend loads of money on branded unnecessary laundry products (laundry balls???) that they could buy for a fraction of the price they currently spend by just buying own brand and ditching the laundry balls and fabric softener (which you don’t need and DEFINITELY shouldn’t be using on a new born baby’s clothes). If she did that she could afford more baby milk and food.

Money would be a lot less tight if you weren't spending £10 a week on laundry.

Stop kidding yourself that he would steal whether people purchases it or not. He will be stealing according to demand.

Of course you shouldn’t buy stolen goods and of course you shouldn’t spend £10 a week on laundry products!

I’ve got a vision of some sort of Lenor and Fabreze trading market where all the “druggies” meet now 😆

The simplest thing is to consider how you would feel to come home to find your house raided; broken outside door and all your kitchen items taken as well as half your clothes, and a mess left behind for you to to clean up after ages spent with the police reporting the incident and weeks of debate with insurers to prove the loss and get half the value back. You buy some new stuff. Then imagine it happens again 2 weeks later. Shopkeepers are actually humans too, and you can lay bets he's breaking into small shops because the alarm systems are easier. Your payments are causing him to create that distress. Contact your local police by calling 101 and let them deal with him.

I think unless you’ve been in the situation you find yourself in, it’s very easy to judge. I’d do exactly the same as you.

Do you really need to ask? Have you not seen the brazen impunity with which some people are walking into shops and walking out with stuff the haven’t paid for? How do you think the shopkeeper feels? But yeah you getting your name brands at half price is soooo worth someone else of being out of pocket.

I can imagine doing this in your situation, but I don't think it's wise or morally right.

Wow - shown your true colours with this statement. PP was right - you have no moral compass. Why do you think prices are high in the shops - to cover for lowlife thieves and their 'customers' like you.

Honestly, buying stolen goods is unethical. You're supporting illegal activity, which can have broader negative consequences. It's understandable, but there are better ways to save money.

I would not give my baby formula that didn't have a clear chain of handling.

You don't know who he has around the formula, how it is stored, contaminants etc

And yes you can check the seal but we all hav eheard the stories of a needle being used to inject things in a sneaky way through seals.

That is my biggest issue here.

I am sure the chances of this happening is very high. That is normal when you build up a relationship with criminal addicts

I don't have much money I buy laundry powder from Asda £3.50 and it lasts two weeks for a family of five.

I wouldn't do it, id quietly judge you for doing it. But I wouldn't fall out with you

Not sure why you think it's a victimless crime ? Prices go up for everyone because of shoplifters.
@AmiABadPersonn

This. I buy a big box of fairy washing powder for £12 that lasts probably close to a year, and that’s with almost daily washing.

If you’re really strapped for cash you do not need to spend £10 a week on laundry products.

Wont it be great fun when he peers over your shoulder at his next shop at home visit and spies your tv or MacBook and can then have someone take orders for those items, picking up of course when you’re not home. How would you like that? Someone coming and stealing from you? Just like he’s doing to others with your encouragement. I know karma doesn’t work like that but wouldn’t it be fun if it did and next time you came home from the shops your house was emptied? I know you’d understand the bloke up the road is having a hard time financially and can’t afford a full price computer!

@AmiABadPersonn

You are clearly very bad with money and spending vastly more than you need on unnecessary crap.

You are building up a relationship with an unpredictable criminal when you have young children in the house

You are responsible for putting up supermarket prices for everybody

You are being the worst possible example to your children

You are going to get a criminal record for receiving stolen goods. This will trigger a SS investigation into your parenting and put a serious limit on your future earning potential

Time to grow up and be a proper adult