It’s just theft isn’t it?

It's everyones issue as society in general is breaking down. It used to be trust based but no more. Can't even leave eggs and an honesty box outside your house without someone stealing the lot.
Even the police aren't interested anymore. Why condone such behaviour?

Tesco have apparently sold more carrots than they’ve ever had in stock,due to people entering more expensive produce as carrots at the self checkout.

If it bothered you that much,why not report her to CS?

This is a forum for discussion. It surprised the OP so she is discussing. Why do you feel you should police what people talk about. Sheesh. You aren’t that important

Whereabouts in London was this @HiRen ?

I'm with you. It is stealing.

Thing is, no one here is saying it isn't stealing. They're just saying that it's stealing that doesn't matter. Or stealing that's none of your business. Or stealing that the shop is just asking for. Or stealing that anyone might do.

No. It's stealing. It's not the Great Train Robbery. But it is dishonest.

Why judge her on the way she stole? The weighing scam is not better or worse than ‘forgetting’ to scan or putting an item in your bag, isn’t it?

It absolutely has an effect on prices. We wouldn’t bother with stocktakes and shrink if it didn’t matter.

It is stealing and I bet she would have something to say about a youngster steeling. Years ago I worked in a supermarket in the days of deli counters etc. This lady came to my till and for some reason I looked at one of her brown vegetable bag she had stuffed something more expensive inside then there was bacon put in another brown bag with something like carrots in. I just glared at her and ran up all the goods. Wish I had torn her bag so she had vegetables everywhere. Does anyone remember Lady Isabella Barnett a magistrate who known to be hard on any criminals she was prolific shop lifter. Sadly she took her own life and the poor shopkeeper got a tremendous abuse.

The other week I got a trolley from the trolley park and there was a pack of three tins of tuna in it. I went into the store and handed them to an employee. She looked at me in astonishment.

I agree with this - fennel isn’t a necessity. Not like someone stealing a loaf of bread so their children don’t starve

I really agree OP. The more the world in general goes downhill the more stuff like this upsets me! Rudeness, selfishness, mini law breaking seems on the rise :(

right

Really?

You are feeling self-righteous because an 80 year old woman is getting a few pennies off a bloody vegetable?

You must have a lot of time in your hands...

“Profits at Waitrose soared last year, but staff across the supermarket and its sister brand John Lewis have missed out on a bonus once again. For the 52 weeks to 25 January 2025, profit before tax at the John Lewis Partnership tripled from £42m to £126m. Adjusted operating profit at Waitrose was £227m, up £122m.”

I presume because it shows how widespread the problem is. TBH I’d be shocked to see an 80 year-old shoplifting in Waitrose.

I read something on another thread that I wish I could find to quote it fully, but it was something about the breakdown of the social contract. The COL and housing crisis mean people don’t see the point in working hard and/or paying for stuff any more. They feel scammed by the system so have no qualms about cheating and taking shortcuts themselves. I don’t agree with it, but I think it’s an interesting point. (I think it was originally said in relation to ‘quiet quitting’.)

Shops can’t just charge whatever they like for stuff, that’s not how it works. If you don’t like the cost of fennel at Waitrose, go buy some leeks at Ildi- that’s how the market works.

If Waitrose are losing a lot of money due to shoplifting they will pay staff to monitor the self checkout. - sufficient staff to look after your stock is part of the cost when your run a business.

Yes it does. Other consumers have to pay more as a consequence of theft. The shops aren't going to take the hit.

I definitely think that supermarkets will put up their prices regardless, yes. And that shoplifting has no effect on prices, other than they might use this as some kind of justification. Like how they say it's inflation but inflation is just corporate greed. Try looking at their profits.

For all those saying it’s not anyone’s business. Does this go for other crimes as well. Burgling a house -Not my house not my
business. Someone being attacked. I don’t know them not my business. For crime to thrive, it just takes lots of good people to do NOTHING!

Why don't we all just pay what we feel like for some fennel? No? Because at some point we were taught stealing is wrong.The costs are passed on to the customers.

I'm not going to get judgey if someone shop lifts some basic food essentials, times are hard for lots of people. But I draw the line at someone being able to pick and choose what they fancy paying some some fennel.

Of course it's theft but some people are too blinkered, or just too dishonest to see it. I have a friend that happily told me that she buys ordinary eggs at Waitrose (Waitrose seems to attract this sort of thing!) but swaps the eggs in the box for a more expensive type before she scans them. She told me like it was quite a clever thing to do.Didn't seemto have any self awareness that she's a tea leaf.

Being cross about fennel is very Waitrose.