To wonder why shoplifters are so thick and selfish?

Both are tracked - people who consider themselves victims of crime those that agree reported. There are approx 2m more people who believe they have been victims of crime than reported crimes, and this measure has also fallen proportionally

Yuuup

https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/Industries/consumer/blogs/the-future-of-shrink-the-increase-of-shoplifting.html

https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/Industries/consumer/blogs/the-future-of-shrink-the-increase-of-shoplifting.html

Crime fallen or reporting crime now so difficult people don't bother.

it hasn’t really.

“Crime overall appears to have decreased significantly since the mid-1990s. For instance, total offenses fell from 19.8 million in 1995 to about 4.7 million in 2024 The Guardian.
Other sources, like The Times, report violent assaults, burglaries, and knife assaults are at their lowest levels in decadesThe Times.
Meanwhile, perception often diverges sharply from reality. Many people believe crime has risen, fueled in part by sensationalist media coverage despite official statistics showing the opposite”

Got a source for that?

Blaming everyone but themselves but children need to taught thinking by their parents and how many parents have no intelligence themselves so are raising the next generation and so on

How do you explain the pensioners stealing then?

How do they know that 40% of shoplifting is done by staff?

And again 40% of theft is done by staff. If they were so concerned stealing would close the shop and therefore put themselves out of a job they probably wouldn’t do it

The Argos model must look appealing to many retailers.

Lack of morals. Too many kids are not brought up properly. Benefits culture, money is not something earned anymore to many people, it's something given.

It's also interesting if you look at the actual statistics regarding shoplifting in the UK there's been a massive increase in pension age people shoplifting..
Now try and tell me that's not about poverty and survival?
We've got people on this thread wanging on about selfish teens nicking makeup or whatever... the actual biggest rise is amongst those over 65 and they are stealing food.

Waitrose doesn't tend to be in poorer areas
There are certainly no waitrose ,s near me.

I wonder why there is such an increase in crime?

Maybe if the big supermarkets cut their profit margins… I will always turn a blind eye. Waitrose and Asda etc don’t need the money.

You are wrong though because you contradict yourself! You can't have it both ways. Saying it's a rough area yet these people haven't had it any worse than anyone else..
It IS linked to poverty. Statistics don't lie. Shoplifting is massively linked to poverty. Not always obviously but for the most part.
And yes stealing to sell is also linked to entrenched generational poverty. Lack of ambition.. lack of engagement with society.
What does writing everyone off as thick do but entrench it more?
Swear to God people don't really want to address it they just like feeling superior and letting out some anger.
We live in a capitalist hellscape and it's getting worse.

I lived in Kirkby, on Merseyside. We had rows of shops close because of theft. So did Norris Green. Absolute scum of the earth. All had children removed. All had chance after chance, the best council houses, free white goods. No-one around them had it any better, but we managed to not carry on as they did.

Oops, sorry.
Thought I was in chat but it's AIBU.

I shall tarry and get my coat.

Yes... that wasn't my point. It won't seem like that to them though will it? If youre a teenage mum who's been hassled and treated like scum most of her life.
It's harder to make the sensible decision. You would think you were doing what you needed to survive

At this point MN is turning into a long form version of twatter,....sorry, X.

Oftentimes, I dream of placing a post on here for some measured, reasoned opinions and debate, but it quickly devolves into tabloid, pitchfork waving territory - good for ad views, shit for life

Imagine being so morally bankrupt that you think thinking about others and difficult situations makes you a bleeding heart.

Normally I wouldn’t comment on someone’s spelling/grammar but the OP is throwing around accusations of people being thick and it’s a case of those in glass houses…

For people in vulnerable positions/shit areas, the Care of the Chemist scheme is widely publicised. You can get a wide range of medication free, if you don't pay for prescriptions. The signs aren't just in English, they are in the main languages.
Baby formula will be sorced from one of the food banks, if you go to a local church they will help. But as said, Healthy start vouchers are still available.

People are stealing because they sell it on, or don't want to spend their own money on it. I've lived in rough bits of Liverpool and Knowsley, shop lifting is a way of life. There was a neighbour who if the queue in the local co-op was too long, he'd just rob what he wanted.
The staff in the Home Bargains, Heron, B&M are on minimum wage and have less disposable income than the robbers, but have to put up with them on top. These so called vulnerable people have/had no worse a life than the people they come into contact with and blight the lives of. The same ones are robbing children's bikes/scooters/garden toys (and the odd dog if they can).

One of the pharmacies near me has everything locked behind doors on shelves. You have to ask for it.

Stuff like cleansers and cotton wool aren’t, but all medicines and sun tan lotions.

You probably shouldn't pretend to be a bleeding heart if you have to resort to insulting people about their Grammer...