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AIBU?

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Shops are becoming quite scary

378 replies

ithinkilikethislittlelife · 25/02/2026 12:42

I am starting to become quite nervous in shops, primarily shops that sell food stuffs. Just yesterday I saw two men go through a fire door in my local supermarket that takes them straight into the car park armed with baskets of stolen items. The one basket had steak/meats and the other looked like it was all bottles of vodka. The poor staff trying to wrestle the baskets back and stop the two men from leaving was quite upsetting to witness. This was yesterday. Saturday in my local co op a chap was loitering by the alcohol section while I was shopping. Getting into our car outside I noticed him sprinting past us clutching bottles of alcohol. Me and dh see it all the time now. It’s an epidemic. And it usually seems to be men. And I’m not having it that they are stealing milk for babies or bread for their children. I always see them take alcohol. I don’t know what the answer is but yesterday I was frightened for the staff member who intervened as the one chap raised a bottle of alcohol at her and she then backed off but I totally understood her rage at trying to stop the thieves taking from her place of work. I don’t want my children to witness these thieving people and I don’t want to feel anxious just trying to go about my day and buy food!

OP posts:
WeepingAngelInTheTardis · 25/02/2026 12:52

The answer is to bring down the cost of living.

ithinkilikethislittlelife · 25/02/2026 12:51

It’s the brazen way they steal stuff now. Not slipping shampoo bottle into a pocket but armfuls/ baskets full of booze. And they are angry doing it. It’s bloody horrible.

OP posts:
Bitzee · 25/02/2026 12:48

I used to work in a supermarket in the mid 00s (naice one in a naice area) and people stole stuff all the time. If the staff weren’t intervening (which is bloody stupid because a minimum wage job definitely isn’t worth putting yourself at risk for) then you likely wouldn’t even notice.