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Original poster

I accidentally shoplifted - advice needed

371 replies

iamsodumb · 12/03/2021 15:33

NC as this will be outing.

I work in the NHS and there is a shop on the premises which I go to near enough every day Monday-Friday. Today at about 11am I went and bought (?!) my usual packet of crisps and can of Coke. I used the self scanner as I always do and walked out.

This afternoon I got a call from my supervisor saying the big boss wanted to speak to me. When I went to her office she said I hadn't paid for my items and the shop have me on cctv not paying. I was absolutely mortified and checked my online banking and sure enough there's no charge from the shop today so I don't dispute I have done it. I don't know if I've tapped my card and it's not gone through or if I've absent mindedly scanned the items then walked off with them. I genuinely haven't got a clue. She said the shop wanted to escalate it to head office but advised me to go and speak to them myself.

I went to the shop and apologised and offered to pay but the manager had gone home. The shop assistant phoned her manager and he said I was not to pay but was to come and speak to him on Monday?! So instead of this being resolved on the day I have to worry about it over the weekend.

I'm not particularly worried about police involvement etc, I know I didn't mean to do it and have never stolen in my life so can't imagine it would go anywhere. However, I am concerned about work. Could this impact my job?! I asked my own supervisor and she said she doesn't think so but couldn't say for sure. I'm so worried! I can't believe all of this drama for less than £3 which I have offered to pay!!

If anyone has any knowledge I would appreciate any insight you have on what I can expect the outcome of this to be.

OP posts:
stackemhigh · 15/03/2021 14:58

Maybe being in a a work place setting trumps other rights? (within reason)

Anyone, I only speak anecdotally, so happy to be proved wrong.

Cadent · 15/03/2021 14:59

IntermittentParps Mon 15-Mar-21 14:57:14
The shop assistant phoned her manager and he said I was not to pay but was to come and speak to him on Monday?! So instead of this being resolved on the day I have to worry about it over the weekend.
Not really their problem.

It is absolutely their problem; the manager created it by telling the OP to come and speak to him on Monday.

---------

Yes, but OP was annoyed that she couldn't sort it on Friday.

TheSecondMrsAshwell · 15/03/2021 15:00

That'll teach me to RTFT

HappyasLaura · 15/03/2021 15:01

There’ll be a regional manager, OP, why don’t you try and contact her or him about the manager of this shop. The fact that he wouldn’t come out to speak to you is disrespectful at best. He wouldn’t let you pay on Friday so you could stew over it over the weekend, yet the fact that you could today shows that was bullshit too.
Sorry you had to go this but if inadvertently he’s saved you £50 a month/£600 a year, well you’re the real winner here.

Cokie3 · 15/03/2021 15:29

[quote Cadent]@iseeu then you acknowledge that you didn't pay and make things right, not moan about how they have damaged your reputation.[/quote]
@Cadent OP tried to do that, it is the manager that wouldn't allow her to pay or set things right, as the OP said in her posts. She tried to.

purplecorkheart · 15/03/2021 15:32

[quote changingnames786]@purplecorkheart it's been written into UK law, so it's UK GDPR now and pretty much identical though we can expect the two pieces of legislation to develop differently over time.[/quote]
Thanks for that I was just curious.

Nith · 15/03/2021 15:32

[quote Cadent]@iseeu then you acknowledge that you didn't pay and make things right, not moan about how they have damaged your reputation.[/quote]
But OP tried to pay as soon as she realised! This post is really quite weird.

Cokie3 · 15/03/2021 15:35

@Cadent Yes, but OP was annoyed that she couldn't sort it on Friday.

Of course she would be annoyed that she couldn't sort it on that day. Who wouldn't be? How is that a slight against the OP?

IntermittentParps · 15/03/2021 15:41

It is absolutely their problem; the manager created it by telling the OP to come and speak to him on Monday.

-----

Yes, but OP was annoyed that she couldn't sort it on Friday.

When she went to the shop on Friday and the assistant had to call the manager, he could have told the assistant to just take payment and consider it finished with.

Frazzled2207 · 15/03/2021 15:46

This is bonkers.
Recently I did similar at Sainsbury’s- a big £100ish shop! I tapped the self scanned, or thought I did, then walked off.
Got home and realised I didn’t have my receipt. Suddenly couldn’t be sure I did pay so went straight back. They were totally nice about it. Arranged for me to pay then I left. No drama and seemed to suggest it happens all the time(they did have my nectar details so suspect they could have come after me if they needed to).
This is a massive overreaction.

Cadent · 15/03/2021 15:46

@IntermittentParps

It is absolutely their problem; the manager created it by telling the OP to come and speak to him on Monday.

-----

Yes, but OP was annoyed that she couldn't sort it on Friday.

When she went to the shop on Friday and the assistant had to call the manager, he could have told the assistant to just take payment and consider it finished with.

Maybe he had to speak to the regional manager on procedure.
Cadent · 15/03/2021 15:47

[quote Cokie3]**@Cadent* Yes, but OP was annoyed that she couldn't sort it on Friday.*

Of course she would be annoyed that she couldn't sort it on that day. Who wouldn't be? How is that a slight against the OP?[/quote]
RTFT. Bad form to take a quote out of context. Very odd post.

momtoboys · 15/03/2021 15:50

I was hoping there would be an update!

Mamamamasaurus · 15/03/2021 15:52

@momtoboys

I was hoping there would be an update!
There is......
Cokie3 · 15/03/2021 15:59

@Cadent I was suggesting you hadn't RTFT. If you had, you would realise WHY she was upset that it couldn't be sorted that day.

Your comments show you hadn't even read the OP's posts. Hence me correcting you.

Cadent · 15/03/2021 16:06

@Cokie3

So your way of correcting me is to quote one of my posts out of context and not add the reason why you think OP was upset it couldn't be corrected?

As I said, odd post.

SealHouse · 15/03/2021 16:08

The problem here OP is that you have been defamed. The shop manager contacted your employer and accused you of a crime. It’s absolutely unbelievable. Notwithstanding that it was ‘only’ £3. It was plainly an error at the self-service till. If he was so concerned about the ‘theft” of £3 worth of goods, his correct course of action would have been to either report the theft to the police. Alternatively, he could have, if he recognised you tried to track you down himself without notifying your employing of the reason.

The issue now is that you have been defamed - YOU are now the injured party. At the very least, the shop chain should be apologising to you, correcting the record with your employer, and compensating you for stress and repetitional damage. At the very least! You may actually have a case in law if you wanted to go that route - your good name has been tarnished TO YOUR EMPLOYER, you’ve been defamed.

The shop’s head office will know immediately that the shop manager has badly mis-handled this situation and will be aware of that this is a serious data breach. They will be hoping that you aren’t aware of your rights under Data Protection legislation and in defamation law.

If it happened to me, OP, I’d be looking for compensation. How bloody dare they put you through that and go to your employer - unbelievable stuff!

SealHouse · 15/03/2021 16:09

typo - reputational damage

IntermittentParps · 15/03/2021 16:09

Cadent, from the update that he wouldn't come out of the office to speak to the OP, it seems likely that he now has checked with someone on procedure and they've told him he's an idiot for the way he handled it.

Anyway, I should think non-payment, accidental and not, is something a shop manager should be able to handle without having to ask their superiors.

BigPaperBag · 15/03/2021 16:11

@DavidsSchitt

"We once walked out of Sainsbury’s with £55 worth of stuff because DH tapped his card and the ‘receipt’ came out and he stuffed it in his pocket. In fact, it was a piece of paper saying the payment was declined"

Strange. You can't tap for more than £45 can you? Therefore no receipt would come out even if it was declined

I thought it was £55 but whatever the amount was, that’s what happened 🤷‍♀️
FullofCurryandparatha · 15/03/2021 16:12

No, actually, it is recognising that different cultures have different ways of doing things, and not necessarily knowing English law and what is considered "bad" in one culture is not considered "bad" in another.

So if he's Welsh ....?

SealHouse · 15/03/2021 16:13

OP apologies if my post above is a bit garbled - I'm absolutely raging on your behalf!

Cadent · 15/03/2021 16:13

Intermittent, but that was my point, the manager likely needed more time to work out what he wanted to do, hence pushing it back to Monday.

Cokie3 · 15/03/2021 16:13

[quote Cadent]@Cokie3

So your way of correcting me is to quote one of my posts out of context and not add the reason why you think OP was upset it couldn't be corrected?

As I said, odd post.[/quote]
I didn't quote you out of context at all, you misunderstood as much as you misunderstood the OP.

I was referring to ONE (1) of your points, that the OP was annoyed that she couldn't fix it that day, and you didn't add the reason and/or seemingly didn't understand the reason why. Which is why I corrected you and explained why. Your posts on the whole are very odd and disjointed.

oakleaffy · 15/03/2021 16:14

@iamsodumb
Many years ago I drank a smoothie in a shop and didn’t pay...
As I was paying for other things a store detective handed me the empty bottle and said “are you going to pay for this?”
I’d thrown the bottle in the bin next to the tills.
I said “
I’m really sorry... no excuses.
He let me pay.
£1.98

I can’t believe you’d steal from a place you work at, a clear mistake unlike mine which was inexcusable.
Youthful folly.

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