I accidentally shoplifted - advice needed

[iamsodumb]

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.

Do NOT be embarrassed or give the impression that you are. An honest mistake is nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't allow anyone to bully or intimidate you when you go in to resolve this on Monday.

I would still go back and pay and then just see the manager on monday

What I'd do is print off my bank statements so I can prove I've consistently paid and it was a one off, honest mistake

If you scanned the items then picked them up without paying that’s not the actions of a shoplifter. Like you say they usually bleep for that very reason, I’m pretty sure you can’t scan then walk away . So I think you either did scan and walk away and nobody heard it bleep or you scanned and it didn’t take but again wouldn’t it bleep. Or are they saying you didn’t scan something? That’s more likely as that’s what shoplifters tend to do is ‘forget’ something.if the transaction didn’t go through again strange but that’s not your fault.

I get that they can’t just let it go - but it could have been handled in a much better way.

To contact your manager is pretty shit unless you have loads of form.

I would not grovel to this manager either. I can’t believe they are wanting to make an example of you for a genuine error - either on your part or the machine.

I’d be writing to the shop’s head office. And I don’t usually like to complain.

I think they’ve handled this badly OP. I really do.

🥔 and 🥤

On the house. You’ll have to make your own crisps 😉

Op have you checked that the transaction hasn’t gone through ?
Check all your transactions online and print off , honestly sounds like a mistake. I think it’s awful that they want to frighten you like this .

This is awful, how far has this been blown out of proportion! I think my manager would laugh. I forget shit all the time. Yesterday I drove into a barrier because I forgot to put my parking ticket into the machine to make it lift up to let me out, I continued to drive into it wondering why it hadn't detected my car and wasn't lifting until I realised I had to put my ticket in the machine. A car park I use very often 🤦🏼‍♀️ humans make mistakes, our heads are full of other crap. I wouldn't grovel to them, I would apologise and pay but as a op had said, make a point of reminding them that it was a MISTAKE.

Sorry missed the bit in your post saying you checked and it hadn’t gone through.

OP - you shop there regularly and have a regular pattern of payments. It's been handled in an off-putting manner but it plainly wasn't intentional on your part.

I've done this, scanned items but somehow forgotten to pay. Right before I got married and had a lot on my mind. I went back in and paid, no one had even noticed or seemed at all fussed. The self service till didn't beep or anything because it was just halfway through a transaction if you see what I mean.

It's pretty obvious that if you wanted to shoplift you wouldn't go to a shop you use every day, and where you would be easily recognised and traced - nor would you put stuff through the self scanner either. All that they needed to do was give you a call to sort it out directly with you. The manager sounds a bit daft, she risks putting internal staff off from using the shop at all.

Thanks for all the responses, you've all really reassured me. I am quite angry about how they've handled it, which is foolish on their part because I've spent a fortune in there over the years and probably won't shop there again now. On the bright side this might help me kick my wotsits and Coca Cola addiction!

Have you checked pending transactions mines don't always show up for a day or two. I can see how this happens. Acouple of items on the self scanner, go to tap it doesn't go through but it doesn't register and off you go.

Half the stuff I do is on autopilot tbh.

Own it, you made a mistake. You go there every day, and you were either absent minded or the payment didn't go through. Don't travel, just offered to pay, he sounds like an idiot.

Grovel not travel 😂

I did the exact same thing in Tesco with a weekly shop of £98. Scanned it all, but I had bought a printer cartridge and it was in one of those security box things. I scanned it last and the assistant took it, so the till wouldn't let me move on as it was stuck on the "please bag the item' screen. She got distracted by another customer kicking off over something so was away with my ink for a while. When she brought it back, I just merrily packed it up, put all my bags in the trolley and left. Just completely wasnt thinking because usually you pay before they then take any security tagged items so when they bring it back, you leave.

She caught me at my car putting everything in the boot and I was so embarrassed but I shop there every week, always at the same time, so its always the same woman at the self service. She even knows my kids' names so she was totally fine and just walked back in with me and I went over to the till and paid. She didnt even watch me do it.

If you're a regular customer, they should simply let you pay. Its obviously a mistake.

I do wonder if the manager would have been all, "come and see me on Monday" it you were male.

You’re not going to end up prosecuted or with a criminal record for this. Worst outcome is you get barred from the shop.

It’s weird he wishes to see you and they habe escalated like this. Are you sure this is the first time you’ve made this mistake?

As if you are going to risk your job by nicking from the shop on the same premises as your work! And a coke and a packet of crisps. No one is that stupid, I can’t believe they want to escalate it. I really wouldn’t let it ruin your weekend, you know that you were totally innocent, we have all done absent minded things when we’ve been going about our business. I used to walk out without paying for my (very expensive) hair colour, I did it about five times, I’m always in a rush and thinking about the next thing I have to do. Really don’t worry, it was an honest mistake, you will not lose your job over it.

Do you go there every day? Can you get a print out of your other payments from online banking?

Just to show it was a lapse. Obviously wont work if your payments are sporadic or if you ocassionally pay in cash.

I think they’ve handled this badly OP. I really do.

This... what the hell is this "calling the big boss" business? How incredibly patronising. Like you're 12 and they're telling your mum.

Absolutely ridiculous.

I also wonder whether the manager calls men in for a telling-off too. For heaven's sake.

Sounds like the manager is on a major power trip, please don’t let this ruin your weekend. It was an honest mistake which you have tried to rectify and it was £3 ffs...

And they’ve got a feckin cheek to be on about robbing when they are charging nearly £3 for a bag of wotsits and a tin of juice.

Please don’t spend all weekend worrying. I imagine they will understand it’s been a simple mistake. If you have evidence of previously shopping there regularly and paying i.e. bank statement that shows you paid Mon-Thurs I would take a screenshot, but I don’t think you’ll need them.
I imagine them asking for you to go back on Monday is something as simple as, they’ve closed that till off, and it hasn’t balanced as it’s missing the money for your items, and they need the manager to resolve it. Similar things have happened when I worked in retail/hospitality. There shouldn’t be an escalation beyond you paying for your items when you can show it was an honest mistake.