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.

I’ve had the odd near miss - brushed my card over the scanner and thought I’d paid. The confirmation bleep is sometimes quiet compared to background noise or you can hear someone else's bleep and think its yours.

After an unpleasant and bad tempered incident in a local Asda. Me - unpleasant experience. Them - bad tempered.

The machine scanned items for a second time through a carrier bag as I was packing it. I always get a receipt now and was thankful that I had then.

Its easy to think you’ve paid in Tesco when you have a clubcard and credit card combined.

First tap = clubcard accepted, discounts calculated - but you think you’ve paid.
Second tap = payment.
At each stage it bleeps and I thought I’d paid after the first tap. Read the screen and it tells you but we are often in a rush/distracted.

Hope all goes well when you sort it out.

I think there may be a data protection issue here. CCTV monitoring comes under the data protection provisions - fair enough for them to film you, but then discussing the content of that with a third party (your boss) I think may be a breach of their obligations. Sharing the footage def would be, but I think discussing info they think they may have gleaned from the footage might also be.

Really not on to be contacting your colleagues regarding this - should have been you or the police.

“I'd be going to my union, too.

I'm rather disturbed that they 'went to your manager'. Are they allowed to do that, or is that misuse of privilege?”

Is there a data protection issue here? Looking up employee data for the wrong purposes?

Ask your union. If there is an issue then your powder dry on this one if the matter isn’t sorted out with £3 and an apology.

Great minds think alike!

It’s so peculiar that they went to your employer.

Actually, thinking about it, I'd be particularly concerned on their lack of understanding re data protection if this is an NHS premises with patients around, too. This is the Information Commissioner helpline info - think worth checking: ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/#:~:text=We%20are%20here%20to%20help,contact%20us%20via%20live%20chat.

🙄 sorry 0303 123 1113

@BabycakesMatlala

I think there may be a data protection issue here. CCTV monitoring comes under the data protection provisions - fair enough for them to film you, but then discussing the content of that with a third party (your boss) I think may be a breach of their obligations. Sharing the footage def would be, but I think discussing info they think they may have gleaned from the footage might also be.

Really not on to be contacting your colleagues regarding this - should have been you or the police.

I think as the shop is on the premises of the employer, then reporting that “crime” to the employer is likely something they are required to do. It is also in the ops best interests that they didn’t report her to the police.

The fact they were watching the CCTV and wished to escalate this indicates there is more to this than the op has been told. However as she has her bank statements she’s fine. It’s likely someone is stealing and they know this due to discrepancies, but they habe the wrong person. She just happened to make a mistake.

[quote iamsodumb]@trevthecat I always pay by card so I've just tallied up what I've spent in the last month and it's just over £50!! Which has knocked me sick if I'm honest. They've really done me a favour as that's a big saving! [/quote]
If the manager is not super kind and nice about this I would point out how much they’ve been ‘robbing’ you for each month. And don’t spend in there again! £3 for a drink and bag of crisps? Daylight robbery.
They’ve done you a favour and you should tell them this clearly. Please do not let this ruin your weekend.

@iamsodumb

For those asking I definitely went to the self scanner. Which is why I'm not sure if I tapped my card and it didn't take payment or if I just scanned the items and then picked them up and left. And they'll have been able to trace my manager because I had my uniform on, I was on my tea break.

Hopefully they'll just accept payment and that will be the end of it! Try not to worry over the weekend.

Definitely sounds like the manager of the shop is a bit off here OP. You made a genuine mistake and have tried to rectify it.

It's pretty obvious that you wouldn't try to steal from a shop where you work and from which you have bought so much in the past. The problem lies with them, not you.

God this makes me so angry. How dare they make you feel like this and what the hell gives them the right? Every politician should read your post to understand what everyday working people are put through. They would be left squirming with guilt. Everyone is on the make- bankers, MPs, company execs, everyday self satisfied well off people all casually dodging tax, creaming off this and that benefit, and you are being made to go down a psychological rabbit hole over £3. F**king disgusting.

Punishing you by making you sweat it over the weekend. Try not to think about it until you see him Monday. Just tell the truth, head held high and pay. Then never go there again. Spend the £50 you would spend there on something else you like. What an absolute farse.

If it is just a minor items that worth nothing, I don’t see why he can’t let it go as long as you are communicating with him

I had this with a petrol garage. I did pay but my card obviously didn't go through. The first I heard of it was the letter from the police.

I use this garage every week. They know me by sight, I have a rewards card with them which I had swiped so they even had my address and phone number. Why they didn't just call me or catch me next visit and tell me what had happened? Fuck knows!

How often do people wear their uniform and badge id to deliberately steal from the office shop they visit daily?
I would have thought it was a mistake of some sort and called you back into the shop before you left. Why wait to check CCTV?
What was the point of phoning your manager if not to say 'can you send her back down please we need to sort this out today'
So sorry they've treated you like this OP and they've left you to worry all weekend.
I hope your manager has your back on Monday. Maybe take someone with you when you visit the shop manager so you have a witness in case he starts threatening to phone the police or something. I think I'd apologise, say it was an honest mistake, try to pay the £3 again and swear I'd never go back into their shop.

The most annoying part of this is that if you were a straight white man the manager wouldn’t be pulling this shit.
It’s just the underlying attitude of men that they think they can control women and tell you off, like a child.

In a way I hope they do escalate it as the manger of this shop will look like a right dickhead and they'll be making a complete fool of themselves.

Try and put it out of your mind this weekend.

As we are using cards so much now instead of cash, some cards don't always take the transaction after so many 'swipes' and you have to put the card in.
I have had to do this a couple of times in a couple of shops as the assistant said my card has not authorised.
Our local Tesco self scans now have a little notice on the side of the till which say please check your card has scanned before leaving, I guess many people walk away without taking their receipt.
It must be more frequent and I would think this may have happened to you.

@MollieBa

The most annoying part of this is that if you were a straight white man the manager wouldn’t be pulling this shit. It’s just the underlying attitude of men that they think they can control women and tell you off, like a child.

You are so right

I know op said she's white so no profiling, but this is just another behaviour by a male to take advantage and exert power.
It's £3, which she offered to pay. As I said, he's probably well chuffed making her worry all weekend so he can belittle her on Monday.

It does remind me of my trip shopping this week. Our local supermarket door alarms are shoddy, they set off all the time and the two security guards barely even glance over before waving people through.

I was there on Wednesday, a family with a mixed race young girl, her white mum and her dad were leaving in the bit next to me. I had seen them with a basket at the till as the girl had on a onesie and I said to the checkout woman I wish us adults could wear those especially in lockdown!

The alarm rang and both these bloody security guards started shouting at him. He had one bag of shopping, no buggy or anything. Made him empty everything out and were blocking his path. It made me so cross. If that alarm had gone off on my side they'd wave me through.
It made me realise yet again the casual racism that exists still.

But with OP, this is a twattish, self important toad making a woman feel atrocious and causing trouble for his own sense of self importance. Over £3. Personally I would get the twit sacked and enjoy doing it, she'd probably be doing any female staff a favour.

@Bluntness100 as I understood it, the shop is an entirely separate business - why would it be under an obligation to report her "crime" to her employer? I'm not clear what the legal basis for that would be....Suspected crimes are reported to the police, not to third parties.

Anyway, probably going up a blind alley; £3 on Monday and you'll be fine, OP!

Sorry everyone, I had a pounding headache when I got home so lay down and have just woken up, 4 hours later!!

I've just skim read the replies so will try and clarify a few things.

The shop isn't NHS run, its not M&S, it's a big newsagent chain. It's in a kiosk in the front hall of the hospital so I was in uniform when I went in which is how they were able to identify me. They will have been able to tell by my uniform that I'm a domestic and I'm assuming they just contacted the head of the department. She's a good few levels above me so I've never met her before. She asked my line manager to identify me and request I go to her office.

I'm assuming it was picked up on when it happened or just after as I'm not sure why they would have checked the CCTV in the first place. I'm guessing the next customer has gone to the self scanner and it's still been in the middle of my transaction. Either that or a member or staff has watched me do it and if that's the case I'd be really miffed that they didn't just alert me at the time. I'm not sure why the machine didn't bleep as usually those machines loudly make it known if something is not in the bagging area after it's been scanned and before payment. I did ask the sales assistants why no one called me back as I'm a very regular customer, so it was obviously a mistake. One of the sales assistants commented that it was an easy mistake to made and thanked me for coming down.

I've filtered my statements on my online banking to show only my transactions in this shop and screenshot them so I have them available if they are needed on Monday but hopefully not! And if on Monday goes any way other than the manager accepts my apology and my payment I will ask to see the CCTV and will also be complaining to the company.

I don't think there's anything fishy in regards to my work and don't think anyone wants to get rid of me. I get on well with my supervisors and line managers and there are plenty of new starts and agency workers who could be cut before a long term employee like me. I imagine the only way it would affect my job is if there was a conviction which I'm as certain as I can be will not be the case! But I will log it with my union on Monday just in case. I think the head of my department had to follow up with me as it had been reported to her. I also told my own line manager and she thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

In regards to this "meeting" he wants to have with me, should I allow this and speak to him in the back office or should I just make it clear it was a mistake and that I'm here to pay. Now that I've calmed down I'm quite angry that they didn't just accept my payment and I'm wondering why he thinks he has any right to request a meeting with me considering I am not employed by WHSmith!!

Whoops just realised I have mentioned the shop name after trying to be discreet!

Whatever happens I would never shop there again. Buy a load of cans of Coke and packets of crisps from a supermarket for your breaks instead.