Shoplifting food

[Bananavape]

What's your opinion on someone shoplifting food, sometimes the more expensive items within their weekly shopping (cheese, sauces etc), or sometimes when they're out and starving but no money to actually buy anything to eat (a sandwich or wrap etc), if they genuinely can't afford to feed themselves?

You know some people steal that stuff to sell to people who do need it? GF products, baby formula, nappies. People steal it to sell on. People making a profit out of other people's poverty. You are being naive to think every person shoplifting is doing it because they are desperate.

But not reporting a crime is a moral decision. And you're making a decision to not report theft for, you would say I guess, the moral reason that you don't know if they could afford it or not. Initially you wouldn't report food theft but now you're adding on general purchases, such as nappies. So I was just interested to know what theft you would report. When would it become your business?

The op started the thread saying it's only OK to steal essentials from big supermarkets but has moved on from that to say it's OK to steal lobsters from a small family owned shop, that might be struggling to make ends meet as far as she knows. So the op is willing to move her boundaries of what can be stolen and from whom. Then why take food from this little shop? Why not wait until the til is open and try and get money? A desperate person has surely git more needs than just money?

You have no idea of what I've been through in life. You've no idea what my opinion on shoplifting and desperate people because I haven't, in any of my posts, given it. Im fact, you don't even know if I've ever shoplifter myself.

I'm just reading when people are happy to break laws that they justify it by a moral code they have developed. So I'm interested how far these codes extend and how they can be flexed and the boundaries slip. I see a lot of people saying it's not OK to steal from individuals but I wonder if actually, boundaries would slip on that too.

It's mostly drug addicts who steal food (to order) and sell on around here.

It's good to know that so many people wouldn't have a problem if stuff was being stolen from the corner shop they owned.

@Nightlystroll
My moral choices are mine to make and none of your business

Stealing is stealing.

Food banks are , very sadly, there to provide food to those who are truly struggling.

I saw a young couple , a couple of months ago, wheel their overstuffed trolley into the self scan area , and just walked through to the exit.
but there were no staff members in the area.
Yes I'll judge... expensive hair do, fake tan , lashes longer than a broom...

We scanned our shop and I managed to get a member of staff so I told her.
She just said that it happens all the time.
She didn't call security and wasn't in the least bothered.
The number of times that we've been in the self scan with no one there, we could have just walked away.
It boils my piss.

Yeah I know that. I am not naive. I’ve worked with addicts who steal to order in my past as well as people who are desperate to feed thier children. And then my life went down the shitter and I ended up living amongst people who have absolutely nothing. I see people struggling around me everyday.

But what do you do, report everyone just
incase?

People are always going to shoplift for whatever reason. But there are some who do it because they are desperate.

I’m not going to single handedly ruin the world because I don’t give a shit either way and keep my mouth shut.

Having felt actual hunger due to not being able to buy any food , I understand the desperation. I think people need to do whatever they need to do , in order to eat.

Yes buses ! There needs to be travel help for low income and unemployment. MPs and many others get bloody free travel (and the rest) and they can afford it.
I'd love to give everyone on low income free travel for a year I think it would massively change many peoples lives.

I think a lot of people on this thread have never seen proper rural poverty. I teach in a rural town which has one food bank- it's only open certain days of the week, and due to demand will only allow a certain number of referrals in each 6 month period. We also run a "take what you want" foodbank at school and provide free breakfasts etc.

I was talking to a student today who's on free school meals. She gets £3 a day for a main meal at lunch, and her bus doesn't get her in early enough for her to get free breakfasts. Sometimes, her free meal at lunch is her only meal of the day- she will go without at home so her younger brothers can eat more.

I spoke to our pastoral lead about foodbank referrals, he said they have maxed out their referrals and can't get another for 3 months. He gave her some items to take home tonight for dinner, but if she hadn't spoken to me today, there would have been nothing at home tonight for dinner, and no way of getting any.

Perhaps stating the obvious, but they cannot afford to get the train into the nearest city, where there are lots of options for those short of food. She's not the only one in our school in this position, either.

Anyway, I wouldn't judge. If I could afford it, I'd offer to pay for their food.

I'm far more concerned about supermarket waste than the small percentage put on some food items to cover the cost of theft.

Times are hard for some right now, so I don't want to judge. However, I work in retail and my employers calculate that one fifth of our income (usually high end) is stolen. That's a lot of money for store improvements, staff training, staff wages and more importantly to a lot of customers, keeping prices down as they're paying for theft.

@Bananavape are you the teenager with no support and unable to afford basic food?

Have you had a benefits assessment and been in contact with your local council to see if there are any hardship funds you could access?

Benefits for teenagers living independently are very low- and most hardship support from councils comes in the form of loans to be paid back these days- often called a budgeting loan or a bridging loan.

People often take these- e.g. when something essential breaks and they need to replace it, and it contributes to their problems because they then have repayments automatically deducted from their benefits.

Some people on this thread are very naive about what others go through.

It's you that's gone on a public forum to express your position on theft. You did it in response to other comments. Surely you expected there might be some interaction over yours?
Of course, you don't need to engage with anyone about anything. But I don't see why you're offended.

I know a young man with a drug habit which is killing him, who shoplifts to feed his habit. He doesn't use any of the things he steals,mostly top end joints of meat etc, because he's a vegan.
I wish to god someone would report him, just to get him off the clock for long enough for him to get on top of his habit.

He won't, and someone will find him dead in their lockup one of these cold nights but there we are.

I’d struggle to judge someone who stole basic food items. It’s very sad that people feel the need to do this.

How are retail staff ever going to get decent payrises with all these 'blind eyes'?

If it gives you a full stomach or your children a full stomach then no I wouldn't care.

Tbh, I don't really care. You do what you go to do if it's your only way of getting a meal.

I wouldn't stop someone who I saw shoplifting. Not my business and no one knows theirs 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Security guards job tbh which they have in every large supermarket, no?

We know Westminster politicians dont need to steal to eat or drink, they still fiddle their expenses and god knows what else though. UC has poverty and destitution built in, as do many low paid/ minimum wage jobs, it's all fcuked.

As an honest shopper and dedicated tax payer I say bring back transportation! How else will those thieving beggers learn to respect the rules of capitalism? If you're hungry or broke, you can't afford and don't deserve dignity or choice. Get thyself to a church or charity and make sure to look suitably grateful while you queue. And bring proof!

Not really. But my stance is nuanced. I don't care if people steal from big corporations. It's just scraps off a very rich man's table. But I don't think it's right to steal from a small shop or an individual.

I find the fact that there's a need for food banks to be much more offensive than someone shoplifting from Sainsbury's. And I say that as someone who regularly distributes food to the public that supermarkets would otherwise throw into landfill.

Completely missing the point but you've ruined lobster completely 🤢

I didn't see a thing. Not my business. And no one should go hungry, especially in a modern day bloody G7 country.

Reporting him wouldn't get him on top of his habit. He'd move to some other kind of stealing, or way of making money.

Lovely of you to take care f your brother. Sorry you had to steal

But I don't think it's right to steal from a small shop or an individual.

But if a desperate person has starving children, and they see a very wealthy individual, with many shopping bags bursting with all sorts of luxuries and several pints of milk, would stealing one pint of milk be that unacceptable?