Accused of stealing a bag for life

[MindfulMess]

I went to my local supermarket this afternoon to pick up a few bits and pieces. We’re in a big city and I’m in there almost every day. There’s only one checkout with a person working it; the rest are self-checkouts.

I got chosen for a random check. No drama, it happens a lot. Then I was told I hadn’t scanned my bag for life. No , I said, it’s mine. I just took it out of my pocket. The woman repeated that I hadn’t scanned it, and I repeated that it was mine and had just come out of my pocket. She called a supervisor and they told me to wait.
A few minutes later the supervisor came back, and the first woman said (without looking at me), “You can go”. Nothing was said about what had happened but I assume they reviewed security tape or something and saw that yes, my bag had in fact come out of my own pocket.

I pointed out that they had been quite rude and was pointedly ignored. I was shaking. I’m shy in public at the best of times and I really didn’t know what was going on or what was going to happen. I mean, you wouldn’t expect they’d call the cops over a bag for life but I had no way of proving I hadn’t stolen it. They were, if anything, even more rude once they said I could go.

What should I do? I’m honestly quite scared to go back. None of the usual staff seemed to be working today (I’ve been in there perhaps every second day for over a decade, quite a few of them know me by sight.) But it’s my local shop…

(By the way I am well aware that regulars steal things too, and I have no issue with being checked. The attitude, though, was awful. When I questioned it I was basically told to leave the shop now please madam!)

The whole point of the bag for life is that you use it for future shops. They’re expensive to reduce the amount people buy and encourage us to bring our own old ones. You should write to the head office to point this out as a policy of theft accusation to people trying to do the right thing by re-using bags isn’t great. Some people might steal them and that’s really shit - but punishing the vast majority of us who are honest and don’t steal isn’t the best way to reduce theft - but it is a great way to ensure bags for life are only used once.

Ways to reduce theft could include some messaging at checkout to remind everyone that the bags are expensive because they want you to bring your own, because we desperately need to reduce plastic pollution, would be a good start.

Same here.

I hate poorly trained security guards. I once walked into sainsburys with a puschair basket full of goods I had purchased from M&S. I looked for lollies, saw they had none and left. The security guard had the audacity to accuse me of stealing even though if he noticed the pushchair on the way out he have seen it on the way in!! I called the manager and reminded him they had no legal power to detain me and left but in retrospect I wish I had complained to head office too as I felt very uncomfortale being targeted. Bet he wouldn't have challenged a burly bloke!

😂😂😂

And probably complain when shops put up their prices 🙄

Exactly this. As ever, people are so compliant.

OP - next time say "no this is my own bag", put your stuff in it and walk out.

If they whine further "fine, I'll see you in court with your evidence that you won't have" and walk out.

Outrageous that after all that they charged you anyway. I would put in a complaint - they ought to send you a voucher.

You could write swear words inside all your bags. So if they stop you again you can say in your best Hyacinth Bucket voice 'This is my bag, you'll see it has cuntychops written on it.'

Complain to the store manager, about the way that they treated you and that they stole 30p from you by charging you for your own bag that you’d already bought. If they don’t respond in a satisfactory way, escalate to head office.

YT = white.

So white middle class women

Also I always pay for my bags (sometimes I even click "add bag" but dont take one as I fit everything below the pushchair so I count that as buying for the people here who nick them!)

I have now started seeing the 75p/£1 bags with security tags on!!

Sorry that my post had derailed your thread OP.

Can't believe how many people have got their knickers in a twist over a stolen carrier bag 😆

I was followed by a security guard round Boots at Waterloo station last week.

He followed me up and down two aisles - I had just got to the point where I was going to say something but he either noticed I'd noticed him, or decided someone else looked more "shoplifty" than I did.

I never pay for a carrier bag (soz not soz).

They treated you really poorly OP. The least they could do is apologise for the mix up or whatever. I’d certainly complain however next time I’d just say ‘I had this bag in my pocket when I came in’ and leave. They can’t exactly drag you back into the shop!

I also find those self-service tills are set up in such a way that you are likely to press "bag" more than "no bag". Especially the WH Smith ones. Which is a "dark pattern" and dodgy in itself.

Morrisons take the piss the most trying to charge you 30p for a paper carrier bag!

I think they should charge for the plastic and reusable ones but they should provide the paper ones free.

I have millions of bags in my car but I often forget to grab a couple before going in. So I just but my stuff back in the basket after checkout then load them I to bagsin my boot and take the trolley back to the trolley park as normal. I had a security guard try and tell me I couldn't do that the other week! I just ignored him and walked past. He didn't follow. What's the difference between milk, bread and some bits in a bag or loose in the trolley!

@OP your thread has been understandably derailed. Was it Tesco by any chance? I had a similar experience a few years ago. Complained and was offered a voucher which I declined- said I only wanted an acknowledgement it was wrong and for staff to get some training. They did send a bunch of flowers too though. Definitely feed back your experience- it was handled poorly

That's probably true.

It's also probably why nearly all the large supermarkets near me now security tag their bags for life 🤣

But I still imagine the amount they save in paying actual staff to scan the items far outweighs the cost they lose on stolen bags.

Get an indelible black pen and write in big letters 'I have already paid for this bag. Twice!' Then maybe under where it says 'Tesco' write 'are thieving bastards'

I have never bought a bag for life. When they were introduced Sainsburys were offering them free for a day so I did my weekly shop and made sure I used a lot of bags. Since then I have had vouchers for free bags for life, people give me presents etc in a bag for life and I have exchanged them when they are worn out. Also have collected some via freecycle.

I object strongly to paying for bags to carry shopping that advertise the supermarket etc. I have never taken one from a shop but have never bought one either!!

I was once accused of shoplifting by an employee at Morrisons who threatened to 'get security, call police and put me in a room until they get here' when I was with my month old baby. She'd seen some shopping from another shop under the buggy. I complained, gave a description of her and got a voucher.

How the fuck do you know anyones races? And do you know how to spell white??

victimless crime 🙄peoples critical thinking need some work - if you steal from Tesco, the prices go up and people (yes you!) have to pay more. So you are the victim of the crime....

Only if I reckon I can get away with it 😉

Poor grasp of economics there hun