Have you ever stolen anything?

[inthislight]

This is I guess sparked by the thread about the friend taking glasses but I don't want to derail it! All of the responses have been so shocked and severe... all cut her off this is unthinkable.

But it just reminds me of an incident when I was 17-18 where I did steal £30 from a friend. I of course accept now that it was unjustifiable but I had ways to justify it in my head at the time - I was annoyed at her, she was much richer and flash with her money, she was careless and wouldn't even notice the money was missing, she'd messed up my evening (she'd got into a state on a night out and I'd taken her home - which I now realise makes it even worse in that I took advantage of her vulnerability, god that bit still makes me feel a bit sick that she was probably grateful the next morning I was there to look after her), she'd been a bit lax in paying me back for something else because money just wasn't a big deal to her. I felt really bad in the aftermath - I probably spent most of it buying her drinks! And even now when I treat her to something I think about it sometimes.

I've grown into an adult who is scrupulously honest (I think actually more so than some people I know). I wouldn't dream of doing something similar now. But then again I also have plenty of money now so I'm not tested in the same way - I feel confident that I wouldn't do something like it though even if I was on my uppers. I'm so grateful that she never found out as 15 years on I feel confident in saying it was a momentary lapse. We've got such a close friendship and been there for each other through thick and thin. I always had less money than my peer group and I had a moment of weakness after a few drinks.

So, I'd be interested to know if anyone has anyone done similar? I guess I'm struggling to believe that I'm the absolute minority in having done something so utterly shameful like that... maybe I am?!

Anyone else nick roadsigns or cones at uni?

Once, when I was about 7. My dad was an absolute weapons-grade bastard and mum did nothing to protect us, so my brother and I were regularly beaten, starved and deliberately dehydrated.

I tried to steal a packet of crisps and an apple for us to share from the local shop but got caught. I begged them not to tell our parents (and tbh anyone looking at me and my brother would be able to see how thin and scared we were) but the manager told my mum the next day. My mum then told my dad (cheers mum) and of course I got battered all the more because "what would the neighbours think?"

Certainly didn't steal anything after that.

All long in the past of course, and I'm one of those meticulously honest people now.

🌺some very sad stories on here.

When I was a child I use to steal coins and sweets from my parents. They use to have bags of sweets for them that we weren't allowed and we rarely got bought sweets so I enjoyed taking them.

As a teen it was fags and booze.

As an adult I've not put stuff through till at supermarket or eaten stuff while shopping. When I worked in pubs I would sometimes not ring drinks through the till and pocket the cash. I've taken stationary from work.

It's got less as I've got older but I guess it's like if it's a big company it's ok. But a person or small business is a no. I'd worry more about being caught than feeling guilty.

Oh and I once lived somewhere for 6 months and never got contacted about paying the electricity so I didn't. And I once bought an outfit in next when I got home i discovered the receipt only had the shopping bag on it.

Pint glass from a pub..

Haha I was just reading this after admitting to one minor infringement of some accidentally stolen sausages feeling okay with my life choices and along you come with talk of road signs and traffic cones 🫠
i used to pilfer all sorts of stuff from the dangerous walk home from a nightclub (dangerous because it was a twisty road through the woods, about 4 miles long with no pavement and no streetlights, sometimes people used to pick us up but sometimes we walked the whole way but the speed limit was 60, I shudder now thinking about it!!), one morning I woke up with one of those flashing traffic cones in my bedroom 🫣
About a year ago dds boyfriend came round with a traffic cone for her and I made her drive it back! Such a hypocrite!!

I once shoplifted a ring from Claire's accessories, I looked at it, thought it didn't look right for my "look" 😂 and put it back.
I thought.
It was in my bag when I got got home. I guess it had dropped in my bag 😲

I went back to the shop to return it, and they were nasty to me saying I'd stolen it so I walked out and got home, put it on eBay and sold it.

If they'd been polite I would have just given it back!

I stole a bag from Debenhams once
I had taken the bag off the end of a clothing rack where it was displayed and put it on my arm. I paid for my stuff walked 20 minutes up the high street back to work and didn't even notice until I was inside.
It was a sparkly evening bag. I gave it to my nan

Don't be so mean.

IvI heard multiple people of late saying they always take something via self checkout. Enough to shock me and was going to start a thread about that to see how honest people are. I'm such a chicken / so honest I couldn't and wouldn't do it but one person told me she took every 4th bag of nappies for free. A high earner too. It's a compulsion to "win" I think

I stole a bracelet from a shop really compulsively at the age of 7ish and my mum found it stuffed behind a pillow that same night. I don't know why I did it, it wasn't even that nice. I felt soooo bad and was imagining the police coming to arrest me and was thinking how I'd spend my days in prison (always had an active imagination). Everytime I heard a police siren I thought they were coming for me for weeks afterwards. My mum went back to return it I think but I never ever did anything like that again. The guilt ate me up. I also never stepped foot inside the shop again years later (incase they recognised me as the thief! Because that's logical lol) and breathed a sigh of relief once the shop went under

I would say I was a kleptomaniac at one stage of my life. I try to not think of it often, but when I do I can't wrap my head around it. I would never do anything like that now.
It was from a friend once too, just like you I was envious of her wealthy lifestyle vs my parents had nothing and we had little emotionally too. I felt like a victim compared to my wealthy and well loved friend.
She was drunk and I took money from her purse. She noticed the next day too it had gone missing but we were in a big group, I don't know if she suspected it was me.

I remember when we were away once, my mum was talking to the shop keeper and I opened their jewellery cabinet at the back of the shop and took a good few items. I feel bad about that. They were trying to earn a living and I stole from them.

I stole from a few people, employer included but I remember the day if all stopped. I deliberately didn't pay for a smoked salmon at a self check out and felt so much fear, I remember almost running home. It dawned on me I had evening to lose, I had met DH, I had a job, friends. I didn't need to steal anymore, I didn't feel worthless anymore.

As a woman who works the self checkout section of a supermarket you'd be surprised how much people try and get away with, the other day I did a quality check for a man in his 60's seemed pleasent and genuine, had to do a full re-scan as he failed on a small item, it happens so I made chit chat with him while I scanned it all, totally expecting it to be a genuine mistake, when you finish it tells you how many items weren't scanned, 35 items. Over £80 worth. It happens all the time, people get annoyed at quality checks, they're vital because people just can't help themselves but steal

I don't set out to steal, but if the supermarket scanner isn't playing ball, then it's a win.

@Homedesign123 What did he say?!

I've never forgotten the only time I stole. I was about 12. I had been invited to a 'friend's' place for a sleepover. When her mum answered the door she said 'Oh we forgot you were coming.... you'd better come in I suppose'. There was another friend staying and she and my friend both had horses and they went out riding for the entire day while I sat in the house with the parents and they so clearly resented having me there. When night time came I was put on my own in my friend's room and my friend and her other friend got into sleeping bags in the sitting room and watched television. Looking back now I am still really shocked at how I was treated that weekend. Before leaving I smuggled a pony novel into my bag as a 'fuck you'.

That was the only ever time that I know of. I'm not proud, and for years I really beat myself up over it (I threw the book away).

Needless to say I did not stay friends with this girl after that and she used to slag me off at school as well.

Nothing I'm really anti-confrontation so I tried to keep it quiet. I just said okay I'll load that up for you, and as it was loading I walked over to our little table jotted the numbers down on the sheet and quietly let security know on the headset as we have to. he would have known as the total was now a lot higher that it was before, the problem was he had a colleague discount card and a colleague came and joined him so at that point it escalates things, I didn't say anything but my section leader saw it happen and reported the colleague for her husband stealing, I don't know if anything else will happen now.

I went on maternity leave in 2022 and came back 9 months later and 3 members of staff, two being section leaders had been sacked for stealing, on just my section. 1 was helping herself to meal deals and bottled drinks everyday and got caught, another was pocketing cash in the cash office and another one was working on the cigarette counter and was stealing scratch cards

When I was a kid (5 or 6) I took something from school, my mum made me take it back and apologise to the teacher. I tried it again and she made me take it back and apologie again. I never did it again.

If it makes you feel better I once had a large (uncooked) roast beef in my order. I did ring Tesco to try and return it and they just said they could not take it back once the driver had left and there was no way of knowing who it was meant for anyway.

We had a much nicer dinner than i originally planned that day!

Yes, but unwittingly, a multi pack of expensive cat food from the Co-op.

I had a baby Gdd in the pram, picked 2 packs of the cat food for DD’s fussy cats, one went in basket, other on the pram hood. Got to the checkout, could only find one pack, thought I was going doolally.

Only when I was on the way back to DD’s and it started to rain, when I put the pram hood down, did I realise that pack 2 had fallen between the folds of the pram hood.

TBH I went cold, thinking how easily I could have been done for shoplifting. Who on earth would have believed me?

I still feel bad for not going back to pay, but it was late, raining, Gdd was starting to fuss, and I was heading the 60 miles home that night.

Hotel bath towels when on holiday. Quite a few but it was a very long time ago. I accumulated so many that my family all received them! I justified it to myself because I had worked in big hotels and knew how vast the towel stocks were. Still stealing though so yes I was a thief.

😒

(I no longer do it)

My younger sister and I stole a donkey!

We were aged 7 and 8 and during the summer holidays were out roaming on our ponies and we used to pass by a field that had one donkey in it.

We would stop and fuss the donkey and he would follow us the length of his field and then stand their looking forlornly at us.

We didn't see it as stealing. We were saddened that he was on his own and decided one evening, probably chatting under blankets in bed with a torch, that he wanted to come and live with us and we should grant him our wish.

So the next day we opened the gate to his field and he followed our ponies home.

There was some neglect as his hooves had begun to turn and curve upwards and he was in dire need of a hoof trim.

We put him in a field with ours and fed and brushed him.

We told our brother and older sister and they too were pleased with our new pet who we names Fuzzypeg.

Fuzzypeg was a hedgehog from books we loved to read.

Of course Fuzzypeg got rumbled when he was spotted by our parents and father had to go out and make enquiries as to where he had come from.

Our mother fell in love with Fuzzy and we ended up keeping him as father bought him and told us sternly that we would not be getting any sweets on Friday (sweet day) for quite some time. But of course we did.

Fuzzy had his hooves trimmed and lived out his life with us. Much loved and cherished.

None of us have thieves again to my knowledge and we were told off for taking something that wasn't ours but as Fuzzy had been neglected by his owner, our parents were quite lenient about it.

Ahhh, love the story of Fuzzypeg, very happy you saved him.

Fuzzypeg ❤️ What a lovely story.

Your parent sounds great!

When Safeway was still around and I was a youngster.... I stole some juicy fruit chewing gum. I was under 10 (not that that matters of course). Was with my mum and brother and asked for some. Mum of course said no. Whilst in the queue I put some in my pocket.

Later I was on the loo and chucked the packet (empty) away. Mum found out (of course she did!). I then went to my friend's house. we were in the front garden when some police came to our door. I was shit scared I was going to prison! When I came back I asked mum why they had been there (and why I was not arrested!). She told me something had fallen from my Dad's lambretta and they were returning it but she could not resist saying I bet you thought they were after you!!!

There was also a doll left in my classroom that I wanted but one time nicking was enough!