Friend tried shoplifting in Asda via scan and go

[bunnyhops90]

My friend who I was due to meet this evening rang me in tears and really panicked this afternoon following doing her weekly shop in asda this morning via the scan and go thing. She is a newly single mum to a toddler and twin 14 month old and I didn't realise until we spoke today just quite how much she is struggling with everything, she has been left with a lot of debt from her abusive ex-partner and is very much struggling to get by.

Anyway she said always uses the scan and go but today she said she doesn't know what made her do this but with Christmas coming up she is getting increasingly stressed about finances and making it through, she knows this is no excuse and accepts her unwise decision, she deliberately didn't scan a few things including baby food, fruit and pizza. When she went to go and pay it said she had been chosen for a staff member to go through some of her shopping and check for accuracy or something along those lines. Staff member scanned quite a few which were all fine then came to one of the items that she hadn't scanned and was told her full shopping would need to be checked. She panicked at this point, pretended she was taking an important phone call and swiftly walked away and left the shop with all the shopping behind before they realised there was a few I scanned and she drove home. She is terrified the police are going to show up on her doorstep and arrest her and is kicking herself for her stupid choice and worried she's got herself into even more difficulty now, I said I thought was unlikely the police would be contacted but apparently they will have her details since she used scan and go so thinks they will easily be able to find her. Does anyone agree with friend and think the police will come looking for her? I want to try and re-assure her but I really have no knowledge around this kind of thing!

The legal definition of theft is "dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it." That happened the second she made a deliberate choice to put something in her trolley and to not scan it.

Considering that she had reached the point that she was having her trolley checked, if she had intended to add those items then she would have asked to do so.

She could have made an honest mistake (which is why they check the whole trolley if they find one item, which could reasonably be considered a mistake) but the number of items would have made such a defence a bit weak to say the least.

Luckily she's a woman and when women break the law society likes to understand why or to give her the benefit of the doubt first rather than simply banging her up. The value of the goods is also incredibly low so even a man would only get a slap on the wrist if ASDA did decide to follow it up.

I think the most likely outcome is that ASDA will think all goods recovered, nothing to gain from following it up but they'll know who she is and they'll keep an eye on her if she comes back.

I'm sure the police wont come after her as the goods weren't taken out of the shop, but I wouldn't be going back there if I were her.
Loads of supermarkets do the bag check. My dh got so fed up of being bag checked every time with the self-scanner (as you go round) that he doesn't do it anymore as more hassle than going to a til.

I always use scan and go for my shopping. Last week we had the quick check and is scanned one item twice but not another (same price). It’s a pain having to go through the whole trolley being scanned but ffs, mistakes get made.

your friend doesn’t need to do anything, even if she’d stayed I’m sure the staff would have made it out to be an honest mistake.

She should not say sorry!! That is admitting to theft. The police are not going to show up at her door for this. If anyone from the store contacts her she should lie and just say it was a mistake. They can't prove otherwise. The worst that will happen is she is banned from the store. But probably nothing will happen. If she does use scan and go again they are going to check her full shop, so she should just go through the tills.

She didn't technically shop lift as she hadn't left the building, she was stupid though.
Police could easily find her if needed as stated before through asda card app or through her number plate.
Yes the staff will remember her I used to work retail security years ago and can still spot some of the old faces still stealing.
She could claim 'user error' but the staff will know , sadly now stores aren't allowed a "rogues gallery" showing the faces of the shoplifters but she will be watched more closely in that store if she returns .

So sad that people are struggling for food. It’s insane.

What really gets my goat is that junk food is cheaper than decent fruit.

Tell her not to worry, the staff will just put all the shopping back that's all. Nothing will happen. People do this ALL the time and get away with it too as it's so easy. I know a few people who do it. Bless her.

So this happened to me and DP and we'd missed a few items (completely accidentally) the lady working there said those scanners are always a bit dogey. We had to rescan the whole shop and we'd missed a few more things and we just paid and left. Nothing was said, no follow up. I think if she hadn't acted guilty no-one would have batted an eye. The police certainly aren't going to come, nothing was taken. Your poor friend to be struggling so much 😔 can she access the local food banks? Hope she's OK

Well it was a moment of madness but being caught straight way should mean she'll never do it again. Citizens Advice should be able to help her with her debt problem and hopefully she can get a recommendation to a food bank.

shop theft just puts the price up for everyone else.

I have slightly more sympathy for the baby food (although baby products are some of the most frequently stolen for onward sale) than i do for the pizza. I very much doubt this is the first time she's done it, just the first she got checked. Walking out basically confirmed guilt.

The police don’t come out for organised crime gangs stealing from stores in coordinated and targeted attacks, I really can’t see them being interested in this

Only because she legged it. She won't be able to use that shop again.

I had this before and although had a couple of scan checks the few after it was fine and now back to random so you can still use it!

Funny how people are always doing it for the first time.

Baby food is one of the most stolen products , along with coffee cheese & meat.
Batteries razors &, hair dye also popular

Amazing that it's never economy brand tinned tomatoes and pasta, isn't it.

I don't think young babies eat tinned tomatoes and pasta do they?

The most stolen item is alcohol.
Then meat.

Sadly genuine, organised shop lifting is rife at the moment.
I saw a man filling his holdall with steaks from the meat aisle in Sainsbury's. I couldn't believe my eyes, he didn't attempt to hide what he was doing. I quickly notified a member of staff who shrugged and said "it happens all the time." We watched as he leapt over the entrance barrier and disappeared. The shop assistant said she didn't get paid enough to get involved.
I was doubly gutted because I had wanted two of those steaks for our dinner.

If that's the food available, then yes.

As pp have said, get your friend to access help. Maybe she needs help with the debt, and almost certainly referral to a food bank.
There maybe a local baby bank where she can get other items for the children.

Police cant catch actual criminals, sure they wont bother, esp over some bits. She will probably need to shop elsewhere though. Your poor friend. Are there any foodbanks that she can use in the interim?

The police in out town are now taking a zero tolerance to shoplifting (if they catch people). They took a lot of criticism over lack of enforcement so have really stepped up. However I doubt your friend will be tracked down

Well she didn't pay for it or walk out with the shopping so I'd be surprised if they follow it up especially if there are baby items involved