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!

But she should though, stealing isn't the answer
She's not going to have the police knock her door at 5am but why is everyone trying to soothe this person?
It's ok to steal if you don't get caught? Only took one thing? You "deserve" a treat?!

Sorry your friend is in this state that she needs to shoplift to feed herself and the baby. This should not be happening and I hope that she manages to find support/benefits available to her.

I was very, very obviously being sarcastic.

I agree, Ligament. I have to go to food banks myself as part time on min wage in retail and my extra hours have been frozen.
And the shop I work in, is struggling financially, and shoplifters contribute to it . It drives me mad when people say, big companies can suck it up. Some can't and some close... I have been homeless and I'm struggling right now too... there are always food banks as an option to theft .

In my local Sainsbury's recently someone was caught shoplifting and as it was the first time they said they wouldn't call the police but they told them they were banned from all their stores not just the one they were stealing from.

Hi 👋
Supermarket worker here, honestly the supermarkets aren't going to chase her because she hasn't stolen anything, your friend hasn't done anything wrong and 9 times out of ten the shop worker isn't going to recognise you. This happens so often we barely even gossip about customers doing this, unless we have a lot to put back on the shelves...then we moan.

In my local sainsburys the local crackhead walks in takes what he wants and walks back out again . If challenged by anyone his answer is always the same "come at me cunt, see if you dare" The staff are powerless to him, the police know him (very very well) happens daily

I know they DO watch for 'missed' scans and they will share photos with other stores, so just because someone hasn't been caught.. it could only be a matter of time. They will often compile evidence. I do personally know security and especially if it's a slow day they will look out for stuff..

In the supermarket I worked in the police didnt come out when a known shoplifter, also wanted for burglary and assault, attacked the security guard and nicked £250 quids worth of meat.

She didnt actually steal it, so there isnt really much that they would do apart from ban her from the shop.

Then get herself to CAB to sort out of debts and money worries. Is she getting maintenance? I am guessing not. Perhaps you could help her out by helping her sort and sell any of the kids stuff she no longer needs so she can at least have a bit of money for Xmas.

Silly thing to do but it could have been worse and she has learned her lesson.

@ShinyShona
"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."

So theft has two elements then: a. "dishonestly appropriating property" and b. "intention of permanently depriving".

According to the friend, she had (b) the intention but had not yet done (a) dishonestly appropriating property, as she hadn't yet left without paying.

I think they'd find it extremely hard to prove theft without both elements, no? That's why you see security guards follow people about and not stop them till they exit the building.

Your friend didn't actually steal anything as she didn't leave with any goods .
The store may keep her CCTV and ban her though.

Within the last month a shoplifter was caught in m&s with £ 214 of goods, stopped by security , picked up by police taken to the station ( no idea what happened there) and was back in the city center a few hundred yards further up the street within the hour. Again well known shoplifter

No crime has been committed. They might keep an eye on her in store if she's recognized though.

If it was really only a few cheap things, and it really was the first time nothing at all will happen. If it was more, and wasn't the first time she should definitely not shop there again. The police wont be interested, nobody will be coming to track her down.

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

I. So it’s you. And you are a thief.

Dolt.

For what? When do you think it’s ok to steal then?

I don't think it works like that.
We had a couple of items missed on a £200 shop (my DH was 'helping' and missed these).
A Tesco colleague also scanned an item twice during a check when I only had one and I've also swapped an item for a better date but inadvertantly picked up a different variety.
I've not noticed any increase in the number/size of the random checks following these incidents.
I think if the checks are usually ok the odd error doesn't really affect you.
I've also had similar in Sainsburys when their scanners were struggling to scan items and something was missed.
I very rarely choose an alternative way to shop as I find it so convenient.

Former Asda worker here, the chances of them contacting the police are pretty much zero. Honestly, this wouldn't even be talked about at the end of the day.

@DemBonesDemBones agree regarding police l involvement i disagree regarding not being talked about in Asda near me they deffo would and the next day with different staff.

This happened to me once in Tescos except I GENUINELY HAD scanned everything, I absolutely know it, I was really making sure to listen out for the beep and everything, but for some reason 3 or 4 items didn't register, or they dropped off or something, idk what happened. It was on Christmas Eve when me and DH were doing the big Christmas shop. So we got selected and taken aside and they ended up taking us to a table where they unpacked the entire shop and rescanned everything. I kept saying I'm SURE I scanned it, and the woman said "don't worry, it happens a lot" (no idea if she was telling the truth lol or just humouring me and thinking "yeah right 🙄" lol)

But anyway, the upshot was, I got selected for a "check" pretty much every other time I used the scan and go for the next 10 times, which was a big PITA, but no, the police did not come knocking!!

And if they do, tell her to just say it was a mistake.

This happened to me in Tesco a wee while ago. £120 odd shop and I’d forgotten to scan a bag of mini carrots either distracted by my kids or didn’t scan properly. Had full shop rescanned which was mortifying, but I’ve been back a few times since and not had another trolley check, so you’ll likely be just fine.

@LigamentBandy maybe just the one I worked at but this would be unremarkable. Wasn't unusual for more than one person to stroll out with a tv each day!

I think it's more likely the "there was a few I scanned" was autocorrect for "there was a few unscanned". The sentence wouldn't make sense otherwise.

To the staff that work in supermarkets do you ever find people over scan items and end up trying to pay too much?