I knew shop lifting was a problem but I didn't imagine it was like this..

[SunShow]

DS is working in a Tesco Express. He personally makes around 8 shop lifting reports every day. Obviously these are just the one he sees.

I imagined that shoplifting was kids/teens stealing a chocolate bar or desperate people stealing food and that does happen, but most of it is much larger scale. Yesterday he had people arrive with rucksacks and literally sweep the contents of a shelf into their bags.

Staff are taught not to confront them (good as far as his mother is concerned!) and police take no action even when there is good CCTV.

This is a small supermarket in the nicer bit of a perfectly pleasant suburban town.

Extra flavour? Gives the cheese and interesting tang.

It's honestly demoralising when people are seen to be openly thieving without fear of any repercussion. Not even slightly ashamed. Just blatantly breaking the laws.

It won't lead to anything good. It's not just the fact that everyone else pays more for groceries as a result. That's nothing compared to the damage it does to the psyche of the people who witness or hear about it. It's gradually tearing civilised society down to the ground, as dramatic as that may sound.

It's heading that way. Everything is now behind glass doors in my local Tesco and Sainsburys. It's still self service, but it's a pain in the arse.

They used to be in the local pub in Hulme.
Someone's buying it somewhere.

People used to say that about burglary, then it became clear that it did matter to people and Operation Bumblebee meant there were consequences. Obviously it still happens, but not like it did. In the 1970s in quite a "nice" area there was only one house in our street that hadn't been burgled. When you went on holiday you expected to have been done when you got back.

It costs the economy so.much money people should care. and if proper action was taken, ot would decline. .

Because we are decent people?

It feels like these visual deterrent security guards who aren't actually allowed to tackle people could at least be armed with cans of bright red spray paint to mark people visibly and ruin their clothes as they go past, if nothing else.

What a depressing read this post is. The office workers bit is mind boggling.

Every shop I have worked in (even dodgy little independents) have drummed it into staff from the off to never tackle a shop lifter. Ive worked in a couple of bigger supermarkets too and you would be pulled up if you ever even mentioned doing it. They were really, really serious about it. They were crap in other areas but they were very staff safety conscious on that front.

I agree. And it’s a more measured response than having their hand chopped off. I’m not too pleased I am paying MORE for what I buy due, in part, to this. Anyone else happy to keep paying more? On top of our taxes?

They have security guards at supermarkets door here and they do stop people - and I think follow around others.

In center though the shops are lightly staffed and we've lost a huge number of shops- and suspect this is why - people come in less and less and few that do shoplift like mad.

I bought some board games one chirstmas from Waterstones only bookshop in town - manager was thrilled chatting to me- said they were constantly being shop lifted to point these were some of the few actaully bought they weren't far from the tills - and he wanted them sold and gone and he wouldn't carry them again.

Other nearby center -primark you can't get out without scanning a receipt past till section - for both normal and self serve tills couple of times -and they have security people on the doors.

Why?
What would that do apart from put the security guard at risk of assault or a claim that he sprayed it in their eyes etc?
Shops in shopping centres etc talk to each other and will radio things to let each other know if there are shoplifters.

Why didn’t you, or the woman before you, call the police?

it’s as much your responsibility a security guards!

Yup., lots of blatant shoplifting in our village convenience store (Co Op). It's on a main road, and the ones I've seen are tradesmen (typically scaffolders, roofers and scrap vans) where the lads in the van come in, take what they want for their lunch, walk out and drive off! The staff say they take registration number and report to police but nothing ever happens.

That would be assault

so no. I don’t think security should be doing that at all

Yes as I said up thread sometimes people try and sell me stuff by knocking on my door I don't buy it but others will but how would the police know which houses have bought the stolen steaks etc?

I am getting quite distressed about the lack of basic law and order in this country.

If people think they can get away with something without any consequences, there are always plenty who will do it! They are right too, at the moment they will get away with it. Shoplifting is just one example, but it affects prices, it affects jobs/families/communities when businesses go under, it causes stress for staff and other shoppers…but perhaps worst of all it sends an impression that we live in a lawless country, and that you can behave criminally without anyone turning a hair.

All these crimes should be prosecuted. I know it costs, but it has to be done. If these crimes are happening so regularly, then it should be an ongoing thing that plain clothes officers (armed if necessary) are frequently there as observers arresting every case. The processing of the case and conviction needs to be streamline, and penalties need to be drastically raised. Otherwise this will be the tip of an ever emerging iceberg. When I worked in retail we were told the same, not to intervene. That was actually ok, because we had a minor theft maybe three or four times a year. Now, there needs to be a change of plan.

That’s not true either you can use identifying spray

It’s not only that you’re paying more for your food - the consequent price rises for food contribute to higher inflation and therefore higher interest rates, so you end up paying more for your mortgage too! It’s infuriating

There has been a post on MN about it. The poster was one of the people buying the goods and not asking questions about why they were so cheap.

Lots of place in US are like that.

Problem is you need to find staff members to unlock - which as they are light on staff makes shopping a pain in arse and affects sales - sales go down and some shops close.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/22/business/walgreens-shoplifting-locked-up

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2023/11/26/locked-cases-arent-the-answer-to-retail-theft-and-shoplifting/

I think smaller shops like old style corner shops where you have you ask for items as everything behind the counter could work for some shops - but not sure what the answer is for larger ones.

Crime rates are actually falling, its different kinds of crime.

When I was a child burglary was so common my parents expected to have been done when we got back from holiday. When I worked in bank branches in the 1980s armed raids were so common none of the staff had never experienced one. That's unheard of now.

It's lost the quote - A PP said she surpised more good are not behind glass on shelves.

It's quite usual and has been so for many years.

So what if it is assault? Someone comes in, piles ££££ of whatever item into their rucksack or bag, moves quickly to leave the store - why do they get to commit a crime and benefit from it but anyone looking to retaliate must hold back for fear of committing a crime themselves?

I can see the arguments for not putting security guards in harm's way and so on but "risk of assaulting the shoplifters" isn't a consideration imo.

I had a Saturday job in a department store when I was a teen. Two blokes in hi-vis came in and dismantled a gazebo thing in the outdoor department and walked straight out with it.