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.

It wasn’t actually!

it was why aren’t retailers doing more to stop it!

His take was, if we get burgled the police tell us to up our security, improve our locks etc.

That doesn’t seem to be happening in this situation.

It wouldn't make a difference, they go to the shelves, take what they want and also put irrespective of self service or manned tills and as OP said staff are told not to challenge them for safety reasons.

The main issue is the acceptance and tolerance to shoplifting which empowers them to continue because there's no consequences.

My local Lidl in London have these. People tailgate though, just like they do getting through the ticket barriers on the tube, and with staffing numbers cut down to the bare minimum, there’s not really the people there to enforce. It’s a good idea though and maybe acts as a deterrent to some

Not just ‘junkies’. There’s a good documentary on this, can’t remember if C4. But it’s been linked to organised crime. Toiletries, formula, alcohol end up in boot fairs and corner shops. They’ve also traced one to a big logistics company that then ships the stock abroad (outside of Europe) in massive volume. They have smaller fish go and shoplift, the goods then go in to bigger warehouses where they’re put together and sorted, then it’s shipped off.

With the people clearing out a full fridge shelf full of chicken, steaks, blocks of cheese, tubs of butter - if it's to sell on for drugs etc, who is buying this though? I know there's the old cliche of someone selling some packs of steaks down the pub, but are people genuinely buying this on the regular enough to warrant them making multiple shoplifting trips a day? You've presumably got to sell it on quick or it'd go bad out in the heat. Have you ever bought a block of stolen cheese off someone or know people who do, because it's got to be someone doing it to make it an industry.

I also witnessed a meeting at the little Waitrose near Bank Station which was struggling with office workers nicking stuff

My nominated pharmacy has to have the lowest shoplifting rates in town. They dispense prescriptions and have very limited retail - OTC medicines, Lockets cough sweets, a few toiletries and Covid test packs and they keep everything behind the counter. The only thing you can walk in and pick up, apart from the water jug and paper cups, are the leaflets. Many of their regulars come in for their dose of methadone, they participate in the annual flu and covid vaccination season and they are very handy for people like me who live nearby and like to have a pharmacy on the doorstep. Visiting is not a shopping (or shoplifting) experience. It's very functional, more of a offshore of the NHS. It works well for them because of what they do, but it wouldn't be a model other shops would relish.

And I've been in the local Greggs outlet store where they sell day-old doughnuts and sandwiches and have seen people walk out with a couple of boxes of day old doughnuts that only cost a quid as it is. That had to be for personal consumption because you're not supporting much of a drug habit on that.

Found it: Seen 'Britain's Shoplifting Gangs Exposed'? Watch it here on Channel 4:

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/britains-shoplifting-gangs-exposed?cntsrc=social_share_ios_britains_shoplifting_gangs_exposed

This has always happened. I worked at Gap in the late 90’s , shop lifters would come and slide all of the piles of T-shirts/jeans or whatever was on the table straight into big shopping bags. Clear the table. Happened frequently.

I was waiting for my dd to come out of B&M, and someone walked past their garden section, which is just outside the front door, broad daylight he filled up a rucksack with all sorts, picked up a bag of compost and just walked off. I went into the store and told them, but they said it happens all the time and the staff are told not to approach anyone stealing.

@givemushypeasachance people buy it because they can and they are getting a bargain.
Same with buying fakes (clothes, bags, toys etc). Their theory is "it's cheap so why would I turn that down?".

Meanwhile, they are scanning me (never shop lifted in my whole life) with facial recognition while I dutifully pay for my over-priced shopping, while an assistant watches me like a hawk to make sure I don't steal anything

I just can't imagine walking down the highstreet and having someone come up to me showing a rucksack full of Cathedral City and saying here do you want three blocks for a fiver.

I went in a couple of charity shops recently and saw that anything worth over £10 (as seen on the the price tag) had a small bicycle lock on it attached to a rail or if it was small enough it was locked in a cabinet. I visit charity shops quite often and I have seen them do this with items £25 and over but not £10.

Happens all the time and people buy it.
I was offered pouches of tobacco just the other day.

Most of these types of crimes are committed by a small percentage of society- the people shoplifting are also stealing mobile phones, bicycles, tools from vans etc etc. It is a career for them. There is no real deterrent. I would support something similar to the US 3 strikes rule to try and target these repeat offenders - a lengthy prison sentence/ or deportation if dual citizen for the third offence. The cost of keeping them in prison would be offset against the savings to the economy.

I've been in my local pub/restaurant and people just wander in with bags full of meat, washing powder etc. Loads of people seem to have no problem buying the stolen goods!

Our Co-op is shocking for this. They are also told not to confront but this one lad does. I’ve seen him do it. If they are a repeat offender he follows them around the shop.

They also regularly run out of baskets because thieves fill them and just walk out.

We've been offered a bag of "shopping" for £20 before just stood on our driveway. There's obviously a huge market for it or they wouldn't bother.

I worked in Sainsburys in the 80s. I’m very un observant but couldn’t help noticing the guy on my till who pushed a trolley loaded with leg of lamb, booze etc past me and just paid for a newspaper. He smiled at me angelically and I was so gobsmaked I did nothing.

I work in a convenience store, we get some of the same people target us often. Junkies after things they can sell on, like laundry products, baby powder. We are told to keep an eye out but not to confront or tackle them. Our worst offender got a slap on the wrist in court and is back to business as usual. So so frustrating to have to watch, but nothing we can do.

That. Is. Shocking.
Poor little love, that's absolutely appalling!!!!!

Just been into the local Coop 10 mins ago. A young guy was stood there with a basket whilst a woman opened booze cupboard. I thought he was odd as I needed to get past him and he just didn’t move. I thought rude.

Then I saw him heading to a self service and I thought why don’t you pay at the counter with all those bottles of alcohol it’s going to be a pain.

Next thing I look up and he is being strong armed through a locked door . He must have tried to leg it with his alcohol. The staff were clearly watching him and I heard one say he was a regular. Must have meant regular shop lifter.