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.

This.

I think self service doesn't help . Self service takes jobs away from those who need them.

As for people who shoplift to order and sell things on, they need to get off their arses and earn a respectable and honest crust. I expect it's greed for many of them though.

I don't think security guards have powers of arrest anyway? They might be able to grab the products from the thieves I suppose. But that's about it...

It really pisses me off that there is no punishment for this. Until the police actually do something, it isn't going to stop. They know they can get away with it and there is nothing we can do.

There was a recent thread on MN from a poster who saw a "nicely dressed" woman get caught shoplifting. The assistant asked her to pay for the goods she was trying to shoplift. The poster in question felt guilty for not intervening, because the woman was nearly in tears.

A lot of the responses were critical of the shop assistant, not the shoplifter! Posters were saying, in all seriousness, that he was on a "power trip" and "should have minded his own business" (FFS, it's his job!). People were actually saying he should have "discreetly" taken the shoplifter aside inside of confronting her in front of other customers. (Why? Everyone would have worked out why she was being taken aside, and frankly if you shoplift you can't expect the staff to show discretion in calling you out.) A few posters actually advised the OP to complain to the supermarket about the assistant "humiliating" the poor shoplifter.

Bearing that in mind, is it any wonder the staff don't intervene?

Christ.

They’re only employed to keep staff safe and as a deterrent. So if a shoplifter was to turn violent towards a staff member, they would step in. They aren’t allowed to physically address a shoplifter.

DD (18) has just started working in a shop (well known chain) she was told on her first day they lose more money than they make.
She is told to approach customers and ask if they need assistance (in the aisles where most items are stolen) in the hope that being approached will put people off stealing. I can't imagine that it does, I don't thing anything puts people off stealing as there are literally no consequences the vast majority of the time.

I know of soneone who says he steals something most times he goes to the supermarket....just for the hell of it.

If it keeps up stores are going to need to make a difficult decision. They may need to keep locked up all the time and only allow phone/internet orders that are paid for first and not picked up until the payment clears. Or make everyone pay a deposit before they come into the store and only allow those who pay in.

Something has to be done. And soon, before the honest people cannot afford to eat.

I've worked in retail for over 20 years. We've always had shoplifters. We don't have any more now than we had back then. The difference is that back in the early 2000's if you reported a theft to the police they would be out the same or next day to review CCTV and take statements. We reported a theft in January this year for an item worth £300. All on CCTV. The police turned up in June. 🙄

I see this shop lifting so often in my city centre. They just walk out, nothing happens.

Yet once, dh got petrol and went in for a newspaper. He did say “and pump #5” but they only charged him for the paper. Dh tapped his card without looking. The next day, a police officer knocked at my door, came in and stood there while I phoned the petrol station to pay. No problems with this and dh was mortified when I phoned him at work.

But if they can send a police officer to my house for £40 worth of petrol, why can nothing be done about high value shoplifting that is so obvious and rife.

I’m sure Farage’s Brownshirts will be doing that in about four years time.

It will be in a community. If you live on a particular street someone may knock on your door. If you aren't interested then you just say 'no thanks'. Even if you find it abhorrent you won't dare to tell the police because:

• the police won't do anything
• you will be shunned or worse within your community

Some years ago now, before brexit, I listened to a programme talking about the problem of booze cruise drinks being used as part of protection rackets against small businesses (restaurants etc) 'buy our cheap drinks or we will torch the place and beat you up'.

Wouldn't surprise me if that is going on with shoplifted goods.

According to official statistics, there were over 500,000 shoplifting offences reported in England & Wales last year. However, most offences are not reported. The British Retail Consortium estimates that the true figure is over 20 million.

Do we think tesco etc will lower their prices if theft stops? I just see they will make record profits. get rid of self scan and somehow lock trolleys that are just being taken out. Have a one way system. Of course many of you are going to be up in arms and say you wont shop there again but maybe thats what it it takes.

Someone I work with mentioned he did that or the staff couldnt be bothered to check or the shop should employ more staff. I was quite appalled. He is on a good salary and his wife on even more.

It's because there's no deterrent and no punishment.
If people realised they might a hand chopped off they would stop simple, ir it would mean it happened less often as it does now.
It's only going to get worse too.

I just thing those who do it need to stop and think for a minute.
How would I like this done to me and my shop?
Answer is they wouldn't.
Don't do it to anyone else then.

Yes @corsawill however I’ve seen women fill the bottom level of their pushchair and not declare it at the till. Not everyone is honest.

I’ve also seen a young professional looking chap in his salmon chino shorts, cream linen shirt and leather flats stealing meat from Lidl. He only paid for the bagged lettuce at the till. Yes young man, this middle aged black lady saw you looking around and you know that. Walking up and down the aisle with two items, then the meat suddenly vanished and your shorts strangely bulging at the back. Yes our eyes met in the queue, and no my eyes were not admiring your backside.

Police have been ordered not to turn out for small thefts, say £200 worth of goods.

Quite rightly; shop staff are ordered not to tackle thieves and shoplifters in case violence follows and staff get injured.

We are learning.how much we need law enforcement and jail space and real consequences.

Of course they do you and I have got the power of citizens arrest.

Ahh the cycle of greed. So that created more people in financial crisis, which increases the number of shoplifters.

Maybe if companies paid people salaries they could live on, people would stop stealing.

Not of all them, but you can't keep raising the price of everything around people, but not wages and expect for crime and civil unrest not to rise.

Brexit is the reason food has become so expensive. This is irritating and obviously wrong - but a small impact in comparison.

How have we got to this though?? Like, how on earth??

In west London it’s awful, after school it’s wack-a-mole from teen boys to meek girls dressed modesty drinks, baked goods and meat for mum. People all ages stealing every time I visit and customers helping block security guards defending thieves say “cost of living innit ”
very much doubt these are “necessity theft” situations

Theft increase prices !!!!

People are raised to be savage these days, and law enforcement no teeth. There’s literally no hope for people who consider stealing part of their day.

Disagree. … if people think get can something for nothing, they will try. Regardless of hourly wage. Theft leaves more money for things they can’t easily steal. Esp if they know that police will not be involved because they don’t police theft … at all.

I saw an old lady about 75.
Years ago shoplifting not once but twice in wilcos.
When she was done she walked past security guard said hello lovely day isn't it he opend the door for her and off she went.
She put a pot of expensive at the time face cream in her bag went round to the pix and mix and grabbed to handfuls of different sweets and put them in her pocket.

I was gobsmacked i dont know why i didnt say anything at the time.

I also saw to men in pound shop filling their jackets up of tools and other bits.
I know he saw me as he looked straight at me and said you wont say anything will love.
Again gobsmacked i smiled and shook my head like an idiot.

And the asda theft at xmass time young lad was lurking around the tins of sweet big ones we had back then.
I walked past and said if your trying to shoplift get me a tub.
Though that will put him of well fuck me i went out the shop when i was done walked around the corner and there he was 4 big tins.
I acted like i didn't see him he said oi i got you one for free gave it to me and pissed of on his bike.