What do you think of people who steal at supermarkets?

[chroniclesofj]

Have you seen it happen?
Doesn’t seem like police or security care

Why are you asking?

Yes I have seen it happen, they were both stopped by security both times, different shops, both very abusive. The meat went flying all over the floor and second time the car park, and then had to disposed of according to a staff member. We all pay for this ultimately. In both cases I saw they looked to have addiction issues.

I think they are criminals who are stealing from everyone, not just the supermarket, because their stealing means the supermarket puts up its prices to cover the losses. Theft is wrong. Our local supermarket has just put in facial identification cameras and I'm happy about it. I look forward to a time when they are everywhere and there is nowhere for criminals to hide.

Scum of the earth and it’s a joke that police don’t prevent it, sentences are too wishy washy to act as a deterrent, bleeding heart types seem to deeply believe these thieves can’t feed their families (when in reality they’re mostly stealing to order to raise drug money) and the bottom line is it puts up prices for honest people who genuinely are struggling to feed their families, so overall it makes me feel mugged off by society that people let it continue.

In our local Sainsbury's it seems fairly common for people to fill a small trolley then try and make a dash for it out of the door. Seen this several times and usually security staff follow quickly and snatch the trolley back whilst the criminals run off. Don't know why people think they can do this - it is theft!

I used to work in a dept store and I was often asked to go into the interview room and be a responsible adult if it was a woman or young person. I also have a good friend who works for a supermarket.

I have yet to meet a shoplifter who did so because they were on the bones of their arse, hungry with DC to feed. In my case, and my friend's, it is some CF'er stealing luxury goods such as perfume, expensive jumpers and coats, makeup and the supermarket bottles of whisky, the best meat, the most expensive things in the shops rather than nappies, formula, food for kids.

People like the above are scum and should be treated accordingly.

Oh and for those people who always jump on these threads saying jail isn’t the answer, I’ve worked extensively in other countries and those with zero tolerance (serious jail time or other horrible outcomes) are the ones where it almost never happens. Contrast that to the UK where I’ve seen people leaving with buggies or shopping trollies full of things they haven’t paid for because they know generally very little happens if they are caught. I feel very strongly about this.

Obviously theft is wrong. But I once saw a worryingly young and thin mother with her baby steal baby food and fruit and only pay for a pack of nappies. I caught the eye of a member of staff, and realised she had seen it too, and neither of us said or did anything because it was clear that this young woman was desperate. It obviously wasn’t something she did a lot, because she did it so badly, she hadn’t even managed to hide it well in the carriage under the pram. I just felt awful for her.

Did you offer to pay for the items she was stealing?

I think people nicking the odd item is very common at self- scan checkouts particularly. That sort of stuff largely flies under the radar, because there are others very obviously stealing high value items. Steaks and alcohol, etc. I think the security guard at our local Tesco is there as a deterrent only, as I’ve never seen him intervene.

I probably should have done, but I only noticed as she was going past the self service checkout and out of the door. It didn’t strike me in the moment.

My dd works part-time in a well-known supermarket. For reasons I can’t quite fathom, at xmas, they position all the large screen tvs near the entrance. She regularly sees people in pairs lifting them and walking out . Nothing’s done as staff have been advised not to confront thieves to protect their own safety

It would have drawn attention if you had.

The police don’t decide the punishment - it’s the legalisation and courts that do that. Please don’t say ‘police aren’t bothered’ numbers have been cut so drastically you would be horrified if you knew how few are on duty where you are at some points. They’re literally just about able to attend immediate threats to life, unfortunately shoplifting isn’t quite the same. If you want adequate policing I suggest you vote for a party who doesn’t decimate public services.

I find it really hard to get worked up about tbh

I judge people who do it just because they can, a friends partner regularly steals small items and I think is a bit addicted to doing it for the thrill. Arsehole. Whereas people who have little and steal bread and milk for their family - not the right thing to do, go to a food bank, but I get it more.

A family member of mine once worked in a well-known budget store, and their company policy was that staff were not to risk their own safety by apprehending such people, as the threat of violence was too great.

I work in a supermarket and the amount of people walking around stuffing their mouths with food before they even reach the till is mind blowing. I would be so embarrassed handing a cashier an empty crisp packet or chocolate wrapper saying “I’ll pay for this too please”. And they are the few declaring what they’ve eaten.

I don't think anything of them tbh. Whatever the reasons they have for shoplifting, I am thankful that at this moment in time, I don't have any reason to.

Annoyed if I notice it. But it depends on the level really. A woman with a baby who's just been left stranded with no income nicking baby food is different from a junkie going in and out clearing out the booze and fillet steaks six times a day.

How saintly, there are other options and turning a blind eye like this only condones it, this increases the cost of living and reduces faith in the British justice system

if you’re such a paragon of virtue why not pay for her stuff instead of aiding and abetting?

I bet they’d have no problem apprehending me or anyone else who would be perceived as non threatening

I always here stories like that and think what if it was a single 30 year old man stealing food cause he was desperate.
Would he garner the same sympathy?

Yes but junkies often clear out the baby milk too.

So I suppose one can never tell the difference.