Be honest, zero judgment - how often do you steal from supermarket self-checkouts?

[Alwaysthelastone]

My theory is, “decent, up-standing” people do it a lot more than they’d ever admit. Let’s try to stop this thread descending into judgement and criticism of people who are just answering the question honestly. Otherwise they just won’t be honest. No judgement from me, as long as we’re talking large chain supermarkets only. I’ll admit that I sometimes forget to weigh fruit & veg, get to the till and can’t be bothered going back so don’t bother paying. Occasionally in the past when money’s been tight I haven’t paid for a few of the more expensive items like laundry detergent, nappies, the odd bottle of wine. But we’re talking 3 or 4 times I year. I’m not some sort of serial shoplifter and I consider myself a decent person (although I’m sure I’ll swiftly be told I’m not on here 🤣) anyway, would be interested to hear how often the mostly upstanding, middle-class MN population really does it…

You already have a criminal record @Lexibletheflexible ??

I agree with you generally but make a special exception for baby formula. It's so expensive so I go by the rule that if you see someone steal baby formula, no you didn't. Even if it ends up part of a trading ring some poor woman is still desperate to get it cheaper elsewhere. Considering that the formulations all legally have to be the same, it's shameful that they are priced as they are, and I say this as someone who breast fed

Never.
Imagine the shame if you got caught .

I'm not sure how you do it @Alwaysthelastone as the scales are very sensitive.

When I was a teenager, some things occasionally slipped up my sleeve in Boots, and when I was a broke student, I once weighed some leeks then added a couple more and didn't bother re-weighing them. But not since then. I think even if I was desperate, the shame now, plus the inconvenience of not being able to shop there again, would stop me.

That said,
I’ll admit that I sometimes forget to weigh fruit & veg, get to the till and can’t be bothered going back so don’t bother paying.

I've never been to a supermarket where you can't weigh fruit and veg at the self-checkout till...

The would also have access to the food bank.

I reckon many of us on here have been on the bones of our arse at some stage in our life and still haven't stolen.

Never. Why would anyone risk derailing their life over a pack of ham or tin of beans?

That's a strange question. It assumes I would do it if I could, but for the thing that's stopping me. You might as well ask 'what's stopping you standing on your head in the middle of Trafalgar Square?'. Nothing is stopping me, I just wouldn't consider doing it in the first place. Because stealing is wrong.

Yeah. Lots of people do.

Honestly. Never. It’s not big and it’s not clever OP.

You are not a decent person. Decent people do not steal.

My post wasn't saying that it was ok to steal. It was saying that benefits are not generous. Some people don't have access to food banks. I know people who don't -those who live in rural areas for example

Thank you. As a person on benefits I really hate how we get tarred with the same brush. Not all of us are lazy scroungers!

Never

One of my DC works in a supermarket and this is really common.

I don't understand the OP not paying for fruit and veg and then "not going back" bc you scan it at the till? Anyway people put expensive F&V such as banana through as carrots or onions; people peel off yellow stickers from reduced items and put them over the barcode for a leg of lamb to try and buy it for 87p; they hide things in their clothing. It's a real issue.

FWIW I have also never stolen from the supermarket.

When I was really poor and could not afford much food I did not take stuff I could not pay for. I have a really big issue with someone well off who still thinks it's okay to do this. I would judge you and I would think a whole lot less of you.

Never. Shit like this is why we're being constantly monitored by cctv.

OP seems to have disappeared.

Either she's frantically writing her article for the Daily Mail or she's in the back room of a Lidl waiting for a police car to arrive.

I would never do that. For one thing, it’s not worth the risk and for another thing I wouldn’t want to.

ETA and you put the price up for everyone else.

I have lived on benefits.

No and no idea how it would be feasible. You can’t just stick it in the bagging area as it will set up an alert with weight and the camera. I had around 15 small tins tuna the other day and was being quick and turned out one was not scanned. By the time the alert was on the screen the staff member was already there with her nose and hands in the bag. Then when I said it was an honest error that I would have corrected myself given the chance, she caused a further delay by looking at the film footage on screen, which showed me passing them all across the scanner but one just didn’t register seemingly. Then okayed me to proceed. Was madness and I was seriously unimpressed.

No idea how you could even do it with most fruit/veg. The camera detects the things it thinks it should be and you can only choose from them - I suppose you could game that somewhat by choosing zucchini over leb cucumber if you knew zucchini’s were cheaper, or you could choose standard tomatoes rather than organic, but that’s about as creative as you could get🤷‍♀️.

Never and I think 3 or 4 times a year makes someone a serial shoplifter. There is a difference, IMO, between stealing because you are hungry and stealing luxury items such as wine. The former is possibly defensible in particular circumstances. The latter is always indefensible and pretty scummy.

Never.

I'm not a thief.

I’m quite aware how much UC is. And also how food banks work. I judge people in the UK who steal. It puts the prices up for everyone - including the people trying to stretch their food budget as far as possible.

On two separate occasions when I was a student the cashier accidentally handed my cheque back to me. I was poor. I gave the cheque back on both occasions.

people peel off yellow stickers from reduced items and put them over the barcode for a leg of lamb to try and buy it for 87p

Presumably the till notices because of the weight difference?

Never.