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…

Never

I was tempted with a bulb of garlic the other week at the self checkout but I thought; I like shopping here, the staff know me, I couldn’t have the embarrassment, I can afford to buy more or less what I want plus I’m not a skank. I think the thought flitted through my head because we spend so much at the moment, rising prices etc and then you’ve got to scan your own shopping.

Never, I’m not a thief. I’m not a thief because I have some morals and self respect. Stealing from shops puts the prices up for everyone.

Never. In fact, I check the screen and then the receipt to ensure there’s no mistakes on either part.

Knowingly, never.

Although my DH & i were in a M&S food recently while on holiday. Later on he asked me how much It cost, I didn't know, I assumed he'd paid & vice versa. Called M&S explained what happened, told them we had scanned ours sparks card so hopefully there would be a record. Nope, we were just thanked for our honesty had a bit of a laugh & told not to worry about it but If we were near the store we could pop in and they might have it on camera. By this time we were miles away. I still feel guilty now & haven't used my sparks card since 😳

@DorsetKnobBiscuit valid but boring! Regardless of anyone’s views on shoplifting, it’s boring reading 290 comments saying “never, I’d never ever ever do anything like that”. This clearly isn’t the thread for me!

No, sorry, not stolen since being a kid. I've even told shop keepers if they've given me too much change, happened a few times, change for a £20, not a £10 I gave. I don't want them to get into trouble.

My FIL though was a bugger. He absolutely hated paying for fixodent and would steal it most of the time unless I joined him in a shopping trip. Would pop up his sleeve. He was in his early 90's at the time and just said he'd be fine in prison and looked after! Apparently fixodent is one of the most stolen items.

I have never stolen from a supermarket!

That's weird.

But no I've never nicked anything. Though I have had to go back and pay for a pack of toilet rolls once that had been hanging on the trolley.

There's probably a direct correlation between thinking it's ok to steal and having a low opinion of your fellow man.

Never, and I'm answering honestly. I once went back to TK Maxx the next day, as I had put something on top of the pushchair hood and then it got folded up inside the hood. When I tried to go back and pay for it they looked at me like I had two heads!

I've never seen anyone shoplifting in a shop either. What I do see on a daily basis is people, mostly young and/or disheveled looking, forcing their way through the wide gates on the trains and tube and nobody doing anything about it even when staff are right there. Hate it.

I guess they pick something of similar weight? I don’t know, I am not advocating it as a procedure obvs. Maybe it is flagged which is how the shop spots it.

Never.

I wouldn’t anyway as it would feel so wrong, but I am always the one pulled over for random bag checks and I often see security people looking at me or following me.

I am quite a scruff, and am visually impaired (which you’d never know just from looking at me, I don’t even wear glasses as they don’t help my condition), so I m often circling round back on myself trying to find things, picking the wrong things up and returning them, looking confused and muttering to myself out of frustration, so I think I just look dodgy anyway.

I’d be caught the first time I tried anything.

If enough people do that the shop realise that people aren't paying and they take the bags away and only staff have access. That happened at my local Morrisons. You have to ask for a bag now, they are no longer at the checkout.

And to be honest, it's really not worth risking a record for the cost of a bulb of garlic. I mean, if going to steal, make it worth your while?! 😁

I found it heartening rather than boring.

Lots of people steal the Lego as well. Or open the boxes/bags with toys (eg blind bags) and take the contents then leave the wrapper.

Never

Never, and please don’t try and normalise theft. Even large supermarkets will be affected. If their bottom line goes down because of large scale thefts they will bring it back up by reducing headcount or increasing prices. Theft affects customers and staff

Never. I couldn’t do it, not just because I wouldn’t want to but my job relies on me being squeaky clean down to no points driving or dodgy friends!

Never, on a rare occasion my toddler put something in the pram I wasn't aware about, as soon as I saw it, we turned back around and paid for it.

Why don't you try some local food banks? X

Never.

When I was much younger and less well off, I would 'forget' to scan things when doing self-scan shopping. Quite high value things too. Good bottles of whisky, in the days before they put tags on them. But that was 25 years ago.

Now, I scan everything and on the odd occasion I've got to the car and realised there's something in the trolley I missed or whatever, I will go back. I've used up all my capacity to absorb bad karma.

My son once stole some fingerpuppets from Waterstones when he was about 2 - he was playing with them while I was looking at books, and didn't take them off - and I took him straight back once I realised to give them back. They were total sweethearts, really taken aback that I had bothered to go back, and gave them to him.

When I was having my 2nd, a mum in a neighbouring bed asked me if I wanted some of the nappies and bounty stuff she had managed to steal. Little bottles, too.

This wasnt a person who needed it by any means, just an opportunist who would do anything to "save" a few shekels

Never, you don't have to weigh your veg in advance anyway here, you just do it at the checkout.

My mum once walked all the way back to a shop to return an item that she’d picked up while browsing and still had in her hand when she got home. It taught me to always double check before leaving a shop.
I had a friend who was a prolific thief. Even as a child, I’d threaten to call the manager if I saw her pocket something in a shop and she didn’t put it back.