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…

Absolutely never.

I do think that maybe you should be a little more circumspect about revealing illegal behaviour in this era of rogue AI agents. AI is very good at linking people's accounts on different systems that it gains access to.
Mumsnet has been hacked in the past and account details sold on the "dark web" (my then account and password were breached) cannot see it being that secure that it won't happen again.

Absolutely never have, and never will.

You think it is acceptable to have 'only' taken a few items, like wine and nappies a few times a year - but multiply that by everyone else who thinks it is okay to steal things, and the cost will be eye-wateringly high!

And as for the 'only take things from the large chain supermarkets' comment (which I have heard millions of times before) - yeah, because stealing from the big chains means they can absorb those costs and not pass them down to the prices at the till, doesn't it?! 🤦‍♀️🙄

FFS

Never. Food shopping is the worst bit of the week as it is without adding a sidenote of criminality and consequence into the mix.

They charge because they are legally required to charge. We might argue about whether or not that is passed on to the customer, but they have no choice.

Never. Stealing is just plain wrong.

Do bag for life's count? I've swiped a couple of those in my time without paying. Nothing else though.

Never, because it never occurred to me to do it!

Don't get me started on parents who let their DC eat chocolate bars or similar as they walk around the supermarket before they have paid for them. Super scummy behaviour.

I have never stolen anything from a shop in all of my life & been through hard times of unemployment with little money to feed my family.

Year’s ago I was stopped (very loudly) by security who had mistaken me for another shopper. Thankfully I had my receipt but it really embarrassed me. I also get a receipt every time, even if it’s just one item.

Never. And I try to use the actual staffed checkout when I can, especially since sainsburys have installed cameras so if you are trying to get all your shopping onto the stupid shelf and happen to have something in your hand while you prevent something else falling off or reposition something to try and get the scales to actually register it, a passive aggressive message pops up: "oooh, it's soooo easy to miss scanning something isn't it? Do you want to try again?" No! Just fucking work! Employ staff to do this for me rather than a load of shit tills being managed by one person who can't be in six places at once no matter how good at their job they are!

No I don't ever shoplift. Also, not the point of the thread but how do you get the self checkout scales to balance if you don't scan something? Doesn't it freeze and call a staff member?

I once got rid of a dog sitter because she told me quite proudly how Amazon left an expensive item on her doorstep, and she told them it wasn't there so that they'd send another one. I did not care she was stealing from Amazon, theft is theft and I didn't want her in my home after that.

Yep, nothing nicer than putting your hand in a cardboard box to pick up an item and realise someone's left half a sandwich in its wrapping in it

So you are arguing that they will definitely pass the cost of shoplifting on to the shoppers. I agree with you. You are not sticking it to the man.

I did once walk out of Ryman’s with a large Jiffy Bag under my arm - I had paid for other things but had forgotten that and the woman on the till hadn’t noticed!

I was 100 yards away before I realised, went cold at the thought of what could have happened - went back and paid for it!

Exactly. Ultimately corporations pass the cost onto the consumers, not their shareholders.

Never

Never. It wouldn’t even cross my mind.

I accidentally “stole” some flowers from
Waitrose once, they were by the entrance, I picked them up on the way in and was holding them under my arm. I’d used a self scanner handset and totally forgot I hadn’t scanned them like the rest of my shopping.

I got home and realised I hadn’t paid for a £20 bunch of flowers. I’m not so upstanding that I took them back because I didn’t, but I wouldn’t set out to steal.

I remember the days when the manned tills had a dedicated packer putting your things away. They stopped to, no doubt, cut costs but in doing so I bet they lose far more now in shoplifted items.

Yes i have! I have stolen thousands worth. But I am also paid to do it! I work for a consultancy company that tests security systems. I have never been caught but others have. And I do have to give it all back at the end. I have never actually stolen anything and it's not a victimless crime either as it just puts up the price for everyone else.

It's not something that ever crosses my mind. It's not like I think "shall I steal this cabbage" and decide not to because of morals. It simply would never occur to me. I also think society only functions when people follow agreed behaviour, so I don't want stealing to become 'normal'. Because then where would we be? That would be a hell of a lot worse for everyone.

I did once accidentally leave a clothes shop with the babygrow I was intending to buy slung in full view over the hood of the pram. I didn't notice it until I was well out of the store and shopping somewhere else. I walked back to the first store to apologise and pay. I clearly didn't need to, but it didn't occur to me not to.

Never. I walked out with a bag of shopping that I’d not paid for after an acquaintance distracted me at the till. Got half way down the street, realised I hadn’t paid and went straight back. I don’t steal, ever.

Literally never.