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…

Yeah. More frequently over charged but, on occasion, I've had a cashier miss something.

Never

Yes there is. Because supermarkets can increase their prices to absorb the losses. You're also on CCTV and it only takes the security guard to notice and stop you. Would your banana taste so good if you had to pay compensation and a fine ?

‘They’ say the rich never spend any money they don’t have to, that’s how they stay rich. She probably knows the law inside out and had a watertight defence lined up just in case

This is a classic case of advanced mental gymnastics.

Never. Genuinely wouldn't dream of it.

Of course theft has an effect, it's exactly the same.

You even have employees from supermarkets on this thread telling you it affects the staff as well.

Someone is paying for the stolen item, who do you think that is?

Instead of insulting other people, you should be grateful that the majority is not like you, because it's your life who will become miserable. You are just lucky that not everyone helps themselves to your things because they can, they way you help yourself to bananas, nappies, wine et god knows what.

It’s not that I think you’re ’a bad person ’ because that would be a very childish assessment to make about someone.

I do think though that your behaviour demonstrates that you are self-absorbed, don’t really believe in community/society, and that you aren’t trustworthy, all of which are qualities I don’t admire. I wouldn’t want to be your friend, colleague or family member, but I’m hardly suggesting you get sent to prison for life.

I’m surprised that you’re so surprised that you haven’t had a load of fellow thieves agreeing with you on the thread. The fact is that most people behave better than you do, and those that don’t are at least too embarrassed to admit to it in public.

You will continue to help yourself to things that don’t belong to you, and the rest of us will continue to pay for it. Such is life. Congratulations to you for cheating your fellow humans and getting away with it. Hopefully your kids will do better.

Never. I can’t believe you’re asking this!

never.

I agree. It’s odd to compare the two. Forgetting to count a banana, or conveniently forgetting to pay for a plastic bag is absolutely not the same as stealing from someone’s home. It’s not a slippery slope, or a gateway into further crime either.

Can’t get too worked up about it tbh and my ability to count bananas has been rather sketchy over the years, I’m super forgetful with the bags and sometimes i accidentally forget to pay for one of my birthday cards if it’s on top of the one I’ve paid for 🤣. And on that note, I think it’s time I bowed out of this thread lol.

I am actually comfortable with who I am, and even the work I actually do in society. So maybe that’s why I can make a bit of a joke about it. It’s not something I would overly conceptualise or lose sleep over.

Never!

Never and if I found out any off my friends or family did I would think less of them and they would be no longer allowed in my home as I wouldn't trust them not to steal from me

Yes. But it’s for environmental reasons.

Never

I once forgot to pay for an extra carrier bag and felt dreadful about that 😅 otherwise..never.
the self-checkout section relies on trust and I just couldn't abuse it!

You make it sound as though it’s a dilemma most people struggle with every time they’re in a shop 🙄
It genuinely never enters most people’s minds to steal stuff rather than pay for it, the opportunity or lack of it isn’t relevant.

Never

I am clutching my pearls, if I don’t people like you might steal them…..

It’s a weird mentality to think that stealing is okay because it’s from a large organisation. Stealing is wrong and there is always a victim, whether that’s other customers paying more or staff getting lower bonuses etc. Or indeed, simply the disrespect you are showing staff and their employment.

There is no “nuance” in what you are doing op. You aren’t destitute or desperate and you justify your theft by the fact that they are a “multi national corporation” so “they” can afford it. That is EXACTLY the same argument as the burglar who breaks into your house or the arsewipe who breaks into “fancy” cars….”they” this mysterious “they” can afford it. Grow up and pay for your shit, or go without.

That’s the reason, and it’s not fucked because of people who nick the odd banana from a supermarket!

Now multiply that odd banana, the nappies, the wine by the number of people actually doing the same up and down the country. Add in the steaks and the bottles or vodka and the toiletries and all the rest of it, especially in the run up to Christmas, and it's all of a sudden not the 'odd banana' being nicked and costing the supermarkets and the people shopping in them, is it?

I get it, OP. You've had a mirror held up to your behaviour on here, you don't like it and you don't like what you see about yourself. Hence the bluster about pearl clutching and moral righteousness and 'well it's not like not recycling, is it, that really IS bad.'

So the answers on this thread are really not a reflection of the reality

I;d say 99% of people on here have said they don't shoplift. Why is that not a reflection of reality? don't you like that we've pointed out what shoplifting says about you?

What confuses me about this is don’t all self-checkouts have scales underneath and know what weight they’re expecting per item? Add something you’ve not scanned and it’ll bleep and freeze?

No I’d never knowingly pinch anything. My DH likes the self-scan handsets but I’m always worried they’ll catch something we’ve inadvertently missed on a random check.

Have you done this post for research @Alwaysthelastone ?
I’ll be honest, when self serve checkouts were first a thing I did take advantage, the odd pastry and not much else. It felt like a joke and me and my then friends never believed the self serve checkouts would be sustainable.
the local supermarket at the time soon installed people to closely watch the checkouts so it was a short lived ‘thrill’ for me

i don’t excuse it and wouldn’t dare now and would be mortified if I did and was caught.
Ive accidentally left the shop not realising that my card hadn’t gone through and the security guard came straight out after me.
Imagine the embarrassment and humiliation for me and my loved ones if I had actually been stealing or if they didn’t believe I thought the card had worked.

the work I do means id never get a job again if I was caught doing anything illegal .

I did have an awful ‘upbringing’, both my parents have been in prison several times and I was hugely misguided, mistreated and my youth was hugely misspent.
I don’t judge people who steal out of desperation, hunger, addiction, mental illness, cry for help etc. and wish support services and networks were better for people in need.
Ive also been robbed at home by strangers and been publicly mugged so in some ways I know how it feels on both sides of the fence

Never, not even once. I once got to the car and found a roll of clear tape in the trolley not paid for. I went back and paid for it. £1.00. I do not steal even accidentally.

I agree with this.

Studies have consistently shown that very few people see themselves as a bad person, including people that have done some really horrific things. We simply can't handle this concept as human beings and what this would mean for our own self image.

I also find it interesting that OP is trying to use moral disengagement and blame shifting to deflect from their actions. Suggesting posters on MN are the problem for being so judgemental and pearl clutching. They are really struggling to own their behaviour and accept that most of society views it as a morally reprehensible thing to do. They are clinging to the idea that more people must secretly do it so that it makes them feel less wrong.

Stealing bananas isn't the biggest crime on the world but similar psychology underpins lots of crimes and bad things.