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

Never. It's theft. I'm not a criminal.

I do, sometimes, usually if something is difficult to scan so I just walk off with it. I don’t feel any guilt but I probably would have once. So I’ve probably become a bit accustomed to it!

You’ve absolutely hit the nail on the head.

The OP has inadvertently highlighted through her own behaviour and self justification the thread of entitlement that seems to be currently running through society.
“My needs and wants trump everyone else’s”
“I don’t actually care what impact my behaviour has on others”
”Anyone who conforms is just a mug”
If we all took this approach, society would soon break down into anarchy.

What a sad and selfish attitude to have, and thank goodness that the vast majority of replies here show that the vast majority still have scruples and integrity.

I’m a great believer in karma. There will always be a payback in some form or other.

This is the height of pettiness, but I feel miffed that we’re all treated like potential thieves now - alarmed meat in Sainsbury’s; those plastic sliders you have to move on shelves; sometimes even you have to scan the barcode on your receipt. Clearly there’s a lot of shoplifting happening…

… SO …

I very often don’t declare when I take a plastic bag - especially if I’ve had to wait a long time for alcohol purchase approvals, weight mismatch clearances etc. It’s so so petty, but when I need cheered up, I reward myself for never shoplifting by not declaring a plastic bag, or I consider it payment for all the ‘shadow-labour’ (I think is the term?) the Supermarkets have pushed on to us by introducing self-checkout in the first place.

Does anyone else do this?? Am I certifiable??

But I do never ever shoplift!

I did once, got cocky, and did it again the next day. They had been watching me, however, and I was caught. They took me to a little cubicle out the back, banned me from the store and then escorted me off the premises. Horrible. Really humiliating as well. Never again.

That is shop lifting. If you took a Freddo or something of similar value to the plastic bag then would you see that as stealing?

You are not just stealing from the 'big corporations', you are stealing from all of us too! Your theft puts the prices up for the rest of us. Thanks very much...

I’m not some sort of serial shoplifter and I consider myself a decent person

If your OP is true, rather than rage bait, then yes you are and no, you are not.

@Itchthescratch

I suppose I would, yes. But say I’m paid £40 an hour, and I’m left waiting 6 minutes for a Sainsbury’s worker to come and fix the issue with their shonky scales. Have they just stolen £4 from me?

Prices have gone up so much, and supermarkets have a policy of not challenging people they see shoplifting, instead preferring for their honest customers to subsidise the shoplifters. I see myself as an honest customer, patiently waiting for them to come and fix their broken scale, so - often, I’ll take the bag for free.

I have literally never done this. It’s theft! Store managers are penalised on losses, it impacts their store performance, profit and who is bearing the brunt of that? Not the millionaires at the top, it’s the staff at the bottom not getting pay rises or bonuses.

Not middle class and would never. It’s scummy.

When I was 8 I accidentally walked out of my local shop holding a badge. I became hysterical as a child!!! Like I was sooo upset. We walked back in and the shop keeper spent ages trying to calm me down with my mum and I was so assured I would be going to jail…he laughed so much at the end

he still owns that shop….he still laughs when he sees me which isn’t as often as I don’t live there anymore.

but it scarred me! Ha

That's a lot of words trying to justify that stealing isn't bad. It's universally acknowledged to be Not A Good Thing.

It's also possible not to steal things from supermarket and also have the ability to be kind and compassionate and not a bully. The two are not mutually exclusive.

I personally would presume that if you were a thief you would also be a bit of a dick in other areas, because your decision making was well off.

Never, and don't know anyone who does either!

Never.

I'm the kind of person who feels (and probably looks) guilty when the security alarm goes off even though I know I paid for everything in my bags and have the receipts to prove it!! 😅

I can afford to pay so I do. I hate freeloaders in any situation (I mean people who can pay but try to dodge paying... not judging those who genuinely have no means to pay).

My job is such that I could be subject to fitness to practice/ suspension from the register for theft so it wouldn't ever cross my mind to risk it.

Never

Lol, you can't control how people respond to a thread on the interweb!

I've just murdered the Pope; anybody else ever murdered anyone? Please don't be judgey...

Never. It’s dishonest, antisocial, and puts prices up for everyone

I mean, moral compass aside, I just couldn't cope with the thought of being collared on my way out to the car park with something shoved up my sleeve, and taken back into the shop and having to deal with the whole scenario.

Not for any bottle of wine in the world would I risk that, for shame. The thought makes my blood run cold.

Never.

Also sick of buying own-brand or basics range due to prices going up in part because of shoplifters like you.

This. An unrecognised item which in fact is recognised but the till glitches or bananas are unable to be weighed. Now the assistant goes through my items and then corrects the till. But I'm not getting busted for £2.50 or whatever the amount is and I'm not filling a trolley because I don't need to

OP , your thread title 'Be honest....' 😂😅

They aren't going to advertise that they do it. But I suspect any security or till staff on here have stories of well dressed men/women trying to load their expensive car with stolen items.

How many fare dodgers do we have? That also seems to be a thing now

Never. Because I'd hate to be like you, OP, justifying a criminal lifestyle.