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. Shops have to recover their profits from stolen goods which makes everything more expensive for everyone.
I spent the beginning of my career in retail and in my experience, very few shop thieves steal to feed their kids, more like feeding their drug habit.

Can I ask how you are with shame? I’ve an absolutely mentally low shame tolerance and go into a shame spiral quite regularly if I don’t keep vigilant. And I mean I go into one if I think I’ve spoken too much in a meeting, I’m not talking about actually doing anything wrong.

thsts not to say id commit a crime if the shame thing wasn’t there as I think it’s absolutely abhorrent. But I’m always curious about people who don’t get eaten up inside about wrongdoings hence my question.

Never. I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford to pay and would think myself very sad and shabby if I had to get my kicks from scamming Tesco out of a few quid.
I have a lot of empathy for people who feel they have no choice but to shoplift for essentials, because to me extreme poverty is a far greater moral outrage than theft of necessities. But ordinary people not on the breadline excited by their own naughtiness are just a bit pathetic.

Never, not even when I was a single parent on benefits.

How can you steal from a self checkout? They barely work for the things you pay for.

Exactly, it’s not the plot of les mis.

Surely the checkout weighs everything though? How can you take heavy stuff???

I have had carrier bag without scanning it though. Especially at the airport WHSmiths having been charged £3.99 for a small bottle of water.

Are you judging people by your own standards OP?

Never although can’t be 100% certain that I have never missed something in my basket.

How did you steal wine when it has to be age checked?

Never

and I’ve definitely done things I shouldn’t.

if I found a £20 I wouldn’t hand it into the police and I once had a double delivery from a national retailer and just kept it. But the idea of stealing from Tesco absolutely not!

Never.

Never. I sometimes welcome the bag checks in case I have missed anything. I hate the self checkouts and avoid when i can

@Alwaysthelastone Never BUT I will be honest with you- when it comes to the big supermarket chains it's not out of virtue- I'm simply too scared to do it😅.

My Bil does it EVERY week when he goes grocery shopping. He doesn't know I know but my sister told me she found he had writtend down to the p how much they had "saved" every week. Needless to say my sister never goes with him and she now knows why he insists on doing the weekly shop.

Really not sure how you can do any of that these days at self checkout. Wine has to be approved and all self scan checkouts have cameras on them. You also weigh fruit and veg at the self checkout.

How did you manage to steal wine without a staff member having to check that you were of age to purchase it ?

There are also supermarkets that always prosecute no matter the price of the item stolen.

Never - in the same way I wouldn't steal anything else. I've found expensive items and handed them in. If money's tight 3 or 4 times a year just don't get the bottle of wine, or use a food bank for your nappies.

You remind me of a former colleague who was sacked for stealing toilet roll from work - not only did she see nothing wrong with it, she openly told people 'I can't believe they sacked me for that!'.

How?? It beeps if the weight difference is off by half a bloody gram so how on early are you smuggling things out.

Never stolen anything ever

Not once ever.

Never, but then I avoid self check outs like the plague. If they want me to work form them, they can pay me.

Never. Not because I particularly care about supermarket profits but more because I'd be so embarrassed to be caught. Imagine being caught stealing a twirl or something, mortifying.

A few days ago dh and I were at self service, scanned what I thought was everything through and paid. Then I realised that dh was still clinging onto some cat treats in the same hand as shopping bags, he'd just forgotten he was holding them. I scanned and paid for them. I very much doubt staff would have noticed but thought of being tapped on the shoulder over 99cent cat treats 😭

Never. It is not a victimless crime.

Never

I would never intentionally steal but have forgotten to add a plastic/paper bag once or twice and once drove off a petrol forecourt without paying! I was just distracted and not thinking. I got a letter from BP a few weeks later and went back and paid immediately.

Never.
I have a friend who steals her gin glass from Whetherspoons and I would love to take one but I just couldn't do it.