to disapprove of shoplifting in any store?

[BodenBoredom]

A good friend regularly shoplifts in supermarkets, through the self-serve checkouts. She shows-off about getting all sorts of things, including clothing, home things, garden stuff, toys, DVDs, loads of food and wine etc, past the eyes of the assistants. She said it's easy and it's their fault for never checking her bags.

She says she wouldn't do it in a small shop, but big stores like Tesco can afford it.

She's a female Worral-Thompson! She also thinks that "everybody's" up to it, and that's why supermarkets are losing money through the self-checkouts.

I know that every now and then mistakes are made. I've accidentally not paid for items in the self-serve, but this is different. I think she even plans what she's going to take.

I know the law's on my side, but am I being up-tight in thinking that shoplifting's wrong, even if it's a giant retailer?

I would be very surprised if she takes drugs. I'm almost certain that she doesn't. She doesn't sell the things on, as far as I know. No, I'm sure she keeps it all for herself.

It's theft. If I met someone who said something like that, I'd check I still had my purse...

How revolting.

In other words, she's not stealing to make money to buy drugs. It's all stuff that she likes, as far as I know.

I feel sorry for the poor staff members who run the risk of reprimands thanks to thieves like your friend. Yes they may need to pay more attention but it's not easy trying to keep an eye on multiple tills and often do other things at the same time. Trust me Tesco takes a pretty poor view of people stealing, I've lost count of the times the police have been in for that reason. Not everyone steals and your friend sounds greedy which will lead to her getting caught. Next time she's on an expedition tell her to look up and smile. Sorry for the pissed off post but I'm a Tesco supervisor who has to put up with all the crap from shoplifters as well as having them affect store profits and consequently my wages in a small way.

How do you know she won't steal from you?

I just don't see how it's possible

You put your crap in the basket one side which is weighted. Scan it through to the other side and the weight transfers, right?

So where's the opportunity to steal?

It doesn't matter whether she takes drugs or not: she will be in a cell and be tested for them. If she's been unlucky enough to be on codeine based painkillers when she's arrested she'll test positive for opiates and have to attend a required assessment with a drug worker.

I don't think she'd steal from me. She's adamant that she only steals from giant retailers. Very Robin Hood.

She says that she doesn't scan something, puts it in the bag, the machine beeps, the assistant comes over, taps something into the screen and off she goes again. She said this can happen several times in one shop and the assistants just apologise to her and blame the machine.

I've accidentally put something through before and it wasn't until I was at home that I realised I hadn't paid for it. The assistants didn't check my bag then.

There's ways round it Laurie, most of them sneaky like label swapping or just putting items into a bag from another store in a spot with no cameras.

Actually, I don't know if she'd shoplifted pre-self serve checkouts. As far as I know she didn't.

I was wondering that too, Laurie. The only thing I can think is that things are not taken out of the trolley - eg a lipstick is at the bottom of the trolley, doesn't get taken out, carrier bags are put back in. That happened to me the other day - it was only when I put the bags into the trolley that I saw the lipstick. I'd already paid and yes, I did pay for it then.

The thing about scanning a can doesn't make any sense at all because the scales would weigh the item. It sounds more like an urban myth.

I know someone who got done for shoplifting - she'd taken a price tag (reduced) off one item and put it on another. She wouldn't accept she'd done it, got taken to court and, with costs, had to pay £750. The item she'd stuck the label on was very cheap.

Gemini, there are no spots without cameras. The cameras are everywhere, it's just whether someone is looking at them at the time.

When the woman I know was caught, she was told they'd been watching her from the moment she was in the store. She used to look at things for a long time - literally ten minutes looking at the ingredients on a tube of toothpaste - and that was one sign that she was up to something.

I think sometimes she leaves things in the trolley (certainly on one occassion), but she just diesn't scan things, put them in the bag, machine bleeps, assistant types in a code and apologises. She says she can do this several times during one shop.

But the assistants always look in people's bags before they correct the machine - theres no way you could get a plant/DVD or posh oil through for a start it's baskets only so there is only a few things to check in the carrier.

Maybe you could hide a lipstick and hope the assistant didn't see but you couldn't hide anything bigger.

She also says she's been doing this ever since self-serve checkouts were introduced. That's quite a while, isn't it?

Say you scan five cans of beans, put them in a bag for life, then put a pack of steak in with them in a place where it can't be seen and quickly lean on the scales or put your hand bag on it. The alarm goes off, explain to assistant who resets scales and two minutes later it can happen again. If you're busy you won't have time to check all the items.

In our local supermarkets it's normal to take trollies though, with multiple bags. Not just baskets.

There's cameras on self service and on the entrances, not on every aisle.

I'm in no doubt that she's making it up, by the way. She certainly brags about it, but she's not lying.

Sorry, I meant NOT making it up.

Gemini, if you did that in my local supermarket, they would come over, look into the bag, glance at the screen and then reset it.

The only time I think there's a lapse in that is on the conveyor belt self service, which cocks up so frequently that they often don't check.

Wow what's her trick?
I agree with her big companies exploit so many of their workers, make a few ppl far too wealthy and avoid huge amounts of tax.
I'm too chicken to steal but I don't judge others that do.

Krumbum, she just doesn't scan the items and the assistants never check her bags when the machine beeps. It's amazing to think she's stolen v. expensive and large items, and they've never been detected. I don't say that with admiration for her, but am confused as to why the supermarket staff aren't more on top of it, especially if this is going on all the time.

Well they've got to be screwing up somewhere or the OP's friend wouldn't be doing so well.

Why would you risk getting a criminal record for a few bits of tat? Doesn't make sense ...