Shoplifting..... So desperate at Christmas

[stubbs0412]

Not me btw
Whilst waiting in supermarket queue someone was escorted out by the police...."shoplifters" says the cashier. "Well, people are just so desperate this time of year aren't they?" Says the person in front of me. I could feel myself actually agreeing, is this u? R my morals slipping? I honestly don't think I would report someone I saw shoplifting food either.

who said you were extraordinarily stupid and grotesque? Was that me? I doubt it. You can't justify one insult because someone made another. That makes no sense.

lilola by the way, you are welcome to join us for Christmas dinner. PM me and I'll pick you up on Christmas Day on our way to the in-laws. There's enough turkey to go round. Seriously, you shouldn't have to eat pizza on your own at Christmas. Whatever you think of me, if you really do need some help PM me. Even if it's just a cuppa. No-one should be on their own at this time of year, student or otherwise.

Cliff you should prob back out of this thread now, you're contradicting yourself and making yourself look pretty thick

no I'm fine thanks, fun as it sounds

Oh thanks lilola.

Nice argument.

i see no evidence of Cliff being contradictory, and Cliff, if i might say, i think you have put yourself across particularly elequently

lilola, you are welcome to mine on xmas day if you live daarn saaarf (down south)

i cant cook for shit though

HTH :)

I'm heading from South West to North West and offer still stands.

Gotta go, kids are getting hungry.

It does, thanks, I'll work on my contradictory thicko argument.

Over to you Custy.

Those without sin cast the first stone....

Shoplifting is the visible crime, which we all judge, whilst seeming to excuse the 'middle class' activities which the well to do Mom's in our playground proudly boast of.

Claiming extra things on insurance after a theft, buying pirate DVD's or knock off's from the bloke at work, switching labels in shops....

Only those who are lily-white and never do anything remotely dodgy can take such a harsh stance.

Theft is theft, whether covert or direct.

Custardo... I'm generally quite opinionated and black and white about things but this food bank thing, it's really, really disturbing me.

On a sliding scale, the poster upthread who talks of not being skint but still buying knock off meat doesn't really get my sympathy BUT, there's something majorly wrong with the distribution of food in this country and I don't understand it and until THAT'S sorted out then I really am not minded to judge how people get food, they have to have it. End of - literally!

I sometimes work with an organisation that's linked in to 'FareShare'; it's in North Wales and they do an amazing job. A bit like Trussell and some of the others, I think? I'm saddened at the increase in demand for them but so, so glad that they are there, that their profile is raised so as to get this onto the political agenda.

Who was it, Desmond Tutu, I believe who said: "There comes a point at which we must stop just pulling people out of the river... we need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in."

Now, Iain Duncan Smith, that bloated waste of space, what's going to be done about him? He needs to lose his seat - and find himself some humility. I can forgive him not understanding the issue, showing up and doing a crossword even - but laughing and walking out? Not in this lifetime. He needs a message. How does one do that? He's not my MP and I believe that you can only get an MP to listen if you are a constituent. I'm thinking of an online petition, Care2Causes or similar. I'm incensed at that man, truly disgusted.

its heartening lyingwitch, that people are seeing this. I too work indirectly with a foodbank. i simply cannot get my head around it

I happen to think that stealing is morally wrong as well as legally wrong. To me it's irrelevant how immoral the direct victim may be. The staff will suffer too.

I can honestly say I've never trumped up an insurance claim, never switched labels in a shop, never bought knock offs/pirate copies, always spoken up if I notice I've been given too much change, always handed in money I've found etc. If that makes me grotesque then I'm proud to grotesque. However I'm fucking furious at the implications that I think people deserve to suffer, I most certainly do not think that.

Exactly what Grumpy said.

No, I wouldn,t report or judge a shoplifter.

Oh, and allowed myself a rueful smile at the " I,d rather starve than shoplift".

I,ve watched someone starve themselves to death, it,s gruesome, it hurts, your body eats itself, blindness, I could go on, but it truly is the stuff of nightmares.

And if my child were hungry, my principles wouldn,t sate her hunger.

Why wouldn't people choose to beg rather than steal?

I've lived in third world countries and I understand that things aren't always black and white and there has to be a point where you would do what you had to do to protect your young.

It's sad to see so moany posters that think it's OK to steal.

Many not moany

Stealing is wrong and there is never any justification for it.

We have a very generous welfare state, so generous that people actively choose that life. People make poor choices, be it drugs or numerous children then bleat that they cant afford x,y and z. Its always somebody elses fault, usully the MPs for claiming business expenses like thousands of workers in other jobs

Thank you to everyone for sharing your views.
IMO the political argument is outweighed by the human one and real desperate need. Those who commented stealing is wrong in all cases have perhaps never experienced "need" in the comfy lives.

There are cases of people stealing to get a roof over their heads. Prison is preferable to some when the alternative is being on the streets in winter. I've known people steal and actually wait at the shop door to be arrested. I worked with one man who was serving a short sentence and Shelter in prison were supposed to be making arrangements for his bedsit to be kept on. He was released and found his landlord had changed the locks. He didn't have a home any more. When he went to register his benefit card he found that the address it was registered to didn't work. After a week of no food and no money he stole several bottles of shower gel and waited to be picked up by the police.

ilovesooty god thats so sad

I had to turn off Text Santa tonight. i couldnt bear the hypocrisy.

siblingrevelry

Thank you.

I can't tell you what your post means to me. You saw what I was trying to say. Thank you.

I don't actually think people have to shoplift food. There is more food reduced/discounted or just cheap than ever. The weekly food shop may be higher but that's often because you're buying what you want to eat. If you are prepared to eat whatever, there's enough out there IMO. Other stuff like toys, nappies and presents is a different matter.It's a grind but it's not an excuse for criminality.

leftkidney - The whole "you don't have to do Christmas" is complete shite. The poorest already lose out on many things people take for granted. The winter celebrations go back to the dawn of time, so saying don't join in is bollocks. The poor need Christmas more than most.

And if you're poor you are most likely in debt regardless of Christmas.

There are a number of shoplifters in my area who flog the stuff in the local pubs. It is not to feed themselves or their starving children, but to feed their drug habit. FFS the dealer is usually in the pub too.

On the plus side, at least they are not burgularising houses.......