Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have stolen the shop assistants reduced food?

47 replies

Caravanoflove · 12/02/2016 18:57

So I was in our local small supermarket tonight and two shop assistants were marking down food. One says to the other 'oooh look at these lovely steaks, reduced to 70p- I'll have them.'
She proceeded to hide them at the back of the bottom shelf of the chiller behind the lamb joints and commented to her colleague 'I am doing well tonight'.
When she'd gone I had a ferret and found a whole stash of lovely very reduced goodies. It was a very good hiding place you would never have found them without knowing they were there.
After much deliberation over the morality of the situation I put the steaks in my basket but left the rest.
It was a bit hairy at the till as she was called to help but luckily I got a different till assistant.
So AIBU for 'stealing' her bargains? I feel probably as she's in a low paid job it's a perk of the job. On the other hand, I am skint and will generally actively seek out the reduced produce.

OP posts:
bluespiral · 12/02/2016 18:59

You didn't steal anything from anybody. Of course yanbu.

CowPatRoberts · 12/02/2016 19:01

And she would have gotten away with it to, if it wasn't for that meddling CaravanOfLove!

And no, it's survival of the fittest when it comes to the reduced section.

Original poster
Caravanoflove · 12/02/2016 19:01

Perhaps I should have got the rest then!

OP posts:
Floggingmolly · 12/02/2016 19:02

Were they marking them down to an especially low price, just so they could buy them themselves? If so; they're the ones stealing, not you.

3WiseWomen · 12/02/2016 19:02

I somehow doubt that she was allowed to do that (hide the reduced food from customers).

You didn't steal anything and there is no reason that you shouldn't have benefitted from those bargains.

MsJamieFraser · 12/02/2016 19:04

I personally would not have done, whose to know her circumstances, and I doubt she would have risked her job over a piece of meat.

Arkhamasylum · 12/02/2016 19:04

They were for sale. You didn't steal anything. You didn't con anyone.
YWNBU.
🍗👍

MissFlight · 12/02/2016 19:04

They weren't hers in the first place, you didn't steal them, you bought them Smile

Foxsox · 12/02/2016 19:04

Most companies prefer a sale to go to a non-staff customers so in actual fact she was likely breaking the rules hiding stuff for herself.

CowPatRoberts · 12/02/2016 19:07

I have to say your supermarket sounds much more civilised than ours, you practically have to wear boxing gloves when going in here if you want to get anything vaguely desirable!

Aeroflotgirl · 12/02/2016 19:12

Good on you, serves them right Grin, good on you for buying those incredibly marked down goods.

Damselindestress · 12/02/2016 19:16

YANBU. They were for sale, you weren't stealing and shop assistants aren't supposed to hide the reduced food from customers. When I worked at a supermarket picking up bargains was a perk of an otherwise awful job but only after my shift, I didn't squirrel them away!

HelsBels3000 · 12/02/2016 19:20

Grin serves her right.
On another more serious matter my friend got sacked for legitimately marking down a cooked chicken and buying it himself - apparently it was gross misconduct. I think it should have gone on sale and he could have bought it at closing time or something.

greenfolder · 12/02/2016 19:21

She knows she is not supposed to do that so you are saving her from herself really.

Babymouse · 12/02/2016 19:21

She shouldn't have hid them. I used to work at the shoe department in a big department store where coworkers tried to do this, but it was definitely a big no-no. Someone was fired over it.

OttiliaVonBCup · 12/02/2016 19:25

I think, not sure if it's the same here, that supermarket workers get discounted food at even lower price at the end of the day.

At least they did in Switzerland.

But no, don't think you did anything wrong here.

ohtheholidays · 12/02/2016 19:27

You didn't do anything wrong OP,her on the other hand we had a few members of staff do similar when I worked for one of the big supermarkets when I was a teenager and they got the sack.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 12/02/2016 19:27

You weren't stealing and not being unreasonable - you should have taken the steaks but moved everything else so that it was visible to other shoppers.

Original poster
Caravanoflove · 12/02/2016 19:29

I wonder how it would have went if I had got her at the till.
I don't think they were falsely marking down goods, just saving them so they could buy them at the end of their shift.

OP posts:
Longdistancelove · 12/02/2016 19:32

You didn't steal anything.

In a company I used to work for, staff caught doing this would be facing a disciplinary.

Iwanttokillthem · 12/02/2016 19:32

I thought you meant actually stole from behind the counter or something. You didnt steal it. It was for open sale in the normal chiller cabinet so anyone could pick it up. You were lucky.

Enjoy your steaks.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 12/02/2016 19:33

But they were hiding them? If you'd got her at the till and she would have dared to say anything, you could have just said that next time you'll report to the supervisor that food for sale is being hidden.

It's not ok for shop assistants to do that. If the shop wants them to have the marked down food it can be put in the back away from customers to be bought by the sales staff.

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 12/02/2016 19:33

You placed a product in your basket, and paid before you left. Absolutely fine. She was a dick for trying to hide stuff.

catsinthecraddle · 12/02/2016 19:33

of course YANBU

just lucky you found the hiding place, I might start rummaging in my supermarket now!

starry0ne · 12/02/2016 19:33

Hope you enjoyed your steak