To think I can't be the only reformed criminal on mn

[Houseofmirth66]

I spent most of my teenage years cheerfully stuffing my pockets with loot courtesy of Boots, Woolworth's and WH Smith. Nowadays it would be unthinkable to take something without paying. Although I have to admit I can still summon up the thrilling feeling of an illicit nail varnish dropping into my pocket. I can't be the only ex juvenile delinquent on mn. Or am I?

5 years ago I was working in small shop (but had hundreds of shops around the country, now closed). There were only 5 members of staff. Two were off sick. It was Christmas and we had to rearrange the store 4 times in 3 weeks to put out more Christmas stock. This meant loads of overtime including well into the evenings (finished at 10pm some nights, shop closed at 5pm) and some 6am starts.

Anyway. We were all told the company would pay us our overtime money in January as the December budget had been used. Something like that anyway. We all said yes thats fine.

Come March we still hadn't received our overtime (manager was very flaky and kept forgetting to declare our hours). I'm talking 50 hours owing at least.

And then the manager left and we ended up with 5 temporary managers in 2 months.

To cut a long story short, in the July we finally got a new manager but by then I was the only original member of staff tere. When I asked for my overtime money, I was told it couldn't be authorised as there was no proof of the hours that I did.

I found a new job, handed in my 4 week notice and over those 4 weeks £250 worth of stock ended up in my bag. I was so angry I decided I'd get that money somehow. The most expensive item in the shop was around £20 so it was lots of little bits but I was determined to get my money.

Is that classed as theft? A crime? You decide. I don't feel guilty at all.

I think that qualifies as "payment in kind", Myuser - but no doubt if the shop knew about it they wouldn't see it that way! Good for you though - I wouldn't normally condone that, but if they're ripping you off then serves them right.

I went through a phase at university of "seeing what I could get away with."

I didn't ever actually pick something up and steal it, but I'd make myself deliberately late for the train so I had to run through the barrier, knowing the other station was unmanned.

Or going into a night club my friend would go straight in and I'd say loudly "I'll pay you in" and then just pay for one at the kiosk.

Or at Wimpy (the only fast food joint in town where you didn't pay first) we'd just stand up and walk out, but make sure we were deep in conversation and looked distracted, so we could look shocked and pay up if challenged. We never were.

I wouldn't dream of it now.

I did accidentally steal a massive bag of Pampers worth £8 when DD was little, by hanging them on the pushchair handle and forgetting to pay for them. I didn't go back. A little part of the old me got quite a thrill out of it.

Thinking back, it was on a day when I had met up with my old University partner in crime! She's clearly a bad influence!

I sort of tried stealing the other day, you know, just to see.

Me, DH and two DC's were in M&S and I popped my mum's Mother's Day card under the buggy fully intending to pay. Genuinely forgot about it until we were on our way out of the shop but hadn't actually left yet. Then I remembered. But figured I'd pretend I hadn't, so out we strolled. Two shops later and I pull out my best 'oh my goodness DH, I totally forgot to pay for the card!' line. 'Oh well, it's a hassle to go back now.'

Bloody honest as the day is long DH makes us all go back to M&S and pay. End of my life of crime!

(I should point out my DC are 1 and 2 and were absorbed in eating biscuits so were totally unaware of my crime spree.)

I just read that back, God I'm badass.

About 8 years ago I stole from the Queen
I was visiting Balmoral and went in the gift shop, I placed two items in the hood of the buggy with the intention of paying, forgot all about them and only found them after I'd walked 2 miles back to my car. I did momentarily consider walking back to pay but with 4 yo DS I quickly decided not to. Felt bad ever since.

I was a fairly serious fare dodger on the trains before barriers were put in everywhere. I must have dodged hundreds of pounds worth of fares over the years. Never stolen anything - weirdly, too scared.

I used to steal bottles of vodka when i was underage, and clothes from H&M, alcohol from M&S, I was awful.
landed me with a massive fine and a suspended sentence.
totally different now, accidentally took a pack of nappies home without paying ( put them on the pushchair handle to save basket space and forgot at the checkout) and went straight back to pay and felt so guilty

I stole an eyeliner pen from Woolworths when I was around 15 and in the shop with my DM. Felt so guilty/scared I'd still get caught afterwards I binned the eyeliner and never did anything like it again.

Mum would have throttled me if she'd found out!

I had a friend that had no qualms about taking other diners meals from the cafe (that we used to eat in on a Saturday morning)
It was quite a large place, the chef would come out and call out "Who ordered the ...." my friend would just pop his hand up and claim it as his!

Such brazen confidence...I used to be quite shocked.

Anyway, I've taken a nice smelly dice rubber at 8 and a packet of chewing gum at six!

I remembering hearing on the radio that the brain of a teenager is similar to that of a lobotomised adult - no empathy. So stealing when younger is more understandable, you want that cd/lipstick/tammy girl pencil skirt but can't afford it so you nick it with no qualms. The thrill i can imagine is as addictive as any other.

Never did it though, no poker face and too shit scared. Legal profession now so good thing too.

People nicking now as adults m&s card woman - no longer acceptable, that's just crime and you sound proud?

I managed to liberate a huge block of cheese last week from Morrisons . When I do my big shop , I get one of those huge sacks of potatoes for about £4 , which you leave in the trolley when it comes to paying , and just give them the sticker on the barcode to process it . Unpack the rest of the shopping , pay and leave . It was only when I totally unpacked the trolley that I found the big lump of cheese , two packets of ham and some roast beef . I had to go back and confess !

I was in Sainsburys when the plastic bag charge first came in, I had a mall amount of shopping and a bottle of bollinger (it was my birthday😄). Sec. Service till put bolly through first bagged it red light goes on shop assistant asks if I brought my own bag I say yes and she fiddles with the till , I carry on pay for my purchases, as I'm walking out the alarm goes off I kept walking thinking it was somebody else.

When I got home I took the bolly out of its box and it had a big security tag on it, checked my receipt and I hadn't been charged for it. I showed my husband and he asked me if I was going to return it!!! I checked it could still be opened with the tag and proceeded to pop it and drink it thanking Sainsburys for my birthday present. (Hubby drank it as well)

I didn't feel the least bit guilty.

Serious criminals on Mumsnet are marked by having all their posts appear on a light blue background.

I have a criminal record from my early teens. Reformed since had to do community service for my crimes and attend youth offending.

inlovewithhubby, oddly enough I did have a lobotomy the other week so that'll explain it!!

M&s card woman Didn't nick it in the end though, I'd put it down to a momentary madness or a flash regression to teenage weirdness?

On the subject of teenage brains, I read a study where they found that teenagers lose emotional intelligence and ability to decode facial expressions - they tested prepubescent 11yr olds and then adolescent 13yr olds, showing them photos of faces.

At 11, they could do it excellently, got all the emotions shown on the faces no probs. then in just two years, the developmemt doesn't just stall it goes backwards! They interpreted facial expressions really badly, and intriguingly, interpreted a large proportion as anger, contempt or aggression... Which makes SOOOO much sense!!! They are living in a world where (they believe) most people around them are negatively disposed to them, angry or unpleasant towards them, so no wonder the average teenager 'reacts' by being rude and aggressive back, or taking umbrage at nothing.

I like the idea that they're not horrible, they are having reactions which are in proportion to the people around them, it's just they are living in an altered state of consciousness :)

About 25% of adult women have criminal record? Only small minority were violent crimes or high value. 35% of men have records.

I pinched the odd pick'n'mix sweet from Woolworths in my teens & once a whole finger of fudge . I used to eat them guiltily in the park.

I had a Saturday job in a shop & if I was on the "bottom till", an ancient non-electronic thing which had no facility for giving receipts & no method for totting up sales, I used to liberate the odd fiver from cash sales. I once worked out that I'd pinched about £70 in total over about a year.

As students we went through a phase of trying to pinch souvenirs from restaurants - usually nasty ashtrays & small glasses. Temporary road signs were fair game too, including one about gas main repairs

These days I go back to pay for anything I've forgotten in the trolley - usually bags of loo-rolls hanging on the hook - wouldn't dream of doing otherwise.

I got caught stealing erasers didn't want to say rubbers from John Menzies when I was about 11 with my friends. We got took home in a police car and I brought shame on the family. My mums disappointment was worse than any other punishment. Luckily my dad was away at the time and I begged my mum not to tell him. She did and then he had brought me a pencil case back from holiday and told me he had taken the rubber out that was my last day of being a tea lef.

About 25% of adult women have criminal record? Only small minority were violent crimes or high value. 35% of men have records.

[Shock]

I would be really interesting to know what percentage of the population have ever stolen something when they were teens. If we include all 'crimes', such as speeding, I'd bet is was very near 100%.

Meee.

My teenage years were spent nicking woolworths pik n mix, makeup from superdrug, (had a great system of putting it in each others hoods) clothes and underwear as we all wanted thongs (used to put them on in the Changing rooms) alcohol and various things from supermarkets.

Also did the funniest trolly dash where the security guard chased me and my friend to the car, the security guard was pulling me out and my friend was pulling me in and then her cousin started pulling me as wealth get me in the car.

Did quite a few basket/trolly dashes when I was living on my own at 16 with an equivalent of income support but for care leavers money to live on.

I was once on a bus that the local boys stole and regularly got into stolen cars for joy rides.

I'm really surprised I didn't get more then a caution in my teenage years and that was for stealing a both of vodka when I was 14 from safeways. I wouldn't of had the caution if I hadn't of thrown the bottle at the people chasing me.

My teenage years seem completely removed from anyone else's on MN. They were spent running away and getting drunk/stoned and then harder drugs until I was put into care. However I do have funny stories to shock my dc when they're older.

Nope, never. I was too afraid. I was also in the US where people get prosecuted more readily and then their lives are fucked when they get a record.

I think it used to be far easier to get away with in the past.

• stole makeup, clothes and stationery from shops
• stole small items from friends houses
• stole a beautiful white throw from a client's house, as well as sheets and other small items (never told anyone this - the client was disabled too)
• ate food from other clients freezers
• tampered with a letter to make it appear that a friend owed me more money than she did
• lied about my income in order to be approved for a rental
• lied about having been the victim of a serious crime
• defaced school property
• stole a purse from a pub (turned it in to the police station the next day intact)
• snuck into concerts, movies etc without paying

Writing it all down, I don't like being the kind of person who would do those things! I haven't done anything like that for over ten years though so maybe I just had a late developing moral code. I still struggle to understand why certain things are considered wrong though, and I don't feel guilty very often.

I rarely stole anything as a teen, I was with a friend when she got caught shoplifting apparently buying a birthday present for me, we were both about 13, she was taken into a room, I had to wait for her and meet her but that put me off and scared me.

But the other day after shopping after work and I had a few bags on me, i'd been into waitrose purely to get a free cup of tea, picked up a packet of crisps to eat and absentmindedly walked out without paying, first time in that waitrose, customer services desk where you get cups and drinks was in front of tills and by the time I was out it was too late to go and pay. If someone had asked me whether I'd paid or wanted to pay for the crisps I would have paid then and there. In fact when I was in waitrose the other week getting a free drink at customer services I had a small basket of shopping and paid for it at customer services desk. I think I asked if I could pay for it there though.

And strangely enough 2 years ago it was pouring with rain I nipped into Tk Maxx to buy an umbrella saw the long queue and thought I'd put down the umbrella then got on bus realised i still had it on me and not paid, I was mortified but about 5-10 minutes away on bus.

If anything it's made me aware of how distracted you can get but where are the security tags and guards?! Also I saw another thread here a few weeks back about someone who tried to take back and pay for some tops in debenhams that she'd paid for and she was unfairly treated by security so not sure I'd go back to risk a shoplifting accusation!