To think the shop assistant was a bit harsh about my dc stealing.

[Isabellaandthepotofbasil]

We were out shopping at the weekend and I went into a shop with dd in the buggy . The shop has quite narrow aisles and the one I needed had a pillar in the middle so I parked dd up at the end and nipped down the aisle to get what I wanted, paid and we left. Yesterday morning I was cleaning the bottom of the buggy and I found a lipstick and two nail varnishes. Dd must have reached out from under the rain cover and picked them off the shelf whilst I was down the aisle! Obviously I'm mortified!

So I went back to the shop today with the stuff, offered to pay or return it and apologised profusely. The woman was awful to me. What kind of person let's their kids steal... I really should have checked before I left etc. She said they couldn't take the lipstick and nail varnish back in case I'd tampered with them. I said that I would pay for them so she scanned them through, I paid and I went to pick them up when she said that there was no way I could have them, she said 'did you really expect to be able get away with stealing them then get to keep them!'.

Now I didn't go in expecting to receive my mother of the year certificate but AIBU to think that I didn't deserve to be humiliated either?

What a weird reaction from the staff. My ds did similar once picking up a cup from a shelf i noticed just down the road so took it back. The secirity guard was shocked i had taken it back and thanked me for my honesty.

kanye, dd is 16 months so has no idea about stealing.

The buggy is a Phil and Teds and dd was in the back seat so her feet (along with assorted other crap)are in the basket, it would never have occurred to me to check tbh. Obviously I will be frisking her from now on.

It was a Super drug so not an independent. I didn't complain, just wanted to get out of there tbh.

Isabella you did the right thing returning and it sounds like the woman was so wrong-footed she missed that you were being honest.
I'm sure you aren't training DD to be some kind of infant Artful Dodger.

Did she really say that, OP? Usually staff are very appreciative of people who not only return goods taken by mistake but also pay for them.

Ooh this has made me cross on
Your behalf. What a crock of shit. She's lucky you bothered to have return them as a lot of people wouldn't have bothered. I would have plonked them down and been out of there never to return again.... I certainly wouldn't have been paying for them. ( and yes you should have kept the items if you paid for them). I would complain actually... assuming your child is a toddler and not a 10 year old in the buggy it's hardly as if there was a master criminal at work ( ps I work in law enforcement..... this woman was being a bitch and they have kept YOUR property. Complain)

I'd complain. Once you've paid for them they are yours. Why would she stop you taking them?

I would complain to superdrug!

Was it a chain shop? The assistant's behaviour is beyond weird, she punished you because your toddler 'stole' by stealing from you. Yep, because that makes sense!

Sorry, just saw you said it was superdrug. Took me too long to type a reply, in the meantime you'd given the answer!

DEFINITELY complain.

I think Superdrug big bosses would be horrified at the treatment you encountered. Let them know and I do not think you will be disappointed with the response. The counter assistant needs further training sacked

Go back in ask to talk to the manager and tell them you want the items you paid for.

She was ridiculous - and horrible.

It's not the person in the shop's place to decide on a punishment for you, however I think you should realise that she could have decided to phone the police instead. You didn't do anything intentionally wrong and legal action would probably not have got very far at all, but she would be entitled to call the police and let them decide for themselves. In the circumstances you've got off lightly and dodged a police investigation that nobody particularly needs.

It is important to remember that not all "young children stealing" incidents are as innocent as this one. Believe it or not, some mothers "train" their young child to pick out certain things and stash them in the pushchair! There was a programme with some CCTV a few years ago where the mother was in HMV, pointing out which CDs her child should grab hold of.

You are not guilty of anything like that, but the inconvenience and embarrassment of the shopkeeper humiliating you is nothing compared to the potential police action she could have landed you with. Ultimately, you are responsible for your child's actions until they are old enough to be responsible for themselves.

YANBU. Please please report her. She took your money and didn't give you the goods you paid for, that's theft.

She absolutely stole your items. I would phone the store, ask to speak to a manager and threaten to call the police.

You did not steal the original items, as evidenced by the very fact that you returned them (there needs to be an intention to permanently deprive).

After you paid for the items, they were yours. By refusing to let you take them, the employee has committed theft.

Complain to Superdrug

What a fucking Little Hitler

You didn't steal them. Technichally your daughter didn't even steal them. The shop worker was totally out of line in how she spoke to you and outrageous in her claim you can't have the items you have now paid for. Go back to the shop and speak to her manager.

Also, have a word with your DD if she's old enough and don't park her so close to the shelves again!

YANBU, she totally over reacted. The items were yours once you'd paid for them so you should have been allowed to keep them.

You're a better person than me though, I wouldn't have returned to the shop!

I bet if you go back in the shop today that mean bitch is wearing your lipstick

YANBU in your circumstances.

However you would be amazed as to how many people use small DC and buggies to actually steal.

Fair point barinatxe....though I do not know any shoplifters who regret their deeds and present themselves at the shop the next day to make amends

Barinatxe, would a thief go back to the shop to pay for the goods on noticing their child had taken them? I really don't think so and any right minded person would be thanking the OP for her honesty in this matter. She could have just kept the items and done nothing but instead chose to return and pay.

The cashier behaved really badly and I'd complain about her attitude.

I'd totally complaint to Supersrug. I bet the member of staff has kept them for herself. It makes no sense otherwise because their stock levels will be wrong if she just puts them back out. She's stolen from you

This is bizarre! I work retail and this sort of thing happens semi-regularly (most often the parents end up realising before they actually leave the store though) but if you were really a hardened thief who did it on purpose why on earth would you bring them back and pay for them? We do get our fair share of "actual" shoplifters and there's certainly no way they'd come back full of apologies! Reading it I thought it must be a small independent shop too but I find it so difficult to believe that someone working in a big chain retailer like Superdrug wasn't told the correct way to deal with the situation.

Please contact head office

That is disgusting that she's done that. She's effectively conned you out of money and you have nothing to show for it

Definitely complain to superdrug. Yes I can see that some people may use buggies to steal things.... these people don't return to the shop and offer to return / pay for the goods. You could have 'got away with stealing' by not returning. You did the right thing, paid for the items and they are now yours.