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?

She is an utter bitch, once you have paid for those items they are yours! How dare she take them away, I'd complain directly to Superdrug.

DS did this once with a kinder egg. I marched him back and made him hand it over to the shop assistant. She immediately said, "oh, isn't he gorgeous? He didn't realise. He can keep it"

I was like "nooooooo. I'm trying to teach him right from wrong"

Twitter op. You need twitter. The social media team will be horrified!

You need to complain about her and I say that as the least likely person to complain ever, she was a total and utter witch to you and it's not ok. You did the right thing and if this person is unable to deal with the public with any form of empathy they should let her go, others will be more than happy to do the job and do so well.

What a stupid shop assistant! What an awful way to treat someone trying to be honest and correct a wrong. I'd definitely email the shop and complain. Not angrily, but asking for clarification of policy. The assistant stole your items in punishment for your toddler stealing them, that can't be right!

A few months ago, I was in a well known pasty shop with my young DCs, and my friend and her DCs. We came out with our wares and all children accounted for. We went to a nearby bench to eat and I noticed my 3 year old had a bottle of soft drink. I confirmed that my friend hadn't bought it either and took it back. I explained I was returning it as my 3 year old had taken it without me realising, and the assistant smiled and thanked me for returning it.

Please complain. You have gone out of your way to be honest, and been treated dreadfully in return.

So she stole from you? I'd complain, your toddler can't steal as they are below the age of criminal responsibility and you had no intention to steal and then bought the items. The cynic in me bets she kep the items for her personal use.

Another retail manager here - when this happens in my store, once I've finished laughing I profusely thank the Parent / carer and exchange banter such as "they're starting early". I'd never even think of disapproving! Dreadful service. Please do complain OP.

That's ridiculous! What a horrible way to treat honest customers. I'd complain OP.

I'm also wondering if this is her ploy to get a few freebies. I should imagine having parents returning "stolen" items isn't that rare of an occurrence.

Pfft, once in a sleep deprived haze, I strolled out with over £20 of dog food in the bottom basket of the pram - I'd been using a shopping basket, but it was getting a bit bulky and heavy so I stashed the dog food in the pram until I got to the till. Paid for everything in the basket at the self service tills, completely forgot the dog food until I got to the car and had to fold up the pram.

I was mortified. I went back in and went through the self service. Fortunately my crime went unnoticed. Couldn't even directly blame the child, he was only about 8 weeks old at the time.

I'm pretty sure that even if I'd gone to the customer service desk to confess, they would have laughed and rang the sale through, not taken my money and gone, "HA! NO DOG FOOD FOR YOU, THIEF"

Please complain to Superdrug head office and update us with their reply. I once stole a hanky when I was a toddler (parents returned it I think), a copy of viz magazine (I thought it was free for some unknown reason) when a teenager and also stole an extra 1p sweet and then felt so bad I paid for one extra the next time I went in. She had no reason to speak to you in such a nasty way. It was a mistake and you had done the decent thing.

I was in Superdrug last week with my DD8.
I paid for two electric toothbrushes and a couple of other bits and pieces.
The assistant on the till asked me if I was interested in buying any of the special offer items that were arranged on the counter in front of me. I said no thanks.
After I'd finished paying for my items I went to put them in my shopping bag only to see that my helpful DD had already loaded them in for me.
Left the shop and all of the alarms sounded so went back to the counter assuming that the assistant had left the security tags on the toothbrushes. She checked the toothbrushes but they were fine. I got everything else out of my shopping bag and found one of the special offer bottles of perfume that had been on the counter.
The assistant was very understanding and could see that my DD had just got confused because of all of the things on the counter but I did wonder afterwards would have happened if they had decided to prosecute us for what was an innocent mistake!
I do think you should at least go back and ask for the items you paid for. The sales assistance sounds dodgy.

Thank you all for the replies. I'm not really on social media(and apart from mn I don't really want to be)but I'm going to be near the shop early this morning so if it's open I think I'll call in.

I'll update later.

OP, I have a ball of pink string that my DD stole from Woolworths in very similar circumstances. I never returned it . I still have the string. Obviously it's a bit late to return it, I just never got around to it. But I did find the posts about calling the cops highly amusing . I hope you get your lipstick back.

Agree with complaining!

Once my little brother popped a pair of pink socks in his pram without my mum noticing. In fact it was a mystery for ages which shop they had actually come from as she had been in many shops that week and didn't know how long they had been in there, she never did find out and the socks were kept in hope one day someone would spot the pink sock supplier in town! I think she still has them somewhere as a weird momento of his childhood.

Not RTFT but this is why I'd never go back if I realised I'd made a mistake. Some shop assistants can be really weird (especially in independents, and then you've no come-back - ie you can't contact the head office).

Slightly different but years ago I wanted to go into a local music shop and assumed the opening hours were 9-5. There was nothing on the door and eventually it opened at 9.35. I then asked what the opening hours were and why they weren't on the door and the woman in the shop got really stroppy with me. I've never been back. People always say they don't want chain stores, but I prefer them.

Good grief I would have given the shop assistant a round of fucks if she'd talked to me like that. I'm raging on your behalf OP

Definitely go back in and ask to speak to the manager. Don't take being spoken to like that.

Ridiculous.

yanbu. She does sound deranged.

I would be complaining you did the right thing and in the end she took money from you. You couldn't keep the stuff now who's stealing. My little toddler took a DVD from the co-op I returned it everything was fine. YWNBU

You didn't steal from Superdrug, according to law, but they have now stole from you. This is appalling. To be honest, I know that theft happens, but I am pissed off at certain shops treating everybody like thieves.
Which branch did this happen at OP?

Oh, and sod putting it down to experience. There is no way that I would let this woman get away with this.

I've seen so many threads like this on MN. Before I saw them, if it happened to me, I'd have taken the item back to the store and paid and apologised. Now, having read these threads, I'd be too afraid to take anything back to pay and would just keep it.