To think moving perishable items in a shop is basically theft?

[moutonfou]

Was in Tesco and someone had picked up some fresh chicken, clearly later decided they didn't want it, and put it down on another shelf in a non-chilled aisle. So that chicken can basically no longer be sold.

AIBU to think this is as bad as theft?

Maybe stores should have mini dumping fridge/freezers in each aisle. It is annoying when you pick something up only to discover they've placed a better offer elsewhere in store. I've done it a few times and felt v guilty.

I work at Tesco, and it drives me mad. Fresh fish from the counter, dumped down, so has to be binned. Lazy, wasteful gits.

lobsterface Why don't you just take the unwanted item back where it came from? It's not like UK stores are that big that it would take you more than a minute or so to go back and forth.

YANBU, it annoys me too. I work in retail and the amount of waste I have to process because of this behaviour is unreal. It's beyond selfish. It is disrespectful to 1) other shoppers who would otherwise be able to purchase it, 2) the store workers who get told off by their managers for having food waste levels too high () and 3) those who struggle to afford food and basic essentials --- people struggle to afford this, to feed their children, in this age of food banks. Yet you leave it out on the shelves because the 10 steps back to the fridges is too much? It just shows a complete level of disrespect and arrogance. Lazy buggers.

Sorry, rant over

I always put unwanted cold stuff back in a fridge/freezer as appropriate. It had never occurred to me it might still have to be binned if the store can't be sure it has been properly chilled for the appropriate length of time. However I don't think some stores are that bothered about the cool chain. It certainly explains the ice creams I bought from Morrisons last month that had obviously been defrosted and refrozen and had no noticeable resemblance to the original shape, texture or flavour.

It certainly isn't theft and could even be seen as providing employment. . I used to work in a large supermarket and used to welcome the chance to step away from the checkout and do some reshelving.

It's wasteful but of course it isn't theft. The definition of theft is that you have to 'dishonestly appropriate' something. Moving isn't appropriating. There is also a likely lack of mens rea.

I don't agree that it's theft because the products haven't been removed from the premises, but it is lazy and rude. If I change my mind about an item, I always make the effort to trek back to where I got it from. I have been known to tidy up after other people in Tesco too!

To be fair though, if Tesco were that concerned about the wasted value of discarded stock, I'm sure they could afford an extra employee to tidy up...

I work for tesco and its frustrating. They dont even have to put it in the roght place. Just fridge stuff in chiller aisles, ftrezer in freezer aisles, thats what i do (not going to waste my break putting stuff back exactly right, if i find it)

cdtaylornats tis not theft as the chicken was not dishonestly appropriated, the person presumably just changed their mind.

You could go for reckless criminal damage at a push.

Yes I should go to bed.

It's lazy and annoying. Some people can't afford to feed their families whilst mindless idiots are going round Tesco ruining food by dumping chilled items on random shelves.

I work in a supermarket and non perishables dumped around the store are perfectly fine, we've all been there and It's part of my job to tidy up the shop, tin of beans on the clothing is understandable- however chilled/frozen food being dumped is seriously annoying.

In my job you have a budget per store to stick to, waste and wages (along with other things like ordering uniform/office supplies) come out of this budget, the more waste you have the less overtime there is, it's as simple as that.

Same goes for people poking their fingers through meat packaging and coffee jars

No, not theft but ruddy annoying.
Agree with MrsNuckyThompson about the dishonest appropriation element of theft being missing in this scenario and lack of mens rea - so no guilty mind.
(Police officer and wonders if Nucky is too )

Bikerunski I love your contributions to this thread :o

It's damaging the goods, and it is also running the risk of bacteria laden goop getting on other grocery items and on the shelves if a meat packet isn't completely sealed.

I used to work at Asda, in the days when we closed at 8pm. You'd be amazed at how many people near Christmas just walked off and left a trolley of turkeys etc in the aisle, because they couldn't get through the checkout in time.

Chuckling at bike's contributions too

Now distracted trying to work out what the subject of that thread could have been.

People are pretty lazy in shops generally. They probably have the attitude that it gives the workers something to do and keeps them in jobs.

Then they go outside and leave the trolley anywhere but in the trolley park.

Laiste it's the 'if famous people with the same surname were related' thread

I went to our local supermarket last night and saw several packs of meat that had been dumped out of fridges on the way around. I'm a vegetarian and find it bad enough that animals are killed for meat, let alone to be dumped in a bin uneaten. It's a loathsome thing to do.

Bike They're even funnier out of context!

I agree it's lazy behaviour - if you'd struggle for whatever reason to get an item back to the chiller cabinet, you could always hand it to a member of staff to put back.

It's irritating, lazy and wasteful.

I think the chicken-wasters are the same people who kindly leave their empty coffee cups on shelves too.

Not to mention the sweet munchers who not only don't wait to pay but actually drop their wrappers on the supermarket floor so they don't pay at all.

I judge them all as rubbish.

It worries me that some of the staff in my local Tesco would probably think it was acceptable to put it back on the shelf! I pointed out some strange colour meat once and they couldn't see anything wrong with it. I no longer buy meat in Tesco...

About the abandoned trolleys... one New Year we'd spent about an hour doing battle with ASDA to buy stocks for a party. We realised we'd forgotten something from the opposite side of the store and set off to get it, deciding to leave the trolley by the freezers so as not to battle its heavy bulk against the general flow of people. By the time we got back to it it was gone, with the staff having thought it was abandoned, and were returning the stock to the shelves. We then had to work out what needed retrieving...
I no longer shop there, not because of that incident, but just because the store is too vast with even a quick "pop in" for 3 items taking over half an hour.

Back to the thread, I have put things back in the appropriate type of storage, but not the exact place. I usually try to get it right.

Putting it in the wrong place is wasteful as the staff won't know how long it has been out of appropriate storage, but it's not theft.

have popped an item back in the wrong place, but put a fridge item in another fridge or a freezer item in the freezer
Me too

Me three.

Although I've never forgotten the time when I was a student and had got something from the deli and realised after the woman had served me that I'd misunderstood the price. Being too embarrassed to tell her I didn't want it as I couldn't afford it, I discretely ditched it in the next fridge I came to. Only to have the employee come after me and give me a right dressing down. Even more embarrassing........

How were the staff to know the trolley wasn't abandoned Somewhat?

If the shop was that busy it's feasible people might be giving up on the shopping. I always tell a member of staff or leave the trolley at customer services if I have to do that.