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AIBU?

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Original poster

I’ve stolen someone’s shopping. Do I own up?!

251 replies

RachyRoo1 · 26/09/2021 22:25

I’ve name changed for this. I feel absolutely awful….

My shopping was delivered tonight.
As I was putting the bags in the house, the delivery driver told me that my “meat” bag was on the top of the tray of bags.

I wasn’t really paying much attention to what was in the bag, but I do remember thinking that it was heavy that I didn’t remember ordering that much meat…. I then briefly thought DH must’ve added it on.
I did think to myself, I wonder if this is even ours, but brushed it off as me just over thinking.

Once the driver had gone and I was unpacking the bags, I was checking off my items against the delivery sheet and realised the items infact weren’t on the list.

I checked with DH and he hadn’t ordered them, so we have been given a bag of meats by mistake.

We have….
2 x pack of chicken breasts
1 x pack of diced chicken
2 x pack of sirloin steak
2 x pack 20% fat beef mince
1 x pack 5% fat beef mince
1 x pack pork meat balls

I feel really awful about it now. I should’ve spoken up at the time.
I was rushing and just trying to get my bags in the house as quickly as I could.
DH has often added things to our shop last minute and I did just think he’d most likely done the same this week.

So what do I do now. Do I contact the supermarket and take the items back?
What if these items belong to someone old / vulnerable and they were reliant on them…

I’ve stolen someone’s shopping and I feel shit about it now.

OP posts:
HeadNorth · 27/09/2021 07:19

That happened to me - I found a bag of meat when I was unpacking my delivery - we are a vegetarian household. I phoned, hoping the supermarket driver would come & collect it, but sadly they told me to keep it. So I just had to bin it - I didn't know any local meat eaters well enough to offer them a random bag of meat!.

EnidFrighten · 27/09/2021 07:20

Zero chance they'll want the meat back once it's been in your house, they couldn't take the risk it had been left out, tampered with etc.

But call and say what has happened, the delivery driver could be dealing with an accusation of theft for all you know.

Peanutsandchilli · 27/09/2021 07:21

Honestly, I'd keep it and not tell anyone. It's not your mistake, they can't resell it, they'll have no idea which customer it belongs to, they can't charge you, and the likelihood is that the local store manager is some 20 odd year old who doesn't give a shit. They'll literally just tell you to keep it.

Supermarkets make so much profit that I'd be hard pushed to feel guilty.

seaandsandcastles · 27/09/2021 07:25

the likelihood is that the local store manager is some 20 odd year old who doesn't give a shit.

@Peanutsandchilli Why the ageism? Confused

Being young doesn’t mean you don’t give a shit about your job. I’ve known plenty of young retail and hospitality managers and they were all incredibly hardworking and dedicated.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 27/09/2021 07:26

God almighty,I live for things like this Grin

It will all be binned of they collect it so just use it.

Auntycorruption · 27/09/2021 07:28

@LadyAdrianDangerous

Everyone is saying they'll replace it for the person it's meant for, that's not always true. This happened to my mum and the shop refused to replace or refund and told us to contact the police. Police said they couldn't help and we were left with nothing.
Bollocks. It's on their head to deliver someone's order to the correct person. Not a police matter - how would the none-recipient even know where the delivery was?! OP do not start worrying about the police turning up this is total bull.
Auntycorruption · 27/09/2021 07:30

@Eralos

I mean this kindly but this is quite a normal thing to happen, it’s happened to me. Why does this cause you so much anxiety? Would it be worth speaking to your gp about coping methods? This sort of life event shouldn’t throw you through a loop.
Agree with this.

Is this a straw that broke the camel type situation? Ie you're usually fine but this has uncharacteristicly upset you?

Or are you unable to cope with small concerns on a more regular basis?

It's definitely an over reaction but only you know if it's a sigh of more general struggle

starfish4 · 27/09/2021 07:33

My friend had her Xmas delivery when myself and other friends were at hers for the day. She wasn't paying much attention as we were there, but thought at the time there were more bags than expected. Turns out they'd delivered someone else's xmas shop, she phoned and was told to keep it all!! We all ended up taking items home as she didn't have room for all the fresh stuff.

Yogsgirl · 27/09/2021 07:39

I can't believe anyone has this much angst over a mis-delivery.

Wabola · 27/09/2021 07:44

I would pop it in the freezer for Christmas OP, you will probably be glad of it...

Disfordarkchocolate · 27/09/2021 07:45

You didn't steal anything. Someone else made a mistake, correct it by contacting the supermarket.

DietrichandDiMaggio · 27/09/2021 07:50

@EmeraldShamrock

Why are pp's voting yabu?
Possibly because the OP is BU to make such a drama out of this/feel guilty/start a thread about it. Surely most people when they realised they'd been given an extra bag of shopping would just stick it in the fridge, then contact customer services to let then know what had happened.
VeganCow · 27/09/2021 07:51

Ive had this happen and did flag it at the door..wasn't meat though but a random bag and I spotted one item we don't have..the driver told me to call up and walked off down the path. Which I did, and they thanked me and told me to keep it. They can't be logistically sending a driver to collect at a slot that suits you and their schedule. My elderly neighbour had half the bag with me.

Standrewsschool · 27/09/2021 07:53

This happened to me. You didn’t steal anyone’s shopping - the delivery company made an error.

SunshineCake1 · 27/09/2021 08:02

Taking in by mistake is reasonable. Not ringing to tell the supermarket is where the bad behaviour comes in. Ring and tell them today.

Lairymary · 27/09/2021 08:12

I've had the reverse of this. A load of bits probably 2 full bags worth weren't delivered. The supermarket made me feel like a lying criminal when I reported it. "Because it couldn't have gone anywhere else" and "please let us know if it turns up".
Don't feel guilty you haven't stolen it. Someone else has made an error.

Mindyourbusiness22 · 27/09/2021 08:16

I’m not sure why you even used energy to write this to ask a question you already know the answer to. Mumsnet is weird.

AbstractEim · 27/09/2021 08:17

They won’t collect it, unless you don’t want it in which case they take it to dispose of it. They can’t resell it or give it to the recipient as it’s food and non-returnable / re-sellable as they don’t know in what condition it’s been kept in so against health and safety regulations. Tell them if you want but keep it. They would have refunded the person whose shopping it was from.

I had this before and I told them and kept the stuff as it would go to waste otherwise. I also had a delivery driver ask me if I wanted two bunches of flowers once as well, someone had returned them as unwanted / didn’t like them and they go to waste too but he can ask other customers if they’d like them before taking them back.

Icequeen01 · 27/09/2021 08:22

I would have to phone the supermarket and tell them in case I ever got the same delivery driver again and he recognised me! No idea if they get told if they delivered something incorrectly but I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes 😀. But then I'm soft like that.

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 27/09/2021 08:22

what supermarket is it?

Can you tweet them OOH?

LadyAdrianDangerous · 27/09/2021 08:31

Just my experience. I quite clearly said we were told it wasn't a police matter. I also didn't say they knew where it was. You know what isn't bollocks? Reading comphrension.

HermioneAndRoger · 27/09/2021 08:35

I mean this really kindly OP but your distress is disproportionate.

It was a genuine mistake. Mistakes happen and the store will have procedures in place to make it right. The shop won’t take the meat back so don’t waste it, freeze it and use it.

No food bank is going to take fresh food so if you really want to restore the karmic balance then calculate the approximate value of the bag and make an equivalent cash donation to the Trussell Trust or your local food bank.

WeatherwaxOn · 27/09/2021 08:37

@SpiesRUs

I had this before with a bottle of gin, a bottle of Martini and a small bottle of vodka. I called and they told me to keep it and said that they would replace the other customers missing items.

Not your fault, don't feel bad, from what they said it happens frequently.

Where do I need to shop to get accidentally free gin?
AmaryllisNightAndDay · 27/09/2021 08:37

Phone and tell the supermarket. It was their mistake. They probably wont be able to collect it from you now, instead they'll have to refund or deliver again to the other customer. We once got a stack of cleaning materials and four bottles of wine that way! We noticed we had a tray of someone else's stuff and were missing a tray of our own, the driver told us to keep it. We got refunded on our missing salad too!

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 27/09/2021 08:40

Where do I need to shop to get accidentally free gin?

Don't bank on it! I've been getting deliveries for more than 10 years and only had free wine once Grin

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