Saw someone stealing from a Foodbank point in Tesco

[Monty27]

Rant
I couldn't believe my eyes I seriously couldn't. His appearance looked clean and smart I just saw him from behind and I thought he was putting in a donation and if my eyes didn't deceive me he actually walked off with an item and put it in his shopping bag. I didn't report or challenge him it was so shocking.
Ill email Tesco and the Foodbank about it.
But just how low can society get?

Maybe he was unaware of how food back works, maybe thought it was there to take. I mean surly if he was going to shop lift, he'd made a beeline for the more expensive items, not the dried pasta and tins of butter beans. Sometimes people make litttle innocent Mistakes

I look 'clean and smart' have a job and a nice home. I currently have 1p in my bank. That's it. No savings no credit card no overdraft, nothing. Luckily I have enough food to last to payday but maybe he didn't and he was hungry.

What was the item? Tin of soup, box of cereal?

Really. Take pity. Don't judge

Feel grateful

I donated £10 worth of food to a supermarket food back yesterday.

For tht amount I got:
3 big bags of pasta
4 jars of pasta sauce
Box of cereal
Porridge oats
Jam

• a couple more bits

My point is, if he's stolen from a supermarket food back, then as much as he can carry is probably worth under a tenner.

He's also probabaly pretty desperate to bother doing that.

I really wouldn't worry too much.

I saw someone walk out of sainsburys the other day with a bag full of champagne bottles and the staff did nothing because there was no security on - that worries me a lot more!

For everyone complaining that staff don't do anything to stop theft - that's because it is potentially dangerous for them to do so, and if their work place is anything like mine (I also cannot confront thieves) then if they do try to stop them and end up getting hurt, then it won't be covered by the insurance at their work. I can't afford to take time off from my minimum wage job because I was injured trying to prevent a theft. This man might have just been a theif with a craving for a 13p tin of beans, or he might have genuinely been very hungry, unable to access a food bank or unsure of how to do that. The fact is nobody will ever know for sure.

Sorry, formatting went weird on my post above! Hopefully makes sense.

Yes, because everyone who needs help atm is dirty and scruffy 🙄
mind your own.

I really can't get worked up about this. It's meant for a food bank where it will be given away. I'd just assume they needed it

I was in Asda the other day and the store security guards stopped a guy who appeared homeless and had put a multipack of crisps under his jumper. It's a big Asda with electrical etc, I think I'd have let a multipack of crisps go.

I've had to use foodbanks once or twice in the past and they really don't make it easy. I had no car but nowhere that would give a voucher was accessible by public transport and the food bank was open for 2 hours a day twice a week. A quick Google suggests it's no different now.

Our local church has a mini food larder in the porch, I've seen all kinds of people give to and take from it. It's there for anyone who needs it.

He might have been confused and thought it was free for anyone who needed it. If he'd never used a food bank he might not know how it works and assume that was the food bank.

Read the thread on here about what it means to be poor. One poster was given clothes but was still starving.

Yes I’d be fine with that too.

People are fucking desperate right now, if someone needs to take a tin of non brand beans from a donation point who am I to judge? I could never judge a parent who stole a toy from a collection point because they can’t afford to buy their children a gift. Would you honestly judge that?

This! I have worked with DV shelters and homeless units, the people who have nothing are often the most generous. I have seen people try to share a bowl of pasta between six kids. I give to the food bank willingly and trust humanity to put it to good use. I accept there will be Cfs taking stuff they don’t need, but sadly that is part of life.

I see a lot of people here who find it comforting to believe people choose to be poor. I have some news for you: most of us are only a few months away from having nothing but benefits to live off. It just takes one relationship breakdown, one redundancy, one serious illness. You can't choose your way out of crisis.

For those who want to actually help and have some money, did you know you can also donate money to most food banks? My local one uses cash donations to buy fresh fruit and veg to top up their packages, so people are getting some decent nutrition alongside their pasta.

so it's ok to steal from the charity it is intended

lets hope the people that are ok with this dont mind if people steal of them then because it is stealing no matter how you want to rap it up

I worked for a homeless charity. Local supermarkets, including Tesco, all had a scheme where we signed up, and got a text message early evening to say they had goods available to collect that would go to waste otherwise and did we want to arrange to collect.

We responded to the text and were then sent a collection time.

It was usually trays of bakery items, fruit veg etc so they do do it, I don’t know why it’s not well advertised.

Aye I'm sure he just did that for jokes and giggles eh?

Ffs. What a bellend.

You. Not him.

I would have a word with customer services, they can then pass it on to the security to be more vigilant in future.

I like the phrase, "if you see someone shoplifting, no you didn't".

It's not ok...would it be ok for him to open up a coin donation box and 'cut out the middleman?' Of course not.

I saw this happen the other day in Lidl. It was a woman who had already done a shop in there, been through the tills and then she stopped at the donation boxes and creamed off the items she wanted. She took a lot and shoved them into her bags with no shame at all.
I was shocked to see it. I will not donate to food banks after seeing this as the whole point of food banks is to share things out fairly and the thought of some random woman nicking the items is upsetting.
Not sure whether she was aware she was stealing but it was a little unsettling to see.
Was she in need? Who knows?

Yes this^ The same with giving money to charity. It is often those that can little afford it that give the most.

A few weeks ago we witnessed a woman walk out of Tesco with a full trolley. We ‘beeped’ at the doors, got all confused and walked back in and out, but in fact it was the woman. We then watched her heave the trolley across the road to a waiting car, eyes furtively darting all around.

It was so obvious for various reasons and we could have easily alerted the security guard but 🤷‍♀️

bloody hell this thread is making me sad

no it's not ok to steal from charity that people have given in good faithis

walking out with a trolley full is some brass neck

ive always donated things that appeal to kids or babies and will continue to but cant help feeling sad what seems to be going on

Are you actually sure they were stealing? Did he immediately leave the store or start shopping? Only asking as my local Tesco and Morrisons pre package bags that are near the entrance and exit and you then pick up, continue to shop and pay at the till for the bag and then they take to donate whichever one they are doing that week.