Page 19 | I accidentally stole an entire big shop

Rayoffingsunshine · 2023-12-07T20:17:32+00:00

I spent about £95 on a big shop 3 weeks ago. I went through the scan and go. I had my two boys with me (2 and 3 months) and I paid using contactless. I didn't grab the receipt which I didn't notice until I got home and was annoyed because the supermarket had an offer for money off voucher if you spend so much that I had intended to grab but only realised I didn't have it when I got home. I budget everything and wrote the shop on my budget app straight away so I noticed the discrepancy on my account within a few days. I thought it was just taking a little longer than normal to process but 3 weeks later there's still no record of it. I've checked every account I have including my husband's just in case I had his card though I'm certain it was just my day to day debit card. The only thing I can think is that the payment didn't process and I just didn't notice and walked straight out. But surely someone would have stopped me! I remember a friend telling me once, with a tiny shop, just a quick lunch on the go kind of shop, this happened to her once and she was stopped in the car park by security. I don't understand how this has happened. I wouldn't have been quick to leave because my 2 year old moves at a snails pace. If I go and talk to customer service in the shop will they believe that is was a genuine mistake and just let me pay for it or will I get in trouble?

LondonLass91 · 08/12/2023 18:56

FatFatMary · 08/12/2023 18:51

I don’t understand pp suggesting you give the money to charity instead of just yourself

Me either!

MrsAvocet · 08/12/2023 18:56

I'd phone customer services and explain. You won't be the first or last person this has happened to.
I had an embarrassing experience with Tesco recently. I was out and when I came back home DH told me that he'd put the Tesco delivery away but had wondered why I had ordered so many pizzas. I hadn't ordered anything from Tesco at all for that day, never mind lots of pizza.
I do get most of our groceries delivered by Tesco so DH just assumed I had forgotten to mention a delivery was due, the driver didn't check his ID and they don't leave paper receipts any more so there was no way of knowing who it was intended for. We rang customer services and as we didn't have a delivery number or anything they didn't know either and just told us to keep it! But I wasn't happy with that as obviously some other poor person was without their shopping and even if they eventually got a refund they'd still have no food. So I phoned the store where I know our deliveries come from and they were no help either, so I resorted to sending my teenage son out on his bike knocking on every door in the village til he found the intended recipient. Then she had to print out her order from the website and bring it round to our house whilst I searched the cupboards for wherever DH had put it all. It was a complete PITA but at least we resolved it. Tesco really didn't care, either that the real customer didn't have her food or that they were losing what was probably over £100 worth of food. I got the impression that this wasn't even an unusual event when I called customer services. So I doubt they will get over excited about your mistake OP. I would tell them though.

Zebedee999 · 08/12/2023 18:58

FatFatMary · 08/12/2023 18:20

We shouldn’t be charged so much for food anyway. Take it as compensation OP

This is the second time you have advocated theft on this thread. Seriously hope you are not raising kids with that mindset ?

Wishihadanalgorithm · 08/12/2023 19:00

I would be honest and tell them. It may be they say thanks for your honesty and enjoy or they ask you come in and pay. At the end of the day you will have a clear conscience much is worth more than £95 - well to me it is.

Grammarnut · 08/12/2023 19:03

Doesn't matter if you get into trouble, but probably not. Just go and pay for it. Use cash next time, then there is no mistake.

StarlightLime · 08/12/2023 19:08

DontSetYourselfOnFireToKeepOthersWarm · 07/12/2023 20:43

For it to be theft doesn’t there need to be the intent to deprive? If so, then presumably there is no theft here as there was no intent.

The intent to deprive starts at the point where op realises her mistake and chooses not to rectify it.

OldPerson · 08/12/2023 19:09

If you're genuine, I'd leave it. If you go to in-store customer services, you may find yourself watched by security services on future visits, so if you want to contact them, phone them. But if neither you nor the store has a record of goods taken (in your case a receipt) and the store no transaction recorded, it's unlikely they can match your intended purchases to an audit trail and legitimately charge - you'll probably avoid giving a few or a lot of people a headache by not reporting it. If the store does charity work for xmas, like getting customers to buy food or gifts for the disadvantaged, contribute. Every time you feel guilty, you can picture an elderly person, struggling mum or child receiving something that brings a smile to their face, and it's the store they'll be thanking on your behalf. So you've helped the store with their PR image.

FatFatMary · 08/12/2023 19:10

Zebedee999 · 08/12/2023 18:58

This is the second time you have advocated theft on this thread. Seriously hope you are not raising kids with that mindset ?

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I am raising kids but I will let them decide for themselves when they’re older whether to pay for accidental Tesco’s or not

RafaFan · 08/12/2023 19:15

Regr · 07/12/2023 20:31

I’ve had something similar happen years ago. I contacted Tesco online and explained what happened and asked what they’d like me to do.

And what did Tesco want you to do?

CrashyTime · 08/12/2023 19:18

Teateaandmoretea · 08/12/2023 18:43

How is it their error? Bizarre.

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Because they are trying to cut back on human workers so their shareholders can get more, that is their first error.

mapofeasterireland · 08/12/2023 19:31

I wouldn’t have even checked my account to know if accidentally stolen it. I also wouldn’t worry about it at all after 3 weeks

exaltedwombat · 08/12/2023 19:34

People are answering as if you had more than one morally acceptable choice!

BigMarla · 08/12/2023 19:37

MrsAvocet · 08/12/2023 18:56

I'd phone customer services and explain. You won't be the first or last person this has happened to.
I had an embarrassing experience with Tesco recently. I was out and when I came back home DH told me that he'd put the Tesco delivery away but had wondered why I had ordered so many pizzas. I hadn't ordered anything from Tesco at all for that day, never mind lots of pizza.
I do get most of our groceries delivered by Tesco so DH just assumed I had forgotten to mention a delivery was due, the driver didn't check his ID and they don't leave paper receipts any more so there was no way of knowing who it was intended for. We rang customer services and as we didn't have a delivery number or anything they didn't know either and just told us to keep it! But I wasn't happy with that as obviously some other poor person was without their shopping and even if they eventually got a refund they'd still have no food. So I phoned the store where I know our deliveries come from and they were no help either, so I resorted to sending my teenage son out on his bike knocking on every door in the village til he found the intended recipient. Then she had to print out her order from the website and bring it round to our house whilst I searched the cupboards for wherever DH had put it all. It was a complete PITA but at least we resolved it. Tesco really didn't care, either that the real customer didn't have her food or that they were losing what was probably over £100 worth of food. I got the impression that this wasn't even an unusual event when I called customer services. So I doubt they will get over excited about your mistake OP. I would tell them though.

This is fucking lush. What a decent soul you are.

J3001 · 08/12/2023 19:38

I've done it with tins of toms etc thought they'd scanned at self checkout and hadn't but didn't flag up in bagging , got home and realised when scanning my shopping so went straight back and told security what one called me a daft bat as they all know me as i was in every day and said no one is like you told him my point is i shop here every day and could not go in knowing it wasn't paid for

DCPRINCE69 · 08/12/2023 19:38

I would and have return and let the store know. The store was grateful for my honesty and actually let me off

Diyextension · 08/12/2023 19:39

Just wait till they come knocking on the door and then say “ oh i never realised it didn’t go through ,i never check my bank”. Which they never will.🙂.

We once needed our garage door repairing ( new motor) It was £450. Paid the £70 call out fee and had to pay the rest when they replaced it. They came fixed it and then never sent a invoice, did i phone them…….no. Its not my fault they are crap at running a business

we had half of someone’s tesco Christmas shopping dropped with ours once, i didnt know what had been ordered so just unloaded it quickly so he could go. They never came back for it 🙂

Never look a gift horse in the mouth 🎁🐎

StarlightLime · 08/12/2023 19:40

Diyextension · 08/12/2023 19:39

Just wait till they come knocking on the door and then say “ oh i never realised it didn’t go through ,i never check my bank”. Which they never will.🙂.

We once needed our garage door repairing ( new motor) It was £450. Paid the £70 call out fee and had to pay the rest when they replaced it. They came fixed it and then never sent a invoice, did i phone them…….no. Its not my fault they are crap at running a business

we had half of someone’s tesco Christmas shopping dropped with ours once, i didnt know what had been ordered so just unloaded it quickly so he could go. They never came back for it 🙂

Never look a gift horse in the mouth 🎁🐎

Charming.

DCPRINCE69 · 08/12/2023 19:42

Not necessarily. If you have been honest they WILL NOT keep on you because they know you are honest!

Diyextension · 08/12/2023 19:43

BigMarla · 08/12/2023 19:37

This is fucking lush. What a decent soul you are.

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This is mental 🤣😂. You wait till they come back , if they don't you keep it.

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 19:54

Don't bother paying them back, on any CCTV footage it will be obvious that you tried to pay even though it didn't work. Yes you should have checked that the payment wrnt through but the store are saving thousands by using these self service things instead of manned tills which are prone to both more theft and genuine human error.

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 08/12/2023 19:58

Honesty is the best policy

StarlightLime · 08/12/2023 20:00

Some of you sound so obnoxious.

DontSetYourselfOnFireToKeepOthersWarm · 08/12/2023 20:00

StarlightLime · 08/12/2023 19:08

The intent to deprive starts at the point where op realises her mistake and chooses not to rectify it.

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Is that your opinion? Or is that the actual legal position, because if so I’d appreciate a link as I couldn’t find anything saying that at all.

pollymere · 08/12/2023 20:01

If you did a scan and go, it would be a flagged non-payment against your card. This would mean your next shops would have required full rescans. If this hasn't happened then you probably did pay for the shop.

If it's Waitrose, they don't pursue it, although they have slowed down the tills to try and prevent it happening. It's not in their interest to chase or prosecute.

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:04

StarlightLime · 08/12/2023 20:00

Some of you sound so obnoxious.

You wonder how they were raised. And what sort of people they are raising.