Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I accidentally stole an entire big shop

624 replies

Rayoffingsunshine · 07/12/2023 20:17

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?

OP posts:
LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:12

littlestrawberryhat · 08/12/2023 18:55

Tesco are making heinous profits raising the costs of food to the consumer. They could easily afford to absorb the increase of cost of foods but choose to hike up their prices and make a profit. Maybe it’s karma for being a nice person, you should donate generously to the food bank imo. These people getting angry that Tesco are owed money are insane! They’d rather the billionaire Tesco ceo get their humongous Christmas bonus than give poor people something for free. I do despair at this country sometimes I really do.

Tesco is a publicly traded company that has a fiduciary duty to its shareholders to maximize returns on their investments. Many of you probably benefit from that in your pension.

If you don't like their business model, you're free to shop elsewhere.

Or go ahead & start anon-profit food market, and let us know how that goes.

It's pretty scummy to steal as a form of protest. Who raises such people??

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:14

Tesco and all supermarkets are greedy profiteering businesses. So my heart doesn't bleed that someone got their shopping for free.

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:17

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:14

Tesco and all supermarkets are greedy profiteering businesses. So my heart doesn't bleed that someone got their shopping for free.

What a childish, loser mentality.

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:19

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:17

What a childish, loser mentality.

Show quote history

🤷

Here have another childish reply

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/12/2023 20:24

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:14

Tesco and all supermarkets are greedy profiteering businesses. So my heart doesn't bleed that someone got their shopping for free.

Again - the money doesn’t come out of the supermarket’s profits, or the owners’ pockets either, @Ibizabar -every shopper pays for it because ‘shrinkage’ (loss due to theft, breakage, spoilage or accidents like this one) is built into the price we pay. I pay for it. You for it. Every honest shopper pays for it.

It is naive to think that losses like this come out of the supermarkets’ profits.

Justfinking · 08/12/2023 20:25

JeezWhatNext · 07/12/2023 20:32

You can’t steal food and give it to the food bank you need to go back, explain and ask to pay. Just be a grown up and take the consequences.

This. And I'm sure there will be cameras.

MummyTo4BoysXXXX · 08/12/2023 20:25

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:14

Tesco and all supermarkets are greedy profiteering businesses. So my heart doesn't bleed that someone got their shopping for free.

Exactly this!.. Don't think Tesco give a flying toss of what was in their burgers did they 10 years ago but still made plenty of profits out of us as "loyal" customers but not so loyal of tesco was it.. 🐴
@Rayoffingsunshine don't go back because you didn't go in the shop with the intentions to steal end of! I definatly wouldn't 🤣

Justfinking · 08/12/2023 20:25

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/12/2023 20:24

Again - the money doesn’t come out of the supermarket’s profits, or the owners’ pockets either, @Ibizabar -every shopper pays for it because ‘shrinkage’ (loss due to theft, breakage, spoilage or accidents like this one) is built into the price we pay. I pay for it. You for it. Every honest shopper pays for it.

It is naive to think that losses like this come out of the supermarkets’ profits.

Show quote history

Agree. People are so thick, the customers ALWAYS ends up paying

Wouldyouguess · 08/12/2023 20:28

PronounsBaby · 07/12/2023 20:29

£95 is absolutely nothing to Tesco, however if you were to put £95 worth of food in a food bank that would make a massive difference to a family in need.
As pp's have said, pay it forward

My friend had money deducted off her salary whe na customer walked off without paying, so while it will not make much harm to the company, it may to people working there on minimum wage.

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:28

Wouldyouguess · 08/12/2023 20:28

My friend had money deducted off her salary whe na customer walked off without paying, so while it will not make much harm to the company, it may to people working there on minimum wage.

Show quote history

That doesn't happen in Tesco.

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:29

Also Tesco pay more than minimum wage.

BigMarla · 08/12/2023 20:31

Wouldyouguess · 08/12/2023 20:28

My friend had money deducted off her salary whe na customer walked off without paying, so while it will not make much harm to the company, it may to people working there on minimum wage.

Show quote history

They used to do this to the waitresses at Frankie and Benny’s if someone did a runner. It’s disgusting when companies do this.

Wouldyouguess · 08/12/2023 20:33

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:28

That doesn't happen in Tesco.

Show quote history

The point is, the company makes someone else pay for mistakes like that- either by rising prices so we ALL have to pay, or a manager, or a sales assistant, or whoever else. In the same way we all pay for shoplifters, etc etc.

Wouldyouguess · 08/12/2023 20:34

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:29

Also Tesco pay more than minimum wage.

Again you are totally missing the point, do you think with CoL the wage they pay is that amazing?

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 20:34

Supermarkets made record profits during the pandemic and passed precisely none of it onto their store workers. They reap what they sow.

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:38

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 20:34

Supermarkets made record profits during the pandemic and passed precisely none of it onto their store workers. They reap what they sow.

That's not why companies exist. They have a duty to their shareholders.

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 20:39

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:38

That's not why companies exist. They have a duty to their shareholders.

Show quote history

What's your point ? OP should pay up to keep shareholders happy?

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:40

As long as the people at the top are not buying Smart price for Christmas we should all rejoice.

JMSA · 08/12/2023 20:42

Result! Grin

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:42

@Bloodyel

What's your point? That it's ok to steal from large corporations?

Ibizabar · 08/12/2023 20:43

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 20:34

Supermarkets made record profits during the pandemic and passed precisely none of it onto their store workers. They reap what they sow.

Not to mention how much they bloody fleece farmers etc to keep the share holders in caviar and Champagne.

Bloodyel · 08/12/2023 20:44

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 20:42

@Bloodyel

What's your point? That it's ok to steal from large corporations?

My point is that morality depends on how the majority of people are affected, and the minority shareholders won't pull enough heartstrings to make the public care about theft in this situation.

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 08/12/2023 21:00

greenacrylicpaint · 07/12/2023 20:22

pay it forward.
give generously to the foodbank or other charity.
the shop has already written off the lost stock you took.
don't feel bad, you had the intention to pay.

I like this idea 👍

MrsLighthouse · 08/12/2023 21:10

Surprised at the “don’t pay” comments . It’s not ok to take stuff that isn’t yours whatever way you phrase it . I don’t even think the OP is asking for permission to keep it but sounds more worried that they won’t be believed or that it will be tricky to explain. Just ring Customer Services . I’m sure that they have dealt with this before. The idea that it’s ok to steal from shops that “can afford it” is just weird.

BlueMongoose · 08/12/2023 21:11

RoyalMailAreShit · 07/12/2023 20:28

I wouldn’t bother going back to pay it. You didn’t mean to do it. Have you checked every card statement you have including credit cards? Supermarkets take a lot of losses, mainly from people who intend to steal 100s of pounds worth. As others said, pay it forward and donate to a food bank.

Technically that's still theft, whenever you give the money to. I see no reason why there would be a problem if you got in touch, explained the problem, and asked how best to pay it. That would be the honest thing to do.

Swipe left for the next trending thread