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AIBU?

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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:
SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 10/12/2023 13:53

I think everyone can have an unexpected brain-fart and not notice the payment hasn’t gone through, even if they are meticulous every other time, @LaurieStrode - we are all human. What matters is what you do when you do notice the payment hasn’t been made - I would ring the store and tell them, and offer to pay.

tachetastic · 10/12/2023 18:03

LaurieStrode · 10/12/2023 12:57

I don't understand this. It is quite obvious to anyone with eyes and ears whether the transaction has completed or not. There are very clear readouts on the screens along with audio cues.

It's not difficult and it IS the purchaser's responsibility. Even at manned tills there is a screen on the card reader that indicates the progress of the transaction.

Show quote history

I would disagree that it's obvious. More than once I have taken the "beep" to mean that a transaction has gone through and started to collect my items and the shop assistant asks me to wait a second and then says it's approved. The beep just means the connection has been made, not the payment has gone through, but because payment normally happens within a couple of seconds I think a lot of people probably think that if it beeped then they're fine.

changedmyname23 · 10/12/2023 19:33

If this is Asda next time you go in they will stop you I done exact same thing and never noticed (it was less than £20). Next time I was in Asda when I was leaving the security guards asked me to go the customer service desk where they showed me the footage the facial recognition matches it next time you pay.

they were lovely as said it happens all the time.

greenbeansnspinach · 10/12/2023 20:09

LaurieStrode · 08/12/2023 22:32

Apparently quite a few here think they are. Lowdown and low class.

"Character is how you behave when no one is watching."

Show quote history

Yes, thanks for quoting me - that wasn’t exactly what I meant though … I wasn’t meaning class, which is really money I suppose, but moral compass which is independent of anything but the person.
I agree that behaviour shouldn’t change ideally whether anyone knows about it or not. We are all human though.

greenbeansnspinach · 10/12/2023 20:16

Ohhoho · 09/12/2023 05:36

It is a massive problem for stores, to prevent theft at their self checkouts but stepping back and looking at the whole problem they have decided that the losses are worth it compared to installing and employing more staff. It’s a risk they are prepared to take allowing the public to process their own shopping. A lot of people are very dismayed by this.

Recently my trolley wheels were locked, security men surrounded me, in the car park because I had decanted my smallish shop into a basket, as the self checkout trolley queue was long and basket queue short. The till then asked me whether I wanted a receipt and i declined. After I had paid and packed I went to find my trolley because it had my token in it. And wheeled it through the doors which somehow electronically knew that that it hadn’t gone through the tills! Publicly embarrassing for me, especially with no receipt, no apology from them. And I didn’t feel vindicated, they obviously hadn’t imagined some would do what I did. (Never again)!

It was a genuine mistake on your part. You will make sure it doesn’t happen again. Trying to return the money ? will be more fuss for everyone. You could insist but with babies in tow I think you will just have to accept that it happened with neither joy nor guilt.

Yes but, how does having some babies change things?

sleepD3pr1ived · 10/12/2023 21:07

FatFatMary · 07/12/2023 21:49

People who think it’s morally wrong, were you raised in a religious environment ?

Troll

FatFatMary · 10/12/2023 21:10

sleepD3pr1ived · 10/12/2023 21:07

Troll

Show quote history

Leap

notahappybunny7 · 11/12/2023 07:26

LauderSyme · 07/12/2023 20:42

I would ring customer service (on a burner phone! 😉) and explain what has happened and ask what you should do.

But if you don't have the receipt won't it be difficult to bill you correctly anyway? Or do you think they would accept what you wrote in your budgeting app and put it through as one big miscellaneous transaction?

Burner phone 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

eastegg · 11/12/2023 08:28

LaurieStrode · 10/12/2023 12:57

I don't understand this. It is quite obvious to anyone with eyes and ears whether the transaction has completed or not. There are very clear readouts on the screens along with audio cues.

It's not difficult and it IS the purchaser's responsibility. Even at manned tills there is a screen on the card reader that indicates the progress of the transaction.

Show quote history

It’s one of those things where it’s obvious until it isn’t. It works fine until it doesn’t.

I paid for some things in an M and S at an M1 service station recently. A manned till. All seemed fine, the transaction appeared to have gone through, both I and the cashier were paying attention, I left, and a few minutes later she came to find me (I was easy to find as I was wandering nearby looking for DH) because the transaction had failed.

So I don’t find it at all hard to understand how this has happened to OP. But I think she should go back and pay.

Teateaandmoretea · 11/12/2023 09:28

It is the purchaser’s responsibility yes. But it’s still just a mistake - you can make mistakes that are your fault you know.

Entwistle · 11/12/2023 11:05

'on a burner phone' - haha! :-)

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 11/12/2023 13:29

FatFatMary · 07/12/2023 21:49

People who think it’s morally wrong, were you raised in a religious environment ?

I missed this question from you, earlier in the thread, @FatFatMary. I wasn't raised in a particularly religious home - dad went to church, mum was a Humanist, and there wasn't much (if any) discussion of Christianity at home.

But they both had high moral standards, and passed them on to my sister and me. I have handed in money I found to the police, I've gone back into Sainsbury's when I realised something small and cheap had got stuck under my handbag so I hadn't paid for it, and when things I hadn't ordered or paid for (supermarket orders or online orders) have turned up, I always contact the company to see what they want me to do.

Looking back, I don't remember this being taught in any heavy-handed way by my parents - it was simply how they behaved.

catotangent · 11/12/2023 13:36

Entwistle · 11/12/2023 11:05

'on a burner phone' - haha! :-)

🤣

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 11/12/2023 13:50

"I would ring customer service (on a burner phone! 😉) and explain what has happened and ask what you should do."

Or she could email them, but bounce the message around different internet servers around the world, so the signal can't be traced, @LauderSyme!😂

(It is possible I have watched too much Criminal Minds)!

tachetastic · 11/12/2023 18:55

I would march into the store, guns blazing, inform whoever is on customer services that you're a journalist who was testing their security and they failed miserably. Slam exactly the correct amount of cash down on the counter and as you leave ask if they ever watch the One Show.

Then get out of there and never go back!!! 😂😂😂

Truecrime · 12/12/2023 10:00

Let them know next time you are in , they won’t think bad of you . I’m an employee of a big supermarket and it’s thought a lot of when someone comes back and is open and honest ,you were obviously distracted.

sleepD3pr1ived · 22/12/2023 20:10

So op what did you do??

ISewISee · 24/12/2023 12:52

Was wondering the same!

moomoomoo27 · 26/01/2024 01:21

sleepD3pr1ived · 22/12/2023 20:10

So op what did you do??

Obviously on the run now.

Paranoidprepper · 16/04/2024 18:45

Something similar happened to me in Morrisons to the tune of around £50. I realised about an hour later when I got home and phoned the store to let them know as:

  1. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself (going against my morals of not stealing)

  2. I didn't want anyone to get in trouble if stock, etc, was short.

They were gobsmacked and not quite sure how to deal with it. I asked if I could pay next time I was in town as I lived 40 minutes away and wasn't back in town until the next week, or if there was a way to transfer it.

The manager thanked me for my honesty and said to have it on them, and not to worry about paying it back, which was a very welcome gesture, as at the time things were really tight and we were in the red every month just spending on the basics.

I would always favour honesty and I'd have to let them know.

AngryLikeHades · 19/04/2024 12:00

BusyMum47 · 09/12/2023 10:38

I had something similar a few years ago. Filled up with fuel at a Morrisons supermarket petrol station & grabbed a few items for tea in the little shop, handed over my card to the cashier to swipe (they didn't have a contactless machine at the time), she did her thing, I answered 'no need' to the offer of a receipt & drove the short distance home. Cashier was pretty rude in that she was having a conversation on her mobile phone throughout the entire transaction.

2hrs later, 2 Police officers knocked on my door & said that they'd been called by Morrisons to track me down because I'd driven off without paying for the fuel!!

I was bloody mortified!! Turns out, the rude cashier had been so engrossed in her personal call that she'd only charged me for the food & not the fuel so had reported me for theft - presumably to cover her ass for the loss of £50 worth of diesel! I had no receipt to prove anything, either.

The Police had to watch the CCTV tapes of the transaction in the shop to see that I had clearly indicated to her which pump I had used, had happily handed my card over for HER to process while she was constantly on her phone!

I was FUMING!! Complained to Morrisons & got a grovelling apology, some vouchers & a promise that the cashier would be disciplined! Luckily, the Police believed me from the start & were lovely about it but I ALWAYS take receipts now- for everything!!

Christ! What a twatting idiot she was.

Yalta · 27/10/2024 12:02

Sometimes banking fails

I put some petrol in my car a few weeks ago

The thing is I had requested pay at pump put my card in and entered my credit card PIN and it allowed me petrol. Forgot to get my receipt and drove away.

Now I have a request to pay the money as it looks like I drove away without paying

Went to check bank details as I was absolutely certain I had paid and the transaction didn’t go through

Really annoyed as I now have to pay £18 extra for my petrol

The thing is on the pictures you can see the receipt hanging out of the machine as it shows me driving away

Was in a hurry for work so didn’t go back to get it

Yalta · 27/10/2024 12:05

Should add I requested pay at pump as I wasn’t certain what amount was in my bank account so knew it would tell me what was available so I could fill up to that amount

I didn’t want to put £20 in and find I only had £18.06 in my account

Puddypuds · 27/10/2024 12:59

I once had a debit from M&S months after I purchased a bra. I had just assumed it had gone from my account. So just a heads up sometimes these things can be delayed (by about 6 weeks in my case) and the bank said if was perfectly normal.

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