Was I unreasonable to do this?

[KissyMissy]

So..done my usual supermarket shop this evening and noticed the food/toy donation trolley looking a bit bare.

I paid for my shopping as usual, then went back round the aisles and picked out two toys worth around £10 each and put them in the bank (didn't pay)

Supermarkets make a huge profit and felt sad for families in hostels etc this Christmas!

This thread is so funny 🤣

It isn’t just shoplifting it’s a form of protest.

A protest of what?

If the alarms go off when the charity leave with the stuff it’s just caused an inconvenience and the staff will presume it’s just some dickhead that wanted to look like they were generous, to people going past, but actually weren’t.

If alarms don’t go off then no one knows about it or why she did it.

What issue she trying, and failing, to draw attention to.

You miserable person. That's theft!

Well shoplifting’s risen dramatically in recent years. I’m sure people are getting some of the message. You don’t know what the issue is ?

The thing is OP the charity will be stealing by default. They really wouldn't want to damage their reputation or have their charity bin withdrawn if the supermarket thought people were doing what you did. In any event, I don't think the charity wants to receive stolen goods. Besides, supermarkets are under seige from shoplifters at the moment and the cost gets passed on to the customer so you are not helping people who are already struggling with the COL crisis. You are actually doing them a disservice. Supermarkets already give large donations to charities anyway.

I thought it wasn’t shoplifting? It was a protest?

What message is it sending? And who is the message going to?

A random department at Asda house?

Most theft from large retailers isn’t committed by people who can’t afford to eat.

It’s usually committed by people who want to sell items on to feed their addiction. the people people buying are usually buying because it’s cheaper. Mor because they can’t afford to eat otherwise.

Shoplifting is not a form of protest. Setting up the charity workers is not a form of protest.

No one is believing that the Op put things she didn’t buy in there as a protest against supermarkets making profits.

It's theft. Plain and simple.

YABU

WTAF!!

You were too tight to put your hand in your own pocket - you didn't feel that bad about families in hostels!!! - so decided to make a thief of yourself in the name of being charitable, and then come on here to boast about it?

I do hope there's some honesty and integrity in your Christmas stocking.

Idiot

Have you actually done anything with your own money?

The message being sent to the government, corporations and the public is that if we can’t buy what we need to survive we’ll take it.

I think it’s great children’s Christmas presents are being thrown in.

I can’t find statistics to support your claim that most shoplifters are addicts making money for a fix. Can you ?

OP clearly did this with an element of protest. It’s evident by how she said it.

I thought those donation bins were always put past the tills so people can't bypass paying.

Yes, as others have said, shops all factor theft into their prices so it's us that pay for it, not the supermarket.
I can also quite see the shop staff getting berated if there's a lot of theft.

So you haven't cost the supermarket anything, you've just become part of the reason our shopping costs a little more and you may also have contributed to some poor sod on minimum wage getting a bollocking at Christmas for the amount of theft.

I mean, it's nice you genuinely thought big business would take even a penny's financial hit but no, they don't.

I have extensive experience working with that random department at a large supermarket retailer.

You can easily find lots of information on the connection between shoplifting and theft and addiction.

How are you not finding it? Where are you looking? Shoplifting increases do not fuel change at the government level. There’s constant studies done to measure poverty, average spend (by cost and item) and so on. There’s infinite data that the retailers and government have to measure what people’s spending habits are.

Even if we all went into an Asda tomorrow and made a performance out of stealing, that wouldn’t change anything at government level.

You said it wasn’t shoplifting it was protest. Then said shoplifting, but also protest. But it hasn’t drawn attention to anything. At most it will have caused issues for the people volunteering their time to do the collections. If it’s noticed, the items might not even make it out of the store. Just straight back on the shelf.

As I said, it will either go unnoticed or cause an issue for people actively trying to help families living in poverty. You know, those who are actually do something to help.

Why didn't you put something in from your shop if it was food/toy donations ?

How do you know that the supermarket doesn't already donate ?

Well I will take your word for it, but I’m disappointed. Hopefully at least some poor people are getting free food as well.

So the more socially acceptable it becomes, the more posts on social media like this, the more it will happen. I can’t prove that, it’s just my opinion.

I see it broadly, in terms of conflict being necessary for society to change. Maybe this is the way to do it, maybe it isn’t. But something has to happen. Do you realise how badly people are struggling ?

The only conflict created here will be for the charity workers. If any is created at all. If it’s noticed, it will be assumed someone was being a dick. Nor a protest about CoL.

Of course I know how badly people are struggling. Making life a bit harder for people who are actively doing something, doesn’t make them struggle less.

But My knowledge and experience of growing up in poverty and living in it myself with my kids at one point is irrelevant. The Op has done nothing to help anyone.

Anyone can see it was pointless and any inconvenience will be experienced by the people who actually do something. That’s not a win and it’s certainly not a protest.

But there is a conflict. OP has broken the law because she doesn’t agree that children should go without Christmas presents.

She has contributed to a breakdown in social order because she doesn’t agree with what society is doing to vulnerable people.

I don’t think it’s any more pointless or unnoticed than taking part in a street protest, plus a couple of kids will get a present out of it.

People like her are a credit to us.

You said it wasn’t shoplifting so, according to you, she broke no law. You can’t even make your mind up.

She created no conflict from her ‘crime’ it’s one likely to go undetected.

Social order has not broken down. Of course it’s more unnoticed that a street protest. It’s completely unnoticed and if it is noticed the only inconvenience caused is to someone trying to help. And a couple of kids probably won’t get a couple of presents out of it. Definitely not for Christmas.

She isn’t a credit. She is ridiculous. She hasn’t helped anyone, drawn attention to an issue. She has at most caused an issue for someone who is trying to help. It’s pathetic.

She Isn’t a credit to anyone.

@Lifeasiknowitisout how many people do you think have read the post ?

Well done, you shoplifted!!

Is totally stealing. What a ridiculous thing to do.

Still not caused social order to break down. Most people think it was a dick move.

Have you decided whether, you think it was shoplifting or not yet?

I can’t make you agree with me and you know I never said it wasn’t shoplifting. App. 3-5 % of commenters think it was good. 1 in 100 people read but don’t comment.

People like her are a credit to us

A credit to us? For shoplifting. Your standards are low

Not stealing as technically never left the store

So by that logic then the charity collectors are shoplifting because they're taking the item that hasn't been paid for out the store

Try and colour it how you like, bottom line is you're a shoplifter