… to think shoplifting is really bad?

[Queenofswords88]

I’m not talking about someone stealing essentials due to severe financial hardship, or someone stealing to fund an addiction or due to other mental health issues - those situations make stealing more understandable.

I’ve encountered a few things recently that have made me start to think others may not see shoplifting in general as that big a deal, or maybe even consider it typical when people are teenagers. AIBU to think most people have never shoplifted and would agree that, other than in the circumstances I’ve mentioned, there are generally no excuses?

I can’t say I blame them to be honest.

I was in a bigger Tescos the other day looking at makeup, and saw that particularly there, they’d put large security cameras up. It’s a bit unsettling but seeing the amount they must lose in stock I don’t blame them.

I’ve regularly seen people scan a full basket through in self checkout supermarkets, pack into bags and then just walk out without paying. The security guards appear to be at the doors though and no one is really around at these checkouts so it is easy for shoplifters.

I even knew of someone a few years ago, middle class, who’d regularly go into expensive clothes shops and take clothes. She said she sold what she didn’t want. She worked and said it was so easy. I distanced myself from her after this as she did it when she was with me once. Just giggled and laughed after it. I was muttering at her to take the clothes back. There are some clothes or other shops if they don’t have security cameras where it looks easy to steal from if they’re by themselves.

It's absolutely scummy to steal.

Although I remember when I was a teenager, one of my friends had addicts for parents and 3 younger siblings. He would regularly steal to feed them. In The end local shop used to bag up food that was going out of date for him and told him just to ask if he really needed anything

I completely agree.

Of course it’s bad. But until someone enforces the law it will carry on.🤷‍♀️

There's been a significant upsurge in low value theft of essentials such as food, nappies etc, particularly amongst women. So much so that there are now initiatives to offer support as an alternative to prosecution. Obviously you won't see that reported in the way you would the regular offenders/career shoplifters, if they don't get to court. But its a huge issue with a number of reports from police and even retail organisations flagging it up.

I think calling giving it a word of it's own 'shoplifting' somehow makes it appear less serious than other types of theft. It should just be called theft (or stealing if you'd rather) because that's what it is.

Well that’s a shame, as we all pay the price for it in more ways than one.

Stealing is wrong. It puts the cost up for all customers.

I don't suppose it is a good idea to advertise the best steal to sell stuff to avoid prosecution.

4 hour shift at work today in a supermarket we had 3 attempted trolley walk offs stopped by security on the door ,total value of all 3 trolley loads came to just over one thousand pounds, also had 2 full rescan in scan and go one with £60 un scaned items and 1 with £174 worth of un scaned items ,so i basically spent my shift putting it all back on the shelves

It reminds me of the silly old joke about stealing a Samsung phone from a shop being actual theft, but taking an Apple phone only counting as scrumping.

It is strange how people use different words to attach different value judgments and seriousness to effectively the same thing, when it suits their 'ah, it's only a little bit naughty' agenda.

When I was on mat leave and in boots there was a guy there with a bag I could have fitted into literally emptying the shelves of cosmetics. Not remotely trying to disguise what he was doing just swiping the contents of the shelves into the bag.

The staff were behind the counter out of the way as a member of staff was assaulted the week before when another person was approached about shoplifting. They were concerned about having no stock left. Whilst I was waiting for the prescriptions he left and I stayed in the shop for a few minutes to avoid bumping into him in the street.

That wouldn’t be shoplifting, though. And having my kid’s bike stolen certainly wouldn’t make me care about shoplifting. That’s a bit of an odd train of thought.

It would be more than naive to imagine that would be news to criminals. Its also information freely available in the public domain in published reports.

When your business is in retail - and your livelihood - imagine how you would feel if your job was, say in an office, and after working hard all month, payroll just decided they weren't going to pay you, or were maybe going to dock 30% of your wages for an unspecified reason, just because they reckoned you could afford to lose it and/or you couldn't prove it, or would be too scared to fight them over it.

That's effectively the same thing as when little scrotes just decide to pick up your merchandise - that you had to pay for - and take it without paying you for it.

According to BIL who works at one of the big supermarkets, it's definitely on the uptick near us. Especially lots of"low level" value items which come under around £100 when all added together. People just grabbing and running for it. Management have told the staff not to give chase due to many of the lifters carrying knives and threatening to stab staff with their dirty needles.

There seems to be a lot of "professional" shoplifters who steal to order round us. They know the police are not coming out, they know it's a slap on the wrist and often nothing at all. It's also incredibly easy in some shops due to self serve and 1 staff member manning many self serve tills. It's also very easy to move stolen goods, I know there are a few prolific ones round us who are flogging stuff with tags on on market place, eBay, vinted ect. Same with things like meat, cheese, veg. They are stealing bits and then flogging them as food packages for £5/ £10 / £15 depending on what's in them. Sadly due to COL there is a huge market for a box of various meat, cheese, wine, bread, butter, posh deli meat, and lots of branded treat food. They know what they are doing. The people buying know it is stolen but when a food shop for a family becomes very expensive and you start having to say no to treat stuff for the kids every week then people are willing to buy a box.

There is also a lot of "oopsie this hasn't scanned on the self serve, I'll just pop it in my bag" going on round us as well. In fact I know many people who have decided that there must be some perk to having to scan your own shopping - it's known as using the "staff discount" near us. Again, 1 overworked staff member to 10 tills, long wait for them to come over and rectify something and I can see why some people just call it "staff discount". It's just too easy and tempting for some people. BIL's supermarket has actually re-opened the tills and if it gets busy will open more tills as the amount getting lifted through self serve was insane. Whereas there is less lifting when tills are open.

I think it's wrong. I ended a friendship over it.

The balls people must have trying to walk out with a full trolley 😬 I guess it happens every day though and some people just don't care

I've worked in retail for years and I don’t think I’ve ever encountered someone who is actually stealing to survive. Not saying it doesn’t happen but stealing to sell on/a thrill/just pure selfishness are basically the only reasons I’ve encountered.

Mostly where I work currently it’s stealing to sell on. We have a meat man, baby formula man, washing detergent man and so on. One delightful lady recently tried to steal several bottles of expensive wine and when challenged said it was because she was hungry. Needed it to sell on to buy food. Sure babes. You’re gonna buy food when she didn’t get her way she chucked a couple of bottles on the floor to smash and threatened to shit on the floor.

partly why costs are high to cover stock theft by customers and stock shrinkage when its the companies own employees @Queenofswords88

Shoplifting is an hourly occurrence in the supermarket a friend works in. They know the regulars, what they are likely to go for and there is little they can do to stop theft.

The police are stretched so are unlikely to attend, the store does have a security guard, but he can't be in more than one place, the staff are doing jobs like replenishing, working on the tills customer service etc so for those who are minded to steal, can and do with very little challenge.

It is not a victimless crime.

No sympathy for shoplifters, but not much for the supermarkets (at CEO policy-making level) because they should have foreseen this would happen when they replaced the bulk of checkouts with self-service. I feel sorry for the frontline supermarket staff.

Well I guess you don't mind paying extra for your shopping to cover the cost of the theft.

Latest industry figures show theft of £7.9 billion from retailers last year, 60% of that was directly stolen by customers the other 40% from within the supply chain. The retailers recoup that cost by charging us for it. (source: https://www.drapersonline.com/news/uk-retail-theft-to-cost-7-9bn )

That's interesting.

Our local M and S Food store is rife with shoplifters, I have rarely seen them being challenged though.

It is wrong. If someone steals an essential as a one off to feed themselves I can understand this but it should be a one off not a way of life