AIBU to “steal” this?

[AmiABadPersonn]

Hello everyone I just want your opinions on this as today I’ve been in a heated argument with my friend as to wether I am unreasonable or not.

I am off work on maternity leave so the funds are tight at minute. There is a man who lives near me I believe he is drug user, he sells half price stuff and also takes orders on what you want for half price. He knocks on my house about 1 or 2 times a week with a bag of half price goods. I always buy washing detergent and softeners from him because you can get a whole weeks laundry of the nice brands for around £10. Money is tight as I have just had a baby and I have 2 other children with my husband also. i also sometimes get baby milk formula from him if I’m running low because it’s cheap.

I feel like this is not wrong because if I didn’t buy it other people would. Even if no one bought it he would steal it anyway in hopes someone would buy it eventually.

Today my friend was at my house when he came so I offered her to have a look what he had. She immediately asked him where he got this stuff from and he replied “shop”. She didn’t say much after but when I finished buying my items she started shouting about how I’m funding his drugs addiction and I shouldn’t support it because I am now stealing too. I told her to relax it’s fine it’s only a couple of items. She didn’t say much and finished her coffee and left quick.

So am I morally wrong for this? Or would you do the same?

How can using laundry scent balls be a need?

I think you know darn well it isn't right by your choice of wording in the title 🙄

I think this is a wind up, and that’s why the items formula (a necessity) and scent balls (a luxury) was chosen.

And also using the word stealing in the head line to draw attention to the post.

So am I morally wrong for this?. Yes, for all the reasons outlined by previous posters.

It sounds like you've lost a good friend too.

And think about what example you're setting to your children. They'll be telling their mates that their mum saves loads by buying from Dodgy Dave at the door.

I have family in retail. It’s has become completely awful to work in due to shoplifting. Both large scale and individuals doing this. I’m now extremely careful where I buy from if I see things on Facebook fur example. There’s a huge cost to this and it’s at such a level that it is pushing costs up.

Food banks aren’t a means of subsiding spend you can’t afford in other areas. Food banks are for people who cannot afford to eat. Using them to subsidise expensive laundry brands is stealing from people who would otherwise have to skip meals. That’s even worse than stealing from the supermarket.

Stolen possibly contaminated baby milk.... give your head a wobble op!

Is it even genuine? At best it might be damaged packaging or shoplifted, at worst not what you think or contaminated and dangerous. And yes he will be using income to fund his habits or those of someone else. Own brand washing powder is less than £5 a box , is it really much of a saving?

You’re knowingly handling stolen goods…that is illegal, never mind morally wrong.

Also £10 for a weeks worth of laundry tablets/powder??? He’s having your pants down! I pay £12 for 56 fairy laundry pods which last us well over a month if not 2 months.

WTF, Buying baby milk from a Drug dealer! Come on OP ,you know this is all kinds of wrong.Why do you spend £10.00 a week on laundry products? Unreal! I probably dont spend that in a month!

I can’t believe that anyone is saying it’s okay to steal from anyone, it’s absolutely, and utterly low life and disgusting, how can you live like that buying stolen goods.
What sort of an example is that to your children that it’s okay to steal.
It’s partly because of people like you that supermarket prices are so high, they lose money every time someone steals something.
Raise your morals and your standards … you’re a perfect example of everything the country doesn’t need, you are as much a thief as he is.

I think unreal is the word here.

Actually trying to conceive right now. Would you be inclined to recommend wetherspoons or something more like Starbucks?

So you're willing to buy stuff you know to be stolen by a drug addict so you can have laundry that smells "nice". And you're prepared to buy baby formula form him too because you know of course it is going to be the real thing rather than some adulterated knock off. Your children are going to grow up seeing you do this sort of thing and you'll be whining when they start shoplifting etc as teenagers. Just imagine explaining what you are doing to your children:

"Well there is a very sick man. He steals things to buy drugs to make him feel better but they are actually killing him. I like our laundry to smell nice so I buy stuff from him that he stole because it's much cheaper because he stole it."

At times my family was desperately poor. We didn't steal food let alone buy stolen stuff to make our laundry smell good. We worked our way out of poverty without giving up our moral code.

just stop excusing yourself.

yup, I did report but MN have left it up

I can't get past you thinking £10 a week on detergent is cheap. How many loads do you do, for goodness sake?

Yeah, thinking about it, only a male wouldn't know how much laundry you can do for £10.

I'm astounded anyone could spend that much on laundry. If money's so tight you are struggling to buy formula, ditch the softener, stain remover and scent balls!

What actually even is a scent ball?

If you're hard up then of course buy it. If you're not, then don't. I admit to doing the same in the past but was young and naive at the time. When someone told me he was stealing them, I stopped buying razor blades from him.

I think you are mixing up the OP with her friend.

To be fair to the OP, poor people will often make poor financial decisions. When funds and education are both limited, they will often make decisions that offer short term gain over a long term benefit. And they’re not going to save $ for something substantial rather they’ll buy cheap and often. Hence buying rubbish like overpriced laundry scents and tinned baby milk every week from the local dealer.

I know perfectly well that to 'receive' stolen goods is considered by the courts as more serious than shoplifting - and you will get a longer prison sentence. As to the rest, one should not judge people one does not know. OP's friend knows nothing of the door-to-door salesman except that OP says he is a drug user (she thinks). He may be running a small business for all anyone knows. So, yes, I stand by what I said insofar as I will not judge someone I do not know.

In what sort of den of iniquity do you reside where residents give actual shopping lists to the local junkie for him to steal to order?

I call bullshit.