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?

Imagine if 10 people stole £20 of goods everyday, (and believe me it's a lot more than this in some areas!) that would equate to £73,000 in a year in one store! Anyone who thinks they'd just take this hit or could just afford the loss is an imbecile IMHO

Honestly, he is stealing to order for you.
It may 'only' be a few bits of cleaning products, etc., but this easily grows. I think you're confusing matters by what it is he's using the money for. That in itself doesn't matter - whether he's feeding his family, funding a habit, or off to the Maldives. It's still the proceeds of theft.
I know of a local pub where you can go in and have stuff stolen to order - you need a DVD player (well, not now, but you know....), they will have it for you in an hour, no questions. This is encouraging theft, NO MATTER WHERE FROM.
Would you actively steal this stuff yourself? If not, then please stop buying it from him.

Honestly, he is stealing to order for you.
It may 'only' be a few bits of cleaning products, etc., but this easily grows. I think you're confusing matters by what it is he's using the money for. That in itself doesn't matter - whether he's feeding his family, funding a habit, or off to the Maldives. It's still the proceeds of theft.
I know of a local pub where you can go in and have stuff stolen to order - you need a DVD player (well, not now, but you know....), they will have it for you in an hour, no questions. This is encouraging theft, NO MATTER WHERE FROM.
Would you actively steal this stuff yourself? If not, then please stop buying it from him.

Well they wouldn't be able to because they are already charging the maximum amount they can get away with. They may have to stop selling the product of it was no longer profitable for them, or they could look at other ways to reduce thefts.

I wouldn't buy stolen baby formula from a drug dealer, I would be concerned that it was actually ok.
Also just buy some cheap laundry pods from Aldi!

@LlamaTwirl YES THEY DO PASS THE LOSS BACK TO THE CONSUMER! They would look at their losses through theft and that number as a percentage would be passed over the next financial year with an increase in the cost of EVERYTHING including essential items, not just the popular stolen items!

They do need to look at making it harder to steal and IMO that means getting rid of self serve counters for a start! They lose more in theft on these than it would cost to employ more checkout staff!

How they know that? Maybe because OP seems quite happy to spend money on completely unnecessary laundry items? She mentioned it in her first post.

I’m always intrigued by the self-checkout numbers…cost of installation of the machines + expected losses through theft vs employment costs. I’d love to see the actual numbers and the POC.

God this is depressing. First of all she can feed them and shouldn't have have many she can't afford. Second of all she's an exploitative arsehole who doesn't care about making drug users life worse or the people he hurts through his addiction because she wants some bloody luxury scent balls. People like you are scarily thick.

So you are quite happy to perpetuate the trafficking, rape and prostitution of women from other countries, the misery and death of countless people who are addicted to drugs and all the other things people have pointed out that go along with shoplifting and drug addiction just to get some cheaper scent balls which are totally unnecessary anyway. You really cannot justify anything you said in your previous posts. And the fact that other people give him long lists does not get you off the hook.

I can't actually tell you what I think of you as my post will get deleted. I really am totally gobsmacked and if I knew you I would report you to the police

I feel sorry for your children, they will obviously have no moral compass as you don't have one and goodness knows where they will end up in life

Your friend is right. I wouldn't knowingly help support someone's drug habit and encourage them to steal. They may do it regardless of whether or not I buy stuff from them, but I would feel uncomfortable knowing I'm personally condoning this behaviour. If in the future one of your kids were unfortunate enough to become an addict, I'm sure you'd feel some anger towards neighbours who are doing what you are.

Well, we'll just have to disagree. It seems obvious to me that shops do a careful calculation when setting prices, taking into account all their costs, including losses through shoplifting (which doesn’t sound so innocuous if we give it its proper name, "theft").

Personally I wouldn't, but your morals and ethics are yours to deal with. However, it is illegal to knowingly buy and handle stolen goods, and that's the bottom line, in my opinion.

There is a maximum amount that people will pay for products before they either stop buying them or start using different products / brands instead. The supermarkets are already charging this maximum amount, they're not doing favours to everyone by charging lower prices to reward them for not stealing.

Of course you're right, and anyone thinking otherwise is pretty dense.
Here's an article about shoplifting and how the costs of it are passed on to customers. https://www.insight-security.com/uk-shoplifting-epidemic-all-time-high

Having worked in the buying dept of a major retailer, you and I will have to agree to disagree on that one.

They have to know ALL their costs, including staffing, all other overheads and losses.

They don't just pick out a price out of thin air and hope for the best

Shoplifting (theft) is a major issue these days

Whilst I don’t do it (but I probably would if I could), I used to know people who bought stuff like this.

I wouldn’t encourage someone like that to come to your door. You are playing with fire!

You have no leg to stand on op, buy cheaper own brand laundry powder/pods/liquid/whatever, own brand conditioner and ditch the ‘scent balls’. It’s all awful for the environment/clothes and skin anyway. Then you’ll have more cash for the formula and food. That’s what the rest of us do! You’re a thief if you keep ‘buying’ from him, you’re literally no better than he is.

That's backwards.

No retailer would drop their price if theft magically stopped. Except one will to attract customers and then a price war will start.
And they won't have to increase prices quite so much so often either

I remember my uncle getting 'done' years ago for buying 'off the back of a lorry' (buying from a dodgy bloke down the pub)

Those were the days...

They definitely do do careful calculations that include costs and thefts (both shoplifting and thefts from employees). It's just thefts won't affect every store and every area in the same way whereas an increase in fixed production costs for example would so it is more difficult for a store to increase a price based on theft without losing out to their competitors. Stores are already charging the maximum the can get away with without losing sales. When a wholesale price goes us it will go up for everyone (Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburys), so this is more likely to be passed directly to the consumer.

It's not really a case of them having to increase prices though, it's more of an increase of prices because people will still pay.

How could £10/ week for laundry be cheaper than unbranded washing powder? Unless you regard scent balls as some sort of essential item.