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?

Ya think?!

Why would you ever even consider it?!

You are morally wrong and you shouldn't keep having children if you can't afford it. How bizarre to keep getting an addict to keep coming to your house when you have children. Are you stupid?

I voted YABU before a little derail here...I'm old enough to remember the door-to-door-salesman who knocked once a month with dusters, dustpans & brushes etc and flirted with the 'lady of the house' - heaven knows where he got his stuff from but pretty sure he wasn't a tea leaf.

I @Runnerinthenight when I should have @Runsyd apologies :)

No, you're the one talking out of yours luv.

Llama we absolutely do factor shrinkage into how we price things.

We don't put the price up because heals the box is missing and we need to recover costs on that box it just eats into profit and if we want to maintain that profitability we will be charging more across the board.

It's applied in anticipation of the theft because the theft is inevitable.

People have got proper fucking jokes views of who it is out there doing the robbing and the buying and I guess that's because it doesn't really affect you.

People are struggling. They're not buying luxury washing up stuff though. If they are finding a tenner a week to smell like cheap chemicals then they're not struggling in any sense that most reasonable people would understand

People steal because they're thieving cunts, on the most part. People buy hooky gear because they have no morals and are too scared to steal it themselves.

Relevant experience: owned a small retail business for 30+ years. Dealt with hundreds if not thousands of thieves over the years

You know it's wrong. Otherwise you wouldn't have come on here asking.

Everyone on here has torn you a new one, but I'd say "there but for the grace of god go I." But what will happen when he gets caught and put in prison? It's "if" rather than "when". You need a more sustainable plan for your family's finances going forward, than relying on the offerings of a drug-addicted criminal.

Off topic a bit, but how on earth are you spending a tenner a week on laundry stuff? I'm a family of 4, with 2 KS1 aged kids, and I probably don't spend that in a month - on the full price stuff!

I'll reserve my compassion for people who deserve it, not a common thief, thank you!

"Poor OP" my hole!!

You say that no one is beaten up or abused but how do you know??? My DH works in a supermarket and has to deal with these types of people on a daily basis. He is regularly threatened with violence and has been attacked before. It might not directly affect his livelihood but it could mean prices go up for everyone when this happens. Theft like this isn’t a victimless crime and saying other people do it or that times are tight Isn’t an excuse.

£10 a week on laundry stuff is mental.

You are a shoplifter you has someone else do their dirty work and take all the risks.

I do agree with @RobertaFirmino that the problem is solved through more complex means, but I'm a shopkeeper, total societal work over isn't in my remit. Keeping my business going so I can employ people is the only thing I care about.

Also people are in dreamland if they think this stuff comes from big name supermarkets only. They steal from anyone, because they're thieves, that's what they do. They don't think the same as you

But if you know he is stealing you are also knowingly committing a crime. It's up to you if you think that is ok or not.

In many respects you’re worse than the bloke doing the shoplifting. At least he’s willing to do the dirty work, take the majority of the risk, and can say he’s feeding an addiction. What’s your excuse? You’re knowingly buying stolen goods and turning a blind eye to the consequences.

And the money you give him goes straight to a drug dealer, to fund organised crime, modern slavery, and all manner of other stuff.

But hey, that new Daz does smell lovely.

Pub near college years ago was like a market some days! There would be a bloke with meat, another with cheese, another with hooky fags (although I was never too bothered by that as they were bought legally back when you could bring back as many as you liked from abroad),

Kleeneze?

ummm its a JOKE

Well it wasn't funny.

Betterware?

So what if he steals it from a local privately owned shop who struggles to get by anyway? Is that not ok, only if it's from a big supermarket? I would have said something if I was your friend too.

Oh god the irony, there isn't going to be fewer drug addicts with people like the Op exploiting the drug users and getting them more and more hooked on drugs are there? The sad thing is people like Op who have baby after baby wanting hand outs and freebies are in more of a fortunate position than they will ever know or appreciate. You're lucky if you're ABLE to work for what you have, that's why people hate thief's so much. It undermines everyone else's hard work and is so entitled and brattish. The op sees this man as just a drug user who's chosen to ruin his life so she can exploit him. He would've been the same as her baby once upon a time... what bought him to this? Hardship she can probably never even imagine. Society is fucked because of people like Op who consider themselves more important than others and she is even brave enough to shoplift herself.

Well as someone who actually understands irony, I thought it was very funny and well observed.

It’s morally wrong! He may have stolen it from a small corner shop which supports just one family, you could be nicking from another family. And even if it is a big national company like Tesco- it’s still wrong. How are you setting a good example for your children?! If money is tight on maternity I would suggest going back earlier or get an overdraft not this!!!!

🤣🤣👍