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?

Blimey, MN has really gone downhill.

How can you steal baby formula when it is security tagged and usually in a secure box - snatch and run ? How does the OP remove the tag? So many questions…

Please don’t buy the formula in case it is in some way damaged. I read about a child who died as a drug dealer had hidden drugs cut with baby formula in a tin

Are you serious.

It's people like you and him that are making the prices unaffordable for everyone as all the supermarkets do it push the prices up to cover the losses

Buy Tesco liquid, £3 and lasts me about 3 weeks

I'd you wouldn't walk in and take it yourself then I actually see you as worse than him.

And buying baby formula from a junkie 🤦‍♀️
My god I've heard it all now

Are you for real?
Imagine if we all took this attitude!
If you can’t afford kids stop having them.
You should be ashamed of yourself, you’re no better than he is.
No wonder the country is going to shit with people like this!

And all the bollocks about being too skint to afford it blah blah blah. It's crap isn't it.
You're spending a tenner on laundry liquid a week so you're not that skint.

I'm on a very very low income and have about £120 a month for food, toiletries, cleaning stuff etc.
I'd STILL never buy stolen goods off a junkie, or anyone else for that matter

Maybe take a leaf out of your friends book

"No one is being beaten or abused"????? Are you really that clueless. I work in a supermarket, know someone who was taken to hospital after being smashed in the face several times with a shopping basket after challenging a shop lifter, another who got bit and broke the skin by another shop lifter, another lady I work with got a sign thrown at her and had to go to hospital with concussion and a security guard who was stabbed. And people like you are encouraging these people to continue what they are doing. And those saying it's from a big supermarket who make huge profits anyways are a part of the problem too. Those that work in the supermarkets are the ones being abused, we're not the ones making the profits. Yes let's all support the local independent shops, close all the supermarkets making huge profit, and leave hundreds of thousands people jobless.

Aside from all the rest of it, which has been commented on heavily, if you're short of money why are you buying scent pods? Those things are not good for your kids or your indoor air quality! Seriously unnecessary and you clearly don't need the additional expense.

£10 on washing a week?! That’s insane. Just get an eco egg - it’s about £14 and lasts around 2 years with a couple of refills!

Those scent balls are completely unnecessary and bad for your baby’s health.

Yes.

Dear god, presumably all these people justifying theft are teaching their children that buying stolen goods is a perfectly acceptable way of living. What hope is there for those children with parents like that? They'll no doubt grow up with the same lack of any moral compass, think if they want something there's no need to work for it or save up, just get it from the local junkie thief.
How about teaching your children that working hard at school will give them qualifications and therefore a better life, help them rise out of their appalling background with no need to buy stolen goods?
I bet these people are the type that thinks it's fine to mess around and leave school with nothing. They belong to the underclass and unfortunately their children will stay there, because their parents aren't doing a single thing to encourage them to get out.
All the schemes to help social mobility are useless when people are brought up thinking theft is justifiable.
Anyone on this thread who's tried to justify theft or buying stolen goods is just a total lowlife.

My parents were burgled recently and then some neighbours down the road. Among other things they stole my mother’s stock of Lenor fabric softener and Ariel washing powder. My mum buys them when on offer and stocks up.

Their neighbours also had washing powder stolen, 3 tubs of baby formula, dishwasher tablets and other essentials.

All of these would have been sold on to people like you. You’re encouraging burglary and drug use. I can’t believe you think this is ok

Wow, never known this before. Get yourself to Poundland or B&M instead!! And get some principles too while you’re at it!

On a practical note- if he is a meth user, anything stored in his house will have remnants of meth residue on it, which if you or your baby are exposed to could have very serious ill effects. Google meth users environment contamination in social housing. Have had children brought in to A&E at times that live with users and they have developed a toxic reaction to drugs especially meth, from crawling on the floor etc, not even ingesting it. Grim. And it’s theft if you are buying stolen goods.

Clan labs (meth labs)A property or area used to manufacture or 'cook' meth or other illicit drugs is a clandestine laboratory (clan lab). They can generate high levels of persistent and invisible drug and chemical residues throughout a house and pose a substantial health risk.

They’re bad for the environment too. Nobody needs them. Or fabric conditioner. They are acrid and if people washed and dried their clothes properly they would be clean and smell clean. No need for these weird non-products with their vile fake odours.

I thought you were having a laugh with your OP.
Now you have confirmed that you are having a laugh. Nobody on a low budget buys scent balls.
Youve made yourself look stupid.

She's right. You're wrong. It's a criminal offence to handle stolen goods. Also, you are very probably funding his drug habit. I don't know why you would feel ok about this.

You’d probably care if it was your shop people were stealing from.

We do what we need to do.

If someone said 'these child sexual abuse images I looked at have already been taken, and if I didn't download them someone else would', how would you feel about that person?

Putting this 'moral quandary' into a (much) more serious context helps to clarify whether your basic moral argument is right or wrong.

Obviously these crimes are not so serious - but they do affect all of us. You having these items cheaper means that ultimately I pay more.

And that's before you get to the fact that you are, with your cheap washing powder, directly supporting the drugs trade, which is a trade which exacts a horrific toll on many of those forced to be involved in it. Torture, rape, death, kidnap, child abuse -all these things are drugs-trade-adjacent.

I’d be more concerned that one of these days he might be stealing from you, OP. Addicts don’t play favourites when they need money and times are tough.
You get that - right?
He knows you, he knows where you live and he even basically knows your routine.
He is not your friend.
You get that, too - right?

Let’s hope your kids get better morals than you.

You are handling stolen goods, helping to fund a drug addiction. Not to mention adding extra costs to the shops being robbed. They then have to put prices up because some lowlifes are nicking laundry detergent etc. Smaller shops can go bust and people lose their jobs. You have the cheek yourself to think you are NOT being unreasonable. It’s no different than you going and nicking it 😡 The mind boggles 🙄

If I was skint I'd buy it too. But I'd be more concerned about being associated with this dodgy man. Be careful OP

She has 4 kids £10 is cheap!