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?

Stealing just increases the price for everyone
You are handling stolen goods whilst basically lying to yourself , you know it's wrong.

So am I morally wrong for this?
Yes, of course. You are knowingly buying stolen goods.

Or would you do the same?
No, I wouldn't do it in my current position. Even if I were absolutely desperate, I like to think that I'd exhaust all other options first before doing something immoral (see above). This could also include wearing clothes more times before washing them.

I buy Ecover from Ocado and I’m not spending anything like £10 a week.

I think she is lacking a moral compass. Who spends a tenner a week washing clothes anyway?!

So you’re feeding your baby with knock off baby formula from God knows where from a drug addict?? That sounds like a reasonable decision - Not!

And that attitude has a lot to do with why we are in the mess we are. Welcome to Britain 2024 😐

I don't think much of the type of people you're hanging out with. I'd be deeply shocked if anyone I know would do this!

People do fall on hard times after children are born you know! Redundancy...death of a partner? How judgemental.

Yes you’re wrong.

Drugs are responsible for so much misery and crime in the world and it’s victims include children and other vulnerable people.

If you were buying stuff because you didn’t have money then I wouldn’t have replied to this but £10pw on laundry stuff is not poverty lol I’m a household of 4 adults and we are like a fiver a month.

Personally I wouldn’t trust a druggie to sell me uncontaminated formula. They are not exactly ethical or rational people so would easily do something impulsively and without thought of try consequences.

The CEO of Tesco may be paid £12m but violence against retail workers are at a level where supermarket workers have body cams. People shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of safety threat.

Oh I do hope OP comes back. I need to hear more about the laundry situation. Between OP and I one of us is definitely laundering wrongly!

Buying baby formula from a druggie 🤨

People on here truly TRULY cannot comprehend poverty. They think they can, but they don’t.

Did she really "shout"?

Wouldn't you just buy non-branded, cheaper stuff though? Not buy stolen stuff from a junkie so you can have the nice brands

Of course you are wrong to buy it, you don't need mumsnet to tell you that though do you. To me you are as bad as tbe thief, but can't imagine that would worry you much.

You think? How low can people stoop?!!

@AmiABadPersonn I’m not here to say it’s right or wrong, I’ve been desperately skint at times, I do get it.

but please don’t be vulnerable & don’t think this is a person you can trust. My mum used to buy similar bits when I was in my late teens, she couldn’t resist a bargain ever on a small income as a single parent. & we were burgled one night, only our handbags & money & a little bit of jewellery gone luckily. The police got prints & over a year later called to let us know they had arrested 2 people, it went to court & they had burgled another 105 (seriously) houses & were charged with 12 of those, with the rest ‘taken into account’ whatever that means. It was of course the same chap my mum had been buying from & his girlfriend. We had a dog & he didn’t make a peep because he recognised him, he knew where the neighbours security camera was pointing etc & it was really down to having him in the home to sell cut price crap, even just the hallway shows them enough. I’m not saying we deserved it but my mum is not at all streetwise & didn’t consider she was essentially showing him the inside of her house for future robbing, when selling the face cream & Mach 3 blades weren’t bringing in enough income. Addicts don’t generally need less money for their habit as time goes on. Please be careful, the cost of emergency locksmith call out on a Saturday morning cost more than anything she saved on the reduced goods.

Buying stollen goods to upgrade washing detergent is not poverty. That is greed.

Not an excuse to steal via a junkie!

💯 this. Or further down the chain…you are now part of what is furthering the drug cartels and their violence/terrorism/trafficking in Colombia. You need to give your head a wobble and stop contributing to human suffering and misery.

Poverty isn't 'I don't want to buy supermarket own brands and prefer the nicer brands' though is it.

As someone who works in retail and is struggling with the workload because the hours are always being cut because we are losing literally thousands every month to shoplifters. It's not the big bosses going short it's us poor sods paying the price. Prices go up to compensate, staff morale goes out the window because it's scary watching for thieves all the time and I don't work in a bad area.
Anyway I think you are as bad as the scummy bastard who nicks stuff.

I'm not judging you. I judge a society where formula milk is not free. It ought to be. That said, I think you should probably stop buying from this person as he could be dangerous and also have dodgy mates. Best to not get on that type of person's radar.

I would report you to SS for giving your baby formula you bought from a druggie.

Well I wouldn't. Same principle as the Rolex.

People struggling to the extent of buying stolen goods maybe shouldn't have babies they can't afford.

These thieves are stealing from all of us!