Was this stealing?

[JoelyJoe]

So, this happened today...,
I went for a quick shop in M&S after work, to get a few items, including a bunch of bananas.
I was in a hurry, so went to the self-service checkouts, as there was a queue at the tills.
I scanned everything through, until I got to the bananas, at which point I realised that I needed to weigh them and I was at the type of machine that didn't have scales. The scales were at the end of the row, so I left my stuff and went to do it there. However, there was a staff member at the scales, pulling out the ticket / sticker reel (there were loops of it everywhere... it looked like she was having a problem!).
I asked where I should weigh my bananas, and she replied that I couldn't do it there, as she was going to be a while. I was looking around, thinking that I'd either have to start again and queue, or leave the bananas behind, and I asked her if there was somewhere else I could weigh them. At this point she said: "Just take them". I said "What?". She said, "Just take them". I said, "What, put them in my bag without paying... surely I can't do that", and she said "Don't worry, just take them". So I did.
Driving home, I had this internal dialogue going on... "that was weird.. do M&S employees have discretion to waive payment in certain circumstances..? etc etc", and inevitably came to the conclusion that of course they don't. She was probably just hassled and wanted my out of her hair, so took an easy option.
So, was I given free bananas, or did I steal them??

YABU - of course you stole the bananas, you didn't pay for them
YANBU - you were given permission to take them, by an employee, it is not stealing.

For it to be stealing you would have had to ‘dishonestly appropriate’ the items. You were told by a representative of the store to take them. The appropriation was not dishonest = no theft.

So that guilt doesn't gnaw at your conscience, or regret infect your soul with an evergrowing sense of unease and existential angst, leave the price of a bunch of bananas to M&S in your will, along with a written confession, and a plea for the shame to be buried along with you, and not passed on to your descendants 😀

Last Xmas I was in a huge checkout queue at Morrisons and one of my items wouldn't scan. She had the light flashing for someone to come whilst she scanned my other items but no one came. The cashier looked at the queue switched off the light and said I'm not charging you for this item. It was a low value item less than £1 but I can't remember what it was. She told me the total and I paid and she just put this item with my other stuff. I checked are you sure I don't have to pay. She said no I can't make everyone wait longer for one little item. It's not stealing. Stealing is taking something serupticiously without paying not being told by a member of staff to just take it.

I worked in a supermarket "for the duration" of Covid and it isnt always a sackable offence although sometimes does need a managers "ok" depending on the staff members level. I think that the further up the price point the supermarket is, the more leeway is given. Aldi for example are not going to be that bothered losing one customer over not being able to buy bananas. But M&S, Waitrose and their ilk are very keen to keep people happy as they are chasing a much smaller pool of customers.

😂😂
It's ok, I'm over it...

It wasn’t theft, they do have some leeway for loss and some bananas will not bankrupt M&S so you don’t have to beat yourself up, you didn’t do anything wrong.

Banana is the cheapest fruit. They wouldn’t have lost out. Staff usually have discretion.

I thought that M&S now sold bananas not by weight but individually as in you put in the number of bananas on the screen same as for pastries.

I work in a supermarket and we absolutely do have discretion to do things like this. We can also override price queries without getting them checked if it is under a certain amount. And I have also given nappies and formula when a payment has failed to go through the till but the customers bank has already deducted the money from their account. The money was actually marked as pending and it would automatically go back into their account but it left them with not enough money to pay again whilst waiting for it to bounce back in.

I’m just grateful this wasn’t a thread about taking samples from boots… 😂

I often get given free flowers or plants from my local Aldi, Tesco and Lidl.

Tesco staff once asked if anyone wanted any flowers before they were binned, I was so happy about the situation that the other customers told me to take them, since then I often get offered any that would be binned as I go in regularly.

I saw some plants in a bin at Aldi that just needed a bit of watering, I was upset about them just being tossed aside and told the staff, I now occasionally get plants and flowers they can’t sell.

Lidl sell flowers in the shop entrance that constantly die in the hot weather, I asked if I could take any bunches of half dead flowers and was told yes, I took home all the bunches and made up arrangements with the live flowers. I often get given them from there as well now.

Last week I got 4 bouquets from Tesco and 9 from Lidl, my house was like a florists. The flowers make me happy and smile but it’s a good job I have a lot of vases and don’t have hayfever!

I also have rescue plants on almost every windowsill at home. I used to regularly buy at least one bouquet a week to cheer the house up, visitors often compliment me on how beautiful it is now when I’ve got flowers everywhere.

Can somebody give the memo to all the pearl clutchers, gasping at a bit of fennel in Waitrose. See other thread.

ETA: not theft OP, as you did not dishonestly appropriate the goods, unlike fennel in question, elsewhere. However, fact you were told to just take them, negates the social warriors complaining about hiking prices passed to other shoppers.