Shops are becoming quite scary

[ithinkilikethislittlelife]

I am starting to become quite nervous in shops, primarily shops that sell food stuffs. Just yesterday I saw two men go through a fire door in my local supermarket that takes them straight into the car park armed with baskets of stolen items. The one basket had steak/meats and the other looked like it was all bottles of vodka. The poor staff trying to wrestle the baskets back and stop the two men from leaving was quite upsetting to witness. This was yesterday. Saturday in my local co op a chap was loitering by the alcohol section while I was shopping. Getting into our car outside I noticed him sprinting past us clutching bottles of alcohol. Me and dh see it all the time now. It’s an epidemic. And it usually seems to be men. And I’m not having it that they are stealing milk for babies or bread for their children. I always see them take alcohol. I don’t know what the answer is but yesterday I was frightened for the staff member who intervened as the one chap raised a bottle of alcohol at her and she then backed off but I totally understood her rage at trying to stop the thieves taking from her place of work. I don’t want my children to witness these thieving people and I don’t want to feel anxious just trying to go about my day and buy food!

Sorry yes I agree. But we used to get told by other customers not to bother because it wasn't our stock. We did explain just like you that we are all paying the price for this madness.

I have seen it regularly. In my local co op I’ve seen the staff shouting after a thief and in an Aldi close by I’ve seen the staff shouting after and security pelt out after thieves have left the store. Although in one case the thief did drop his basket so the got some of it back. I’ve never seen them actually stop them. Just give chase/shout. I’m sure they are told not to but the bloody rage probably overtakes them.

This is why in my local Tesco so much of the alcohol is simply pictures inside plastic containers. You have to take it to the till, pay then go to Customer Service desk to get your booze.

I was in a car with my friend at eight thirty am on New Years Day. The roads were deserted but i thought there would be the odd maybe one or two police cars parked up ready to catch drunk drivers. The morning of NYD would have been the perfect time. We drove from Braintree to Colchester and didnt see even one

i mean the staff should just stay out of it

shops i worked in got robbed all the time when i was younger - i never once intervened - i was on min wage! not my shop, not my items - i never cared! it's up to the police or management to deal with - it should never be that the staff start wrestling with theives to get stock back! wtf

There are no spaces in prison. Maybe supermarkets could start their own jails? Tesco could use some of the £3 billion profit they made last year to have a club card correctional facility. You earn points every time you stay.

Blimey where do you live? I’m sorry but there is no excuse for stealing food in this country with the benefits system we have.

Oh yes, because an armful of alcohol is an essential, isn't it? I honestly think that had MN been around in the '60s there would be plenty of defenders for Myra Hindley. Maybe were there not these organised gangs getting away with being professional thieves then costs would come down, or is that too simple for some?

My daughter works in a small food shop and they get shoplifters every single day, some of them steal armfuls and then come back for more. Mostly kids, teens and young men. The occasional older man or woman. One time a gang of about eight boys aged around 14 came in with balaclavas on and cleared out half the shop, smashed the door and verbally threatened the staff including my DD. They aren’t allowed to go after them or even shout, they just call the police if it’s estimated over £250 stolen and can lock the shop if they leave and try to come back.

Another one supporting the thieves, maybe your house will be next on their thieving list, do offer them a cold beer.

I was told shoplifting is fuelled by drug addiction - A lot of stuff is stolen to be quickly sold on

I was in lidl this morning and they stopped a man carrying out a basket of shopping. The lady working there said this is happening at least once a day. Our local Tesco now has chocolate bars and wine locked up and I thought I lived in an ok area. My parents had a shop when growing up and we had shop lifters - but it was just the odd chocolate bar or magazine. We had a few scary incidents to but to have this happening every day and the 'raiding' of shops is out of control and scary, am glad they no longer have a shop. They just think they have a right to take stuff. I read yesterday that chocolate is being stolen to sell to fund organised crime - what on earth is going on.

The government announced yesterday that they're removing the £200 lower limit on shoplifting so all incidents will be treated the same.

The difficulty lies in the cuts made to PCSO and police officer numbers over the last 15 years that have only just returned to 2010 levels but don't take into account the increased population. And the police have got used to not responding below £200 and retailers have got used to not reporting theft below £200.

As someone else said, once the cost of living is better met by wages it should decrease. In the meantime buy online, or go at different times to the shops. If we avoid shopping altogether because of fear it makes them braver.

If police ignore shoplifting, shoplifters have nothing to fear.

I don’t understand why this makes you nervous. Did they approach you? If not it doesn’t impact you, so no need to be nervous.

obviously what they’re doing is wrong, and something needs to be done, but not by you or the shop staff. So ignore it.

Wages are irrelevant. Shoplifting gangs are not stealing a loaf of bread because they can't afford food.

Bollocks is it to do with the cost of living.

Alcohol and steak are not necessities.

I have no time for criminal apologists who make this excuse.

Well said!

If only the decent law-abiding film could live away from the low life and leave them to it.

A large part of the problem is the knock on effect of cuts over the past 15 or so years to the justice system. The courts cant cope, the prisons are full (although more are being built ) there is a crisis in prison snd probation staffing. So you could prosecute but the “ supply chain” if you will is broken.

Agreed, I've seen people wheel full trollies out, full food shop then off down the road with it, dumping it somewhere.

I could understand in times of absolute desperation as a last resort, when they're trying to feed their families. However, as others pointed out, it is usually full of alcohol amongst other things.

It was the level of verbal aggression shown. It was bloody horrible and they were two grotty, angry men screaming at a lone female ( the male staff was yet to arrive). It was thoroughly unpleasant to witness and I did fear they could escalate but they kicked the door open and sped off.

Theresa May swore blind that cutting policing has no effect on crime.

But cutting taxes means cutting public spending means cutting public services.

And now, if her successors try to repair the damage, they get accused of "tax and spend"

Incidents have increased significantly where I am since the two PCSO got axed. Before the PCSOs there was a local police station. That's long since gone.

We have a particularly long police response time for where we are. We simply don't get any policing here really. We used to.

I think that's the issue. There is zero police.

We know the police are aware there's a problem. They even know who is facilitating a lot of it.

But we aren't regarded a priority because it's a 'nice area'.

It's only once there has been a very serious incident locally that I think it will get taken seriously and I think we are unfortunately on track for that to happen.

Dont be so utterly ridicilous. They are thieving scum (I worked in a posh supermarket a few years ago) who will threaten anyone who tries to stop them