Boots - not Mum friendly. word of warning.

[CarolineFin]

Went into boots last week to swap a pack of nappies to a bigger size. Ended up not taking them straight to the till, thought i'd check they had the size 1st. I got distracted by some perfume, mothers day presents and my phone. Went to the till and paid, walked out of the store. Was standing outside sending a text and got stopped by securtity. When i'd been talking to the cashier and taking stuff out of the buggy basket i'd missed a gift set i'd put in. To cut a long story shorrt i was in the office for 2 hours, they called the police and everything. i was morfified and called hubby in tears.

Really i just wanted to warn you, I'm sure you all know how easy it is to stuff bits in your buggy basket as your doing your shopping. I've also been banned from Boots stores for 12 months, which is crazy seeing though i'm a member of the mother and baby club and buy a lot of food, nappies etc. They also accused me of taking the nappies i'd swapped and just wouldn't listen to me, even when they'd seen the cctv.

Anyway, thought i'd share, really wouldn't want it to happen to anyone, but they don't seem to trust harressed stressed out mums in a rush. mistakes don't happen....

A most pissed off caroline xx

frazzle you could make a fortune!

Caroline,

I do understand how easy it is to do this, as I once walked out of Boots having completely forgotten that I had a packet of baby wipes in the hood - I was genuinely mortified and went back to pay for them and it was fine.

Having said that, I was just extremely lucky that no-one had noticed as I would have had the same experience as you. The thing is, no matter how much you know that you are not a shoplifter, Boots don't. The sheer volume of theft in this country is going to lead to them being harsh in their dealings with people. If I had been stopped as a shoplifter, yes, it would have been upsetting, but it would still have been my fault for putting the wipes in a bloody stupid place.

I now always hang a basket off the buggy handle and make sure I never put unpaid for goods where I can't see them. It's just not worth it.

I suspect that part of your anger is actually stemming from the fact that you were accused of shoplifting - horrid if you are basically honest - and maybe annoyance at yourself?

Just put it behind you and move on - I think Breastmilk's idea is excellent, and will probably make you feel much better. I agree that it can be really tricky balancing shopping, babies and prams, but we just do the best we can.

Welcome, btw. Please don't be put off MN - aibu is a contentious forum anyway and opinions and emotions can run high - honestly, we are a lovely bunch!

Be entierly honest. If you had got home without being stopped by the security guard, and discovered the unpaid for item would you have:

1. Phoned Boots, explained the situation and taken the item straight back and paid for it.
2. Thought Oops - well it is a bit like a BOGOF and kept it.
3. Thought - oh well, I'll sort it out another day and never really got round to it

We all make mistakes, especially when we are tired and stressed. It is how we deal with those mistakes that shows how honest we are.

oh caroline u have had a right grilling!! on here poor u! i see point of well did leave wwithout paying etc, but honest mistake.

i use my buggy basket, as its a pain stearing one handed with a toddler in tow, so noted!

x

Caroline tell me what does a shoplifter look like? I was recently speaking to a friend who worked as a manager in a department store he said some of the most prolific shoplifters were OAP's!!and mothers with babies!! and most shoplifters paid for some goods so they could produce a receipt when challenged by store detectives. Most people who steal from shops use some sort of scam and don't run out of the shop with stolen items stuffed in a bag labelled SWAG . I understand it was distressing for you and understand your warning to others not to do the same but don't gripe about the store staff doing their job.

YANBU - If the police officer confirmed it was an honest mistake, then Boots are being un friendly, and completley OTT to ban you for a year

Look at it from another angle, say a shoplifter had put stuff in the basket of their buggy. When questioned what do you think they'd have said? "It's a fair cop, guv!"?

So Boots are covering their backs.

They always ban you even if you prove that you have done nothing wrong?

Re the ban someone on the M&S thread pointed out that there is no practical way at all they can enforce it. But that they said it so that if you were "caught" again, it would have more weight with a prosecution IYSWIM

A years ban though?

Have you got any previous convictions OP?

Unfortunately, OP the oldest shoplifting tricks in the book involve mothers and buggies - as a former solicitor I can tell you that hiding things in the folded hood, putting them in bags hanging from the handles, under the baby and "forgetting to pay" then feigning indignant innocence when stopped is the MO of many professionals and drug users - so I can understand why you got harsh treatment, although obviously I have sympathy with you as individual. Personally I would never ever put anything in a shop anywhere other than in a shop wire basket.

"They always ban you even if you prove that you have done nothing wrong?"

Technically she had though. Mistake or not.

Caroline
Welcome to MN - I am sorry that your first foray into MN has made you feel even worse than you did when you posted. And congratulations on the birth of your DD.

For what it is worth, AIBU is the worst place to post about anything as you are likely to get negative responses. I would advise you to hide this thread as it will continue even long after you have admitted you were unreasonable to bash Boots.

MN can be fabulous for advice and reassurance, especially for a new mum. How o

Please stick around, dip into some of the less contentious threads and try to distract yourself from the events of last week.

The rest of you vipers - back off. She is new to MN.

I think there can be a problem with over-zealous shop people treating people badly and deliberately winding them up/scaring them/reducing them to tears etc. When what they should actually do is treat the person normally, and just hold them somewhere comfy until teh police come. It is not up to them to intimidate and frighten people, especiallly when they have children with them, no matter what they think they have done.

As i said before I was accused of taking the nappies too. Eventually after much pleading on my part they checked the car park ccvt and saw me putting them in the buggy.

I've worked in retail so know that shoplifters use buggies, but as I've been trying to explain I went to the till, I was in a rush and very distracted and was standing outside the store sending a text.

I understand why stopped me, that fair enough. but its the treatment after thst upset me so much. I'm sorry if i've explained myself badly, or should have worded it differently.

Yes I felt, awful, i've felt like a shite mum and wife ever since. mortified that I had to call hubby (they wouldn';t even let me do that at 1st) and i haven't mentioned they were going to fine me...guilty or not.

It was a warning, this is my 1st baby and i'm trying my very best. I'm the 1st to admit i'm not perfect.

"How do you do your shopping?"

Pay at the till and then walk home. sorted.
How new your baby is and how it was an honest mistake is all irrelevant to how boots reacted.They did everything by the book, caught someone taking something without paying,brought them to the office and phoned the police before banning them for taking something without paying.If this reduced you to tears I don't know what you would like them to do differently?let every shoplifter go who says it was an honest mistake or cried?

kaloki not talking about the OP, talking about a hypothetica su=ituation where the person proved they had done nothing wrong. But if the police are called they still get a ban?

and no, i've not got any convictions. I've never even had to have a 'friendly' chat with the police.

Don't feel bad Caroline, it's all over now. And is no reflection on you as a mum or wife.

It's horrible to be accused of something you didn't do, but hopefully that wont ever happen again. Make yourself a hot drink and relax.

MmeLindt No vipers here, everyone's been nasty to Caroline, just honest.

Look Caroline, its over. Have a cup of tea, cuddle your gorgeous baby and relax.

ISNT They'd get the ban if they left with unpaid for goods, can't see why someone who hadn't would get banned.

Yes it was MQ who said that I should have been arrested on the otehr thread, and that it was the same as stealing a laptop.

I am afraid this will deteriorate from here OP, I strongly suggest that you hide the thread.

I am sorry that you had a bad time, and that this has affected you emotionally. I hope that you can forget about it and try to feel better.

I really think that you should hide this thread now

kaloki SGM said "I thought it was company policy (to ban the person) regardless of why once the police were called?" which I thought was odd.

X posts SGM!