Robbing from Tesco with impunity *edited by MNHQ*

Only those with a high enough social credit score will be allowed to access shops. They'll be allowed to keep certain types of people away.

Definitely not the case in our local Tesco, I was shocked one day to walk past the make up aisle where two women in burkas stood looking at the make up with a female worker stood 2 foot away from them with her arms crossed watching them. She didn't say a word to them just watched them and made sure they knew she was watching.

Yep. I guess a supermarket chain might setup a sub brand for "sub prime" customers, that you are allowed to just walk into.

The prices would have to be high to compensate for deterring shoplifting and the general inconvenience of serving poor people!

We really don't want to get to that point but maybe with the hands off approach to shoplifting this is what supermarkets want.

It makes you wonder if they're doing this deliberately. Would partly account for the vastly inflated prices as well. They can't all be down to Brexit and the weather.

We have the same at our local Sainsbury’s (a mini one) in our also northern very nice town. People stealing all the meat off the shelves in plain daylight. The staff just shrug.
I worry about the gang aspect though - another local shop has women coming and stealing baby formula etc, and at first they let her go as they thought "oh poor woman", but shes stealing it on behalf of some men who stand outside the shop.

We saw a woman stealing all the beef joints in Lidl. She couldn't carry them all and kept dropping them. I felt a bit resentful as we can't afford a beef joint at all.

The problem with keeping some undesirable people out of the shop by whatever method is that if they can’t go in to rob, they’ll just rob those coming out with trolleys full.

Yes, they might get some things that they can’t sell on, but the average person with a big trolley is likely to have bought some meat, alcohol, cheese. Maybe they will start targeting women coming out of shops who look like they might be buying baby formula. I’d rather have people steal from shops than rob me personally. Of course it would be preferable to stop the crime altogether.

If you are going in and stealing all the meat in the shop you are part of an organised crime syndicate. Even if it’s just locally run it’s organised crime.

How in hell have we got to this state of affairs in this country?

A lot of the blame has to lay on the shoulders of the two generations who have overseen the transition from a supposedly "respectful and community minded" society to one that is selfish and entitled.

The tories have obviously had a huge part to play too. Fostering inequalities, creating division, and decimating public services so that people are poorer, unhealthier, and more desperate than ever, while simultaneously ensuring there's no one there to pick up the pieces or address the underlying issues.

But this is ultimately what the public asked for (or at least let happen).

But even though I made that comment I agree with you. It's not ME that has a sense of entitlement. I don't my kids designer stuff and give them all sorts just because it's the latest trend amongst influencers or footballers or whatever. My kids know that if they want that stuff they need to go out and earn the money for it. But they are also privileged in that they have a decent family behind them who has equipped them with a moral compass. They are also academic and hard workers who will no doubt get a decent job after university, so if they WANT the Nike stuff they could buy it legitimately. Doubt they would go for that type of thing though because we don't glorify it or buy it.

But kids without the privileges that mine have had, with a chaotic family background, maybe struggling academically at school, surrounded by relatives and friends who don't work or see the point of it, they are still bombarded daily by this status symbol shit and want it for themselves because then at least it would give them some kind of feeling of having "made it", even if the rest of their lives are fucked up. Only now we have structured society so that it really is very hard for some people to ever work their way out of poverty. And THIS is where you get this entitled behaviour: I want that, I can't ever have it legitimately, so I'm just going to take it.

How you change society so that materialism and capitalism is less of a thing I don't know.

I was in co op earlier and a man pinched a cardboard tray of baby food, he looked me dead in the eye and I said I would pay for them for him and he just scarpered. I didn’t mention it at all. I’ve seen baby formula in security tags before, and occasionally in the smaller shops it may even be behind the counter. It’s an incredibly sad state of affairs.

I don't think this is a new behaviour at all but obviously gets worse in a cost of living crisis.

I wouldn't expect shop assistants to challenge or run after people- perhaps security but only if they are not outnumbered. Tesco either have to pay enough security guards or pay the police to be there at certain times of day.

I used to work in a perfume and cosmetics shop in holidays from university and some lads used to nick high value items, this was in 1996 or so. My boss wanted us to chase after them but we all refused. Certainly more than your job is worth.

You do whatever you can to build solid family units. Where men don’t get to disappear out of children’s life and contribute zero to their lives and education. Support socio-economically disadvantaged families. Not by throwing money at them but by having strong role models who work. At the moment the role models are the influencers and the local gang members who have wade off cash and flash cars. It has to come from society and parenting.

Then you'd just get well-behaved customers who can access the cheapest best quality food being mugged of their shopping by the wrong 'uns on their way home.

When it comes down to it, it is ONLY about actions and consequences.

As someone who's worked retail I strongly disagree. Working silly hours stacking shelves then having to chase yobs for stealing a bottle of whisky or confront dangerous individuals on drugs while putting your life in danger all for minimum wage takes a toll on anyones mental health and dignity.

Stop making excuses for scumbags. Everyone has a story that could give them a reason to stop bothering. My education was terrible. One of my parents did jail time. I’ve been so fucking poor I lived on Co-Co Pops. When I met DP all I ate was carrots and drank tea. Milk and carrots were all I had in my fridge and yet I still never stole anything. It’s not compulsory. You can have morals and decide to do good deeds even when you have nothing. It’s a choice.

@Sandra1984 I more meant the police refusal to deal with it. I definitely don't expect badly paid civilians to risk their safety.

95% of the crime was due to the actions of about a dozen individuals who were in and out of jail (fines hadn't worked) but unfortunately they weren't all 'banged up' at the same time.

This is the trouble.

The police services are stretched enough as it is and stealing alcohol would not be high priority when there are worse crimes happening.
By the time the police actually get there they’ll be long gone. So the police will have to go to their house, arrest them, take them to the station, take them to court and lock them up for a few months - all of which they don’t care about and will reoffend the second they get out.

Exactly this. Plus kudos to you for rising above it.
Oh, and not being influenced by corrupt politicians 😊

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12359429/Serial-shoplifters-jail-sentences-crime-crackdown.html

@KatherineSwynford1403 this is what happens when the division between rich and poor widens constantly.

Society as a whole needs to sort itself out

I'm sure many of us are wondering why there are 'security guards' in shops when they do nothing, or are they just there to apprehend females?

They’re there to deter shoplifting and to take on a shop lifter if safe to do so.

They’re not police.

I was a security guard and was told if anyone tries to steal anything try and scare them off by saying you’ll ring the police but do not put yourself in danger.
I was also told not to confront them if there were more than one.

To meet the insurance requirements I would think and provide a deterrent.