To think we have been in a recession for years

[Novembermummy88]

I was in Sainsburys yesterday, in a fairly wealthy town, and saw a family (mum dad two kids plus baby) steal a full bag of food shopping from the self service tills (they paid with a card that declined and walked off - they definitely knew it was going to get declined as left a load of steaks in their basket they hadn’t scanned). I was with my own young children and didn’t want to say anything as the Dad gave me quite an aggressive look!! There has been a lot of news lately about the huge increases in shop lifting.

It got me thinking. Whilst I see MANY people in my town driving round in fancy range rovers, actually, the volume of shops that have shut locally is shocking so it doesn’t reflect the life styles people appear to be living. The food bank is constantly putting out messages for more support. Many of my “well off” friends have started doing things like breeding their pedigree dogs (despite never mentioning breeding in all the years I’ve known them), cancelled holidays etc (first world problems I know). And personally I am really starting to feel the cost of living (I’ve had to build up a relatively small credit card debt despite both me and my husband having a good job).

I know recession and cost of living is in the news; but AIBU for thinking the country is in a far worse financial state then the media and MPs are letting on? I live in a fairly wealthy town off of the m25, but it looks like a right state as shops are closed, roads are falling apart etc.

A recession is two quarters of negative GDP growth. Typically, job loses and wage stagnation follows.

I think the stealing is a result of the 'cost of living crisis' which was due to significant inflation over a very short period for the last two years. So yes, we've been in this situation for a few years.

I would never dob on a food shop lifter right now, I get it's not right letting people get away with it but it's tough out there...

I’m not sure I understand your post entirely. When money was tight here, I didn’t put steaks in my shopping basket!

I’m seeing lots of job cuts and council services being cut. It’s very depressing. It’s felt like a recession for the last year in my town. Shops closing is different though. That’s more linked to online shipping and then centres need to evolve into “social spaces” hence the coffee shops.

The mood is very different to the last recession (from my perspective).

I'm always amazed by the general consensus on MN that shoplifters are plucky anti-heroes/Robin Hood types, sticking it to the Man.

Most are grifters, criminals or druggies. I'd certainly be saying something if I saw a shoplifter. Why should I pay higher prices because of greedy, dishonest bastards.

It's fuck all to do with recession.

Even if you did the shop security is not paid most the time to do much about it.

I don't know the dictionary definition of a recession but services have been cut, then cut again then cut again since about 2010 where I live. There has been no 'recovery' in between.
There may have been some 'fat' to trim in the first instance, but that was all trimmed in the first year or two.
There was nothing 'spare' by the time Covid came along and then the massive hike in the costs of utilities and fuel, with the knock on effect in the cost of food etc.
The safety nets aren't there anymore.

We may only just have entered a technical recession but we are in the longest period of living standards decline since records began. Wages have declined over recent years in real terms (adjusted for inflation) and even where they are increasing, tax bands have been frozen, so people are taking home much less of their income. The £100k tax band for example hasn't changed since 2009, despite £100k now being equivalent to about £62k in 2009. There was a massive period of underinvestment in infrastructure despite low interest rates, when it's good to borrow to invest, and now we are facing the consequences just as it has become much costlier to do so.

So yes. As many economic commentators have pointed out, while we have only just entered a technical recession, that masks a much bleaker reality.

Thanks for your replies. Yes it’s probably more cost of living. Agree I would rather call shop lifters out as it’s us that pays more to cover costs, but this situation so was weird and baffling I didn’t really understand what had happened until they’d left. I’m not sure the country ever really got out of the last recession or 2009 crash!

An official recession, no, but economic growth has been in long-term decline. We never recovered fully from the 2008 crash. "Austerity" was a terrible policy that did nothing except widen the gap between rich and poor. Public sector workers like myself had their pay frozen for years on end. Then we had the economic suicide of Brexit followed by the pandemic, then Liz Truss to out the cherry on the cake. I'm surprised we haven't been in a technical recession for longer to be honest.

The economy is in such a mess that it will take years to "fix", if ever. It's possible we are the new Argentina, which was once a top 5 world economy.

I can't comment in the family in question, but can see why some people would feel pushed into shoplifting.

This is a good summary.

Underinvestment in key infrastructure when borrowing is cheap is the height of economic incompetence. Cheers for that, tories.