I got caught shoplifting

[RoseBiscuitll]

I really didn't know what topic to choose for this

I'm mortified, I got caught shoplifting in boots today, I was stealing baby milk and a facial moisturiser. I'm so ashamed of myself. It was in the city center aswell. They didn't call police but they took my details, took a picture and told me I can't return to the store again

Will this picture and my details go around to the other shops near by or will it just go to the other boots shops.

I can't believe I was stupid enough to do this! I'm so embarrassed and also feel really guiltily!

Tins out of date are perfectly fine years after the best before date but that’s beside the point. I believe you probably found one of two tins that slipped through the net and were out of date, and you are exaggerating to prove your point. People aren’t allowed to donate out of date food to food banks, they just aren’t.

To find out if she will be recognised and if she can go to other boots stores.

When you're on the bones of your arse, you shouldn't be making "investments" if you can't afford to feed yourself and your child. A cheaper cot to get you through the next six months, then putting away £5 or £10 when you can would have got you a decent single bed when needed, and the added bonus of not having to steal stuff.

Well, we're going to have to agree to differ. All I will say is that OP's mistake, which she's been transparent about and clearly regrets, and as a mother of a small child who clearly wants to do her best even though she has made mistakes, isn't in remotely the same ballpark as the pub, fags and drugs you keep talking about.

Oh, and I still don't agree with how you're crunching the numbers.

Exactly. Part of the issue here is the lack of affordable housing. The OP should be able to live in an appropriately sized property at fair rates.

But again, things are too expensive and people don't have enough money coming in. It's a very simple equation to work out that when the cost of living is too high, people will end up in poverty.

But of course many are all to keen to convince themselves that poverty is a fiction.

Thanks for answering. I asked the question so as not to assume. But equally, other people's struggles aren't necessarily going to be the same as your own, and just because you managed by being frugal doesn't mean everyone can.

Why should someone who is disabled, unable to work because of caring responsibilities, or unable to work for another reason not be able to live comfortably?

Do you think you can punish the disabled into good health so they can work?

And let's not forget that many people on benefits are in work.

Partly. But you'd have to be an extreme cynic to assume she didn't also feel bad about her actions. She could easily have dressed it up as 'asking for a friend' and not shared as much detail as she has, or been as honest in her responses.

The majority of one bed properties are still outside the LHA allowance. What do you not actually understand?

I guarantee if this was someone on a pension who had barely any money, in a house with spare rooms the comments wouldn’t be so scathing. But because the OP dares to be on benefits it’s the exact opposite.

Despite you thinking it shouldn't be a crime, the fact is that it is a crime under s1 of The Theft Act 1968. Low value theft is a summary only offence, triable in the magistrates court and can carry a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison. Higher value theft is triable either way (magistrates or crown court) and has a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison.

I don't think people should be minimising the seriousness and potential ramifications of theft.

Do you know the op and where she lives, so are posting stuff like this, your responses are getting more and more bizarre. Or do you just struggle when folks have a different opinion to you?

You’ve posted about 4 comments condemning the OP for not living in a 1 bed. I responded to you giving insight as to why it isn’t as simple as that.

Also not bizarre thanks. Living in the real world and all too familiar with the effects of the housing crisis and cost of living.

Just want to add that it's the opposite in supermarkets lol, the increase in shoplifting made the supermarkets relent and it made then bring prices down, as they didn't want to spend even more on security measures and hungry people needing food meant shoplifting went through the roof last year. The reasons the prices went up so much was corporate greed and nothing more.

Tried to steal milk in the first shop

Then would of gone to another shop to buy food

Obviously didn't go to plan so had to buy milk later on thay day in different shop

That's not what's being discussed here, so stop being obsequious. This discussion is about out of work benefits and somebody who is not working stealing because they aren't budgeting.

So did you at least get some food from a foodbank or community larder?

I'm not sure you understand the word obsequious.

They are not out of date. They are past best before...

I don't either. Will have to look it up.

Clearly some folk are better at managing (lack of) money than others.

Or stealing because despite budgeting there is simply not enough money to cover everything.

So many people on this thread waving the word 'budgeting' around like it's a magic wand. You can't budget if you haven't got two ha'pence to rub together.

On a reasonably related tangent, what do the posters of this thread think of Boots dodging UK tax? Is that not a form of theft? We can't take essentials but they're allowed to monopolise UK pharmacy and get away with cutting their tax bill. Personally, I would say that is theft. It's the equivalent of shoplifting and not being caught, only on a scale millions of times that of the OP..

I didn't know Boots was dodging tax.

I might steal some moisturiser myself.

Why so they not pay tax and how are they getting away with it

Another poster mentioned this about boots