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!

My boy was on five 9 oz bottles a day just before I started weaning him. I can see why more than one tub a week is needed!

I mean fair play for the baby powder but a face moisturiser - really?

A friend of mine expressed to give to a milk bank, is there one nearby?

I am a store manager,your photo won’t be shared for a one off,if you were a prolific persistent offender yes it would.Its done now,just don’t do it again

Where did I say the milk was 34 pound.

I said single mothers get a pre paid card with 34 pound on A MONTH

That does not cost my babys milk for the entire month

Thankyou for this.. Will it be shared with different boots stores?

I work in a supermarket and can tell you there’s more people nicking stuff to sell on or pure greed than people nicking from desperation . The security guards and staff (mostly) actually feel sorry for the likes of those that steal because they are desperate . And you can also usually tell the difference . I am in a high loss store so see it a lot . We get a lot of builder types who come in with partners all done up with fillers and Botox , and have tried to take a whole trolley out with expensive meat etc , esp at Xmas , this one just gone we caught a guy and his wife who had 700 quid of stuff in his trolley . He tried to run out of the store and had parked his 4x4 right at the exit for a quick getaway ! It’s these Professional thieves that stores concentrate on . Of course they have to stop every one they catch and the photo thing will just be for the AI database . They are not allowed to keep photos on the walls any more because of data protection . It will just be computerised so I doubt if anyone else will recognise you in other stores . Just keep your head down for a bit , don’t beat yourself up over it . No one has the right to judge, they are not in your shoes . Get that useless father of your baby to sort himself out , he sounds a waste of space . You’re better than this, the fact you came on here and owned up to doing what you did shows you have remorse. It’s the ones who think they are entitled to steal that are the wronguns imo

To be fair, it does cover some, so is a good thing. It would be worse if you didn't have that.

Have you looked at the other options where you are, the Olio app is people near you giving away free food, there's also too good 2 go which is shops giving away food that you collect.

Many places also have a community food bank where you don't have to "qualify" or provide proof or have the limitations of a standard food bank.

What's wrong about this is that the shop has honed in on an easy target, a single mum with baby; while they let gangs of men who openly steal crates of booze get away with it because they don't want a confrontation. I'm not condoning the OP's theft, but something is wrong with the system.

Sorry I did read that wrong. Are you looking for work

Actually the OP only said that this is the first time that she was caught, not that it was the first time that she had stolen.

And I think we should say stolen rather than shoplifted, that minimises it. Call it what it is, theft.

Oh FFS

Please please 🙄 keep this silliness off the board.

You could quite easily have private messaged that.

And if by chance you're a parent, 'please' 'please' teach your kids not to automatically believe everything they read on the internet.

What "judgey pants"?
People prior to your post have not been judgemental.

Is it the first time you’ve stolen op? For some reason I suspect not.

I agree I would never want someone with these morals in my home id be checking her bag before she left. Iv done some pretty shitty things in my life but iv never taken things that aren't mine

Has anyone not treated her with kindness and compassion, prior to your post?

I’d like to say I’ll judge but I can’t.

Will it be shared with other Boots shops, probably not but if it’s a high street and there’s a theft from say eg a boutique, my friend owns one, they automatically give the other shops the heads up prob by a WhatsApp group chat or just popping their head round the door. They would definitely call the police, my friend had just a dress stolen but it’s her stock and she’s worked bloody hard for this.

Years ago I worked as a temp receptionist at a GP/health centre where they gave out baby milk formula for free, it was on a council estate and was in the years before food banks, seemed to be less benefits then too but life seemed cheaper then.

I worked in my mid 20s as a PA in central London and I had money, inherited. The local small Boots the two teenage women I worked with they told me the security guard knew them but let them shoplift. They saw nothing wrong with this and both of them had decent families, not poor ones, in fact both girls liked designer labels and wore them a lot.

In I think my mid 30s I stole jewellery from
Monsoon at Victoria station. I didn’t need it, just was pleased when no one it seemed, had noticed. Very easy to peel off the security tag and then into a tote bag. I did it I think twice before they changed and upped their security.

My best friend when I was I think 10 or 11 got caught in a shop by a security guard stealing my birthday present so she said. One minute she was there next she’d gone. I think she did catch up with me in the shopping centre afterwards and had to admit this to me. She was crying but was from a poor, single mum, council estate family who had much older siblings who either shoplifted or didn’t. Her older brother had in borstal.

So although the one hand I judge on moisturiser I don’t on baby formula.

The MNers who do the “scan extra item through or not at self service checkouts” - I’ve done that once on purpose as I was really poor then, the other times I could’ve done it (usually for naice chocolate bars) I just don’t do it now, whether there’s a camera watching me or you have to scan your receipt at some supermarkets. But the MNers who do the above, you shouldn’t be judging here.

I'm sick of feckless fathers not paying up for the maintenance of their children.

Is there any country in the world where it is just not tolerated ?
Where they are somehow made pay.

If so, can the UK and Ireland just follow that example ?

Search for 'free food <your location>'. Near me there are community kitchens, soup kitchen, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, free hot meals, larders, free breakfast, pay what you can for a big bag of food, etc. Not all of them will have baby milk but you'll at least feed yourself and save your money to buy milk.
Please also get referral for a food bank, though that usually takes a while. You need food and milk now.

Ffs. Yeah that’s what boots does.

But she wasn't desperate, she literally said she had the money for it.

OP stop thinking that stealing is a good way to get what you need and what you want for free. It's good that you've been caught as many aren't and now you'll think a lot harder before you make such a poor decision again. If you hadn't got caught who knows how long you'd go on doing this - I assume you had your child with you as well. It's shit having not much money I know and hard work having a baby especially when their father is some feckless idiot, but you can't be stealing because of it.

I’m sorry that you felt you had to do this. Life can’t be easy for you and I hope it gets better

You’ve had a lot of advice on this thread OP

As suggested do use a good bank and then apps like Olio etc.

Can any family pay for the baby milk for you in future?

She said she had the money for it