Accused of Shoplifting in Asda

[mummatom]

Hi peeps. I shop in Asda all the tine, couple times a week I'd say. On this occasion I decided to use the self scan til. I had my 9 month old with me and I'm also 7 months pregnant, going to a very tough patch with my husband. Anyway, I scanned my heavy items and put them at the bottom of the bag and then scanned the lighter ones. For some unknown reason I was picking things up a couple at a time, scanning the bottom one and putting them in the bag. I guess it was the lack of sleep I've been having with the baby as she's teething and just doesn't sleep...!! I went to leave thinking nothing of it (and of everything else I needed to do that day) and I was stopped by security who asked me to follow them. I obliged as I didn't have a clue why. I thought I might have been a witness to something. They asked for my receipt and then it clicked. I apologised profusely but I was ignored while they went through every item. The baby then started playing up :( I said I was sorry it was a mistake and I had the cash to pay for the items (I meant to pay for them all with cash but automatically I paid by card through the lack of sleep). The lady went out with the items and the cash I had given her (total was about £7 worth I think) and the guy phoned his manager. He came back in to say I could pay for the items but I would be banned from the store FOR A YEAR... I was in such a shocked state that I just kept saying ok and thank you (so stupid). I was written to the store manager to appeal as he said I could and advised of the above and the fact that I can only buy the ready made formula (only thing daughter will drink) from there etc. I'm mortified. I haven't told a sole. Can someone advise how long the appeal took or the success rate!? Thanks!

Your explanation doesn't make sense, please explain better, the alarm would have gone off.

You're a shoplifter. You knew exactly what you were doing.
They have watched you previously and were waiting this time.

Also how do you know you were picking up two items at a time and only scanning one? You did that but thought nothing of it? How is it you suddenly remember now that that is what you were doing? Or did they show you the CCTV?

Definitely shoplifting. Incredibly obvious from the way you worded your post!

I once scanned all my shopping at Tesco then received a call about my sick mum (who died shortly afterwards). I pushed the trolley off and wandered around Tesco on the phone, not realising that I hadn't finished the transaction by paying. Security were trailing me the whole time but I hadn't noticed them. Finally they approached me and said I hadn't paid. Face palm, apology, back to the till. However I hadn't tried to leave the store, just walking about on this call. So I understand silly mistakes happen

However My Question is, self scan is a nightmare for weighing sensitivity. Why didn't it tell you to remove the unrecognised items? It's got an annoying voice for these situations

Just order online.
If there is some random arse thing that your DH wants tell him you are too busy with the children to run errands for him and he can do it.

The store has been lenient, because they decided not to prosecute. Banning known shoplifters is totally normal practice for stores.

Your fear of your DH is totally unrelated to this.

Surely if you've put an item in a bag that you haven't scanned it won't let you proceed any further until you've rectified your mistake? So you would have known you had an I scanned item in your bag?

They know the difference between genuinely forgetting and shoplifting. I forgot to pay for a hot chicken (hanging on the outside hook to avoid getting food hot) and returned from the car park to pay, they told me don't worry but thanked me for my honesty.

You have posted in 'legal matters' but it's not clear what legal advice you need.

You have written to the store asking for even greater leniency than they have already shown.

This is not a matter of law (shops can restrict access and decline custom, as long as they are not breaking equality laws by doing so, which of course do not apply in the case of banning those caught shoplifting (even if they have decidedly to prosecute)

The shore policy on the target for time to respond to letters from the public is probably variable, and I doubt there are any legal angles.

They’ve already been lenient. Agree with other posters who say they’ve been watching you. You’ve been caught and you are lucky they are letting you off. Shop elsewhere - and don’t try it anywhere else, security staff in Asda may well have circulated your photo to other stores.

Surely it would do that "unidentified item in the bagging area" thingy? Not sure about this story.

yes you are right

OP is getting a bit of a hard time here - innocent until proven guilty and all that, I’m sure we’ve all had a brain fart at some point, especially when tired and/or distracted!

I usually pick up a few things then scan them through one by one, and have nearly managed to do this on a couple of occasions. Granted, I realised what I was about to do and did actually scan it, and it was only ever one item, but mistakes can happen.

OP, the problem you’re going to have is that store security will hear excuses like this from shoplifters all the time, and the fact that you bagged more than one item without scanning it does look very suspicious. All you can do is appeal and hope for the best.

Confused as to why you’re worried about your husband’s reaction though - surely you should be able to talk this through with him, he can look over your appeal and offer support?

The self scanners wouldn't let you put two things in at once due to the weight being off...

Self scanners at the Asda near me are nowhere near as weight sensitive as Tesco or Sainsbury's. I've had two bras scan as one item and wellies scan through as chocolate, a bunch of bananas charged a a single. Although I have corrected the mistake each time and paid the correct price.

I reckon the op has been pulling this trick for a while, only scanning one item but dropping two into the bag. You wouldn't make that 'mistake' continuously.

You've been caught op, mistake or not, you need to face the consequences. Luckily it's only a store ban and police are not involved.

This is a very well know MN shoplifting trick in Asda, as the scales are less sensitive than Sainsbury's and Tesco etc. You can usually get away with scanning a light thing and putting two down; if you do it carefully. Asda are aware of this and look out for the tactic...

If you've genuinely done this "by accident", sadly you got caught and you've been banned. You're rather lucky that they didn't prosecute or circulate your details around other stores, and I don't think you'll get anywhere begging to be allowed back in. It's additional risk for them, and they won't want that.

Tell your husband. If it really was an accident, he needs to know how much stress you are under and that you're making mistakes which could have bad consequences. It will also make it easier to explain why you can't go to that Asda for a whole year.

OP is getting a bit of a hard time here - innocent until proven guilty and all that,
she is guilty though even if it was an accident also asda can ban anyone it likes from its stores for any reason

She was proven guilty. They checked the receipt she wasn't scanning everything. So she's banned but luckily not prosecuted this time.

This thread is ridiculous. Why on earth would someone come on MN with this story if they knew they were lying?! You'd just not post, surely?!

Will never get my head around comments like 'you knew what you were doing' - because you're inside the op's head, right? What a stupid assumption. Why can't people just take things on face value of what's been posted rather than twisting a post and making someone feel worse.

Op I'm sorry this happened and I'm sorry about the responses you've had on here. I believe it was an honest mistake and hope you can sort something. But for now I'd just go with the online shopping option.

Why on earth would someone come on MN with this story if they knew they were lying?! You'd just not post, surely?!

Usually because they are hoping for a cunning plan to get Asda to lift the ban. Or get support for when they go on Twitter with their daily mail sad face.

Or maybe because they want to know it's happened to loads of people so she cab show her husband if he finds out.

Wether she did it on purpose or not. Why would you post at all? Because you want someone to help undo what's been done.

Why on earth would someone come on MN with this story if they knew they were lying?! You'd just not post, surely?!

I'm making no judgements on whether OP did it deliberately or not, but I can answer this. It is very common for 'guilty' people to use forums and social media to try and find ways around the consequences of their actions. They have to protest their innocence to get people riled up enough to find ways to help.

We'll use OP as an example, as it's her thread.

If, theoretically, she had been shoplifting and hadn't expected to get caught, she may very well not have prepared for the consequences. Now that she's been banned from the store, her husband might find out. She doesn't want to admit to him that she's been shoplifting or banned, so she posts to find out how she can get ASDA to change their mind. These days, it's also likely that this type of thread will be picked up by ASDA, so she can use the volume of people who respond to try and force their hand.

If she'd posted, "I've been shoplifting, I've got away with it a few times but this time I've been caught and banned - how do I get them to cancel my ban so my husband doesn't find out?", she'd have got a lot fewer responses and she wouldn't be able to use the thread as any type of proof of influence.

You'll see it a lot around Primark and their strict anti-theft measures, too. The people never did it, but always want a way around the fine and ban.

I have no idea whether OP is legit or not here, and answered in that manner, but posting doesn't really suggest she is or isn't.

Thank you @gettingimpatient222. My life is a bit stressful at the moment. My 9 month old is teething, she's wants to walk everywhere (as in she can kinda of walk while you hold her hands) and she won't sit and doesn't crawl (straight to walking then!), I have dogs which need walking and entertaining daily, the house needs cleaning daily and husband gives me a list of stuff that needs doing as he doesn't like me doing it when he's home as he doesn't help out with daughter so I can't ask him to watch her while I do the dishes etc. I like to try and get out with the baby do she gets fresh air and see people etc. Then it's bedtime and as she's teething she's up almost every hour crying, I'm also 7 months pregnant and it's hard to do everything and I'm exhausted and drained and I honestly made such a stupid mistake. I'm at the end of my tether. Husband blames me for everything. He believes because he works that's his responsibility done. He comes home to a cooked meal every night I feel like a single parent. Financially all is well but emotionally and mentally I'm a mess. I'm also having to prepare for my next birth and husband won't let me mum have the baby while in labour, it has to be his mum who lives 40mins away. My mum is 10mins max. Everything is shit.

It sounds like you’ve done it before and so they had their eye on you. Otherwise Asda never approaches you like this. They love it when people self-checkout.

OP, forget asda and start making plans to leave your husband.

If its this bad you need to get out before you fine yourself, pregnant with a 2 month old and 11 month old.

These pregnancies were planned and making it harder for you to leave and making you more exhausted.

Asda is really unimportant in relation to your situation. That's what you need to be concentrating on.

My point is that I think people often forget that there are real people behind these posts. Nobody other than the op knows whether or not this was deliberate. So attacking her and accusing her and insisting she is a thief is pointless because you can't possibly know for sure. You could be talking with a thief. You could also be talking with someone who is vulnerable, upset, worried, mortified about a genuine mistake. So why make the assumption in the first place? Just don't post if that's the line you want to go down?

Surely it would do that "unidentified item in the bagging area" thingy? Not sure about this story.

That’s what I was thinking. Those bloody things go off if a piece of dust lands on your shopping.