Almost accused of shoplifting

[wonderwall2]

I'm having huge anxiety tonight and catastrophising. After having one if the worst brain fog days ever, I went food shopping after work. I did the usual shop and scan and got to the checkout to pay. My trolley was chosen to be randomly checked by the scanner, which obviously didn't worry me.

One the the items chosen wasn't scanned, and I apologised as I remember swapping one item for a cheaper one and I obviously had forgotten to put the previous jar back.

As one item wasn't scanned, I was taken to a till and asked to unpack and have my shopping done the 'old fashioned way' at the till. By this point I was a bit annoyed as it was taking ages and my one doubled item was a genuine mistake, but I did as asked as stafg are just doing their job.

Imagine my stress and horror then when I start putting my shopping on the conveyor belt and realise that I had put TWO packs of 12 eggs in my bag when I only wanted (and only scanned) one pack. Before anyone thinks this was intentional, it wasn't. I had expensive items in my bag so in a million years wouldn't think or need to steal eggs or a jar or anything.

Genuinely sweating, I put the extra box of eggs at the end of the till and the staff member either didn't see or mention that I removed them.

It all ended OK, as everything else in my shopping was an exact match with what I had scanned.

But I can't stop feeling sick about it. I keep wondering if the shop would have accepted my 'excuse' of brain fog (in a hilarious twist, I actually had menopause vitamins in my shopping) or whether something more stressful could have happened. My husband even joked they have my picture at the self scan machine. I could also cry because I've genuinely found this experience scary - I completely didn't clock what I had done when shopping and it's made me feel quite vulnerable, as if I'm not a sensible or responsible person now I'm experiencing menopause.

I'm never going in that store again (too embarrassed) and not using self scan if I'm feeling foggy. Has anyone else had experiences that have shook them like this? I feel like I can't trust my own mind.

I forgot to scan two very expensive fillet steaks once and was selected - they didn't bat an eye, just scanned them and I think I was selected more frequently for a few months and now it's rare again. I'm much more careful now, it was a genuine mistake originally but now I try not to let myself daydream so much while shopping. I was mortified at the time, but it's really not worth dwelling on.

Are you taking anything for your brain fog ?
Just don’t do self scan again, you’ll stop thinking about it soon.

Just don't do self scan and don't worry about it, unless you are a surgeon or an air traffic controller.

Oh, thank you both for being reassuring. No, I haven't seen a nurse practitioner or Dr yet, but was thinking about hrt patches.

You are overthinking this OP. You made a mistake, you didn’t intend on permanently depriving the shop of the eggs so it wasn’t stealing. You paid for your shopping. You weren’t sneakily trying to pass off avocados as carrots. The staff won’t have judged you.

I don't do self scan as I tried it once and managed not to scan a couple of items and was picked for a check. I don't have the excuse of the menopause but think the process of picking things off the shelf and scanning at the moment you put into the trolley will never work for me so I always either do self service checkout or manned checkout. I am sure they get it all the time as I think there is definitely more room for genuine error in the process so please don't worry

Yes, things like this keep happening to me, though I haven't been caught, as it were, yet. I do my self-scanning with ten year old DC now: he puts each item through and checks it for me — and makes fun of me for being so useless :)

I get the date wrong, mix up words, call my boyfriend and my son by each other's names (really embarrassing, that), wear back to front jumpers at work... aaaarrrgh!

I hear you. I got a random check once on a full trolley and had forgotten to scan a 38p bag of carrots.

My whole shop was over £100 with booze and yep, I'd scanned everything else except for the sodding carrots. TBF, I don't think Sainsbury's had me down as a master criminal, but I was incredibly embarrassed and it dented my confidence a bit. I've had rescans since, and not missed anything, so clearly a one off failing on my part.

My advice is to get back on the horse. You know you aren't dishonest, you made a mistake for understandable reasons. Maybe don't self scan when you are tired, but otherwise don't let it stop you.

It happens. My sister recently stole an expensive item (£20) by accident shopping with her child and husband with only one barcode reader. It was a genuine mix up, but because the stolen amount was over the “accident” limit, they took a copy of her ID. Nothing happened at all, but i guess if she gets caught again and her ID is on file they will probably report it.
If its a small amount they usually dont do anything at all.

I wouldn’t bother with vitamins. Have you tried elimination diets - stop eating gluten for example? I have done this before it I didn’t get caught. It’s embarrassing but at least you weren’t prosecuted

I went shopping with ds and to keep him amused I allowed him to do all the scanning.

Obviously it turned out there were about 10 items that he hadn't scanned! The staff didn't care as they knew I was going to be paying for it all and I haven't been rescanned since (or allowed ds to do the scanning!)

Don't sweat it! I did a £250 shop at Xmas. For some god only knows why, my 19p carrots didn't scan, and that what was picked up at a random check.

Everything I had was scanned again, and yes... the 19p carrots had defeated me.

Pisses me off no end, but yes, my fault they hadn't scanned.

Bastard carrots!

I work on the self scan sometimes and honestly we wouldn't have even cared about the eggs. We're checking for the people that scan £100 worth of shopping and have £350 of goods, or scan £50 and have £600. Both of these have happened in the last week!

I am struggling with brain fog and anxiety. For the last month it is been more difficult du to work stress. There are some days I don't really know what I am doing and I am in total autopilot almost not knowing what I have done one minute to the next. Last week after a heated conversation at home I went into one of these modes. I was mentally in a difficult place and did not really know what I was doing in all honesty. I needed to do the weekly shop so I went to my local supermarket. I got caught with one of my shopping bags not having been scanned. A similar situation happened a few months before with the same security guard. This happened whist I was at the till and my shopping was still to be processed so I put the few items on the belt and paid for the whole shopping. I was treated like a thief, they took a photo of me and said this was the second time and next time I would be banned. Very ashamed but needing to shop, I returned to the supermarket for my weekly shop yesterday. They did not let me in telling me I was banned and on the system now. I am in total horror and anguish and dont really know what to do or what it means. Is it a life ban, to this shop only, to the whole chain... I feel so ashamed.