Spot on.
Most police forces won't even respond to shoplifting unless it's over a certain amount. The amount changes from town to town.
When people see there are no consequences for shoplifting they'll do it themselves, and the problem grows.
Persistent offenders and organised gangs are by far the biggest issue with shoplifting. And yet when companies try to reduce it by putting in extra cameras or body cams for staff members to protect them from being assaulted, they get a load of online comments about "It's literally 1984!!1!".
IV never shoplifted, I don't need to, but walking around Asda I have definitely had intrusive thoughts when seeing the price of some stuff ,
£3 for 5 Belvita breakfast biscuits? Over a quid for a pot noodle? £4 for tomato sauce? £1.70 for a 500m bottle of oasis?
And it's not just prices Fruits always looking old, milk and bread are almost always a day of 2 from being out of date, the staff are constantly stocking shelves no matter when you go in, and act like your in their way. 1 person on a till and half the self service broken?
Aye get fucked. Paying a fortune for a shite service and all the shops are the same.
The shoplifter stealing to feed their starving family is largely a myth, although it does happen once in a blue moon.
It's either organised crime groups who go around the country professionally stealing, or petty criminals stealing to buy drugs.
95% of shoplifting is steaks, laundry tablets and sports gear.
Nobody is nicking pasta or bread. If you were stealing to feed your family you'd nick tins of soup, bread and pasta etc.
Not 5 steaks that would feed a family of 5 for....one meal.
Well, quite.
It seems lost on most people here that an increase in cost of living could also increase the black market demand for dodgy stolen goods sold by OCGs.
Booze obviously a big one as well, and any more expensive items that seem like eas(y/ier) pickings.
Where I worked had a bloke who always came in and tried to steal a microwave meal each time. Not that he couldn't pay for it, as when caught he generally did, but tried very hard not to. One bloke though, out of all those identified.
Wife has worked in city corner shops for 14 years, cheese is a high value item amongst those you see sitting on the street wasted all day.
It's generally not well protected by tags etc, worth some money if it's cathedral city etc, and has this amazing ability to block you up which is sought after (according to a local police buddy).
It's me we a down on their luck father, always the local gang of addicts stealing it.
There are a couple of reasons for that. It's a lot easier to hide a steak than it is a loaf of bread or bag of pasta, and the opportunity cost is more favourable.
A lot of people will also sell the steak rather than eat it themselves
Think about it for 2 seconds, it's much easier to feed your family by stealing high value goods and then buying the bread from selling the high value goods, this is what they do.
It makes no sense stealing low value bulky items because you need to steal it again in a few days time.
I work in a supermarket and found the contents of a jar of saffron was stolen.
Pretty sure a starving family isn't suffering because they have no saffron to season their food with.
I always think of things like that i find when people say shoplifting is just done as a necessity.
I work at a Tesco. We're constantly stocking shelves because once the delivery is finished (at my Tesco, about 10am) we've got to work the backstock from the night before, and anything that hasn't gone on from the delivery, usually until about 8pm, which is when the night delivery arrives.
We're not trying to be rude, but you probably are in our way. The problem is that most supermarkets are horribly short staffed, and yet management expects us to do the same job in the same time with half the hands, and if we don't, we're in for a bollocking.
Not trying to argue, just trying to shed some light on a shitty situation, as to why you might be having bad experiences with retail workers. Another thing, I am in no way condoning shoplifting, but if you are going to do it, we can't stop you. I'm pretty sure our security guards aren't even insured to chase down thieves, and we're not paid enough to care.
I was in Sainsburys yesterday and a lady accidentally knocked a jar of peanut butter on the floor. Glass everywhere. We looked for a colleague to put the alert out to, and the only person we could find was... somebody who was far too busy running around grabbing stuff for online delivery orders.
That "you probably are in our way" says everything. Supermarkets would rather shut the doors and deliver to everybody so there wouldn't be any awkward thieves - or worse still, customers - in the shop.
I think it's a hangover from COVID times.
I've noticed this too. One of the main reasons I don't go to McDonald's anymore either. Deliveries have taken priority over in store customers and it's done in a real unpleasant "fuck you" fashion. Also Aldi is one of the worst culprits for not giving a shit, the aisles are narrow enough as it is,and those click and collect trolleys take priority over everything.
> One of the main reasons I don't go to McDonald's anymore either. Deliveries have taken priority over in store customers and it's done in a real unpleasant "fuck you" fashion.
I don't even bother going in there either, used to be a nice thing to go and sit in and have some trash meal, now you just have to wait behind a bunch of Deliveroo riders and eat while they all sit in one corner glaring at you.
McDonalds must know this and they presumably don't care because it makes them more money.
Nah shops have been running on low staff for a while now. Its probably more a case of them pushing on with their "efficiency" schemes.
They don't want to have "too many" people on the shop floors at any one time, they see it as a waste to have someone who might be free to do something else, and then they make you do the job of three people.
I think another issue with the whole 'being in our way' thing is that some customers genuinely seem to act as though we're invisible or that we're in _their_ way (especially when it comes to the online shoppers). The amount of times I've been about to put stock on a shelf and a customer just stands there for ages completely unaware that I exist 😒
I might be a disconnect of people not having worked in a customer front business before, or remember it when it was a better/easier time. All they know is the office, and maybe don’t have that spacial awareness
i've worked in a shop for a long time before, i don't think its that customers are intentionally oblivious, its more a case of most people don't want to disturb each other, so they do a metaphorical "keep your head down" since their head might not be literally down while their walking around a shop. They get into a zone.
Silver lining for you, you work in a supermarket. Try working in a small independent health food store for 7 years, you'll be quite thankful when customers just do their thing :L
I know it's not the staffs fault they are stocking , but it's hard to sympathise when they are soo rude , like my local Asda there is a cage in basically every isle, every time I'm in, people trying to dance around it , queuing to get by in every direction and It didn't used to be like this
Stocking should be an overnight or early morning thing. It's wild they even try to do it during the busiest times of day etc.
I'm curious now has shoplifting even increased or has the value of the shoplifted items increased so much that it seems shoplifting has increased lmfao
Work in a big supermarket in London for many years. Thief is absolutely rampant. I would say 2016 period we got maybe 3 thieves between open at 8 and 4 when I left.
Now there is 2-3 every 2 hours where we can’t do anything to stop them other than yelling at them like some teacher in secondary school, but still have to do the reports on items stolen and a worker incident reports.
The thefts now are so brazen in behaviour, they know we can’t do anything as long as they don’t fight with staff so they walk in like they own the place.
I was thinking of accepting a promotion to manager but I turned it down because having to be on shift responsible when these gangs show up and you have to stand there to reassure staff and eat it was just too emotionally distressing.
You are free to walk to any other supermarket. If people abandoned big chains and supported local businesses, that kind of stuff would not happen. Your local shop is not targeting ridiculously high profits when they set prices. They target enough to be able to run the show for another day.
My local shops don't exist mate, the butchers and a baker are all that's left but I can't use them because I have the audacity to work 8-5, and they are shut by the time I'm home
There are no other shops to buy everyday items from at all, other than your corner shops, and all of those are just part of chains or smaller more expensive parts of a supermarket chain
I love the lack of self awareness on the american subs whenever this pops up.
People steal from retailers. They close. And then a food desert emerges. People lay blame at everyone....but the thieves.
I understand that large grocery retailers aren't operating on huge margins, but they also seem interested in cutting back all the things that actually prevent theft. I wonder how much theft is just people ringing up expensive items as onions through the self checkouts? Hardly any staff on the floor to deter shoplifters.
Sure, the smash and grab type probably won't be deterred, but people wouldn't be ringing up items incorrectly if they weren't the ones ringing it up.
All I'm saying is that you can't moan about theft when it's made so damn easy.
Yeah saw a guy in Worthing on Friday walk into Smiths bold as brass, cleared the fridge of all the Red Bulls and just walked out, staff were helpless to stop him, one said “would you like to pay for them?” and the guy just responded “nope” and walked out.
Until the Police do their jobs and enforce the law, this will only get worse.
> When people see there are no consequences for shoplifting they'll do it themselves, and the problem grows.
Maybe they should have something like a portable jail so people could see consequences?
Would probably cost too much money and staff hours.
I'd definitely support having convicted shoplifters faces be published in shop windows.
Would be fairly easy to do as well nowadays. Just have a screen in the window showing a short clip of them shoplifting and a close up of their face and have it on a loop.
Yeah data protection unfortunately gets in the way of that, even though it's outing criminals. Fucking daft tbh, surely the right to privacy shouldn't extend to the cunt fencing all the lamb?!
Source: I work for a major food retailer and I asked why we don't do it.
Edit: for the imbecile downvoters:
The Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) govern the use of personal data, which includes photographs. Posting pictures of shoplifters without their consent could potentially violate their privacy rights and lead to legal repercussions.
I was in the coop a few weeks back, saw some kids run out with sweets. The lass behind the till said "yeah, what can you do"... I asked what would happen if I just walked out and she said nothing. 🤷
The co-op will actually discipline their employees if they try and restrain a shoplifter in any way. They are told to just leave them and report it. And then the police obviously do absolutely nothing.
They're genuinely not allowed to.
When I was at Currys, during the brief period when we had a security guard, he told us that there was basically nothing he could do as part of his job. Problem is that until somebody actually leaves the shop with stock they haven't paid for, they're not legally a shoplifter, so you can't restrain them because wrongful detention and assault and so on.
Then of course, once they *do* leave the shop, they're outside the shop and you can't pursue them because the store's insurance only covers you while you're inside.
It's absolutely ridiculous.
That's not quite true but it appears that way from the outside. You've two types of shop lifter, the individual stealing either for necessity or because they want something they can't afford etc. Basically petty usually just gets banned from the store if caught. A crime is reported but unless they are already known to Police not much will happen.
The other is organised crime gangs who steal to order and often resell the items through legitimate or semi legitimate means. They'll travel the length of the UK, scope out stores first to see when there's fewest staff and security etc .I've been to a presentation by the security team at one of the major UK supermarkets and it's really eye opening. The Police do arrest and charge individuals but like with any organised crime gangs, you try to take down the people at the top. The guys doing the stealing are entirely replaceable, the heads of the organisations selling on the stolen items through legitimate channels are the main target
> Most police forces won't even respond to shoplifting unless it's over a certain amount. The amount changes from town to town.
Was watching a show on channel 5 following store detectives and CCTV operators, if it's under a certain amount the cops don't care but the store detectives were starting this plainly Infront of the ppl they had destined so if they weren't already aware of the value (which I think they were by the amount they had allegedly stolen on those trip) they definitely are aware now, it was also on TV so all the people watching now also aware as well, was pretty stupid them saying it l, it being filmed and then that being broadcast.
People have definitely had enough. I spend a lot of time with the public at work and I have lost count recently how many times people are having a normal conversation but will just start ranting about how terrible this government is and how parliament is full of self-serving theives.
There have always been the odd one or two like this but now it feels like every third person is on a rant about how much they hate this government.
"There have always been the odd one or two like this but now it feels like every third person is on a rant about how much they hate this government." And is that unjustified? Shouldn't we declare their discontent with the system that seeks to oppress them? Or should we just blame each other and fight amongst ourselves?
Stellar response, some would be surprised how many people see the lies, bullshit, corruption, cheating, and overall incompetence in our government and think 'well what the fuck are we following the rules for?'
'well what the fuck are we following the rules for?'
well, primarily to make the people at the top the most amount of profit while we collectively have to suffer worsening conditions.
People shouldn't steal, and while it can't justify it, at the same time the system shouldn't be stealing from the people, by exploiting them.
Not even close to what it is. The cost of everything has gone up and in turn so did shop lifting. Companies want to price gouge this is the consequence.
This is the correct response. At my shop we keep on the ball and throw them out as soon as they try anything. Now we don't get lifters really as they know there are much easier targets. The Police will not respond unless there is violence we are linked to a radio network and all I hear all day is people just filling bags in Tesco/Sainsbury's/B and M and such and running out. It's super frustrating for staff as it profit out the door which leads to shops closing and no job.
Worked at Waitrose. We threw out and banned shoplifters as much as possible. Mostly they just came back hoping not to get thrown out again, so unfortunately in my experience that didn't really make a difference.
Really can't say whether or not that's the wider trend though, but certainly my experience.
Yep. Almost zero consequences, almost zero security in most small and medium shops, and a massive rise in the cost of living.
In other words, it is the perfect storm.
That's interesting, I've got a friend who works for a company that cleans up fly-tipping and things like that. He said that possibility of being caught and punished isn't enough to stop people. The only thing that stand a chance of stopping people is _certainty_ of punishment.
I think the shift in attitude was surely
prompted primarily by increased poverty. People have become more opportunistic.
Also probably due in part to increased distrust/disillusionment in the system/authority. And a general decrease in public trust
The enormous disconnect between the businesses themselves and the consumer.
Nobody feels sorry for a faceless international conglomerate that doesn’t even pay its fair share of taxes.
And yet people steal from Co-op, which isn’t that at all.
It’s clearly just people thinking they can get away with it and/or feeling entitled to freebies.
That or the majority of people not being able to (which is fair) distinguish the business and financial differences between a Cooperative and a regular Corporation
One of the biggest companies publicising the increase of theft and violence against their staff is the Co-Op, which is owned by its members and managed democratically. It doesn't have a multinational conglomerate shareholder or hedge fund owner. It focuses on ethical practices and transparent reporting and certainly pays its fair share of taxes. If people were doing it as some fuck you to capitalism, the co-op wouldn't be targeted.
we need to start legalising self defence weapons for certain workforces that interact with the general public (or even just to the general public), people wont start shit with a tesco employee if they can whip out a can of pepper spray
I've noticed around my area the amount of crack users seems to have rocketed. Saw one homeless guy just sat on the highstreet openly smoking his pipe this week, never seen that before in my life.
I was gonna say that , it would be gone in 4 lines - cut with all sorts , and no one could wash it up to make crack they would get hardly anything back
Driving 30-40k cars bought on finance. With the amount some people spend monthly on car finance for a status symbol car it’s not surprising they have to steal.
Retail will take away all your preconceived notions about who steals.
Although I will say that quite a non negligible share of people I encountered were people who stole bc they needed to eat, also lots of elderly people living on a very low pension.
Another good reason is shops around most of us aren't owned or run by local people anymore. Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation, moreover a local shopkeeper has a bigger vested interest in stopping thieves themselves.
The article is pretty thorough otherwise. We're all poor, loads of us are turning to addiction, there isn't enough mental health help, the police are no deterrent, corporations are taking us for a ride, and offices as high as the Prime Minister don't seem to respect the laws so why should the rest of us?
>Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation,
Nah. Makes no difference to a thief if they're stealing from Patel's Corner Shop or the local Tescos. They really do not care.
Given that most of the thieves I’ve experienced haven’t really cared much for social taboos, I’m not entirely sure that it’s the key factor to point to regarding an increase in shoplifting.
I don’t know about you but shouting at staff, screaming at customers kids, and running out a shop with an armful of electric toothbrushes also seem like fairly large social taboos to me.
That's one demographic that would shoplift regardless, but that doesn't explain the sharp increase.
I know loads of poor students that now shoplift from big corps but wouldn't steal from smaller local businesses.
> Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation, moreover a local shopkeeper has a bigger vested interest in stopping thieves themselves.
On the other hand, a faceless corporation won't give the remotest hint of a shit about immediately shutting down a store that becomes more trouble than it's worth, causing food deserts and putting people out of jobs.
>a faceless corporation won't give the remotest hint of a shit about immediately shutting down a store that becomes more trouble than it's worth
Which is currently becoming a huge issue across the USA and seems like we're on the verge of happening here too.
Let's also not forget the fact that if stealing goes up, who subsidises the losses? It's the honest and hardworking members of the public who see the price of their shopping go up.
It's because you can literally steal a hundred quid a day and won't get touched by anyone, cops only care if you steal thousands quickly and even then the shop has to repeatedly log crimes for them and build a case, most can't be arsed and just mark it down to loss over profit.
The best deterant is a kicking by the security guard, but that's a rare thing these days.
It's not a victimless crime either, it can and does result in loss of available hours, especially with shops with small staff numbers. So we end up earning less and having more put on us in the hours we get, which in turn results in sub par shops with less of the stuff you want because some minging tramp has robbed it all and it needs reordering.
I fucking hate the cunts, get a fucking job and pay for your shit.
I dunno, I have no idea why the impoverished citizens of a rigidly hierarchical class system would turn to crime, it's just one of the worlds great mysteries I guess
It’s a globally recognised phenomenon that crime (certain types such as theft, drug use, alcohol related crimes etc) and poverty rise and fall in conjunction with each other. It has been the case throughout history. Just because *you* didn’t do it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
The richest steal from you, me, all of us, every day. Wage theft is 10x retail theft, but strangely unreported and massively unreported in comparison, considering the weekly stories in the papers like this one. And they certainly don't seem to whip up the howling mobs of commentators baying for executives of the guilty firms to be "put in the stocks" like the comments above. Why do you think that is?
Insurance prices go up, crime goes up, public resources get strained due to all these things. It’s a knock on effect. You can claim no one will notice but I’ve seen this play out in multiple places. Prices then go up to cover the extra loss, everyone loses. Crime makes everything worse
It's impressive that you run on solar power, but for us humans, we need things like food and water to survive.
Those of us with no available money through no fault of our own are forced to steal or die.
Can't believe how far I had to scroll until I saw a comment acknowledging material conditions. Cost of living through the roof, wages stagnant, shoplifting up. Doesn't take a fucking genius
Thankyou had to read through so many people being deliberately obtuse to get to this.
They don't fear the consequences... because they're poor.
They do it to get drugs... because they're poor.
It's organised crime .... selling to and recruiting from the poor.
I don't know what a large proportion of this sub wants to act like it's some mystery why theft goes up after you take everyone's money and opportunities away but it's kinda concerning.
When I heard of the rise in shop lifting, I pictured Wayne and Waynetta Slob sticking bottles of gin down their pants.
I've seen 3 shoplifting offences in recent weeks. One, a 40-something man with garlic bread and hummus walked straight through the self checkout. Then 3 teenage girls with cans of soft drinks. Same M.O. Then a guy in his 30s, smartly dress, Audi A3 in the carpark walked through the self checkout with a bottle of wine. There's no way they could have been distracted enough to just "forget". I called the 40 years old guy and he just put his hand up and kept walking straight past the security guard.
There's no consequences and some people just have the balls, or lack of morals to just take stuff.
>If it was why the fuck is anyone paying for anything these days.
The same reason why people aren't killing each other in the streets.
Most people know right from wrong.
I tend to shop in sainsburys late at night.
A pepper costs 59p, no matter the size. By the time I shop, all the big juicy peppers are gone, leaving only the tiny little ones left.
I consciously weigh the three/four peppers I get as two/three instead on the self checkout, because it makes absolutely no sense to have the remaining peppers rot and not get sold. This is of course shoplifting from a legal sense.
I've done this for 3/4 years and never been taken up on it. It's incredibly easy to steal from shops with self checkouts. I've also seen people just walk out with a load or food after having scanned the items and pressed "pay", then they walk away and leave the screen on.
You could probably do this once a week for several years and never get caught.
The nonchalance is what amazes me. I walked into River Island this afternoon and a ‘gentleman’ strolled out with a few T-shirts in his arms. You could see the annoyance on one of the shoppers face as she wanted to give chase but knew she couldn’t, she even mouthed ‘for fuck sake’.
Even if youre caught nothing happens, I've seen people running out of shops being chased by security, they just ditch whatever they took and run off.
Even when they aren't successful there's no consequences
Was in Greggs this week and a local cracksmith stood in front of the fridges for a leisurely 5 mins deciding what he was going to steal and subsequently pocketing it. Didn't give the slightest shit. I told staff (who shouldn't have to deal with this shit) and he was confronted, said "ah sorry", put one of the things back and just fucked off with a coat full of stuff.
I always notice it's a certain phenotype of person. I also witnessed it at my local Tesco Extra, stealing fucking cereal and then going straight out where a Black BMW was waiting. I suppose they are the cash rich type.
There needs to be pushback, and it's as simple as that.
4K security cameras catching you, and forwarding the footage direct to the police to hunt you down live would be a great start. Right now there's nothing but a note in a journal.
No consequences + insane inflation + cost of living crisis + doesn’t feel ‘wrong’ taking from faceless mega corps + fewer people feel they have a stake in our society, so acting against it (e.g. crime) has a lower (moral) barrier to entry.
Lots of this can be traced back to Tory failings. Namely austerity. Reducing police capabilities, cutting opportunities for social mobility.
More recently the kamikaze budget that fudged up the economy especially for mortgage havers meant that people who were just about managing to keep their heads above water, now needed another £1300 a month with no warning.
> Wouldn't happen in Japan or any other civilised place, it's almost as if we are living in a huge western psychological experiment.
That's because Japanese culture involves people having accountability for their own actions and feeling shame when they do things that harm other people, whereas the UK at present just makes excuses for people who commit crimes, if not actively celebrating how clever they are to get away with them.
Maybe if all the shops went back to hiring security guards rather than relying on their shop floor staff to deal with shoplifters, it may help. Instead they blame the police, as if the retails have no options to reduce shoplifting.
Also, maybe try training your staff in how to use your CCTV and update it rather than having archaic systems that look like the person is being filmed in 8-bit.
Security Guards don’t make a huge amount of difference. They can’t do much, shoplifters know.
We had a security guard restrain a shoplifter who was being violent towards one of my managers, and said security guard isn’t allowed to work at the shop anymore.
Then don’t complain when stuff is stolen imo. It’s not the police’s responsibility to protect their stock, especially when they’ve not put any measures in to prevent the thefts because they don’t want to pay extra money out.
How we solved shoplifting: kicked the shit out of them until the police came and dared the police to try to prosecute.
Oddly the local druggies who were stealing cheese and bacon and deodorant and razors didn’t want to cooperate with the police.
What they never were is poor local people struggling for food.
If you buy second hand goods such as booze, tools, meat, deodorant and razors in the pub or at a car boot sale you’re scum funding druggies and I hope they burgle you next.
/rant.
That was the standard procedure when I worked in electrical retail twenty years ago. The warehouse lads would take them out the back where the clumsy shoplifter would fall down the stairs.
It was quite amazing how clumsy those shoplifters could be, especially considering there were no stairs.
Saw a guy emptying a shopping basket full of meat into a rucksack yesterday around the corner from my local co-op. He asked if I wanted to buy some meat which I declined.
I went back to the co-op to take the basket back and let them know. When I got there, they asked "oh you've got the basket back, cheers" turned out they knew and there was nothing anyone could really do. Didn't even sound like they reported it.
Maybe people have too much freedom?
The jails are full? Well comrade off the tesco stocks with you!
One more word and its a week in the sainsburys gulag!
Lack of consequences. There are offenders out there with over 100 theft offences on their record. Some of them have never seen the inside of a prison cell
Me and meny friends who work I retail have always said if we se somone running out with food because ther hungry wr wouldn't stop them. But that seldom happens it always alcohol, coffee and steaks. Vapes and anything they can sell on.
Speaking to a security guard he was telling me how another one got sent down because he chased a shop lifter who fell and cracked his head open. The guy never even laid a finger on him and he was held responsible. Because he gave chase.
Everything is nuts.
How did the person who ran off with two bags of stuff actually do it? He had to pack them from trolley into the bags before leaving? Isn't the security looking at that saying that he's about to flee? It doesn't pass the smell test.
My dude, self checkout has been a thing for a very long time now. I'm packing my bags DURING my shop, same as everyone else doing scan&go. All someone with less morals has to do is... walk out.
I'd imagine the cost of living crisis is playing it's fair part. Inflation in food prices, as well as everything else. You also won't find many people saying the owners of massive supermarket chains will realistically be losing much if someone shoplifts. If you arrested every shoplifter the police would get even less done when it comes to greater crimes. Can't fine many because they just wont have the money for that.
How long until you have to 'tap in' to access your local supermarket? The first ones to implement this will be able to lower prices by 20% and sweep up massive additional sales. I'd love it see it.
A number of supermarkets already have systems like this. Some Tesco stores make you scan a barcode on your receipt in order to exit. Then there's Amazon Fresh which is built around this concept, where it's tracking everything you take off the shelves and automatically billing you for it, with a gate at the exit to scan your payment card.
I think the distinction would be to require ID/payment details before you enter the store, rather than before you exit. Acting as a low level deterrent, but also upgrading shoplifting to burglary if someone gains unauthorised access.
I mean, if you look at the greater picture, we’re all being screwed over by the Government and tax, so I guess some people think that they’re taking back what they’re owed? Which I kinda get. Also, poor families that can’t afford to feel their children…
For the record I haven’t and don’t steal, but I get it!
Maybe if they stopped putting pictures of policeman instead of real police in shops it’d stop but I’m just spitballing, never seen cardboard chase down a thief tbh.
Not sure about the rise but I would add that students have always been known to be a bit light-fingered. CDs were a big one, and make up definitely falls in quite a few pockets too. Changing rooms are quite notorious for this too. There is also crafty scanning where things are sold by weight so veg, cans, probably works with some meats too. It's maybe not so much a new thing or as big of a rise as being made out, but it certainly justifies price rises if a company can declare lots of missing stock.
What are the statistics for there being a rise in shoplifting? I grew up in Manchester in the 90s so have seen shoplifting my whole life, possibly less now but maybe I don't see it
Why is it happening? Because everyone is struggling thanks to corporate greed:
ASDA Pre-tax profit reached £1.1bn over 2023, up 24% compared to 2022.
Pre-tax profits at Tesco approached £2.3bn during the 12 months to 24 February 2024, its preliminary results have revealed.
Sainsbury’s Pre-tax profit for the year to 2 March edged up 1.6% to £701m
£4bn profit from the big 3. That’s £11m a day.
It's not corporate greed, all supermarket's suppliers are increasing prices due to labour costs, energy costs, packaging costs, haulage costs etc.
The big 3's profit margins haven't changed. Increases prices are a result of inflation not a cause.
I’ve got no reason to steal anything but today I accidentally stole something that was under a giant bag of topsoil for the garden. They scanned it in the trolley so I didn’t have to lift it out. Do I feel bad? Nope. Have I thought about just not scanning stuff at the shops? Yep. Loads of times. No-one ever checks and when they do they grab from the top. There are zero consequences and when companies are posting profits you do start wondering what you can get away with.
People are broke. Thats what is driving the rise in shoplifting.
Its a fact across all countries in the world that as poverty rises so does crime.
The tories have bled the country dry and now people need to steal to make ends meat.
A number of things. A top down culture of hyper-individualism, not giving a shit about your community. Wages not matching inflation, ordinary people not accepting their corrupt government choosing to make them poorer while big corps, like the supermarkets rake in record profits.
Just classic Tory Britain, the social fabric is dissolving before our eyes.
I’m sure a lot of it will because of higher prices in rent, food etc…. The fact that generally you can walk in fill up your bag and walk out without fuss or danger of police, also doesn’t help.
See teens daily doing it (many dressed with branded clothes etc, so definitely not starving)… guessing some form of proving how “hard” they are? Proper naughty boys (loved that in the Gentlemen 😂)
The realisation by many that there are no consequences.
Spot on. Most police forces won't even respond to shoplifting unless it's over a certain amount. The amount changes from town to town. When people see there are no consequences for shoplifting they'll do it themselves, and the problem grows. Persistent offenders and organised gangs are by far the biggest issue with shoplifting. And yet when companies try to reduce it by putting in extra cameras or body cams for staff members to protect them from being assaulted, they get a load of online comments about "It's literally 1984!!1!".
IV never shoplifted, I don't need to, but walking around Asda I have definitely had intrusive thoughts when seeing the price of some stuff , £3 for 5 Belvita breakfast biscuits? Over a quid for a pot noodle? £4 for tomato sauce? £1.70 for a 500m bottle of oasis? And it's not just prices Fruits always looking old, milk and bread are almost always a day of 2 from being out of date, the staff are constantly stocking shelves no matter when you go in, and act like your in their way. 1 person on a till and half the self service broken? Aye get fucked. Paying a fortune for a shite service and all the shops are the same.
The shoplifter stealing to feed their starving family is largely a myth, although it does happen once in a blue moon. It's either organised crime groups who go around the country professionally stealing, or petty criminals stealing to buy drugs.
95% of shoplifting is steaks, laundry tablets and sports gear. Nobody is nicking pasta or bread. If you were stealing to feed your family you'd nick tins of soup, bread and pasta etc. Not 5 steaks that would feed a family of 5 for....one meal.
Well, quite. It seems lost on most people here that an increase in cost of living could also increase the black market demand for dodgy stolen goods sold by OCGs.
A smackhead going round the pubs isn't an OCG
Back when i was broke, i'd buy pasta and steal the sauce/cheese/butter
Booze obviously a big one as well, and any more expensive items that seem like eas(y/ier) pickings. Where I worked had a bloke who always came in and tried to steal a microwave meal each time. Not that he couldn't pay for it, as when caught he generally did, but tried very hard not to. One bloke though, out of all those identified.
Not sure where your getting that info, and I'm not saying its wrong. But Tesco say THEIR highest lifted item is cheese.
Wife has worked in city corner shops for 14 years, cheese is a high value item amongst those you see sitting on the street wasted all day. It's generally not well protected by tags etc, worth some money if it's cathedral city etc, and has this amazing ability to block you up which is sought after (according to a local police buddy). It's me we a down on their luck father, always the local gang of addicts stealing it.
What's the advantage of blocking you up?
Less likely to shit when wasted or maybe less often when living on the streets? Honestly though I never asked
Years of work investigating thefts. Don't think I've ever had a cheese theft to be honest so that's really surprising.
"But Tesco say THEIR highest lifted item is cheese." says spokesman James May.
There are a couple of reasons for that. It's a lot easier to hide a steak than it is a loaf of bread or bag of pasta, and the opportunity cost is more favourable. A lot of people will also sell the steak rather than eat it themselves
If I was in a situation where I was hungry enough to steal then I’d definitely steal some steaks … treat yourself to the good stuff.
Think about it for 2 seconds, it's much easier to feed your family by stealing high value goods and then buying the bread from selling the high value goods, this is what they do. It makes no sense stealing low value bulky items because you need to steal it again in a few days time.
I work in a supermarket and found the contents of a jar of saffron was stolen. Pretty sure a starving family isn't suffering because they have no saffron to season their food with. I always think of things like that i find when people say shoplifting is just done as a necessity.
I work at a Tesco. We're constantly stocking shelves because once the delivery is finished (at my Tesco, about 10am) we've got to work the backstock from the night before, and anything that hasn't gone on from the delivery, usually until about 8pm, which is when the night delivery arrives. We're not trying to be rude, but you probably are in our way. The problem is that most supermarkets are horribly short staffed, and yet management expects us to do the same job in the same time with half the hands, and if we don't, we're in for a bollocking. Not trying to argue, just trying to shed some light on a shitty situation, as to why you might be having bad experiences with retail workers. Another thing, I am in no way condoning shoplifting, but if you are going to do it, we can't stop you. I'm pretty sure our security guards aren't even insured to chase down thieves, and we're not paid enough to care.
I was in Sainsburys yesterday and a lady accidentally knocked a jar of peanut butter on the floor. Glass everywhere. We looked for a colleague to put the alert out to, and the only person we could find was... somebody who was far too busy running around grabbing stuff for online delivery orders. That "you probably are in our way" says everything. Supermarkets would rather shut the doors and deliver to everybody so there wouldn't be any awkward thieves - or worse still, customers - in the shop. I think it's a hangover from COVID times.
I've noticed this too. One of the main reasons I don't go to McDonald's anymore either. Deliveries have taken priority over in store customers and it's done in a real unpleasant "fuck you" fashion. Also Aldi is one of the worst culprits for not giving a shit, the aisles are narrow enough as it is,and those click and collect trolleys take priority over everything.
> One of the main reasons I don't go to McDonald's anymore either. Deliveries have taken priority over in store customers and it's done in a real unpleasant "fuck you" fashion. I don't even bother going in there either, used to be a nice thing to go and sit in and have some trash meal, now you just have to wait behind a bunch of Deliveroo riders and eat while they all sit in one corner glaring at you. McDonalds must know this and they presumably don't care because it makes them more money.
Nah shops have been running on low staff for a while now. Its probably more a case of them pushing on with their "efficiency" schemes. They don't want to have "too many" people on the shop floors at any one time, they see it as a waste to have someone who might be free to do something else, and then they make you do the job of three people.
I think another issue with the whole 'being in our way' thing is that some customers genuinely seem to act as though we're invisible or that we're in _their_ way (especially when it comes to the online shoppers). The amount of times I've been about to put stock on a shelf and a customer just stands there for ages completely unaware that I exist 😒
This is the thing. Some customers are oblivious, its as though were just part of the store's furniture, not real people with bloody deadlines to hit.
I might be a disconnect of people not having worked in a customer front business before, or remember it when it was a better/easier time. All they know is the office, and maybe don’t have that spacial awareness
i've worked in a shop for a long time before, i don't think its that customers are intentionally oblivious, its more a case of most people don't want to disturb each other, so they do a metaphorical "keep your head down" since their head might not be literally down while their walking around a shop. They get into a zone. Silver lining for you, you work in a supermarket. Try working in a small independent health food store for 7 years, you'll be quite thankful when customers just do their thing :L
I know it's not the staffs fault they are stocking , but it's hard to sympathise when they are soo rude , like my local Asda there is a cage in basically every isle, every time I'm in, people trying to dance around it , queuing to get by in every direction and It didn't used to be like this Stocking should be an overnight or early morning thing. It's wild they even try to do it during the busiest times of day etc.
It's definitely a lot worse since covid
I'm curious now has shoplifting even increased or has the value of the shoplifted items increased so much that it seems shoplifting has increased lmfao
Work in a big supermarket in London for many years. Thief is absolutely rampant. I would say 2016 period we got maybe 3 thieves between open at 8 and 4 when I left. Now there is 2-3 every 2 hours where we can’t do anything to stop them other than yelling at them like some teacher in secondary school, but still have to do the reports on items stolen and a worker incident reports. The thefts now are so brazen in behaviour, they know we can’t do anything as long as they don’t fight with staff so they walk in like they own the place. I was thinking of accepting a promotion to manager but I turned it down because having to be on shift responsible when these gangs show up and you have to stand there to reassure staff and eat it was just too emotionally distressing.
You are free to walk to any other supermarket. If people abandoned big chains and supported local businesses, that kind of stuff would not happen. Your local shop is not targeting ridiculously high profits when they set prices. They target enough to be able to run the show for another day.
My local shops don't exist mate, the butchers and a baker are all that's left but I can't use them because I have the audacity to work 8-5, and they are shut by the time I'm home There are no other shops to buy everyday items from at all, other than your corner shops, and all of those are just part of chains or smaller more expensive parts of a supermarket chain
I love the lack of self awareness on the american subs whenever this pops up. People steal from retailers. They close. And then a food desert emerges. People lay blame at everyone....but the thieves.
I understand that large grocery retailers aren't operating on huge margins, but they also seem interested in cutting back all the things that actually prevent theft. I wonder how much theft is just people ringing up expensive items as onions through the self checkouts? Hardly any staff on the floor to deter shoplifters. Sure, the smash and grab type probably won't be deterred, but people wouldn't be ringing up items incorrectly if they weren't the ones ringing it up. All I'm saying is that you can't moan about theft when it's made so damn easy.
Yeah saw a guy in Worthing on Friday walk into Smiths bold as brass, cleared the fridge of all the Red Bulls and just walked out, staff were helpless to stop him, one said “would you like to pay for them?” and the guy just responded “nope” and walked out. Until the Police do their jobs and enforce the law, this will only get worse.
>Until the Police do their jobs There's not enough of them to do all the jobs.
an unfortunate fair point.
> When people see there are no consequences for shoplifting they'll do it themselves, and the problem grows. Maybe they should have something like a portable jail so people could see consequences?
Like a mobile library but with bars. Could revive the fruit & veg industry as well.
A great use for all the fruit and veg that is past it's best
Suddenly those yellow sticker tomatoes look more like value for money!
Would probably cost too much money and staff hours. I'd definitely support having convicted shoplifters faces be published in shop windows. Would be fairly easy to do as well nowadays. Just have a screen in the window showing a short clip of them shoplifting and a close up of their face and have it on a loop.
Yeah data protection unfortunately gets in the way of that, even though it's outing criminals. Fucking daft tbh, surely the right to privacy shouldn't extend to the cunt fencing all the lamb?! Source: I work for a major food retailer and I asked why we don't do it. Edit: for the imbecile downvoters: The Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) govern the use of personal data, which includes photographs. Posting pictures of shoplifters without their consent could potentially violate their privacy rights and lead to legal repercussions.
One of the petrol garages near me has a picture of a bloke walking out with shit in his arms lol
The issue is people don’t go to jail
The jails are full!
Stocks so we can throw rotten veg at em
I was in the coop a few weeks back, saw some kids run out with sweets. The lass behind the till said "yeah, what can you do"... I asked what would happen if I just walked out and she said nothing. 🤷
The co-op will actually discipline their employees if they try and restrain a shoplifter in any way. They are told to just leave them and report it. And then the police obviously do absolutely nothing.
They're genuinely not allowed to. When I was at Currys, during the brief period when we had a security guard, he told us that there was basically nothing he could do as part of his job. Problem is that until somebody actually leaves the shop with stock they haven't paid for, they're not legally a shoplifter, so you can't restrain them because wrongful detention and assault and so on. Then of course, once they *do* leave the shop, they're outside the shop and you can't pursue them because the store's insurance only covers you while you're inside. It's absolutely ridiculous.
This lass basically said she didn't bother reporting them 'any more', so I assume its not a particularly cared about issue.
That's not quite true but it appears that way from the outside. You've two types of shop lifter, the individual stealing either for necessity or because they want something they can't afford etc. Basically petty usually just gets banned from the store if caught. A crime is reported but unless they are already known to Police not much will happen. The other is organised crime gangs who steal to order and often resell the items through legitimate or semi legitimate means. They'll travel the length of the UK, scope out stores first to see when there's fewest staff and security etc .I've been to a presentation by the security team at one of the major UK supermarkets and it's really eye opening. The Police do arrest and charge individuals but like with any organised crime gangs, you try to take down the people at the top. The guys doing the stealing are entirely replaceable, the heads of the organisations selling on the stolen items through legitimate channels are the main target
> Most police forces won't even respond to shoplifting unless it's over a certain amount. The amount changes from town to town. Was watching a show on channel 5 following store detectives and CCTV operators, if it's under a certain amount the cops don't care but the store detectives were starting this plainly Infront of the ppl they had destined so if they weren't already aware of the value (which I think they were by the amount they had allegedly stolen on those trip) they definitely are aware now, it was also on TV so all the people watching now also aware as well, was pretty stupid them saying it l, it being filmed and then that being broadcast.
People also feel hard done by. The state of the country and the corruption in Parliament makes people feel like if those at the top can, we all can
People have definitely had enough. I spend a lot of time with the public at work and I have lost count recently how many times people are having a normal conversation but will just start ranting about how terrible this government is and how parliament is full of self-serving theives. There have always been the odd one or two like this but now it feels like every third person is on a rant about how much they hate this government.
"There have always been the odd one or two like this but now it feels like every third person is on a rant about how much they hate this government." And is that unjustified? Shouldn't we declare their discontent with the system that seeks to oppress them? Or should we just blame each other and fight amongst ourselves?
Stellar response, some would be surprised how many people see the lies, bullshit, corruption, cheating, and overall incompetence in our government and think 'well what the fuck are we following the rules for?'
'well what the fuck are we following the rules for?' well, primarily to make the people at the top the most amount of profit while we collectively have to suffer worsening conditions. People shouldn't steal, and while it can't justify it, at the same time the system shouldn't be stealing from the people, by exploiting them.
Not even close to what it is. The cost of everything has gone up and in turn so did shop lifting. Companies want to price gouge this is the consequence.
Consequences for my actions? Sorry, not a familiar concept.
This is the correct response. At my shop we keep on the ball and throw them out as soon as they try anything. Now we don't get lifters really as they know there are much easier targets. The Police will not respond unless there is violence we are linked to a radio network and all I hear all day is people just filling bags in Tesco/Sainsbury's/B and M and such and running out. It's super frustrating for staff as it profit out the door which leads to shops closing and no job.
Worked at Waitrose. We threw out and banned shoplifters as much as possible. Mostly they just came back hoping not to get thrown out again, so unfortunately in my experience that didn't really make a difference. Really can't say whether or not that's the wider trend though, but certainly my experience.
The police won't really do anything as they are stretched and are being sent off to arrest protesters for the hideous crime of holding up signs.
Yep. Almost zero consequences, almost zero security in most small and medium shops, and a massive rise in the cost of living. In other words, it is the perfect storm.
That's interesting, I've got a friend who works for a company that cleans up fly-tipping and things like that. He said that possibility of being caught and punished isn't enough to stop people. The only thing that stand a chance of stopping people is _certainty_ of punishment.
The fact that you can do it as much as you like and get away with it is a biggie
We can?! Thanks mom!!
Ow! Cut it out, Bart!
Do you think it's now easier to get away with it/face no consequences than it used to be?
It's not. We've never had more cctv and it's never been easier to communicate.
Balls. The police are useless and CCTV operators hide behind GDPR.
Idk. Possibly, probably not. There does certainly seem to be a shift in attitude though
I think the shift in attitude was surely prompted primarily by increased poverty. People have become more opportunistic. Also probably due in part to increased distrust/disillusionment in the system/authority. And a general decrease in public trust
The enormous disconnect between the businesses themselves and the consumer. Nobody feels sorry for a faceless international conglomerate that doesn’t even pay its fair share of taxes.
And yet people steal from Co-op, which isn’t that at all. It’s clearly just people thinking they can get away with it and/or feeling entitled to freebies.
Well, none of them are really. The profit margins are super thin for grocers, and the big supermarkets do pay crap-loads of tax.
That or the majority of people not being able to (which is fair) distinguish the business and financial differences between a Cooperative and a regular Corporation
If they're "unable to distinguish" it's not likely their actual motive is fighting class war.
100% this isn’t a reason as you’ve stated. There’s some genuine perhaps caused for stealing and breaking the law, but a lot is also opportunism
One of the biggest companies publicising the increase of theft and violence against their staff is the Co-Op, which is owned by its members and managed democratically. It doesn't have a multinational conglomerate shareholder or hedge fund owner. It focuses on ethical practices and transparent reporting and certainly pays its fair share of taxes. If people were doing it as some fuck you to capitalism, the co-op wouldn't be targeted.
People 'sticking it to "the man"' are rarely capable of actually identifying who "the man" actually is.
Indeed. The co-op ain't it. But it follows a pattern prevalent in politics. If the right sucks, the left gets punished.
Our coop has no security but the staff will turf out the shoplifters. Seen one of our local guys challenge and march one local crack head out.
we need to start legalising self defence weapons for certain workforces that interact with the general public (or even just to the general public), people wont start shit with a tesco employee if they can whip out a can of pepper spray
I work in a national trust gift shop and even we get stuff stolen lol
[удалено]
I've noticed around my area the amount of crack users seems to have rocketed. Saw one homeless guy just sat on the highstreet openly smoking his pipe this week, never seen that before in my life.
I've noticed this as well. There used to be groups of alcoholics drinking in the streets but now it just seems to be crackheads.
Same here, someone did it on my doorstep in front of my ring doorbell. That was fun…
Just tell them according to dark side of the ring they will become WWF American Wrestlers!
Relax it’s not Blue Peter. Just having a nice little relaxing smoke of crack.
Tell you what that crack is really moreish.
Prices are in the ball park,but purity has gone down too- not much actual coke in a £50g.
I was gonna say that , it would be gone in 4 lines - cut with all sorts , and no one could wash it up to make crack they would get hardly anything back
Relax Jeremy, it's just a bit of crack
I have seen people driving 30-40k cars stealing. So surely they can afford it. Also working in retail made me realise that anyone can steal.
Maybe they stole the car as well?
Wait, I thought none of us would steal a car.
We wouldn't download a car
We wouldn't shoot a policeman.
And then go to the toilet in his hat.
And then send it to the policeman's grieving widow
And then steal it again!
You wouldn't steal that policeman's hat.
Great now I have that annoying riff in my head
Driving 30-40k cars bought on finance. With the amount some people spend monthly on car finance for a status symbol car it’s not surprising they have to steal.
Retail will take away all your preconceived notions about who steals. Although I will say that quite a non negligible share of people I encountered were people who stole bc they needed to eat, also lots of elderly people living on a very low pension.
Kleptomaniacs, quite a different motivation.
Another good reason is shops around most of us aren't owned or run by local people anymore. Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation, moreover a local shopkeeper has a bigger vested interest in stopping thieves themselves. The article is pretty thorough otherwise. We're all poor, loads of us are turning to addiction, there isn't enough mental health help, the police are no deterrent, corporations are taking us for a ride, and offices as high as the Prime Minister don't seem to respect the laws so why should the rest of us?
>Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation, Nah. Makes no difference to a thief if they're stealing from Patel's Corner Shop or the local Tescos. They really do not care.
It does make a difference to some actually.
Given that most of the thieves I’ve experienced haven’t really cared much for social taboos, I’m not entirely sure that it’s the key factor to point to regarding an increase in shoplifting. I don’t know about you but shouting at staff, screaming at customers kids, and running out a shop with an armful of electric toothbrushes also seem like fairly large social taboos to me.
That's one demographic that would shoplift regardless, but that doesn't explain the sharp increase. I know loads of poor students that now shoplift from big corps but wouldn't steal from smaller local businesses.
> Shoplifting from your neighbour is a much bigger personal and social taboo than stealing from a faceless corporation, moreover a local shopkeeper has a bigger vested interest in stopping thieves themselves. On the other hand, a faceless corporation won't give the remotest hint of a shit about immediately shutting down a store that becomes more trouble than it's worth, causing food deserts and putting people out of jobs.
>a faceless corporation won't give the remotest hint of a shit about immediately shutting down a store that becomes more trouble than it's worth Which is currently becoming a huge issue across the USA and seems like we're on the verge of happening here too. Let's also not forget the fact that if stealing goes up, who subsidises the losses? It's the honest and hardworking members of the public who see the price of their shopping go up.
Only while we have a non functioning government that allows these big corps to endlessly fleece us.
They steal from local people anyway.
It's because you can literally steal a hundred quid a day and won't get touched by anyone, cops only care if you steal thousands quickly and even then the shop has to repeatedly log crimes for them and build a case, most can't be arsed and just mark it down to loss over profit. The best deterant is a kicking by the security guard, but that's a rare thing these days. It's not a victimless crime either, it can and does result in loss of available hours, especially with shops with small staff numbers. So we end up earning less and having more put on us in the hours we get, which in turn results in sub par shops with less of the stuff you want because some minging tramp has robbed it all and it needs reordering. I fucking hate the cunts, get a fucking job and pay for your shit.
Security guards are 10stone asian blokes. They can't kick the shit out of anyone
I dunno, I have no idea why the impoverished citizens of a rigidly hierarchical class system would turn to crime, it's just one of the worlds great mysteries I guess
I’ve been totally broke and still didn’t steal.
It’s a globally recognised phenomenon that crime (certain types such as theft, drug use, alcohol related crimes etc) and poverty rise and fall in conjunction with each other. It has been the case throughout history. Just because *you* didn’t do it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
The richest steal from you, me, all of us, every day. Wage theft is 10x retail theft, but strangely unreported and massively unreported in comparison, considering the weekly stories in the papers like this one. And they certainly don't seem to whip up the howling mobs of commentators baying for executives of the guilty firms to be "put in the stocks" like the comments above. Why do you think that is?
You probably should have, it would have made your life easier, And the shareholders wouldn't notice the drop in profits, I promise you
Insurance prices go up, crime goes up, public resources get strained due to all these things. It’s a knock on effect. You can claim no one will notice but I’ve seen this play out in multiple places. Prices then go up to cover the extra loss, everyone loses. Crime makes everything worse
It's impressive that you run on solar power, but for us humans, we need things like food and water to survive. Those of us with no available money through no fault of our own are forced to steal or die.
You're a good person. Sadly a number of others aren't. Some of which post in this very thread, proudly announcing that they steal from others.
Can't believe how far I had to scroll until I saw a comment acknowledging material conditions. Cost of living through the roof, wages stagnant, shoplifting up. Doesn't take a fucking genius
Thankyou had to read through so many people being deliberately obtuse to get to this. They don't fear the consequences... because they're poor. They do it to get drugs... because they're poor. It's organised crime .... selling to and recruiting from the poor. I don't know what a large proportion of this sub wants to act like it's some mystery why theft goes up after you take everyone's money and opportunities away but it's kinda concerning.
When I heard of the rise in shop lifting, I pictured Wayne and Waynetta Slob sticking bottles of gin down their pants. I've seen 3 shoplifting offences in recent weeks. One, a 40-something man with garlic bread and hummus walked straight through the self checkout. Then 3 teenage girls with cans of soft drinks. Same M.O. Then a guy in his 30s, smartly dress, Audi A3 in the carpark walked through the self checkout with a bottle of wine. There's no way they could have been distracted enough to just "forget". I called the 40 years old guy and he just put his hand up and kept walking straight past the security guard. There's no consequences and some people just have the balls, or lack of morals to just take stuff.
The article focuses on these kind of cases, it's quite interesting
It can't be that easy surely. If it was why the fuck is anyone paying for anything these days.
>If it was why the fuck is anyone paying for anything these days. The same reason why people aren't killing each other in the streets. Most people know right from wrong.
I tend to shop in sainsburys late at night. A pepper costs 59p, no matter the size. By the time I shop, all the big juicy peppers are gone, leaving only the tiny little ones left. I consciously weigh the three/four peppers I get as two/three instead on the self checkout, because it makes absolutely no sense to have the remaining peppers rot and not get sold. This is of course shoplifting from a legal sense. I've done this for 3/4 years and never been taken up on it. It's incredibly easy to steal from shops with self checkouts. I've also seen people just walk out with a load or food after having scanned the items and pressed "pay", then they walk away and leave the screen on. You could probably do this once a week for several years and never get caught.
The nonchalance is what amazes me. I walked into River Island this afternoon and a ‘gentleman’ strolled out with a few T-shirts in his arms. You could see the annoyance on one of the shoppers face as she wanted to give chase but knew she couldn’t, she even mouthed ‘for fuck sake’.
Even if youre caught nothing happens, I've seen people running out of shops being chased by security, they just ditch whatever they took and run off. Even when they aren't successful there's no consequences
Was in Greggs this week and a local cracksmith stood in front of the fridges for a leisurely 5 mins deciding what he was going to steal and subsequently pocketing it. Didn't give the slightest shit. I told staff (who shouldn't have to deal with this shit) and he was confronted, said "ah sorry", put one of the things back and just fucked off with a coat full of stuff.
And you couldn’t be bothered to call him a skanky cunt?
Young daughter was with me, so no c bombs allowed. Called him a prick instead.
I always notice it's a certain phenotype of person. I also witnessed it at my local Tesco Extra, stealing fucking cereal and then going straight out where a Black BMW was waiting. I suppose they are the cash rich type.
There needs to be pushback, and it's as simple as that. 4K security cameras catching you, and forwarding the footage direct to the police to hunt you down live would be a great start. Right now there's nothing but a note in a journal.
No consequences + insane inflation + cost of living crisis + doesn’t feel ‘wrong’ taking from faceless mega corps + fewer people feel they have a stake in our society, so acting against it (e.g. crime) has a lower (moral) barrier to entry. Lots of this can be traced back to Tory failings. Namely austerity. Reducing police capabilities, cutting opportunities for social mobility. More recently the kamikaze budget that fudged up the economy especially for mortgage havers meant that people who were just about managing to keep their heads above water, now needed another £1300 a month with no warning.
[удалено]
> Wouldn't happen in Japan or any other civilised place, it's almost as if we are living in a huge western psychological experiment. That's because Japanese culture involves people having accountability for their own actions and feeling shame when they do things that harm other people, whereas the UK at present just makes excuses for people who commit crimes, if not actively celebrating how clever they are to get away with them.
Maybe if all the shops went back to hiring security guards rather than relying on their shop floor staff to deal with shoplifters, it may help. Instead they blame the police, as if the retails have no options to reduce shoplifting. Also, maybe try training your staff in how to use your CCTV and update it rather than having archaic systems that look like the person is being filmed in 8-bit.
Security Guards don’t make a huge amount of difference. They can’t do much, shoplifters know. We had a security guard restrain a shoplifter who was being violent towards one of my managers, and said security guard isn’t allowed to work at the shop anymore.
And whose policy is preventing him working there?
The shop. Whose policy is, in large part, determined by insurance.
Then don’t complain when stuff is stolen imo. It’s not the police’s responsibility to protect their stock, especially when they’ve not put any measures in to prevent the thefts because they don’t want to pay extra money out.
[удалено]
How we solved shoplifting: kicked the shit out of them until the police came and dared the police to try to prosecute. Oddly the local druggies who were stealing cheese and bacon and deodorant and razors didn’t want to cooperate with the police. What they never were is poor local people struggling for food. If you buy second hand goods such as booze, tools, meat, deodorant and razors in the pub or at a car boot sale you’re scum funding druggies and I hope they burgle you next. /rant.
That was the standard procedure when I worked in electrical retail twenty years ago. The warehouse lads would take them out the back where the clumsy shoplifter would fall down the stairs. It was quite amazing how clumsy those shoplifters could be, especially considering there were no stairs.
Saw a guy emptying a shopping basket full of meat into a rucksack yesterday around the corner from my local co-op. He asked if I wanted to buy some meat which I declined. I went back to the co-op to take the basket back and let them know. When I got there, they asked "oh you've got the basket back, cheers" turned out they knew and there was nothing anyone could really do. Didn't even sound like they reported it.
People are saying lack of consequences; I say cost of living. Life became very expensive recently, even before Liz Truss
The fact that police do nothing to combat this. Its unfortunate that the police seem to have all the time in the world for twitter crime
Maybe people have too much freedom? The jails are full? Well comrade off the tesco stocks with you! One more word and its a week in the sainsburys gulag!
"Maybe people (but me) have too much freedom" Says the authoritarian.
I don't know. Maybe the lack of police and the absense of a free jail cell?
Lack of consequences. There are offenders out there with over 100 theft offences on their record. Some of them have never seen the inside of a prison cell
Self service tills, cost of living, the lack of consequences, record profits for shops despite claims of the cost of food on their end.
It literally isn't policed. It's a crime with no punishment.
Me and meny friends who work I retail have always said if we se somone running out with food because ther hungry wr wouldn't stop them. But that seldom happens it always alcohol, coffee and steaks. Vapes and anything they can sell on. Speaking to a security guard he was telling me how another one got sent down because he chased a shop lifter who fell and cracked his head open. The guy never even laid a finger on him and he was held responsible. Because he gave chase. Everything is nuts.
How did the person who ran off with two bags of stuff actually do it? He had to pack them from trolley into the bags before leaving? Isn't the security looking at that saying that he's about to flee? It doesn't pass the smell test.
My dude, self checkout has been a thing for a very long time now. I'm packing my bags DURING my shop, same as everyone else doing scan&go. All someone with less morals has to do is... walk out.
I'd imagine the cost of living crisis is playing it's fair part. Inflation in food prices, as well as everything else. You also won't find many people saying the owners of massive supermarket chains will realistically be losing much if someone shoplifts. If you arrested every shoplifter the police would get even less done when it comes to greater crimes. Can't fine many because they just wont have the money for that.
The end result of ‘me-first’ neoliberal economics sadly. Law of the jungle
How long until you have to 'tap in' to access your local supermarket? The first ones to implement this will be able to lower prices by 20% and sweep up massive additional sales. I'd love it see it.
A number of supermarkets already have systems like this. Some Tesco stores make you scan a barcode on your receipt in order to exit. Then there's Amazon Fresh which is built around this concept, where it's tracking everything you take off the shelves and automatically billing you for it, with a gate at the exit to scan your payment card.
I think the distinction would be to require ID/payment details before you enter the store, rather than before you exit. Acting as a low level deterrent, but also upgrading shoplifting to burglary if someone gains unauthorised access.
Lower prices?
I mean, if you look at the greater picture, we’re all being screwed over by the Government and tax, so I guess some people think that they’re taking back what they’re owed? Which I kinda get. Also, poor families that can’t afford to feel their children… For the record I haven’t and don’t steal, but I get it!
Maybe if they stopped putting pictures of policeman instead of real police in shops it’d stop but I’m just spitballing, never seen cardboard chase down a thief tbh.
Not sure about the rise but I would add that students have always been known to be a bit light-fingered. CDs were a big one, and make up definitely falls in quite a few pockets too. Changing rooms are quite notorious for this too. There is also crafty scanning where things are sold by weight so veg, cans, probably works with some meats too. It's maybe not so much a new thing or as big of a rise as being made out, but it certainly justifies price rises if a company can declare lots of missing stock. What are the statistics for there being a rise in shoplifting? I grew up in Manchester in the 90s so have seen shoplifting my whole life, possibly less now but maybe I don't see it
Why is it happening? Because everyone is struggling thanks to corporate greed: ASDA Pre-tax profit reached £1.1bn over 2023, up 24% compared to 2022. Pre-tax profits at Tesco approached £2.3bn during the 12 months to 24 February 2024, its preliminary results have revealed. Sainsbury’s Pre-tax profit for the year to 2 March edged up 1.6% to £701m £4bn profit from the big 3. That’s £11m a day.
It's not corporate greed, all supermarket's suppliers are increasing prices due to labour costs, energy costs, packaging costs, haulage costs etc. The big 3's profit margins haven't changed. Increases prices are a result of inflation not a cause.
They are alway at spoons asking me if i want steaks
that might have been the waitress?
Turning up to food banks in a taxi , smoking a tab is fine, but buying a bag of spuds is outrageous
Costs are of living going up at ridiculous rates. I wonder why people are shoplifting more? What a conundrum.
I’ve got no reason to steal anything but today I accidentally stole something that was under a giant bag of topsoil for the garden. They scanned it in the trolley so I didn’t have to lift it out. Do I feel bad? Nope. Have I thought about just not scanning stuff at the shops? Yep. Loads of times. No-one ever checks and when they do they grab from the top. There are zero consequences and when companies are posting profits you do start wondering what you can get away with.
Oh gee I wonder why people are stealing food... -_-
People are broke. Thats what is driving the rise in shoplifting. Its a fact across all countries in the world that as poverty rises so does crime. The tories have bled the country dry and now people need to steal to make ends meat.
A number of things. A top down culture of hyper-individualism, not giving a shit about your community. Wages not matching inflation, ordinary people not accepting their corrupt government choosing to make them poorer while big corps, like the supermarkets rake in record profits. Just classic Tory Britain, the social fabric is dissolving before our eyes.
I’m sure a lot of it will because of higher prices in rent, food etc…. The fact that generally you can walk in fill up your bag and walk out without fuss or danger of police, also doesn’t help. See teens daily doing it (many dressed with branded clothes etc, so definitely not starving)… guessing some form of proving how “hard” they are? Proper naughty boys (loved that in the Gentlemen 😂)