Shoplifting in charity shops

Peaseblossom

I think that shop assistants should be allowed to use pepper spray if they know that someone is taking something, and that will give them enough time for the police to come and sort them out. Although they'll probably just get a slap on the wrist anyway. If there's a sign on the door warning that this will happen, maybe it will stop people.

Pepper spray is illegal here but if you happened to have a can of Deep Heat about your person, that might just work instead..

I was in our local Cancer Research charity shop a while back and someone blatantly grabbed a load of clothes, ran out of the shop and straight onto a bus. The volunteer chased him onto the bus and the lovely driver wouldn't let the guy off till he'd handed back everything he'd tried to steal. Excellent teamwork there.

so depressing how low our country has got. yes, we , the country, through our government allow in fact , encourage it to my mind. Now even the store detectives are told by their union not to tackle thieves,,, why don`t we call them what they are? no one can lift a shop, they are thieves and stealing from everyone, cos we pay the cost. just wondering... deep sighs.

Hopikins it's a pity someone didn't stick their foot out and trip him up and then take the bag with everything he's stolen into the charity shop.

Witzend

It’s not just charity shops - shoplifting is rife, and the law/government just shrugs its shoulders.

Since when did blatant theft cease to be an offence?
A massive crackdown is needed, and those gangs who come from abroad specifically for the purpose, because they know we are so stupidly soft, should be deported immediately, with their biometric details recorded so that they can never return.

It is scary and horrifying, how things have deteriorated so horribly. When will the Government take a stronger approach?

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I think that shop assistants should be allowed to use pepper spray if they know that someone is taking something, and that will give them enough time for the police to come and sort them out. Although they'll probably just get a slap on the wrist anyway. If there's a sign on the door warning that this will happen, maybe it will stop people.

I was in a charity shop and watched a Eastern European man try on a sweater. He put his jacket on top and didn't pay. I told the manager but she said she didn't want to confront him. I don't blame her. Next thing could be a knife attack.

Stealing from charities is the lowest of the low in my book.

A very dear friend of mine was a witness to a shoplifter helping themselves and challenged them. She is 84 in a couple of months and not in good health but she stood her ground after watching them filling a bag and about to walk out said " you are going to pay for those things aren't you". She was standing in a queue at a cake/bread shop. and the shoplifter just walked past the queue to help themselves. The assistants did nothing nor the rest of the queue ,as the thief walked out. My friend was furious but could do nothing, what has happened to morals in our lovely country. As my friend later said " I have to pay for things so should they. Do we have to wait for the courage of an 84 year old to speak up.

I used to volunteer in a Samaritan charity shop and we had a huge amount of shoplifting. At the end of the shift you could walk along the rails and there'd be lots of empty hangers where the articles had disappeared into someone's bag. It did my head it. We only charged peanuts. And if someone was desperate we'd have given them what they needed if they'd asked.

People should always be spoken to if they have taken without payment. ALL shops have expenses to cover. Where has self respect gone?

Lady Isobel had been shoplifting for many years in her local shop where she held an account. The owner knew all about it and just added the items to her monthly bill.

The shop was sold and the new owner wasn't happy with the old 'arrangement' and started court proceedings. In those days unlike now there was a stigma attached to shoplifting.

Over 35 yrs ago I walked back to the car pushing my laden trolley, daughter in the seat of trolley and as I lifted her out to put her in her car seat a bag of apples appeared.

I was mortified. I left them in the trolley and came home but all these years later I go cold thinking about it.

With the govt handing out so much taxpayers money to people who refuse to work it has created a sense of entitlement in many people who believe they can do whatever they want. Sadly law enforcement ignores shoplifters thereby encouraging them even more. Zero tolerance approach is required but that will never happen under a socialist govt.

Our regional newspaper today reports an East European woman who has been jailed for just 24 months and banned from all Boots stores for five years. Big deal, she will be out in less than a year and back to shoplifting again.

She stole £116,000 worth of high end cosmetics from Boots Stores all over the country. She is part of a large gang.

I meant to add …. When I was a teenager our local mini market took on a woman who was a kleptomaniac. She used to carry a card stating that in case she got arrested. She was very pleasant and efficient and I thought the shop owner was very good to employ her.

Allira

TheSunRisesInTheEast

Actually, Richard Madeley wasn't prosecuted because despite it happening on two separate occasions, he said he just forgot to pay. Yeah right 🙄.

Some people have a compulsion to steal, it is a MH problem.

Does anyone remember Lady Isobel Barnett? She was a doctor and became a popular TV and radio personality and was also a JP.

She was well off and had no need to steal. However, she confessed that she had been surreptiously shoplifting small items for years.
Sadly, she committed suicide.

These people who blatantly shoplift now and terrorise shop assistants are in a different category altogether. They are criminals and often part of Organised Gangs.

My husband’s Grandpa lived near Lady Isobel Barnet in Leicestershire. All the local shopkeepers kept a real close eye on her when she came into their shops. She had been doing it for years.

I thought Keir was going to introduce some new measures to tackle this? Have they been announced yet?

Because at the moment, everybody has just given up and accepted it.

It wouldn’t be an issue for Lady Isobel nowadays, of course.

Romola

Does anyone remember Lady Isobel Barnettt, the tv personality in the 1950s who was prosecuted for shoplifting? She took her own life. I think she had some sort of compulsion.

Yes, I remember. She had some evidently pretty bad level of kleptomania.

We also get it and we have challenged and even barred one lady
I get very ‘friendly’ and walk round with them chatting about the weather, the clothes, anything and they usually end up walking out without anything One lady has never been back since I trotted round with her being ‘ever so friendly’ and she got nothing and she knew I knew, without any accusations
It’s awful and irritates me no end.

This is the lowest of the low.

I remember a neighbour who had a miscarriage, absentmindedly walked out of a local shop with a jar of coffee.
She was prosecuted. Ended up having hate mail put through her door.
In the end she had a massive breakdown.
Back in the day it was a real stigma.
Today they don’t seem to bother 🙄

Romola

Does anyone remember Lady Isobel Barnettt, the tv personality in the 1950s who was prosecuted for shoplifting? She took her own life. I think she had some sort of compulsion.

Sorry, didn't see your post first, Romola.

TheSunRisesInTheEast

Actually, Richard Madeley wasn't prosecuted because despite it happening on two separate occasions, he said he just forgot to pay. Yeah right 🙄.

Some people have a compulsion to steal, it is a MH problem.

Does anyone remember Lady Isobel Barnett? She was a doctor and became a popular TV and radio personality and was also a JP.

She was well off and had no need to steal. However, she confessed that she had been surreptiously shoplifting small items for years.
Sadly, she committed suicide.

These people who blatantly shoplift now and terrorise shop assistants are in a different category altogether. They are criminals and often part of Organised Gangs.