'Accidental Shoplifting' - Have You Ever Done It? ??

I did! But unintentionally. We'd been shopping, wheeled trolley to car and I spotted a slim pack of elastoplasts that weren't ours. stuck in the bottom of the trolley . I took them back. The girl on the counter was very sweet and told me I needn't have bothered. But I am guilt free!

I was horrified many years ago to get home from shopping and find a packet of flower seeds in my pocket. I went back to the shop and asked for the Manager, told him, and he was extremely nice about it. My Mum had recently died, I had no memory of doing it. He always goes out of his way to be pleasant to me when I go into the shop

Talking of memories, I do remember very clearly taking my baby son out of his buggy - to find a bottle of Ariel washing liquid behind his back! He had shoplifted!

Talking of memories, I do remember very clearly taking my baby son out of his buggy - to find a bottle of Ariel washing liquid behind his back!

What a domestic god you had, Shandy57!

My eldest took a jelly sweet from the Pick 'N' Mix in Woolies. I made her take it back and the lady told her to keep it. Which I went to great lengths to explain to my daughter that wasn't an invitation to keep helping herself to whatever took her fancy.

I picked up a few items for a friend in a hospital shop. On leaving I discovered that I still had a folded newspaper tucked under my arm. I went back, apologised and paid.

A friend once found herself walking in the street with a pair of trousers on a hanger draped over her arm. She sneaked back into Debenhams and put them back on the rail. No alarms had sounded!

My Husband absent mindedly walked out of the supermarket with a trolley full of shopping without paying for it. He got to the car and thought why have I not put all of this in bags. When he returned a member of staff said "have you forgotten something" my Husband replied "to pay." The Member of Staff fell about laughing! It is our local store and luckily we are both quite well known in there. He has never repeated this since!

I haven’t but I was once with a boyfriend who did unknown to me he had put some screws or similar in his pocket and we were both taken to the office I was mortified

They start young. Last week at the checkout a father was emptying the trolley while his very determined toddler, sitting in the seat was quickly grabbing packets of chewing gum from the display and shoving them under his bottom. His father was horrified when he saw the sixth packet go under.
If I had seen this on YouTube I’d have thought it was a planned clip.

When they used to have sweets next to the checkout in supermarkets dds in the buggy took a couple of packets which I didn’t notice until I got back to the car. I toyed with not bothering to take them back as it was so much hassle with 2 little ones, but I did as it would have been a very bad example for them otherwise.

Many years ago I parked outside our local store, picked up a basket and filled, then I picked up a huge packet of cornflakes which I tucked under my arm as there was no room in the basket. I went to the till, emptied the basket, paid for the contents and packed them in my shopping bag. It was only when I got to the car that I realised I still had the cornflakes under my arm. When I went back and apologised, the shopkeeper said she'd seen me do it but she knew I'd come back. There is certainly a lot to be said for local shops!

Yes whilst pushing the double buggy i put some shampoo under my arm and totaly forgot to pay for it.
I went in the next day and told them what i had done,and they were fine and thanked me.

Talullah

*Talking of memories, I do remember very clearly taking my baby son out of his buggy - to find a bottle of Ariel washing liquid behind his back!*

What a domestic god you had, Shandy57!

My eldest took a jelly sweet from the Pick 'N' Mix in Woolies. I made her take it back and the lady told her to keep it. Which I went to great lengths to explain to my daughter that wasn't an invitation to keep helping herself to whatever took her fancy.

This is now many years ago but I had exactly the opposite experience with my daughter - when she was too young to know better. They tried to make me pay for it which resulted in a stand up row with the manager.

Yes the other day, a £1 nail file from Sainsbury’s. It had fell between my handbag and the trolley. I took it back but received some funny looks from the customer service lady when I explained I’d accidentally take it and wanted to pay, she looked suspicious but obviously I wasn’t a thief if I’d returned to pay!

I have a scatty friend who wore a big padded winter coat with a huge hood that stuck out at the back .

Whilst walking through the car park at the retail park she felt a tap on her shoulder. A stranger pointed out that she had an M&S jumper on a hanger hanging from her hood!

This brings back memories! Once I had wandered through Debenhams with my toddler son in his pushchair. We moved out into the mall where I discovered said son gnawing on a box. He had whipped a bottle of very expensive perfume from a low shelf and I hadn't spotted him. A very sheepish return to Debenhams ensued.

Years ago my Mum and I where out shopping in our local city centre. She had her umbrella placed across her shopping bag.
We strolled around town then popped into Woolies (remember them) all the Easter Eggs were on display.
I wanted to go to a trendy boutique, we cross the road, walked around the shop, eyeing up the lovely clothes. Just as we were leaving she decided to swop arms as the shopping bag was irritating her. As she did we saw this big Easter Egg hanging from the handle of the umbrella!
She yelped took it off threw it at me like it was a bomb, and bust out laughing. We were both in hysterics, how did no one not tap us on the shoulder saying do you know you have am Easter Egg dangling from your umbrella?
We both didn't know what to do? Do we take it back? Explain?
So... We kept it.

Love that, NotAGran!

I was complicit years ago when a friend and I had been browsing the children's clothes in M & S, with our offspring in their buggies. We'd walked right down the street and into another shop before she looked down to see her daughter happily examining a frilly party dress complete with hanger that she'd helped herself to. Yes, we went straight back!

I got halfway up the hill towards home, pushing the pushchair, and realised DD2 had a couple of packets of Smarties tucked in beside her. I didn't go back, it was a long way.

I bought a sheet of stamps from the Post Office one Christmas and found she'd given me two sheets by mistake and did take them back. A friend thought I was daft.

I got home to find my toddler daughter had stolen a red high heeled shoe and had hidden it in her push chair. The assistant thought it was funny when I returned it and wondered why she had taken just one shoe.

I was once having coffee with a friend when she suddenly remembered that it was Tuesday, and that she was supposed to be in two places at once in 15 minutes.

We both rushed out, I went to collect her son while she dashed off to her other appointment, and it was only later that we (separately) remembered that we hadn't paid.

I rang the shop to explain, to be told that my friend had called a few minutes before, but that it didn't matter, as we were regulars and the owner knew we would be back?

Not quite the same. Years ago I worked in a restaurant. A family of four ate a meal then the father said he'd forgotten his wallet. Nothing we could do. Six months later, when the family returned to the town on holiday, he came back and paid. It restored my faith in human nature.

Last week took a trolley and sullied forth for some honey. Happened to pass the raw ginger station and snapped off a bit. None of the honey I wanted so quickly took myself back to the car totally forgetting the bit of ginger. It was in fact a sheer miracle that I noticed it as I shoved the trolley back into the rack.

Similar story to Callistemon, Not me! my son aged 2ish sitting in stroller whilst I was loading shopping and paying in Marks. I discovered when I got to the car park, probably a 5 minute walk away he had quite a large bar of chocolate on his lap I had no idea. I was in a hurry, on my way to pick my older child up from school, I didn't have time to tack it back. ....but then THEY SHOULDN'T PUT SWEETS BY THE TILL!

Not shoplifting but some years ago me and my husband had a lovely meal in a restaurant in Spain. It was a lovely warm evening and we were feeling very happy to be there. We finished our meal and sauntered out. We were half way down the road when we realised we hadn't paid. We dashed back and they were fine. We could have landed in a Spanish jail!

I too had an incident in M&S. I had an armful of school shirts on my arm, nine I think and my three children started squabbling, so I marched them out of the shop onto the High street, forgetting I had the shirts on my arm.

I only realised when the security guard came out after me!