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

Yes, and I still feel bad!
While visiting dd, I took young-baby Gdd in her pram a 10 minute walk to the shops. With a pram, I could only use a basket, which rapidly filled up, or the tray below the pram.

When I got to the checkout, there was only one pack of the fancy cat food - the only one their cat will eat - instead of the two I could have sworn I’d picked up. However Gdd was getting fretful so I didn’t bother going back for another, paid and left, headed back to dd’s fast, since it was beginning to rain.

Only after getting back did I realise that I’d evidently put the 2nd cat food pack on the folded-back pram hood - and it had slipped down between the folds, hiding it completely.

I went cold, thinking how easily I could have been arrested for shoplifting.
If it hadn’t started raining in earnest I think I’d probably have taken it back, but it was a 10 minute walk, nowhere to park, and it was time to start the dinner I habitually took and cooked. I was going home later - an hour and a half away - so couldn’t take it in the morning, either.
Still feel bad, though!

I once wandered vaguely out of W H Smith holding a book I had intended to buy as a Mothers' Day present. When I realised what I had done, I was horrified but it was too late to rectify because all the shops were shut. I spent a thoroughly wretched night and was on the shop's doorstep at opening time the next day. The manager was very forgiving and all ended well.

I walked out of a pharmacy with an armful of items when I saw a relative near the entrance in the shopping mall. We were standing chatting when I realized I had Christmas wrap, bows, etc in my arms! It was a large entrance without doors.

Walked back in sheepishly to line up at the till. I don't think anyone even noticed in the busy pre-Christmas shopping day.

When I was young 5/6? We went to visit cousins when we were all on holiday in caravans. My cousin had a pen with a picture of a Welsh lady on it and I WANTED it so I attached to the waistband of my skirt. My Mum and Dad were shocked to find it when they helped me undress for bed. I recall reasoning that if I put it on my skirt and forgot about it, it would be ok!

We had a lovely couple of days in our favourite Lake District hotel. After we arrived home I got a phone call asking me if I had forgotten anything . I said no but was reminded I had not paid the bill . We were so busy chatting I just put it in my handbag and walked out .

Yes once picked up 2 packs school polo shirts in a shop entrance display.Walked all round shop,left buying nothing,continued into Next still carrying 2 pks shirts, nearly had a fit and ran out of shop to return items expecting a store detective to tap me on shoulder.Didnt feel I could just dump them so waited ages in customer service queue to explain and return.They looked at me and asked what exactly did they expect them to do.I was so embarrassed ,we now joke if out shopping and ask are we paying for these today or just taking them.

My DD and I were shopping in mothercare with baby in the buggy. As we wandered around the store we picked up items and hung them on the buggy handle. Baby was due for feed and was screaming. We walked out , down the high street and then I looked down to see the clothing Still the buggy handles. We ran back to the store , red faced @nd embarrassed.

My friend went to Boots and was so stressed with Christmas shopping she walked out with her basket of unpaid for goodies in her hand. It didn’t register until she was walking through another precinct still carrying basket! She returned and paid !

Yes mostly make up.

Only once. Went into the village post office, chose 2 birthday cards from a display stand. Went to the post office window, bought and paid for stamps, walked outside and realised I still had the unpaid for cards in my hand! Went back in red faced, the lovely shopkeeper hadn’t noticed.

When my DD was in a pushchair 25 years ago, I hooked a large bag of nappies on the handle and put two tins of milk in the botttom of pushchair. I walked around boots, paid for some baby food and lotion then walked out. Never went back once I realised, we were too poor to miss that ‘gift’ my defence is I had a baby crying snd a toddler making a run for it at the till!!

Not shoplifting as such but we left a restaurant without paying.
We had left a tip but not paid the bill.
We realised a couple of days later and paid over the phone.

My daughter was another baby shoplifter. Reached the Tesco car park and noticed she was very quiet and seemed to be occupied with something clutched in her hand. She had sucked and bitten her way through the wrapper of a bar of chocolate and there was brown saliva everywhere. Not much point going back with just the remains of a sodden bar of chocolate, and she was too young to understand what she'd done. I just kept an eye on her near the tills in future.

Car-less that day and heavily pregnant, pushing a buggy, I reached a bus top with a seat and sheltered from the snow that had started to fall. As I checked my shopping I turned to see my toddler munching a huge apple, which I certainly hadn’t bought at the greengrocers. A very young shoplifter. (I did offer to pay for it the next time I went to the greengrocers, but they laughed and refused to take it.

I did it unintentionally last week. Lifting my bags of shopping into the car and found a bulb of garlic in the corner of the trolley I hadn’t put through the checkout. I went back into the store and confessed. The assistant laughed and said I shouldn’t have bothered.

Another time it could have been more serious. On my way home at 11pm half asleep after a 12hr shift I filled my petrol tank and bought a loaf in the petrol station shop. Realised when I was getting into bed that I only paid for the bread and not the full tank of fuel. I quickly phoned the petrol station and said I’d be straight back to pay. He said you’ve caught me just in the nick of time, I got your reg. number on cctv and the police would have been at your door shortly.

THEY SHOULDN'T PUT SWEETS BY THE TILL!
I quite agree Terribull!

Just at handy pushchair level too.

I went into Prime mark in my lunch break once for new slippers. I picked them up and put them under my arm because didn’t want a basket. My phone went it was DH to tell me that the counter was busy so to get back to work ASAP. I walked out of the shop and the slippers I forgot about had fell on the ground. I ran back to the shop and told the guy on the door about the slippers. He said have you got a bolt missing know one is that honest you actually brought them back. I said I didn’t have time to go and queue I just left them with him. I was criticised for being honest!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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?

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 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.