Shoplifting

We have a lot of thieves at work, we have CCTV everywhere, we are very vigilant, and are prepared to stop people we know have stolen from us.
But despite having clear images, there is no point contacting the police , despite some things being up to £1000, they’re not interested.
A woman ran off with goods worth £800 this week, staff chased her but a car was outside with the engine running.

I was in an Edinburgh Woollen Mill store in Oxford some years ago, buying my favourite lambswool sweaters, when a man walked in and started examining a rack of cashmere sweaters quite near to the door. He selected three - and dashed out of the shop with them! My son was with me and offered to pursue the man but he was firmly told he mustn’t. It happened often and they would write them off! I still can’t understand why they put the stand so near to the entrance and not further back in the store.

I also once saw a young man in a supermarket open his shirt, take the top off a new can of deodorant, have a good squirt, put the top back on and replace it on the shelf. He then walked out. I took the can to the security guard but he said there wasn’t much they could do about it as it couldn’t be proved he’d actually stolen anything!

It happens every day . In the larger shopping malls they usually have security staff that catch the thieves then they can turn them over to the police.

Low life's to steal from a charity shop.

Sago

Magenta8

Not sure I understand the "moral" of you tale Sago, if there is one.

Firstly not buying goods and flouncing out of a Marks and Spencer store in High St Ken, after witnessing blatant shop lifting going unpunished for quite complicated reasons. Then bussing over to the Marble Arch to buy the same items from the Marks and Spencer shop there doesn't appear to me to be a very logical or effective way of showing your disapproval.

Am I missing something?

Yes you’re missing a sense of humour!
I had cut my nose off to spite my face so has to traipse across London to get the dress.

Thank you for that clarification. I didn't realise that it was meant to be humorous.

First time I heard of this was a young mother of 3 taking cheese of the shelf at Sainsburys. I was working for a legal firm at the time some 37 years ago. This young mother had no money and wanted something for the hungry children. (Abbreviated story.) She was taken to remand centre awaiting Magistrates Court. The children were taken to a home. The young mother was given a 6 month sentence. The whole firm was speechless. First time I actually saw theft was about 18 months ago in Tesco. Four men, various ages from early 20s to late 40s, were filling a trolley with spirits and then covering them over with large bags of crisps before heading out of the door. They were speaking an East European language. I honestly don't know why I watched this happen. I am usually to busy checking prices of my purchases, and adding up the total. I told a Tesco employee, who immediately went for help in order to follow them. Must have happened a lot seeing all the security now in place. What is classed as stealing! Working for a City hospital as a volunteer some 30 years ago, a non-English speaking ethnic community would come in a group and mime that they wanted supplies. Mainly, anything to do with babies. They were given food, but not medicines. It later transpired they were selling everything on the local market. I think it still happens that all knock off is sold on the markets.

LadyGracie

I saw a rather grubby very young man run out of Sainsbury’s recently with 2 carrier bags stuffed with food, two security guards caught him and marched him back through the shop.
I felt really sorry for him.

You felt SORRY for him? Words fail me!

I worked in a pharmacy some years ago and people shoplifted - or tried to - regularly. It was usually sprays such as Lynx or hair dyes. It was also the usual suspects. We had a regular ‘clientele’ who visited us. Back then, the boss would intercept them on their way out and tell them nicely that they’d forgotten to pay. They usually handed it over and skulked out the door. I suspect it might be different nowadays.

I’ve seen two men challenged in B&M by security guards. They threw down their bags and legged it. I was buying at the make up counter in Boots when staff were coordinating catching a thief. A problem locally is such that premium brands refuse to stock products in this town because the rate of theft is so high. That’s a loss for everyone. Not only does the every day customer end up paying, it reduces the range of goods available and makes the town less attractive as a destination.

I’ve seen it happen lots of times.
In the news today the government have had the idea to solve the lack of prison places, that shoplifters and burglars will only have to serve a third of their sentences! Makes the lifestyle ok for them doesn’t it🤬

Crossstitchfan

LadyGracie

I saw a rather grubby very young man run out of Sainsbury’s recently with 2 carrier bags stuffed with food, two security guards caught him and marched him back through the shop.
I felt really sorry for him.

You felt SORRY for him? Words fail me!

I would have felt sorry for him too, anyone looking scruffy and stealing food obvs needs it.

My beef is with professional shoplifters who do it for a living.

B&M seems to be a popular target. I’ve watched people trying to rush out, usually with alcohol. Sometimes they’ve been challenged, or stopped, but other times, they run off.

Once, in a small town in Surrey, I was waiting in the car outside a shop, for my friend to finish her shopping. All of a sudden a mid-twenty year old ran out followed by an older person The younger person jumped into a waiting a car, a few yards away, which drove off very fast before they could be caught. I didn’t realize is was a shoplifting case until seconds later

DH and I were at a Shopping Centre when a large 4x4 pulled up outside Next and two people ran out with armfuls of clothes from the racks and into the waiting car. It of course sped off. We were speechless.

It is prolific were I live, they walk into supermarkets/greggs pick up what they want, sercurity don't stop them, they then hassle people in town to buy the stolen goods to fund their drug habit.

I suspect this is the source of the ‘new with tags’ items on EBay and Vinted come from.

J52, I've often wondered the same thing. Why would people have so many new, unworn items. I have to admit that I have purchased a few of these on Vinted, though.

J52

I suspect this is the source of the ‘new with tags’ items on EBay and Vinted come from.

Possibly but not necessarily. I sold an unworn dress about five years after I bought and it still had all the labels attached. I had never felt like or found an occasion to wear it.

I had definitely paid for it at the time and not nicked it. I am sure this sort of thing happens quite often.

That not a nice thought to think everything on eBay & Vinted is stolen.
People do change their minds, too late to return, or buy items knocked down & sell to make an extra buck.

Many years ago someone I am friendy with accidentally put some bedding in her bag, was caught by security camera, place came along the manager of the store decided not to make a decision for her to go to the police station to be charged. She was fined £120.00.

Long ago, when I worked part time in Asda, there was a display of TV's right at the front of the store opposite the entrance. There followed a 'trend' of people coming in and lifting a TV then running out! Management didn't move the display for days which was slow work on their part, although the thieves learned very quickly they were onto a good thing.

I was working in the personnel dept and went shopping with a girl from a different dept. I was horrified when she changed labels on the item she wanted with a cheaper item (this was a long time ago). A few weeks later she applied for promotion and I wonder if she realised why she didn't get it.

Yes, I have often seen parents of young children "forgetting" to pay for the bar of chocolate or banana their child is eating in the supermarket queue, children and adults shop-lifting in the poorer parts of large cities, wealthy women doing it in expensive clothes shops - ditto school-girls for a dare.

If possible I have drawn a member of staff's attention to it, or said loudly as the thief was leaving the cash desk, "Hey, you forgot to pay for the wean's sweeties" or whatever it was.

I may be wrong but I feel the day will come when larger stores will demand the swiping of a debit card with sufficient funds before they allow anyone in.

I work in retail and thieving is rife, every hour of every day. All types of people.

If you know who to ask you can pre-order and a shoplifter will lift the item and sell it to you for a reduced price, they aren't simply shoplifting for themselves.