Shoplifting?

[mushroom25]

In the news recently because of a reported spike:-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66784250

last week Policing Minister Chris Philp said "thefts from shops should not be tolerated at any level"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shoplifting-policing-minister-chris-philip-b2404284.html

this is today's front page for the Daily Mirror:-
https://www.frontpages.com/daily-mirror/

this has created something of a storm on social media, along the lines of why is a "left wing tabloid" seeking to persecute the poor and desperate who must engage in Urban Foraging because it's the only way to survive.

Is the reported shoplifting epidemic mainly in the hands of the severely disadvantaged? if yes, is it right for everyone - including store owners and the police - to look the other way?

[naomi24]

It's not right for anyone to look the other way. Theft from shops, apart from being just plain wrong, ultimately raises prices for everyone. Although designed to reduce costs, I think the self-service option facilitates theft.

[Old_Geezer]

Urban foraging my rear end.

The problem is that the police seem uninterested in the crime which makes shop staff vulnerable and encourages the crime. That is, utterly wrong.

We have a welfare state, no one should be that desperate. And if some temporarily are there are food parcel charity schemes anyway.

Those who inadvertently fail to purchase should be identifiable in many cases and the store themselves can decide how to procede, with compassion hopefully.

But each incident needs to be processed not ignored and allowed.

Storms on social media are either best ignored or if that looks not to work, overwhelmed by those with at least a modicum of sense.

[jourdain2]

Well said, both naomi and O_G.

[douglas9401]

I was in our local Aldi last night for the first time in a while and they've installed some self service points.The bagging area is tiny so you have to balance stuff on top of each other.

Anyway, there was a group of forrin yoof charging about the place with a trolley, babbling away to each other in their native tongue, let's say Romanian, and I'm sure they must have paid something but the 17 year old operative in charge certainly wasn't in a position to challenge them, neither did she chase them up the street when they nicked the trolley to get their goodies home/to their fence.

It's enough to make one xenophobic I thought to myself.

[Canary42]

Most shoplifting is done by the shop's own staff - but it goes on the books as external lifting of course.

[douglas9401]

Drivel.

[naomi24]

Ditto.

[Atheist]

In the olden days, we used to send people to live out their days in Austraia if they were caught shoplifting or sheep stealing. Depriving wealthy people of their property was considered absolutely awful  and sometimes worthy of a death penalty.

I'm glad we don't treat them like that nowadays.

 

[douglas9401]

In the olden days there was punishment for wrongdoing, what were our forebears thinking?

[naomi24]

Atheist, are all shopkeepers wealthy?  

[ToraToraTora]

I don't agree with the rabs on much but chop their kin germans off, damn savages!

[jno]

there was a US study a few years ago that showed a third of shoplifting was done by staff. Kit them all out with bodycams and they won't be able to do it either, I suppose.

[nailedit]

I'm going to get a kicking here but....

I have a coviction for shoplifting!

I was homeless for a while after leaving prison

I shop-lifted food to survive.

 

 

[jno]

right, nailedit, go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect anything at all

[fiveleaves]

Yes ok its against the law ,but I will be the very last person on Answerbank to condemn a desperate mother shoplifting to feed her children.

People shoplifting to order and addicts shoplifting stuff to sell to feed their addiction are in a different category

[royfromaus]

Peckham.

[tomus42]

I think what's different recently is that the shoplifters have realised they don't need to bother doing it surreptitiously.

They can just wander (often mob handed) into a shop, scoop a load stuff off a shelf and wander out again without being challenged and with zero chance of the police being interested in catching them.

[nailedit]

//People shoplifting to order and addicts shoplifting stuff to sell to feed their addiction are in a different category//

Iv'e shoplifted to feed myself and to feed an addicition.

When you are homeless and have nothing to eat you will do anything. And that includes feeding your addiction.

(I only ever stole food)

[Bobbisox1]

When this epidemic started a few month ago, it was on the national news with feral youth storming a Coop store to help themselves, in other words it was glamourised , feral youths watching it must of thought ' I'll have some of that', now it's become an epidemic!

[cashier]

A manager of Aldi friend of mine told me that the police won't go out to a shoplifting complaint, if the value of goods shoplifted is less that £200.