Stealing

[ThePompousPaladin]

Two wrongs don't make a right. I see it as more of a personal morality question, not a "let's stick to The Man" situation. I dislike faceless mega corporations as much as the next bleeding heart liberal (of which I am sure I'm one), but I would like to maintain my own dignity in the face of all the filth life brings up. Theft is theft, whether it's at a personal level or a multinational level, and neither should be tolerated.

Is stealing *always* wrong?

I can think of certain situations where it is at least morally ambiguous.

 

[gen]

There was a strange guy driving round and round Uckfield Tesco's car park yestreday, asking people if they wanted to buy his left over stock. All very strange as it was a well dressed man in a 15 reg car driving round a car park full of CCTV. Sadly didn't have time to find out what he was selling and why.

Met him last week in Hollingbury Asda car park. Smartly dressed but spoke a bit like a pikey. Selling pressure washers £200, Chain saws £80, those coloured ceramic knife sets £10. Can't rememember what else

 

[fat old seagull]

Just out of interest would you buy stolen goods down the pub if you knew you were getting a proper bargain?

No comment....

 

[Nibble]

This evening, I saw a bloke of about 30 stealing in my local Asda. He was walking round, taking things off the shelves and slipping them under his coat (items like razors, HDMI cables, deodorant etc). He must have taken around £30 worth of stuff, before he just wandered out the door.

Take a look at the 3 options - what would you do?

For what it's worth, I chose option 2 - I told a member of staff, who went to 'report it'.

Did SD work for a few years when I first moved to Brighton. I haven't done it for years and I see people nicking in stores all the time. If it's a local shop I tell the owner and help get rid, if it's a big chain shop I walk away.

 

[Igzilla]

Is stealing *always* wrong?

I can think of certain situations where it is at least morally ambiguous.

Stealing should always wrong. The trouble with turning a blind eye, in my view, is that no one knows where the line is drawn, so people take the piss. How you react to the theft is what counts in the end. If it's for selfish ends (e.g. HDMI cables) then hang them out to dry. If it's a life or death situation, then react with compassion and offer support so they don't do it again.

 

[Acker79]

This stealing is good:

 

[maltaseagull]

I'd be disappointed if it was a small business but to be frank I don't really give a shit about the big super markets. They screw over plenty of people themselves so maybe it's redressing the balance?

Late on parade as I missed this thread pre bounce but this is awful.
How can you justify this comment?
What size company do you determine it to be ok to steal from?

Plenty of small businesses fleece customers. Especially many of the old school market traders.
When I was a Supermarket Manager, my job was on the line due to thieves.(Usually druggies stealing high value small items like toiletries, batteries and they also liked meat to sell in the pub.)

So as I was working for a big company, I should have let them have what they wanted? Poor souls!

 

[maltaseagull]

Couldn't care less.
Nobody gets hurt.
Shops are insured.
Insurance companies rip us all off.
Shops pay staff to catch hoisters.Not my concern.

Can you describe the process where a store can put in an insurance claim for theft by an unknown person of unknown items?

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

In a similar situation I too told a member of staff, but before the guy had left the store. The last I saw was the member of staff closely watching him, having already alerted their security.

Personally, I don't care if I am considered a grass. Retail prices are hiked up to compensate for shoplifters, so I am helping to pay for their nicked goods every time I shop!

Exactly this. Theft is theft, whether it is MP's fraudulent expenses, or shoplifting, or drilling in to a vault in hatton Gardens.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Late on parade as I missed this thread pre bounce but this is awful.
How can you justify this comment?
What size company do you determine it to be ok to steal from?

Plenty of small businesses fleece customers. Especially many of the old school market traders.
When I was a Supermarket Manager, my job was on the line due to thieves.(Usually druggies stealing high value small items like toiletries, batteries and they also liked meat to sell in the pub.)

So as I was working for a big company, I should have let them have what they wanted? Poor souls!

The thread is about what to do if you see someone else stealing and do something, not if you yourself think it's acceptable. To be honest if I was in an Asda and saw someone stealing a few low value bits (OP said about £30 worth) I'd be seriously asking myself if it was worth my time and effort reporting to security, maybe being asked to make a statement, worse case scenario being called as a witness in a court case. It's their shop, their security, I think I'd probably get on with my shopping.

 

[AZ Gull]

I would buy the stolen goods cheaply and sell them on for a profit. Where is the option for fence?

 

[Petunia]

Met him last week in Hollingbury Asda car park. Smartly dressed but spoke a bit like a pikey. Selling pressure washers £200, Chain saws £80, those coloured ceramic knife sets £10. Can't rememember what else

Mussels?

 

[maltaseagull]

The thread is about what to do if you see someone else stealing and do something, not if you yourself think it's acceptable. To be honest if I was in an Asda and saw someone stealing a few low value bits (OP said about £30 worth) I'd be seriously asking myself if it was worth my time and effort reporting to security, maybe being asked to make a statement, worse case scenario being called as a witness in a court case. It's their shop, their security, I think I'd probably get on with my shopping.

TBH my reply was to someone saying it was OK to steal from large organisations not what they would do if they saw someone stealing.

 

[Bold Seagull]

TBH my reply was to someone saying it was OK to steal from large organisations not what they would do if they saw someone stealing.

Whoops, sorry.

 

[el punal]

I think that I read somewhere that shoplifting causes retailers to increase prices from 2% to 10% to cover the losses.

The good news is that Sainsbury's highest selling produce are bananas. There you go.

 

[Birdie Boy]

I saw a guy committing burglary, I chased him but he was young and out run me. Picked the dirty pikey out in a video I'd parade but never heard anything again.

So was I a grass or did I do a good thing?

Btw, this same house was burgled previously where the burglars hid under the stairs all evening whilst a party was going on and waited for everyone to leave. The house is currently up for sale.

 

[Birdie Boy]

Could bee, it was up for sale at £1.5m!

 

[Braggfan]

Depends, if someone was nicking a handbag or a wallet from someone I'd intervene. If someone was nicking from a supermarket I couldn't care less. I used to work at a supermarket who on various occasions tried to trick me out of weekend or bank holiday pay entitlements by trying to get to sign a new contract, which they specifically lied about and said wasn't a new contract. It was only because I didn't trust them and I read it through that I realised and refused, but I know plenty of people they did trick. I had no sympathy with them after that and still don't. Supermarkets get what they derserve in my opinion.

 

[The Wizard]

I wouldn't be overly fussed about making anyone aware it's not my job, however once in the tesco in Rottingdean I spotted some kiddies, probably around 14/15 stealing alcohol and decided to tell the staff at which point I was told as they had no way of stopping them and just had to fill out a report on it as they had no security on the door, so the pesky kids got away with it brazenly walking out.

 

[BHAFC_Pandapops]

It's interesting, because nobody will catch them no matter who reports what. I'd always report to a member of staff. But they're not allowed to confront thievery unless it happens right under their nose and they saw it. Security are only realistically allowed to observe, because if they catch them doing it and force them to give it up, the thief can claim his rights and the staff get screwed.

When you tell OB, they always seem to say that the thief has to be observed stealing 3 times (with solid evidence) before they will do anything. Even when they're caught, there's little chance of getting the goods (or the base value of them) back.

Thievery sickens me, because its very invasive and the thief gets away so lightly with it. With the amount of rights they get, you often see the same people lifting stuff regardless of how many times they get caught.