• 🇳🇿 🇲🇲 🇯🇵 🇨🇳 🇦🇺 🇦🇶 🇮🇳
    Australian & Asian
    Drug Discussion

    Welcome Guest!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Shoplifting

F

friskk

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Messages
939
Hi,

About 40 minutes ago I was in a shop just browsing and saw this old guy walk in to the store. I didn't pay any attention to him and continued looking around. For some reason I kept staring at him as something told me he there was something that was just not right.

To my amazement this guy started placing things in to his bag. A pair of shoes, a tie, a shirt... I kept staring at him and he stared at me and kept looking at the staff on duty.

He then walked out of the shop with a brisk step... I stood there for a few more moments contemplating what should I do. Should I tell an assistant or should I let the old guy go. Hell the stuff was way over priced and i'm sure the shop was earning a fair profit...

Well I decided to tell the shop assistant. They ran outside looking for the guy but he was gone. Boy could that old guy move fast...

After I told the shop assistant I felt super guilty and started thinking.. why do I feel guilty? Would I feel guilty if it was a young kid? Would I feel guilty if it was a business man in a nice suit... Why did picking on this old guy make me feel so bad. Hell, I was doing the right thing. It's people like him who cause the price of stuff to go up... well that's what i'm telling myself at this moment.. cause I feel like i've done society some injustice.

Anyway, who here would say something and who would just let it go? Would you be selective over the people you reported.. I mean would you let an old man go but report a kid.. or vice versa.


BTW.. this old man didn't look like he was starving or anything. He was pretty well dressed but was quite old I would say 65-70.

F
 
If it had been a young kid or a well dressed middle aged person I would have probably said, 'Oi! What do you think you're doing?' and caused a big embarassing scene [I've actually done that before to a young kid] but I have this ingrained [sometimes unwarranted] respect for elderly people.

I definitely wouldn't have said anything but if he had looked at me I would have, I don't know, given him a disapproving shake of the head and if he was close by said something like, 'Back in my day people used to PAY for the things they wanted.'

;)
 
I work in the retail industry, and I've seen people stealing plenty of times, but only a few times have I had the person caught. Reason why I alerted loss prevention or store mgmt those times is because the person that was stealing was rude previously.

Normally though I just let people go, especially at Christmas time. Once I saw this woman in our offices because she attempted to steal some turkey and some other foods for Christmas lunch. She had 2 young kids and just wanted to put on a nice lunch for Christmas lunch. You can all say that she could have gone to the Salvo's, and yes she could have quite easily, but maybe just maybe she still had a little bit of pride left and didn't want to go to that level (not that there's anything wrong with going to the Salvo's!!). Anyway she was feeling pretty sorry about it and said that she would gladly put the stock back because she couldn't afford it, but the police were called anyway. :\

People stealing essentials such as food and other things like soap or even basic underwear and socks is a totally different thing to someone stealing perfume or an extravegant pair of shoes.

The prices are going to go up anyway.... it's just a matter of time really, regardless of whether people steal or not.. but what the key thing is really is that if it's a small business then they could go under due to shoplifters and prices going up. (This would have to happen over a long period of time, and it would have to be an inside job too!)
 
i would let everyone go man.... if it doesnt affect u let it go.... who cares if some store gets ripped off? most of the problems in this world can be attributed to people not minding their own business and sticking their nose in where it doesnt belong.... just my opinion, but i could care less if a store gets ripped off, the bastards make enough money, i like to see someone stick it to them every now and then
 
Actually I haven't quite finished yet.

Since when did we as citizens of our country / world get given the god given right to *dob* on our fellow citizens if they were shoplifting?

If someone steals repetedly, then they're going to get caught eventually. Personally I think we should leave the busting shoplifters to the staff of the store concerned or the loss prevention staff that work there. Even on the occasions that I have dobbed on someone, I have felt really quite rotten about it afterwards.
 
eze: I think I wouldn't let most people go because *I* wouldn't do it. We all work so we can buy the shit we want to buy so why should some people feel they can just take what they want? If the person looked desperately poor and were stealing essentials than I wouldn't say anything but other than that...

And besides, if kids are stealing shit and getting away with it when they're little it doesn't bode well for their future.
 
today : shoes , ties.
tomorrow : newspapers, bandks, football stadiums.

stealing is wrong whatever age you are.
 
Hmm, I really don't know! I would probably stand staring like a stunned mullet until it was too late to do anything.

I'm not big on confrontations etc. and don't feel strongly either way about shoplifting... I guess if it was a well-dressed woman sneaking luxury items into her handbag I might quietly alert the staff. But, generally, I stay out of these things.
 
eze451 said:
just my opinion, but i could care less if a store gets ripped off, the bastards make enough money, i like to see someone stick it to them every now and then
Click to expand...

The store was originally created by someone. Someone had the brains the initiave and the determination to make the store what it is today. I dont think that you can stereotype and place everysingle commercial practice into the '' heartless arseholes'' section.

If I owned that store either as a manager, director or founder - I would be really dissapointement, much less pissed off If someonebody was stealing from it. It undermines all the hard effort that I have put into creating my own wealth and life.
 
im sorry, but i just cant agree with being a snitch..... its none of your business.... unless u are a security gaurd on duty, a police officer on duty, or u own/work at the store, its none of your business..... i didnt say stealing is right, but since when is it your right to have a go at people doing the wrong thing? everyone breaks the law at some point, do u go around telling people not to drink in public? do u go around telling underage kids not to smoke? do u go around telling drug dealers not to peddle their wares at bus stops and street corners? i doubt it

up all night: fair enough, u work so u can buy the things u want.... but what if u had someone every time u took a pill or did a line dobbing u in to the cops or something like that.... after all, you are breaking the law by being in possession of an illegal drug of dependance..... whats the difference?
 
^ The difference is people aren't costing other people money if they're smoking or drinking in public and drug dealers only affect those that want their wares. Someone has to pay for the stuff that people steal.
 
are u going to go around solving everyones problems who gets ripped off? if u open up a store, you know that theft is a risk, so if you dont take measures to prevent it, its your fault for being stupid..... nobody comes in and helps me do my job, i manage fine on my own, so im not going to help someone i dont know and dont care about do their job.... especially when its likely they are making alot more money than me for doing an easier job

where im from snitching is a big no-no.... thats just the way i was brought up.... its considered something like kicking someone while they are on the ground.... u just dont do it

as for the kids thing, its their parents job to parent them, not mine.... i used to steal as a kid and i turned out ok-ish :D
 
Last edited:
^ Well I guess this comes down to a case of simple empathy. If I owned a business and people were stealing from me I would hope everyone wouldn't turn a blind eye. What sort of a society is that?
 
if i owned a business i would hope noone would steal.... now THATS a society

im big on controlling what u can control, and letting what either u cant control or doesnt affect u, not even worrying about that stuff....

for instance, i dont own a store.... i dont tell on ppl who do steal..... on the flip side, if i owned a store, i would consider it MY responsibility to ensure i minimised the possibility of theft as best i could.... i wouldnt ask or hope for people to dob theives in, it would be my responsibility to ensure i didnt get ripped off, and i would take care of it

i guess we just have 2 different philisophies (sp?)
 
Last edited:
^ No, that's just idealistic. And if no-one is reporting when someone is stealing than what is to stop someone taking everything they want. The only thing that really stops people from stealing is their own moral code or the possiblity of getting caught. If the first isn't relevant to the individual than we rely on the latter to stop the five finger discount.
 
man, i new eze451 was a thief. every post he makes i just find more and more things we have in common =D

i only steal from places that if ive researched their financial reports. if you actually know the figures, then you realise that you are entitled to steal stuff.

for example coles, they have an outrageously high shoplifting rate and still make a shitload. every month they plan their shoplifting expense or whatever they call it. If they are plannning for it, then we are just doing our jobs.

i dont really steal just because i cant be fucked and have enough money to get by these days (just). but i dont think there is much wrong with it is a public company or other large firm. if there was a way to steal from mcdonalds, i would. i wouldnt steal from your mum and pop corner store though.
 
diegoblunt said:

for example coles, they have an outrageously high shoplifting rate and still make a shitload. every month they plan their shoplifting expense or whatever they call it. If they are plannning for it, then we are just doing our jobs.
Click to expand...

hahah rofl.... u crack me up man....

thieves provide employment lets not forget, security firms, police, extra stock needs to be produced to replace the stolen goods

really, theft is a boon for the economy....

and about empathy up all night, its not that i dont have it, its just i think of it in a different way.... you say i dont steal because i wouldnt want someone to steal from me..... but i say protect yourself, because if i had a store i would protect myself.... if u only rely on yourself, then u have the most reliable help ever
 
Last edited:
To all the people who've said they'd let the guy steal and keep their mouth shut "cause the shop can afford it"...how would you feel if i saw someone steal something from you (say from your car, or I saw them crawl out of your window).

Should I let them go, 'cause you've probably got insurance and so you can afford it?
 
I never said stealing was right... I just don't think it's our god given duty to *dob* on others when it's someone stealing from a store. To be perfectly honest I don't like confrontation at all, and the last time I got confrontation at work I had some psychopath threaten to smash my head into a case window.

I wonder how you can all sleep at night??

BTW we aren't talking about someone stealing a handbag or a wallet off someone, we're talking about people stealing from large department stores. These places all have security and authorised staff to handle theft problems, they should really be the ones watching the customers.. not the customers watching the thieves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top