I have no respect for people shoplifting non-essential items (like makeup, etc) but essential items like food is a different story.
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In my opinion it depends more on whom you are stealing from than what. Food is okay, anything else not absolutely required for immediate survival isn’t is a somewhat cruel and arbitrary position.
Even a dirt poor person has more needs than just food sometimes, to stick with your example even a dirt poor woman or girl may want to feel pretty for a moment, and I feel that’s nothing bad either. Granted this is a slippery slope to outright lawlessness, but there certainly is a lot of room for valid needs that are less immediate than nourishment and shelter, but still important to people feeling human at all. Counts twice for people already in the extremely dehumanizing position of being poor.
She may need it for an interview to improve her prospects too. As long as it's from a big place like Walmart I see no harm in someone desperate doing it to improve their situation.
The Walton family will be fine.
My policy has become: "If you see someone shoplifting, no you didn't." All businesses write a little bit of theft loss into their budgets. I don't care what shoplifters take. It's not my concern. Let the egg heads in accounting and the beef sticks in loss prevention figure it out. That's what they're paid to do. Not you.
Mines a bit different, but similar. "If you see someone shoplifting, no you didn't" only applies to chain stores. Walmart? Fuck 'em. Target? Get all you can. Local boutique store downtown? The fuck is wrong with you, go steal from a corporation that deserves it.
This is a really good caveat - if you're going to take, take from those who can afford it the most, not the small-time local shops
I am with you- unless it's a small business. If I saw someone stealing from some little mom and pop shop full of Amish-made soap and jam, I'm going to say something. Because I don't want mom and pop to go hungry either.
If you’re gonna cut staff and build a giant bank of self check kiosks instead, then I consider it a perk of my temporary employment at the checkout line. I’ll take pork chops and veggies in lieu of a paycheck thanks
Even if you’re not trying to steal from the self checkout half the time they don’t even have the item in the database… Like I’m not paying for a dozen doughnuts when that’s the only option, but I got one… so I guess it’s a roll now…?
I think I might have cared in the past because “it’s against the law” but I’ve grown up and don’t care about that at all anymore… My opinion on shoplifting is now just “why would I even care?” I wouldn’t do it personally, but I have no problem with other people stealing shit (especially shit they need to live and thrive) from a soulless corporation. I wouldn’t be happy if they mugged a random person… But Target? Why would I care?
Makeup is an essential item for professional women. I'm not saying it's right that it's essential, I'm just saying it is.
The world is burning down around us, and the only people with the power to make an actual difference are throwing gas on the fire. Why the fuck should I even notice somebody shoplifting? Save your disrespect for the real criminals of society.
Reminder Wage Theft has by far the greatest total value compared to all other kinds of theft
(legitimate question) why don't people in need use food availability programs like food stamps instead of stealing for essentials?
Because if you make over $1400/month then you don't get food stamps. That isn't even rent where I live.
The median STUDIO apartment costs $2100.
when you have children to feed and you're hungry yourself - standing in line to fill in a form and wait an interderminate amount of time to be potentially denied something that comes with a huge amount of restrictions it's just easier to steal.
There is enough food and wealth to feed and home everyone. Theft is a service issue.
"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.
"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
"And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."
"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" said Scrooge.
"Both very busy, sir."
"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge. "I am very glad to hear it."
The difference between stealing luxuries and necessities.
We judge ourselves by our motives, but others by their actions.
That's a lot to say in 11 words.
holy fuck
I'm certainly not a snitch, but my respect only goes towards people who are stealing what they need rather than what they want - the former is surviving the struggle, the other is kleptomania
Stealing Pasta and canned veggies = necessity.
Stealing Nike TNs when you're already wearing a pair = yeah fuck you.
Exactly, exactly - though I wouldn't judge people taking non-food items like soap, detergent, and other basic hygene products either. They're low cost goods most people need but might not be able to afford.
What's your opinion on stealing name brands?
Whenever I mention groceries being expensive, I have a few people comment that it's my own fault for buying name brands, and I agree, name brands aren't worth it when you're pinching pennies.
But I have allergies, and I have to be careful with shared equipment. I've had allergic reactions to certain brands of oats but not others, so even a cheap staple food like oats I may end up paying way more than the average person because I can't risk certain brands.
Sometimes that works in the opposite direction too, in a quest to find a brand of veggie stock powder I wasn't allergic to, I ended up riding my bike to the next town to try their asain grocers and found a huge 500g tin of stock powder for like $4, easily 5 times cheaper than any other brand at my usual store, and I wouldn't have gone hunting for it had the previous brand not changed their ingredients as part of a whole shrinkflation/cheaper ingredients for the same price end product initiative.
But I often wonder if people saw someone like me stealing, or using food stamps today buy name brand products, would they prejudge me as being superfluous without knowing my allergies already severely limit my diet, brand restrictions limit it even more.
I would try not to worry about what others think so much in these kind of situations. Eat your Quaker Oats in peace.
I'm not personally that worried, I just don't understand how so many people in this thread are saying they would/wouldn't judge a shoplifter based on a bunch of arbitrary criteria for what they think is an essential item. You can't possibly know what's essential to an complete stranger.
At Walmart, or at least the one I worked at, every single case and jar of baby formula was tagged with a security strip that sets off the alarms at the door, on the inside of the container to make it difficult to remove. Baby formula was the most stolen item in the store. It's also one of the most expensive food items in the store.
Coincidentally, I would also find empty packaging with the security strip still attached in the handicap bathroom that was far away from the front doors and the alarm sensors.
How fucking depressing is it to live in a country where people have to steal baby formula just to feed their babies?
Here people are stealing expensive cheese and meats to sell to pay for drugs
I'm not particularly sympathetic towards that.
The fuck? How/where do they sell them? Who in their right minds would buy cheese or meat from a sketchy source?
Streetfood vendors mostly don't care about sources as long as the goods are good. I had a favorite place before that sold chocolate bars with no markup compared to nearby stores, and I was wondering why they'd even sell them given that chocolate doesnt really go well with their main offerings. Until I witnessed a junkie carry a box to them from the nearest supermarket and it all fell into place. Selling stolen product right across the road might've not worked in their favour though as the place changed hands not long after.
If I see someone stealing food, they could be stealing to sell it for drugs or they could be stealing to feed their hungry family. Why should I worry about the former when the latter is also a decent possibility?
If you're gonna steal cheese why wouldn't you steal the best cheese?
Right, especially if you're going to sell it. It used to be that you could sell the cheap stuff to Russia but even they aren't buying it anymore.
What about someone who helps and teaches others how to shoplift effectively?