• WamGams@lemmy.ca
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    7 months ago

    In the self checkout I watched a man with his children have his card rejected, so he just walked out with the food.

    The security guards came up to ask me if I knew what way the man went.

    I pointed up in the air to the security camera dome and said, “he sort of went that way, boys.”

  • frickineh@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    None of these companies are worried about me when they jack their prices up while people are struggling. I don’t know why I would ever give a shit about them. I’m just here to buy moisturizer and stay in my lane.

    • LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Theft does make prices go up though, you know? It also makes stores close in underserved communities.

      • frickineh@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Cool, still not my problem. They can hire people to care about it, I’m not ratting people out. And let’s be real, a lot of those companies lie and blame theft for higher prices and store closures and then it turns out they’re actually full of crap. Target got caught doing that like 5 minutes ago.

      • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        7 months ago

        See you’re assuming they wouldn’t jack up the prices even without theft, as someone who studied business it’s literally taught to see how far you can push before the breaking point. line go up. It does suck in undeserved communities but there’s not much we can do, people in those communities often vote against their best interest.

        • LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          The breaking point, though, is the point when consumers will look to alternatives, e.g. a different store. As long as there are other options available, competition does usually do a decent job of keeping prices down.

          • voracitude@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            And companies in a free market would never, ever collude to keep prices high in the face of that very competition you think will keep prices down, right? In fact that’s exactly what we’re seeing right now, is prices being kept down by the absolutely healthy competition in the Canadian grocery market, right?

      • melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        if the community couldn’t afford it, they were being exploited not served. dont pretend these people are being supported by these corporations.

        if the prices go up, you should steal too. market pressures, babe.

        if this isnt sustainable, then let’s build guillotines and do something else.

      • Grimy@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Prices go up regardless of wage increases or thefts. Prices are coupled with only one thing and that is corporate greed.

  • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    What?

    I’ve watched people shoplift food several times, and they weren’t poor people just looking to eat. I watched someone run out of a M&S store and into an awaiting car with a huge bag full of meat around Christmas time, probably several hundred pounds worth.

    If someone was stealing a loaf of bread or something for themselves, I didn’t see a thing, but let’s not pretend that people aren’t stealing to make some money. Lots of people steal stuff to resell, or because they’re just dicks…

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      let’s not pretend that people aren’t stealing to make some money

      When you rob one grocery store of a 10 lb brisket, its called shoplifting.

      But when you rob every grocery store of 10% of their net revenue, its called paying your shareholders a dividend.

    • SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network
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      7 months ago

      Don’t really care about some corporations losing out on their margins after nickel and diming everyone as high as they possibly can. Especially if the end result is someone or multiple people eating.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        Here they’ve had shittier protections against shoplifting, no bags to shops and whatnot because junkies kept stealing expensive meats and cheese to sell. It sucks. Here they’re even given money to live on, housing, free food and whatnot. Hasn’t stopped it.

        • SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network
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          7 months ago

          junkies

          What a disgusting dehumanizing term. Drug addiction is a much greater issue that needs more than reactionary remarks and actions to solve. A good number are literally that desperate for money because they’ll literally die from withdrawals without whatever it is they’re addicted to. And so long as they’re being non-violent then I empathize with their struggle.

          Again, I don’t at all care about some large corporate store getting stolen from. Actions like banning bags and whatnot mean little in the face of human suffering.

          • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            Narkomaani -> narkkari, narkkari -> junkie. For me it’s a shorthand rather than an attempt to make them feel bad about it.

            A good number are literally that desperate for money because they’ll literally die from withdrawals without whatever it is they’re addicted to

            We have fairly extensive benefits programs (money, housing, programs for addiction, mental health, many sorts) but the thing about drug addiction is that it drains all the money you have. That’s why so often addicts are also stealing stuff to get more money for drugs. Sucks for them but also sucks for others who get their shit stolen. Especially bikes get stolen a lot by junkies. And sucks that because of the stealing some stores are having harder time justifying the expenses, which can lead to shops closing. I don’t think it’s ever been the sole reason here but it has been one of the reasons.

            Again, I don’t at all care about some large corporate store getting stolen from. Actions like banning bags and whatnot mean little in the face of human suffering.

            It sucks as a shopper that things are worsening because of stealing. And it’s a co-op I was thinking of so it’s not really that sort of faceless corporation. I just voted in the co-op elections, actually.

            It would be easier to empathize if they were stealing to eat instead of getting more money for drugs. Or if we had the US style system where benefits and social programs barely exist. But that’s not the case.

            • SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network
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              7 months ago

              If people are stealing for drugs then it means that the system in place isn’t meeting their current needs. The problem for a lot of addicts is that they either steal and cheat for drugs or die. Withdrawals literally have the capability to kill addicts. I don’t believe in any circumstance we should be holding money ahead of human lives.

              It’s a shame when people are stolen from, but it’s a tragedy when people die. And a system that doesn’t allow an avenue for actual recovery is a failed system.

              • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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                7 months ago

                If people are stealing for drugs then it means that the system in place isn’t meeting their current needs.

                I don’t know what I’d honestly add on top of what we now have in Finland. Housing, money, food programs, clean needles, addiction programs, programs to manage your life, all sort of stuff. What would you change or add?

                The problem for a lot of addicts is that they either steal and cheat for drugs or die. Withdrawals literally have the capability to kill addicts.

                We have free replacement drugs available to addicts. So you could get that for your withdrawals without having to steal. But many steal instead. Not sure how I’d change the system to get them to pick the replacement drugs instead of stealing.

                And a system that doesn’t allow an avenue for actual recovery is a failed system.

                What about the system in Finland doesn’t allow for actual recovery?

                • SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network
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                  7 months ago

                  Drugs in general are still illegal to possess and use under Finnish law. You need to decriminalize drug use before you can actually tackle it since it’s a health/psychology issue when it comes to the individual.

                  It’s hard to seek out proper help when you’re worried that you’ll be arrested/fined just for being an addict.

      • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        This isn’t Robin Hood. These are two guys that clearly wanted to steal food at a peak time to sell it elsewhere. The same number of people are eating, possibly less so because these guys are probably flogging their stolen shit in a pub somewhere and will likely dump what they can’t sell.

        This place is so weird sometimes. I don’t know if it’s a Lemmy or American thing, but this kind of stuff is pretty common in the UK…

        • SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network
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          7 months ago

          Grocery stores dump hundred of pound of still edible food into the garbage each and every day. And no one is eating less because of thefts from the grocery store. The main reason people are starving right now is because their grocery bill spiked and extra $100-200 for absolutely no reason other than pure greed that they were able to blame on “inflation”.

          Your problem isn’t with the addicts, its with the system that is ever antagonistic towards its people. Addicts can be hard people to deal with, but they’re still people. Now obviously if they’re acting violently there’s no excuse for action like that. But if they’re just taking food why should I care?

    • arthurpizza@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      but let’s not pretend that people aren’t stealing to make some money.

      Perhaps it’s safe to say they’re poor. Poor people often don’t have enough money. Still sounds like a job of desperation.

      • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Desperation to avoid getting a real, legal job, maybe.

        Perhaps it’s safe to say they’re poor.

        It is not. I’ve seen these scumbags’ subreddit, I’ve seen their Tumblr tags. They’re not poor, they’re just scumbag thieves.

        An actual poor person stealing necessities because they have no other choice does NOT have this ridiculous entitled mindset.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            It’s amazing, isn’t it, that there are people out there who think that poor people enjoy it for the benefits…

            • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Please, everyone knows the vast majority of you thieves and those cheering them on aren’t even poor, you’re just immoral scumbags who feel entitled to the things you steal. I’ve seen the subreddit, I’ve seen the Tumblr tags. You’re not fooling me, trying to mix yourselves in with those stealing because they have no other way to survive.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I watched someone run out of a M&S store and into an awaiting car with a huge bag full of meat around Christmas time, probably several hundred pounds worth.

      And yet Google tells me that M&S has a revenue of £11.93 billion.

      So why are you caring about them losing a few hundred of that?

      • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Because others can’t buy meat because some bellends wanted to steal it to sell during Christmas?

        I don’t give a fuck about M&S losing profit. I do give a fuck about obvious crime that puts people out…

        • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          7 months ago

          Are you unaware of the amount of meat that gets thrown out by grocery stores? In the US, it’s billions of pounds a year.

          I highly doubt they ran out of the store with an amount that did more than make someone’s job easier that night, or force someone to pivot their dinner to a different cut of meat.

          Like, I get it. I do. It’s a lot of money, and it’s against the law. But the idea that someone is going to go hungry because of the action is ridiculous.

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
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    7 months ago

    Shit if they’re stealing a TV from major corporate retailer that has pushed out all the local competition: I didn’t see that shit, either.

    Oh and people who need baby formula from Walmart: The locks used on those cabinets use a universal key. Obtain one and even if they lock up the baby formula, you can still get it. Even if you intend to pay, it’s a time saver if your Walmart is like mine and nobody ever shows up to assist you at the locked cabinets.

    • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
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      7 months ago

      The health and baby stuff sections are like “am I even in the same store?”

    • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      You think you’re hurting the corporation, but you’re hurting its employees. If a location becomes unprofitable because of too much theft, it just closes, and now all those people are out of a job because of entitled thieves’ greed.

      Also, the formula is locked up because people steal it to turn a profit fencing it, not to feed anyone who needs it out of the goodness of their heart.

      • Emerald@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        It’s not the thieves fault that people need to sell their soul to a corporation to live.

      • Syltti@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Those people being out of a job could very well be a blessing in disguise. If you work in retail long enough, you know what this means.

        • Blackrook7@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Oh yeah, I agree. Those “jobs” they provide are burden on the taxpayers, as well as driving out small businesses.

        • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Those people being out of a job could very well be a blessing in disguise.

          I’d bet anything you don’t have the guts to say this horseshit to one of their faces.

          • cae@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            He doesn’t have to. I worked in retail before and I felt like celebrating after I quit.

      • masquenox@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        If I wanted to victimize poor people to protect billionaire parasites I’d join their taxpayer-funded gang of rapists, murderers and torturers over at the local cop-shop.

  • GlitterInfection@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Unless you live where I do, where people steal mass amounts of junk food from convenience stores and then resell it at the nighttime markets to our struggling, marginalized, population of unhoused folks at an exploitative mark-up.

    Because that is actively harming me, and the community I live in.

    Though even with all that, confronting or reporting them isn’t helpful. But if asked, and I saw it, I would say so.

    • melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee
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      7 months ago

      nah still fine. if its cheaper than corpo prices, and nobody but corporate ghouls loses, why risk hurting someone over that?

      • GlitterInfection@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        They sell it at higher prices to the mentally ill and drug addicted people who are at those markets which are usually referred to as “open air drug markets.” I don’t like that term but it may give you reference to how this harms the community, though.

  • DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz
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    7 months ago

    I use to work at a grocery store and for every food item that was stolen, dozens more of the same product was thrown out for being past expiration. Like many companies they want the shelves to be full at all times, which means they over produce and order product. Nothing was recycled or donated, just straight into the trash. If I ever saw anyone stealing while I was working, I just saw it as less work I has to do with taking count and throwing out food later. Plus someone actually got to eat it!

  • Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    7 months ago

    If you see someone shoplifting, remember it isn’t your job to deal with it, stores pay security for that. getting involved is providing free labor to the company, and they get enough of that through wage theft.

  • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    Here it’s often junkies stealing expensive meats and cheese to sell. I probably wouldn’t say anything but I don’t really give a shit if they get caught either.

      • fakeaustinfloyd@ttrpg.network
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        7 months ago

        Have you never been approached by a weird dude at a gas station who is selling “fresh” meat out of a cooler in the trunk of his car?

        We live in very different places. (Not sarcasm, this has happened to me about a dozen times)

    • Skua@kbin.social
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      7 months ago

      Then I sure as fuck don’t want to risk a confrontation with a murderer over a supermarket sandwich

  • psud@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I’m not in a position to tell if someone can afford to eat. They might look like they’re employed or be dressed expensively, but people can fall on hard times suddenly

    So I’m not going to report anyone for anything except crimes against individuals