Should I Feel Bad, I Inadvertently Stole from Woolworths

Hoju on 18/06/2015 - 10:38

So, I think I feel bad.

Just got back from a Woolies shop. At self checkout, the items totalled $47. I had used an everyday rewards deal that said I'd get X $5 product free when I swiped my card. Went through the process and all groceries in the bags and trolley ready and about to pay but the $5 hadn't come off. Meanwhile my toddler was running out of control (one of those days) and I had a bladder about to give way. I called the attendant who went through the deal on my phone, the items on the checkout screen and eventually took me and my trolley through to the front desk where she told the person the discount hadn't come off. They did the same thing then said ok we'll give your money back and handed me the $5. Meanwhile my toddler has run out down the escalators to go up and down…

Anyway, it wasn't til I got to the car that I realised I never actually paid for the shopping!
I could have grabbed my kid and gone back up to pay but… yeh.

What would you guys have done?

Poll Options

  • 335
    Yes, you stole and should go back and pay the money then say 400 hail marys
  • 164
    It's just one of those things that happen, make the most of it as the big guy usually wins
  • 47
    DAMN! If only you'd had a bigger shop!
Food & Grocery

Related Stores

Woolworths
Woolworths

Comments

  • King Steuart on 20/06/2015 - 11:46
    +2

    Stores like this have security monitoring cameras so all it takes is for one employee to say "hang on, I don't think she paid for that" for it to become a police investigation.

    They have footage of you leaving the store without paying, getting in your car and driving off. You could easily expect a knock at the door from police if anyone in that store figures it out.

    If you want that off your concious, I'd suggest next time at least let them know what happened and see if they want to do anything about it. They'll probably just say "that's fine, thanks for being honest" but at least then you won't have to worry about a shopsteal on your record.

    As I said, all it takes is one employee to realise. How many of them assisted you at the checkout?

    • King Steuart on 20/06/2015 - 11:48
      +1

      P.S. Look up theft laws for those that are saying they don't think it's theft. If you use anything you stole then you have "intention to permanently deprive" so you will have no legs to stand on in court. ESPECIALLY if Woolworths found this thread.

  • AMLagonda on 20/06/2015 - 13:10

    Question was "Should I Feel Bad"

    Well no you shouldnt….

  • diddy50 on 20/06/2015 - 14:11

    Is funny that most people who are saying evil person it is stealing are the same ones who scan a kilo of $5kg apples as the cheaper $2kg alternative etc.

    Stealing is stealing… $2 or $47 same same

    • King Steuart on 20/06/2015 - 15:03

      Can you provide us of an example of someone in this thread that has said "evil person" and has also posted in another thread that they have scanned a fruit or vegetable at a different price in the self-serve?

      • diddy50 on 20/06/2015 - 15:13

        It's not literal.

        It's more the gist of some people in this thread.

  • dbun1 on 20/06/2015 - 15:46
    +1

    I was at Bunnings and grabbed a spark plug. I had to get some drink coolers too for a party, so stuffed the spark plug into my back pocket so I could use two hands.
    It wasn't until I got into the car and sat on it that I realised I had forgotten about it.

    I went back in and paid for it. Didn't tell anyone though. Just walked in and went through the register again.

  • Lenneth on 20/06/2015 - 21:32

    I would have controlled my kid and strapped their arms and mouth to the stroller so this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

  • Donaldhump on 20/06/2015 - 21:35
    +1

    take it back and pay, otherwise your a theif.

    • jackary on 21/06/2015 - 01:58

      Well I'm the literacy police, and I'm coming to get you.

      • Donaldhump on 22/06/2015 - 21:04

        you took your time, ive been commiting crimes against literacy for many years. i should be on death row by now

        • jackary on 22/06/2015 - 21:05

          Alright than.

  • turkz1 on 20/06/2015 - 21:47
    +2

    The only thing I want to say in regards to this is that these retailers mark up their items specifically to cover these losses. That means that the more people steal (intentional or not) the more they have to levy those costs onto other honest consumers. If you can live with that then go right ahead but I don't think it's right that my selfishness puts a toll on everyone else. Especially if I can easily afford the items that I picked up. If you think about it people who can barely afford keeping up with food expenses shop at colesworth too. Do you really think it's fair that these people and everyone else should pay X% more on everything because you couldn't be inconvenienced enough to go back and pay for your goods? If your conscience can take good for you but I for one know that mine can't.

  • Lindseymay on 20/06/2015 - 21:59
    +1

    I would have come back and paid, so I didn't have to feel guilty now.

  • Winterbear on 20/06/2015 - 23:44
    +1

    We all love BARGAIN but I hope you don't want to be a thief.

  • Diji1 on 21/06/2015 - 10:23

    Should I Feel Bad, I Inadvertently Stole from Woolworths

    I wouldn't feel bad if I meant to steal (until I was caught LEL …) so why the hell would you feel bad if you didn't mean to do it which isn't really stealing if you take the definition of stealing to mean the perpertrator has to be aware of their actions.

    I suspect you will recieve no benefit at all from returning the items. Except maybe resting easier … but it wouldn't keep me awake at night.

    I thought I'd add …

    I used to commit larceny (which is the proper name for "shoplifting") right up until I got caught: got arrested and then unarrested so I didn't go through being booked into a remand facility but turning up to court to be held accountable was bad enough :D …but it was also a reality check. I'm trying to steal $600 shirts because I cannot afford these items but most people in court that day were stealing everyday items like 1 tray of sausages and I seem to remember that someone was there for stealing a pen worth 10c or something. Ridiculous LEL.

    Learnt me lesson though, never commited the crime of larceny since.

  • 6828 on 21/06/2015 - 11:53
    +1

    I wonder what would happen if you returned to a store saying;

    "I had every intention of stealing these goods but I've had a moral change of mind and have decided to come back and let you know so I can pay for the goods"

    As a salesperson I'm not sure what I would do if someone did that where I worked.

    I've had people come back and say:

    "I've bought all this other stuff but didn't realise I didn't pay for this other item"

    To which I've said:

    "Because of your honesty I'm going to give you a discount on the other non-paid item to reward your honesty" We would have lost the total cost of the item as a store anyway so why not :)

    Tony

  • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2015 - 12:15

    Yes, you stole. Yes, it's illegal.

    But you didn't get caught, it was a small amount in the grand scheme of things and no one was killed or raped. Nothing is going to harm you as payback and you aren't cursed. Just keep it, or if it bothers you that much, just go and return it.

  • PVA on 21/06/2015 - 14:15

    it's fine, they have you on video and passed it onto security as a shop lifter and will grab you next time you enter.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2015 - 14:36

      Being this retarded

      • PVA on 22/06/2015 - 20:47

        i was being sarcastic sir.

        • [Deactivated] on 23/06/2015 - 06:24

          Nah, I was being double sarcastic, gotcha

  • mightyfes on 21/06/2015 - 20:15
    -1

    Imagine the stress you are causing the checkout person. I'd go back and pay but I don't think you're a bad person.

  • Zylam Marex on 22/06/2015 - 01:07
    +1

    If it wasn't a serious problem to get back up there with your baby, you should have gone back and paid for the groceries. It's not about the money but the principle. If you were in a position where someone took goods from you and forgot to pay, how would you like it if their excuse was, sorry I went down stairs and couldn't he bothered to come up and pay.

    The reason why you opened this thread is because of the guilt, you just want random strangers to tell you it was OK to reduce the guilt.

    Principle is a large thing, it separates you from other tiers of life. If you are perfectly happy to not go back and pay, not because it's a money issue, not because it's a emergency to go back, but just because you cannot be bothered, whichever way you spin that, it's not right.

  • Tripnfelt on 22/06/2015 - 03:00
    +3

    I accidentally left a can of deodorant I had paid for at the self serve chkout yesterday and didn't realize until I got home - my fault and wasn't fazed to go back and ask for it, also recently opened a tin of dog food that was compromised and full of mold, also didn't bother to chase it up for a refund/exchange. I don't like to appear like the cheapskate I am in real life - so if there's more people like me it probably evens out accidental theft of others.

  • zappy32 on 22/06/2015 - 07:30

    I don't know what I'd do honestly, I'd probably go back and offer to pay especially if it was my local but I've also been ripped off enough times by Coles and Woolies that this made me smile - especially getting the extra fiver. If I could get a refund for every advertised price I didn't get or reduced sticker not applied to my groceries I only noticed when I got home it would be far more than $47.

    If anyone thinks Woolies would chase down someone they overcharged or a supplier that was underpaid or strong armed in to selling under cost, they're kidding themselves.

  • FittyFitty on 22/06/2015 - 07:50

    By all accounts, your theft was not "inadvertent"; you knew exactly what was going on the moment you exited the checkout, and now you are looking for a way to absolve yourself of the innate unease one would feel in such a circumstance. The good news is that you do still have conscience; act on it. :)

  • frostman on 22/06/2015 - 09:03
    +3

    Meanwhile my toddler was running out of control (one of those days) and I had a bladder about to give way

    Welcome to parenthood, this does not come at a surprise (nor excuse for stupidity)

    Anyway, it wasn't til I got to the car that I realised I never actually paid for the shopping! I could have grabbed my kid and gone back up to pay but… yeh.

    WTF do you mean by "but.. yeh". You downright stole from Woolworths. This is plain theft, doesn't matter whether Woolworth s are a single entity (person) or a company, chain, or franchise worth 100 billion. It is theft. how dare you even feed your toddler stolen food that you haven't paid for?
    The fact that you came here seeking approval and justification is enough to suggest what you did is wrong. What's worse is that you realised your mistake in the carpark and didn't bother to go back up

    Go back to Woolies, buy a $50 gift card and shred it or throw it in the bin.

  • JetLi on 22/06/2015 - 11:37

    Just donate $50 to a deserving charity and you'll feel better about yourself.

  • ajwatts on 22/06/2015 - 14:14
    +1

    I have done the same thing. Two days later when I realised, I went back and offered to pay. They thanked me for coming back, but let it go. I insisted three or four times, but they said it was 50% their fault, so called it even.

  • cheezal on 22/06/2015 - 21:02
    +1

    Once I bought groceries at Bi-lo worth $18 with a $50. They gave me back the $50 note and the correct change. I went straight back in once I realised.

  • Pacify on 23/06/2015 - 15:25
    +2

    Its woolworths.

    I really dont think accidentally taking a few items is going to dent their ABSOLUTELY INSANELY LARGE PROFITS.

    Our supermarket chains are the most profitable in the world, their near duopoly status is nothing short of a disgrace. Their predatory practises in the way they treat primary producers is just shocking.

    • King Steuart on 24/06/2015 - 12:01

      It's not going to put a dent in their profits, but their overall loss as a result of theft each year would get factored in to their price rises. So before we all pat Greenspoon on the head and say it's all OK, we should perhaps think about the thousands of people that "lucked out" and did the same thing that Greenspoon did this year and look at the correlation as to why our grocery bill rises by a few bucks each year.

      • Pacify on 24/06/2015 - 19:22

        Haha, cmon. They saving more per year from swapping to self-checkout than the entire amount stolen per year times 10.

        • King Steuart on 24/06/2015 - 21:27

          Hey I'm not the one you need to convince. It's the head honchos at woolies that would take one look at increased theft reports and say "no worries, just increase the prices across the board."

    • Dan_ on 25/06/2015 - 17:41

      ABSOLUTELY INSANELY LARGE PROFITS

      So what? How is this relevant to the topic of discussion?

  • grasstown on 24/06/2015 - 08:44
    -1

    You stole as soon as you decided not to return it, so the word "inadvertently" is misplaced. "Intentionally" is more accurate.

  • l005e on 25/06/2015 - 05:22

    woolies steals from us every day with the price of petrol

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