I witnessed shop lifting in Accrington's Holland & Barrett today

[Jameshow]

Our experience was fairly minor really in that a gang of shoplifters would start at one end of our street but as soon as identified as a problem word got out to all the other shops with descriptions so they were constantly monitored.
Mostly we just had petty theft and large groups like bus parties were the main problem.
This of course is well away from inner city so a different type of shoplifter.

Did the local Bobby go round and give them a clip round the ear? Then your father gave you a good hiding later! 🤣

 

[oldwheels]

Did the local Bobby go round and give them a clip round the ear? Then your father gave you a good hiding later! 🤣

That would have been a couple of generations ago tho’ within my memory the plod had to do a blue light run to catch a miscreant before the lynch mob got him. The local population has mostly been driven out now so more hand wringing types now rather than direct action.
The bus parties and cruise liner types are mostly OAP,s so nobody to give them a clip round the ear.

 

[Beebo]

Shop lifting only works if people are prepared to buy the stuff.
Who would ever buy a load of steak or cheese from a guy in the pub? But people clearly do. And they are knowingly supporting crime.

 

[albion]

Unfortunately people can be more stupid than turkeys.

 

[DRM]

Yet go and film outside a Police Station and you'll be instantly surrounded by at least 2 to 5 brave hero's demanding i.d whilst carrying out a lawful activity, possibly falsely arrested under the anti terrorism act, then get a huge payout from plod, isn't Britain fantastic!!

 

[classic33]

Shop lifting only works if people are prepared to buy the stuff.
Who would ever buy a load of steak or cheese from a guy in the pub? But people clearly do. And they are knowingly supporting crime.

When you see where they hide some of the stuff you might pause before touching much less eating it.
Store security followed one lad with a frozen leg of lamb down the front of his trousers, whilst he made his way round the store and then back up to the town center.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

That's why in a lot of stores there are 'fake' cartons these days to stop large-scale shoplifting of expensive items.

In Dewsbury it's got as bad as 'fake' coffee jars.

This is not new. Forty years ago, Woolies would have the real LP's behind the counter with only the sleeves on display.

 

[Drago]

Sadly there just ain't enough dibble, and those that are available have their time wasted by the scrambled egg ranks policing twitter because someone said something unkind about someone. Fortunately I got out before this got totally ridiculous, but it was bad enough even then.

 

[oldwheels]

It was the custom in most distilleries to give a ( large) dram daily direct from the cask to all workers who turned up at stopping time.
Our C&E Officer told me of the time he was supervising this ceremony and noticed one guy who was TT had a dram and then went to the water tap round the corner to wash it down. He followed him round and discovered him spitting the large mouthful of whisky into a bottle which when full was sold in the locality.
Solved the mystery of illicit whisky sale anyway as rumour had spread to his ears.

 

[wiggydiggy]

This is not new. Forty years ago, Woolies would have the real LP's behind the counter with only the sleeves on display.

It's not, but 40 years ago people weren't stealing coffee so often that fake coffee jars needed to be deployed.

 

[albion]

It was Mellow Birds back then

 

[Accy cyclist]

Shop lifting only works if people are prepared to buy the stuff.
Who would ever buy a load of steak or cheese from a guy in the pub? But people clearly do. And they are knowingly supporting crime.

Wetherspoons in Accrington is the place to buy and sell locally shoplifted stuff, I've heard off shopkeepers.

 

[classic33]

It was Mellow Birds back then

Is that why it made you smile?

 

[classic33]

Our experience was fairly minor really in that a gang of shoplifters would start at one end of our street but as soon as identified as a problem word got out to all the other shops with descriptions so they were constantly monitored.
Mostly we just had petty theft and large groups like bus parties were the main problem.
This of course is well away from inner city so a different type of shoplifter.

Very little difference to those that go shoplifting in cities. They've identified a soft spot, and take advantage of it.
If the known main problem was bus parties, why didn't the bus/coach companies do anything.

At the least, they could be said to aiding and abetting. Something that no transport company could or can afford.

 

[oldwheels]

Very little difference to those that go shoplifting in cities. They've identified a soft spot, and take advantage of it.
If the known main problem was bus parties, why didn't the bus/coach companies do anything.

At the least, they could be said to aiding and abetting. Something that no transport company could or can afford.

Not sure why the bus company has any responsibility for the behaviour of it's passengers. They can hardly vet everybody who travels and how would they do it anyway?
I think some members of this forum have been on bus tours but there is no suggestion they would do anything amiss.