Food retailers have seen a “massive” increase in pensioner shoplifters over the last year, a security firm has said.

John Nussbaum, director of service for retail at Kingdom Security, said his staff were seeing a “different sort of shoplifter now” as the cost of living “pushes people to something they’ve never done before”.

  • thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe
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    2 days ago

    Food retailers have seen a “massive” increase in pensioner shoplifters over the last year, a security firm has said

    While I am sympathetic to anyone who has to shoplift to eat, I’d suggest a little skepticism after noting two things:

    One the time period (almost exactly lines up with the period that Labour has been in power) and,

    Two the source - the Telegraph is nicknamed the Torygraph for a reason…they are the mouth piece for the conservative party and make no bones about it.

    I’m no fan of the Blue Tories - Sir Keir would comfortably fit into the Conservative party of a decade ago (before their heads exploded) - I’m quite disappointed in their performance. But I’d counsel a little caution on taking what smells strongly of a propaganda piece at face value

    Edit Red Tories doh. The American reversed colours has seeped into my psyche lol

  • RedSnt 👓♂️🖥️
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    He added: “Retailers don’t tend to involve the police when they’re dealing with pensioners. Stores tend to want to handle it on their own.

    “It’s not good publicity for a supermarket if it got out that a pensioner had been handed over to the police for shoplifting.”

    Sounds like the numbers could be higher then, if it’s not getting reported.

    .

    But at least UK is free of the EU bureaucracy

  • Destide@feddit.uk
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    I think anyone who’s worked in retail knows they’ve always been a high demographic with shoplifting. No one reports it because it’s just an old lady/gent and mental health comes in as a blanket enablement. Now we have people unable to meet their own basic living standards and having their support taken away in benefit of the rich, you’ll obviously see a lot more of it.

    • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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      2 days ago

      Depends on the food. Not going to be overly sympathetic to someone stealing caviar and steak.

      • Phoenix3875@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Folklore says steaks can easily be converted to cash and that’s why they are more heavily guarded. Not so sure about caviar though.

        • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Where I live there are frequently people that come into pubs to sell things that were clearly stolen from the nearby Morrisons.

          I’ve found blocks of cheese to be an extremely frequently stolen item.

          Makes sense. Fairly easy to conceal, surprisingly expensive (depending on what you get, like £8-16 per kilo), doesn’t usually come with security tags like steaks often do these days, and there’s lots of potential buyers for cheese since it’s used in a lot of things and it’s bloody lovely.

          • ladfrombrad 🇬🇧@lemdro.id
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            2 days ago

            Ex-barstaff come assistant manager here from a local boozer from many, many years ago.

            We had a rule that the barstaff got first dibs on the deals if the smackheads came in with their goodies like you say (meat / coffee / Gillette triple bladers were big sellers…), and only then the customers came second. Crazy how even then your sweet old lady having her shandy top was in that queue 🙈

      • Chakravanti@monero.town
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        2 days ago

        I’m not stealing caviar and steak to eat myself. I personally don’t care much to eat such. I may be giving that all to the homeless and starving but that’s not why I’m stealing it. I would be stealing it to rape the wealthy’s notion of value and with a major fucking load being done and do irreperable damage in the means while I’m there.

          • Chakravanti@monero.town
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            2 days ago

            And you are a royal c…eh…never mind. You’ll be in the act and deny the whole shebang. Like you have a character worth any respect in the subservient fashion of sucking on some guy’s knuckles. No awareness that that that fashion is the ugliest facet of humanity still.

            • tetris11@feddit.uk
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              2 days ago

              it’s not clear if parent poster’s comment was an accusation with judgement, or just statement of fact

              • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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                2 days ago

                Mostly a statement of fact, and due to that fact there isn’t much point in debating the subject at hand.

              • Chakravanti@monero.town
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                2 days ago

                Yeah, it is. If they shared a thought in any real self respect, then they would have declared it. No, they make an observation and share zero thoughts of value because that have no thoughts of value. Theirs be fiddled entirely with that narcissistic style badger training that every heirarchy schools their slaves into know what words coo any thinkers out.

                Hence they began to insult anyone “stealing” as some kind of quality judgement of character because you can steal cheaper food and be all kinds of nice to your King.

                • tetris11@feddit.uk
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                  2 days ago

                  I read it as: he dislikes taking luxury items because it’s taking more than your needs, you like it because it’s a direct affront to capital. He said you’re an anarchist (which I think is correct?), and you started name calling

  • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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    And yet they’re the only demographic who gets a pay that always matches or exceeds inflation. Seems weird that they’d see a disproportionate increase in shoplifting.

  • Etterra@discuss.online
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    2 days ago

    Good for them. If the most vulnerable can’t afford to live, fuck the corps and government.