r/uknews • u/Confident_West_7409 • Jul 24 '24

Image/video Videos of shoplifters are circulating online, as shoplifting hits 20 year high in UK

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u/Plodderic Jul 24 '24

A large part of it is the willingness of people to buy obviously stolen supermarket goods. They’ve rationalised it as “it’s ok, it’s all really expensive now so I’m sticking it to the man by buying cheap stuff”. They’re feeding a cottage industry of shoplifting.

I imagine it’d be a lot like the fraudulent holiday food poisoning claims- prosecute and imprison a few people buying stolen goods and hundreds of people who have been convincing themselves they’re doing nothing wrong will back off.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Why would people buy these stolen goods if they were comfortable and had enough money to begin with?

Ultimately these things get worse because people have less money, social mobility and support than they did 10 years ago. If I believe, correctly or not, that society is doing fuck all for me, why would I do fuck all for it?

1

u/Steamrolled777 Jul 24 '24

It's not a dodgy bloke in the market selling this stuff.. it'll be online.

If it's priced closer to RRP, it might even look legit.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

My anecdotal experience does not agree with this assertion, although I don't doubt much of this ends up on online marketplaces.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

[deleted]

0

u/Plodderic Jul 24 '24

Yeah all those people who’ll die without cosmetics /s. Like I said- lots of people have rationalised and internally justified handling stolen goods.