Hiya all I’m Applepie123 I’m only 16 and I went into Superdrug and wanted to just take an eye brow pencil as I had lost the one I had ACTUALLY bought so I thought I’d just take it out the box and leave the box with the barcode. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice that a man was watching and if I’m being honest I didn’t care because he looked as though he was part of the general public. So I carried on and walked out the shop. As I was waiting for a friend I decided to stand by the side of the shop (which wasn’t smart) and there the man came and showed me some badge and said “can u follow me to the back of the shop miss” i didn’t want to cry so I become a bit giggly and he thought as though I wasn’t taking it seriously . He was quite rude, which in a way he kinda had right to. He asked me to hand it over and showed me the box I had left by the side. It was him and a Superdrug worker. He then asked me what my name was and my address and if I had ID to verify it. I didn’t. Then he stated that he’d have to call the police then to verify it or speak with my mother. I definitely wasn’t going to let him speak with my mother so I showed him my card which verified my name, I gave him my date of birth, my mothers name but the wrong number for my mothers telephone. He told me I’m banned from that Superdrug and many other shops in town for the next 12 months and shouldn’t be surprised if I’m caught in one and kicked out. He thrn said that I’ll receive a letter to my house stating the cost of my fine he said it could be £80, £100, which I wasn’t happy about, as he left the price unclear. Then he said u can pay it all at once or in instalments. He then took a picture of me, wrote what I was wearing, my height and made me sign a document, but also gave me some sheets to take. He escorted me out the shop , and at that point I felt so humiliated and embarrassed . I do regret doing it considering it was only £2.40 and I will never do it again. But it I was wondering if you could help me with the following 1)who will the letter come addressed to and how long does it usually take to come ?(as I don’t want my mom to see it) 2)does it state every little detail about the crime or does it just generalise it? E.g “your daughter has been caught stealing” 3)how do they calculate the fine and if anyone knows roughly how much I may have to pay? And is it worth me paying it or just ignoring it, because I feel if I just pay for it they will leave me alone and I’ll be done with it and won’t have to worry.

I am a light sleeper and have been using ear plugs to bed for quite some time. 2 weeks ago, my boyfriend picked up some of Superdrugs own-brand earplugs, which are like a soft silicone putty. He wore a pair to a concert and gave me the remaining two pairs to use. Despite the box saying they are suitable for sleeping in, after the third night of wearing them, I found that I couldn't remove one of them. It turns out that the squishy silicone softened so much with my body heat that it slipped down into my ear canal, and adhered to my ear drum. It is nigh on impossible to get rid of due to its texture - it is soft and sticky and firmly attached to the inside of my ear. I have been in and out of hospital seeing specialist ear doctors for the past week, have had time off work and have been in constant pain for 8 days now. I am due to have a procedure under general anesthetic with the very real possibility that it will cause permanent damage to my ear drum - that is if it is not already damaged (they're not sure, they can't see the drum at the moment as it's covered in a layer of silicone). My question is, is there any action I can take against Superdrug? This is clearly a product that is not fit for purpose. The product was used exactly how the box directed and was not forced down into the ear in any way. From no fault of my own, I have lost earnings, am suffering daily and potentially will have to deal with damaged hearing for the rest of my life. How would I go about seeking compensation for this disaster? (Please move if not in correct forum, wasn't sure where to post)

Hi... I dont know if anyone can help with this, but today I was out shopping with my partner whom I am a carer for. To cut a long story short, I briefly left my partner sat down somewhere to nip into Superdrug for their £1 eyebrow wax strips. I always find it quite stressful leaving my partner as they are disabled and quite vulnerable, but on this occasion it was agreed between us. Being a saturday, it was busy and when I eventually found them, the first box I picked seemed empty, so I very very briefly checked and couldnt see anything inside, so I noticed the next box along was open, so I just took the strip out of the one after that and put it in my box and off I went. The reason at the time I didnt take the one at the back is because I didnt want a pile of boxes to fall over. Off I went to the till as you do, and at the checkout point after waiting in a long queue, I was approached by someone who said they were security and he asked the gentleman behind the till to check if and how many strips were in the pack. I explained that there was only one but it originally didnt have anything in it, however on the assistant shaking the pack, another one popped out that was already on the side of the pack. I was surprised and said oh there should only be one, and then the security asked me to come in the back, at first I was confused and explained I didnt really have the time. I went in the back, and mr security was extremely rude to me and very accusational, accusing me of concealing and therefore trying to 'steal' an extra item. I explained I was very anxious to get to my partner but the staff said unless I admit to it, they would have to ring the police and have them arrest me, and stay until they arrived. Under duress, and real concern for my partner, I said fine I admit it just to be able to leave. I wasnt asked to sign anything but they took a copy of my driving licence. I was told I would receive a letter / fine from the RLP? When I met my partner, he insisted on going back to speak to them, of which I had a severe angina attack due to the stress and anxiety of the situation. The manager said that she believed me and understood but couldnt go against security. I have no idea what to do as I have never been in a situation anything like this in my life. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Claire

Hello, went in to get a prescription filled On my way out had a browse of things! I was reading some stuff on an information leaflet from inside the box, put everything back and went to leave, I was stopped by security (non uniformed) He told me he had been watching me etc. told me he knew I was trying to shoplift (I wasn't) said he had seen me put stuff in my bag, which was my prescription! Called the manager over, checked my bags etc. did all of this in the middle of the store! In the end I was let go and told I was banned from the store, They never took any details, not even my name! I had gotten my prescription filled there. Was just wondering, can they use the information from my prescription? Even if they didn't take my name? Will anything happen?

i took some small items from Superdrug. the total cost of them all would have been £10 or less. It was really stupid and my first offence. The security guard saw me and took me to a room, and asked if i had taken anything else. she then asked to see some ID (i used my provisional licence). She filled out 1 piece of paper. She told me that i would be getting a letter in the mail telling me about a fine i will have to pay between £50 and £150 (will the envelopes be obviously a fine from the outside? How many letters will they send? i don't want my parents to know as i'm so embarrassed!) The police were not called in my presence (so i assume they didn't call them at all?) they said that i was banned from superdrug for the next 6 months. She did not stipulate whether it was a nationwide ban or just that store.. I then walked through the shopping centre to go to college and the security guard told me that i wasn't allowed in any shops, only to walk through. is that permanent? how long does it last? I was calm throughout the whole process because I thought reacting another way may aggravate them. The items were returned and were in a suitable condition to be sold. I am 17 and i live with my parents. I don't have a job - will it hinder me from getting one in the future? and will it stop me from getting into uni? and will i get a criminal record or anything like a caution? Thanks and i know it was stupid, and it won't happen again. I'm so embarrassed! Please help!!

Hi, I made the biggest mistake of my life and I'm not proud of what I have done. I'm under 16 and was caught shoplifting from Superdrug today. The two products were worth about £13. As I was walking out of the store with a friend, a security guard, who wasn't in uniform, stopped us and asked us to go into the back room. We went with him and was told to empty out our handbags. Both of the items were returned and my friend was let go but I had to stay. This was the first time I had ever shoplifted and been caught, also I had never been involved with the police before. The security guard took my details, called in a psco and notified my parents. He mentioned that was banned from all superdrug stores, when will it be safe to go into a superdrug store but not the one it happened in? When my dad arrived, the psco made me sign his notes and that was it, i was let go. I've been reading a couple of threads on here and a lot of of people received a letter from RLP saying to pay a fine, will I receive one of these letter? If I do should I pay it? I don't intend on doing it ever again, I'm just really worried about what's going to happen next. Thanks for any help.

I was caught shoplifting £27 worth of goods from a superdrug store. It was a moment of madness. EXTREMELY out of character and I'm deeply ashamed. I gave the goods back to the store and it was my first offence. The police were called and they did an identity check but that's it. I was handed a civil recovery form and told I am going to get a fine from RLP in the next few weeks. After reading various threads they all say to ignore the letters. As I am moving out of the address I gave in a few months is this still a wise thing to do? I'm tempted to just pay it and get it out the way even though I'm a full time uni student and will struggle to afford the amount. I'm extremely scared, if I ignore the letters will I get taken to court or will it affect my credit rating? Also am I on a database that employers can check? I'm graduating in a few months and this has scared me a lot. I want to be 100% sure I can ignore the letters as I am moving out in a few months. Please will someone give me some advice? Thank you

Hi there, I'm not sure if my problem is relevant to this site but I don't know who else to contact, so here's hoping someone can help. This week I got questioned by the police about shoplifting in Superdrug last week. I was very confused as I didn't really get what the police officer was saying at first. I thought he was asking me if I had seen someone shoplifting. It turns out he was asking me if Ihad shoplifted. I was astounded and asked him why he thought I had done it. He then produced still images of me in Superdrug and asked me if I recognised the person in the photo. It was a little grainy and at first I was in doubt but then certain things became familiar. Apparently, because I had been at the make-up section for 40 minutes I was the most likely person to steal over £300 worth of make-up items. It wasn't just 1 of this and 1 of that, it was up to 8 of a single item! There was approximately 50 items taken. I told the officer that I had been looking for a certain lipstick and had been testing shades close to the one I wanted. He asked me if I had purchased anything and I said yes...I even made him come and look at the make-up I had purchased (purchased on my credit card and used the Superdrug loyalty card with all my details on). He then asked me if I would come to the station the following day for an interview and to watch the CCTV footage of me in Superdrug, that was within the 24 hours that the items were meant to be taken, which I agreed to do. That night I hardly slept. I was in shock and as confused as hell. How can they accuse me of shoplifting if they have me on CCTV? The thoughts of that day went through my head time and again in a confused jumble keeping me from any kind of useful rest. The following day I turned up at the station early because I couldn't sit around and wait any more. The PC met me at the door and told me he had the CCTV footage but unfortunately in was in VHS format. Not thinking about the whole of what he said, just the fact that he had the footage, I heaved a sigh of relief and said 'Thank god! I can go then!' He looked at me for a second then said 'I think you had better come and see for yourself'. I was lead to an interview room and the recorder was set up. While he was loading the DVDs, the PC told me that the interview room was used in major crimes (no pressure there!). Once the machine was recording the officer read me my rights and informed me I wasn't under arrest and could leave at any time and asked me if I wanted a solicitor, which I declined as I figured I hadn't done anything wrong so wasn't necessary. He then turned on the VCR combi TV and I flashed onto screen just walking into Superdrug with my handbag over my shoulder and a basket in my hand. He stopped the footage and asked me if I recognised the person on the footage. I confirmed it was me and he then pressed play. The footage isn't the best but it is clear enough to make out it was me. It shows me in the make-up aisle appearing to take things off the shelf fiddling with them (the images don't show features or hand details as it is of less than excellent quality) and then appearing to put them back. The CCTV camera is over the entrance pointing straight up the make-up aisle which is the first aisle in the store. Directly underneath the camera, at the very beginning of the row of make-up stands, is a member of staff stocking a new make-up display. She is within 1-4m of me. My handbag is not meant to be a shoulder bag but for convenience sake I usually use it that way. That means that when I have the bag over my shoulder the opening is under my armpit and hard to access without slipping one handle off my shoulder. While watching the footage I asked details about the crime. According to Superdrug it happened sometime between opening time on the Monday morning and sometime Tuesday morning. I had arrived at the store at 11.06am on the Monday. What an awful lot of footage to sit through...not just my boring 40 minutes but approximately 12 hours of footage. As I was moving up and down the aisle, apparently, reaching for items and putting them back the PC was asking me what each item was. In some cases I could answer that it was a lipstick tester, but considering I also bought mascara I wasn't always that sure. I told him what I remember of my time there, but I was a bit vague in places. What I remember specifically from that day is that I didn't have anything to do so had time to just browse and take as much time as I wanted. I also remember the alarm going off in the store and a lady had turned round and looked at the member of staff who was under the camera stacking the display. The member of staff told the lady to 'just ignore it, it does it all the time'. The PC couldn't understand how anyone could spend the best part of 40 minutes looking for a lipstick (had the PC been a female the question wouldn't have arisen) and all I could say was it was a good job that I wasn't in a book shop...where 40 minutes could turn into hours! After watching 20 out of the 40 minutes of the footage the officer asked me if I wanted to watch the rest of the footage as he had seen it twice and the next 20 minutes were much the same. Saying to him that I had been there and experienced it first hand I didn't need to watch the rest. He then switched off the footage, asked me if I had anything to add and informed me that he was going to talk to his superiors and Superdrug to see if they were going to proceed with a prosecution. I was stunned, there was nothing on that footage that showed me putting things in my handbag, in fact, there is no way I could fit approx 50 items in my handbag. If I did have the items in my bag then how the heck did manage to get my rather large (but mostly empty) purse out at the checkout when I went to pay for the items in the basket. I put these questions to the PC but he really didn't seem bothered. He had told me that he was meant to be neutral but that isn't the impression I got. He seemed impatient for me to not waste his precious time and to stop asking pointless (in his mind) questions. I felt judged and got a really bad feeling when he said that he was in doubt it would go further due to the bad quality of the footage. At the door of the station I asked if anyone else was being questioned and he said no, just me. I asked if he had seen the whole of the footage from the Monday opening until staff realised items were missing on the Tuesday morning. He said no and he wasn't about to. The PC said that Superdrug security had watched the footage and had just sent the footage of me as I had been in there the longest. I asked for the whole footage and he said that it was down to Superdrug and they wouldn't release the footage. I asked if they would allow an independent person to view the footage and he said no and to not even bother with asking. By this time I was in tears. I asked him to tell Superdrug to look at the whole footage again...not just my bit but the WHOLE of it, because somewhere on that footage is the person/people that did it. He didn't even bother to answer. As he went back in the station he told me he would inform me in a couple of days as to whether they would be proceeding with a case or not. I now wish I had seen the rest of the footage. I wish that I had asked if there was footage of me at the checkout. Unfortunately, my rather slow and numb thought processes didn't kick in fully until I had left. I had been asked if I had a receipt of my purchases in Superdrug and normally I refuse receipts as they clutter up my handbag. The following day I was thinking about it and thought to have a look in the recycling...just in case. Success! There it was. I obviously had a record of the transaction on my credit card statement but I needed to have an itemised account of what I had bought. I called the PC and left a message informing him of my find. A couple of hours later he returned my call and acknowledged the receipt find. He then went on to inform me that because there wasn't enough evidence the police were not going to prosecute. I think I was meant to feel relief at this but immediately the though occurred that even though they were dropping it, it didn't mean they thought I was innocent. I relayed this to the officer and he said that Superdrug weren't happy. By this stage I had popped like a pressure cooker. I was angry, humiliated and felt victimised. Why were they so quick to try and damn me but point blank refuse to give me a chance to show them that I didn't do it? I have lived in my town the best part of 45 years. I know an awful lot of people (quite a few through the charity shop that I volunteered in for 2 years). I have friends, neighbours and acquaintances in most of the shops. This is probably one of the most demeaning things to ever happen to me and I want the chance to vindicate myself. So after all of that, does anyone know who I should contact to mediate between Superdrug and myself with a view for someone to take my bag and fill it up with the items taken, while in full view of the camera and staff member, then to go to the checkout with the items I purchased in a basket and retrieve my purse from under all the stolen goods? It is a simple solution and the only way I can think to prove my innocence. I just don't know who or how to go about it. I obviously can't go into Superdrug now because if they decided to refuse to talk to me and ban me from their stores, the humiliation would probably give me a heart attack. I can't seem to find a phone number to their HQ in Croyden, just a postal address. I am a bit hesitant to send a letter as it may pass through several hands before being bought to the attention of the right person (I don't even know who that would be). I just need clear guidance as my mind is a jumble and am having difficulty getting back on track (though you can probably tell that from my rambling diatribe). I really hope someone can advise me. Thank you S

Hi, I'm wondering if any of you can help me. My sister is usually of good character, has no criminal record and has never been in trouble with the police before. Yesterday she was caught stealing approximately £50 worth of cosmetics/perfume from Superdrug. The police were not called or even notified, store security took her name, address, contact telephone number, photo and N.I number. I do not condone her behaviour but she is in a state and realises it was a stupid stupid stupid thing to do. Superdrug have banned her for life from their stores and the shopping centre it happened in have given her a two year ban. She has been told that she will recieve a letter in the post for a Civil Recovery Claim and my questions are as follows: A) How much is the CRC likely to be for? B) Can Superdrug stores ban her for life? She is worried about going in to one by mistake and getting arrested or something. C) Will this CRC and her details being put on a 'Dishonesty Database' affect any future employment etc? Will it come up in a CRB check for instance? Thanks in advance for any help .