Sainsbury's shoplifting - manager kept all my shopping

[Noob123]

I got caught shoplifting today at Sainsbury's - not my finest moment for sure. I paid for most of my shopping but left some items in the bag.

 

When I was stopped and taken to the back, I did not have my receipt for them to check the items. I did show them that I'd spent £45 on my shopping with my online bank app which shows the transactions immediately. One of the security guards left to get a printout of my receipt from the till but never came back.

 

Instead, the acting manager came in whilst the other security guard was taking down my details and he told me to leave ALL my shopping there or he would call the police. They then gave me a letter banning me from all Sainsbury's and I left without any of my paid shopping or any of my bags.

 

I was so mortified I did not ask to take my shopping but now I've read on here that I may be contacted for losses, I feel like the manager used extortion and intimidation and I should have been allowed to keep the shopping I'd paid for?

 

Do I just leave it and accept it as a small price to pay for my stupidity or should I try to get a refund on the items Sainsbury's took from me?

 

 

[dx100uk]

well you ignore stupid RLP or DWF whomever they currently use

if they have your paid for shopping

either demand it back 

or

ask for a full refund if its perishable goods.

they cant do that.

 

dx

 

[Noob123]

Thank you for your reply.

 

How would I go about doing that?

I walked out mortified and am ashamed to show my face and go back in to talk to them.

 

I have the acting manager's name, should I contact them directly to demand a refund or write to head office?

 

Either way, do I have a leg to stand on if I just left everything there and have no proof other than my debit card transaction confirmation?

 

This was a few hours ago now so I imagine they will have put everything back on the shelves or thrown them out. 

[dx100uk]

contact the acting manager

just tell him you want a refund 

they'll have the receipt of what you actually paid and purchased

[Noob123]

It was the acting manager who told me to leave all my shopping or he would call the police. He was quite rude and intimidating, so I'm worried about how he would respond to this. Could he take any further legal action or contact the police if I got in touch? 

 

Also, they took a picture of me with a mobile phone and I was going to ask them about GDPR and if they were allowed to keep a picture of me on file but again was too flustered and mortified to say anything.

From what I've read on here they can't share it with staff bit wondering what can be done about that, if anything?

[BazzaS]

You can’t go back : you are banned from the store. If you go back you will be a trespasser.

 

You can phone the store, speak to a manager and ask for permission (as a one off) to come pick up the goods you have paid for, or you can speak / write to head office.

 

The downside of doing so is if they decide, in response, to refer the matter to the police (although that is very unlikely!).

Edited August 3, 2019 by BazzaS

[dx100uk]

what was said and done was to frighten you..did a good job...

you are legally entitled for what you have paid for or a refund.

stuff stupid civil debt chasers.

 

the police will not be interested at all.

probably more so they have your shopping!!

 

 

[Noob123]

Thank you. I do want to contact them but am worried about implicating myself further, especially if they pull up the CCTV footage and see that I did indeed keep things in my bag. Wouldn't want to get the police involved and get into more trouble.

 

I'm annoyed at how the manager treated me and threatened to call the police if I didn't just leave all my shopping with them. He said 'as far as I'm concerned, this is all ours.' I also have reason to believe that he was recording the conversation on his iPhone without my consent, as upon reflection he kept twiddling with his phone during the event. And I'm worried about what he will do with the photo he took of me.

 

Maybe I should just let it go and chalk it up to my stupidity but it's been playing on my mind a lot. 

[ericsbrother]

The only stupidity you can chalk up is letting the manager steal your property.

Go to your bank and do a recharge but I would phone up Sainsburys customer services first and tell them that you are going to do this and why. I'm sure they will get back to yu soon enough.

You should also demand a copy fo the recording and any other data they hold on you from that incident and again make it clear who did what as you can bet that the manager has no authority to use his phone to record you and that will not sit well in the Information Commissioner's thoughts.

 

the idiot at the store is less honest then you.

 

They wont refer anything to the police, they cant because they have screwed up and anything they have gathered is inadmissable as evidence so even if the police ignored their ACPO guidelines on petty theft and the value of items stolen or damaged you wont fare any worse

[king12345]

Or...

You can take a pragmatic approach:

You stole and got what you deserved,  you were the only cause of your trouble.

£45 loss: is it worth approaching anyone and say: "look, i was stealing from your store, but to make the perfect theft i actually paid for some of the goods. You caught me and i want my £45 back now".

I wouldn't have the guts to do that, would you?

Regarding the way you were treated, what do you expect?

I'm afraid that we are becoming too soft against crime in all of Europe,  more so in Uk.

Giving shoplifters the 5 star hotel customer service treatment is now expected by all, but really, are we being realistic?

Would you be kind to your burglar after you caught him stealing your stuff in your house?

[BazzaS]

King : make your mind up.

you say on another thread that (a jeweller not returning a ring as the repairer is in hospital... and the staff don’t know where the ring is) is theft.

you quote S1 of the theft act 1968 there: 

To appropriate rights over property of another, with dishonest intent to permanently deprive.

 

So, for the property that was paid for, why isn’t the store keeping it theft?

English law doesn’t recognise “two wrongs making a right” that you seem to be suggesting .....

 

Is the store keeping the £45 of paid for goods theft or not? 

Edited August 5, 2019 by BazzaS

[king12345]

It is, no doubt about it.

But if the op wants to recover the £45 at cost of greater embarrassment and possibly police involvement,  (which is always a possibility although remote) then I would personally accept the theft.

Similarly if I went to punch someone,  they dodged and punched me so to break my jaw; I wouldn't be complaining. 

Mine is a pragmatic approach as stated, then the op can always demand the £45 back and an apology for how he was treated.

I wouldn't have the face to do it, not after been caught shoplifting. 

Another thing I would consider is: how many of those £45 I have taken home without paying in the past?

Or was I so unlucky to be caught at my first attempt?

[BazzaS]

“Similarly if I went to punch someone,  they dodged and punched me so to break my jaw; I wouldn't be complaining”

 

(if you had a broken jaw, you probably wouldn’t be complaining, at least not via speech).

However, yours is a false comparison.

The law allows for use of reasonable force in self defence. If the force used was unreasonable then it becomes a battery / ABH, etc.

 

The law doesn’t say “if someone tries to steal from you, you can steal the shopping they did pay for”

Edited August 5, 2019 by BazzaS

[king12345]

Absolutely right, my point is:

Have you got the face to ask for the £45 back?

I wouldn't. 

Also see my last point: 

15 minutes ago, king12345 said:

how many of those £45 I have taken home without paying in the past?

Or was I so unlucky to be caught at my first attempt?

 

[dx100uk]

1st sign of madness?