Secret confessions of shoplifter: 'It just feels like a small rebellion'
A shoplifter tells us why she does it as unions warn it is not victimless
Last updated 22nd Sep 2023
Shoplifters are being told their crime is not victimless as Scotland's retailers are hit by sharp rise in thefts which some of the people who do it are blaming on the cost of living crisis.
Shopkeepers who belong to the Scottish Grocers' Federation told a survey they were all now exposed to theft on a daily basis.
And this week the official Scottish crime statistics showed shoplifting increased by 21% over the past year.
But this woman, who admits stealing from stores, speaking anonymously to Kerrang! Radio News says she's been driven to it just to cover the basics.
"It definitely is more rife now because of the cost of living crisis,” she says.
“That's one of the reasons I shoplift because of financial issues.
"I've been in the position before where you can't eat unless you steal, and it's not a nice position to be in, and I know there are people for whom that is their position most of the time and I'm just so grateful that I've managed to dodge that so far.
"Food, clothes occasionally, and toiletries is probably the biggest one.”
READ MORE: Glasgow protest at anti-shoplifting drive
Getting back at ‘the system’
However, the woman is also honest enough to admit that she doesn’t shoplift only out of need.
“It also comes It also comes from a place of rebelliousness, for me.
“Because I feel I've been scammed by the system, and the society we live in, so I feel like shoplifting is scamming them right back.
"When it's a big corporation literally no one is getting hurt. They have millions in insurance. I never steal from little independent places, or where people are making the items themselves or it's a family business because, well, you know.....it sucks.
"If I was financially stable maybe I would steal occasionally still because there is part of it, for me, that feels political, and it feels just like a small rebellion against the constant onslaught of capitalism that just keeps getting worse. And maybe it's also a form of escapism. Which is a privileged point of view because not everyone's in that position.
Doing it for the rush
"I don't feel like I'm in a position where I need a foodbank,” she continues.
“ I am lucky enough to be able to afford my rent and my bills, and that's what all of my money goes towards.
“I'd be lying if I said I never went on nights out, or out for dinner. So I don't want to go to a foodbank and take up resources for someone for who that is their lifeline, and that is the only way they can get food when, realistically, my stealing is on top of the things that I can afford with my wage.
"There undoubtedly is a rush when you get away with it - which I always have so far - but the anxiety it causes me to know that I can't necessarily afford the things I am stealing, anyway, is not worth, to me, the rush of shoplifting. I don't know if I was financially stable if it would still have the urge. The anxiety of - a lot of the time - needing to shoplift in order to lead a normal life outweighs the benefits.
Staff abuse
But a union which represents retail staff says its members are facing a rise in abuse linked to the crime.
Tracey Gilbert from USDAW told us: "Staff are always worried if they're on a shift of their own. They never know when the shoplifters are going to come in. If they're repeat offenders they are worried about their health and safety.
"The information we're receiving is that it's more organised now, and it's higher-priced items which are being stolen, often to order, to sell on for gangs to make money. "