Stacey Dooley, the acclaimed producer and actress, leads this 2025 Hollywood English movie, delving into the complex world of shoplifting. Known for her insightful investigative work, Dooley uncovers the stories and motivations behind this pervasive issue. This film promises a compelling and thought-provoking exploration.
stacey-dooley shoplifters documentary investigative english-movie 2025-film social-issues crime
#StaceyDooley #MeetTheShoplifters #FullMovie #Documentary2025
stacey-dooley shoplifters documentary investigative english-movie 2025-film social-issues crime
#StaceyDooley #MeetTheShoplifters #FullMovie #Documentary2025
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00:01Shoplifting is at its highest since records began,
00:05with an astonishing 55,000 thefts a day.
00:10It's becoming wilder and more brazen.
00:13Incidents of abuse and violence have skyrocketed.
00:18Gangs are clearing shelves en masse,
00:20and a third of us are now admitting to stealing from the self-checkouts.
00:25It's everywhere, right?
00:27It's never been this bad, it's never been this prolific.
00:30Who's doing it now? Why are they doing it now?
00:34I think she's called security.
00:36So, over the last eight months, I've spent time on the shop floor.
00:40Can I have the eyelashes back, please?
00:41Oh, I didn't want to take them, though.
00:42You had every intention. You stupid bitch. No, I didn't.
00:45And spoken to a whole range of Britain shoplifters.
00:50What's wrong with me not wanting to pay if I could get it for free?
00:54Most have wanted to hide their identities,
00:56but others have been pretty up front.
00:58Can you tell the difference between stolen bought?
01:01I've been getting to grips with this new wave of thieving.
01:04Spices, sauces, tofu quite a lot.
01:07Tofu? Yeah.
01:08Very middle-class pinch. Yeah, it's true.
01:11I'm trying to work out whether it's just become too easy,
01:14or are we just turning into a nation of shoplifters?
01:25Down Manchester's central shopping street,
01:27Health and Beauty Chain Body Care have said,
01:30I can spend time in one of their biggest and most stolen from stores.
01:35Hey, please.
01:36Morning.
01:37Looking for Rachel.
01:41I cannot tell you, there was one of these in Luton
01:43and I spent so much time in body care.
01:46You need to make sure they're facing that way.
01:49So, Rachel, how long have you worked here?
01:51Coming up nearly 13 years.
01:54Has it really that long?
01:55Yeah.
01:56So, I've seen quite a lot since...
01:58I bet, yeah.
01:59...my time here.
02:00And, sort of, as things stand now,
02:02how would you describe shoplifting?
02:05Worse than it's ever been before.
02:08So, it could be every hour or something.
02:11Hourly?
02:12That frequent?
02:13Yeah.
02:14It's gone from, like, obviously your everyday shoplifters
02:17to it could be anyone.
02:19And what are they pinching?
02:21Anything.
02:22Lipsticks.
02:23Toothbrushes.
02:24Anything that's not...
02:25Shower gels.
02:26Anything that's not glued down.
02:27Anything that's not screwed down.
02:29Oh.
02:30Are you the boss?
02:31I am, yes.
02:32I thought so.
02:33You're a million miles an hour.
02:34Always, like, fixing things or tidying the shelves.
02:38Tell me, sort of, who tends to pinch the make-up?
02:41It's mostly the school kids.
02:43Younger girls.
02:44Younger girls, yeah.
02:45It's just so easy to just put up your sleeve, though,
02:47when you've got long sleeve tops on and...
02:50It'll be the body sprays and the make-up
02:52and the lashes for the school kids.
02:54These?
02:55Top shelves.
02:56Oh, they're picky?
02:57Yeah, yeah.
02:58Not any old body spray?
02:59No, no, no.
03:00It'll be the top ones, cos they're dearer.
03:03Nationally, retailers lose £2.2 billion a year to theft.
03:08And to avoid more losses,
03:10the staff split their time between stocking shelves
03:13and looking out for potential shoplifters.
03:16It's got a good view of who comes in and out
03:19whilst I'm doing this, so it's two jobs in one.
03:23It's funny, isn't it, just looking at things
03:24from a different point of view.
03:25It's like, suddenly everyone's a suspect,
03:28you know what I mean?
03:29I thought it was some kind of...
03:32Detective.
03:33Dooley.
03:34Dooley-detective.
03:36Detective Dooley.
03:38Hey, Alan.
03:40They're totally on it.
03:42They've got something, I think.
03:43Yeah.
03:44What did they say?
03:45I think she's got it under her hood, but I'm not sure.
03:48But the little lads are getting them for her, I think.
03:51Where have they gone?
03:52It's these two.
03:53These two lads, erm, behind you.
03:57He's got something.
04:05They've got the arm, cos Alison and Rachel are chasing around the shot.
04:07They're going, oh, they're just following us, they're following us.
04:13Rachel's on it.
04:14The lads have gone that way.
04:16The girls have gone that way.
04:17Yeah, so they probably had, er, something like that, hadn't they?
04:20Yeah, cos the girls had two.
04:22What?
04:23Did they pay for him?
04:24No.
04:25Yeah, so you was right, they had him.
04:26See me, I'm not daft.
04:27I'm the new Rachel.
04:28I've got six cents.
04:29Turned into me.
04:30I am.
04:31Stacey's here.
04:32I've got a Stacey cent.
04:33Staff won't call the police in most cases, believing they're unlikely to attend unless
04:40it's very serious or involves violence.
04:43A big reason for this is that shoplifting was reclassified ten years ago, meaning stealing
04:48goods worth less than £200 is now a minor offence.
04:53Oh, where have we gone?
04:54Shoplifting girls.
04:55You are? Cos we kicked you out the other week.
04:57No, I'm actually not, you know.
04:58We kicked you out the other week.
05:00You know what?
05:01The government have said they plan to scrap the £200 rule, but for now it's the staff
05:07on the shop floor who have to deal with the fallout.
05:10Next, I've got him back off then.
05:13Did I walk out with any clothes of that?
05:15No, but you will have.
05:16No.
05:17Yeah, you would have.
05:18Did you radio it through?
05:21So he's scared.
05:22He's walking him out now.
05:23OK.
05:24Bodycare advise staff to try and stop thieving before it takes place.
05:29Get the stock back where they can and ban the shoplifters.
05:33Yeah, he was actually in the other day with gift sets again.
05:38And obviously if you've not got your eye on here, you would have had them.
05:41You probably would have even bagged them here.
05:44At least I caught one.
05:47Like many retailers, they've invested heavily in CCTV to try and prevent theft.
05:54Shoplifting is obviously through the roof.
05:56And sometimes when you come into a shop and you're just a member of the public, you don't
06:01actually understand what the shop goes through or what the staff go through on a daily basis
06:06in here.
06:07It is difficult.
06:08It is difficult.
06:09It's hard when all the staff are working flat out and people are coming in and shoplifting.
06:15So that does have a massive impact on things.
06:17If the company doesn't profit, then when the wages go up, no one's getting a decent pay
06:21vice.
06:22That's hard.
06:23That's hard for all of us.
06:24Because I think some shoplifters tell themselves, oh, it's a victimless crime if they're taking
06:30from bigger organisations.
06:32It's not a victimless crime.
06:34Somebody always pays the price for it down the line.
06:37And for us, it eats the staff in here.
06:47Yeah, I'm a big fan of boots.
06:49Most of my stuff does come from here.
06:53Around the corner from body care, 22-year-old recent graduate Chloe is window shopping.
06:59She regularly steals beauty products from high street chains.
07:03Moisturiser, makeup, eye cream, mostly just stuff that society makes me use.
07:10And I've got quite dry skin and this nice moisturiser is really expensive.
07:14It went up three quid last month and it was about 15 pounds.
07:18And if you want to keep putting up the price, I'm going to keep stealing it.
07:22I do take a couple of things from around here.
07:27But I'm not a fan of H&M.
07:30I do quite like stealing from Primark.
07:33No guilt.
07:34No guilt.
07:38On the edge of the city, I head over to Chloe's shared house.
07:42Do you want me to take my shoes off?
07:44Yeah.
07:45Yes, please.
07:46One minute.
07:47She's requested that parts of her identity, including her house, are anonymised because
07:52she's worried about damaging her future job prospects.
07:56This isn't what I was expecting, actually.
07:59Quite colourful.
08:01Quite pretty.
08:02Mm-hmm.
08:03How much of this is robbed?
08:06That's robbed.
08:07This is robbed.
08:09That's robbed.
08:10Everything in here.
08:11That's all robbed, isn't it?
08:12Yeah, it's all robbed.
08:14That's my favourite moisturiser.
08:17Is it a happy home?
08:18Definitely.
08:19Yeah.
08:20I like living here.
08:21Yeah.
08:22I know you've lucked out, really, haven't you?
08:23So, in there, you've lots of plastic accessories.
08:26Is that what you like stealing?
08:28So, I do like to accessorise, but I don't really like fueling the consumption of oil and
08:33plastic.
08:34I think people might struggle to understand that.
08:36You're not into plastic, but you often steal plastic hair clips and plastic accessories.
08:41Um, I think that's a little bit more selfish, because they sell them for so expensive and
08:48they make them for so cheap that I do want to enjoy this, because I've developed my wardrobe
08:54sustainably by stealing things.
08:56I can be proud of that.
08:58Do you feel any shame about shoplifting?
09:00Sometimes, when I brought it up to some friends who disapproved, I did feel some shame, but
09:05I don't really, really let it affect me much.
09:08So, it doesn't penetrate too much?
09:09No, not really.
09:10It was more fleeting?
09:11Yeah, definitely more fleeting.
09:12It happens and then I forget about it.
09:14Hmm.
09:15Let's go and have a sit down.
09:16I'll follow you.
09:17Right.
09:18So, it's a political stand from your point of view, your behaviour.
09:22Hmm.
09:23What would you say to those who would put to you, we'll just boycott the products altogether?
09:27That's sending a louder message.
09:29I'm probably not hurting these companies that much by stealing from them, because there's
09:35a lot of companies that have billions of insurance for shoplifting.
09:39So, I think I still get to enjoy the products.
09:42It's hurting the company.
09:44Hurting the company to me anyway, and I don't get to miss out.
09:47As well as not endorsing these companies that are involved in slave labour and war crimes.
09:52So, I, yeah, I'm fully independent and if I want something, then why not?
09:59Chloe's views aren't that uncommon for people under 25.
10:04When surveyed, over half thought it was now okay to steal from big chains.
10:15She's got a pack of eyelashes in her hand.
10:17Excuse me.
10:18Can we have the eyelashes back, please?
10:20What?
10:21You had a pack of eyelashes.
10:22Do you know where they are?
10:23I put them back.
10:24Do you want to show me where you got them?
10:25Back in body care and Dips and Rachel are trying to stop a couple of girls they believe
10:28are stealing eyelashes.
10:29Are they in your pocket?
10:30Call security then.
10:31Don't come in again.
10:32You're on camera.
10:33What?
10:34I didn't even take them though.
10:35Yeah, you had every intention.
10:36Stupid bitch.
10:37No, I didn't.
10:38Yeah, you did.
10:39I put them back.
10:40All right, bye.
10:41Fucking done like this.
10:42Racist.
10:43So the abuse you get from her.
10:48The chains say incidents of violence and abuse are a common occurrence in many of their
10:57shops.
10:58And across the UK, incidents have jumped in the last year from 1300 to 2000 a day.
11:05You're getting out babe?
11:06Is it okay?
11:07It goes.
11:08So it was all just the back chat.
11:12Yeah.
11:13So I said, stop vaping.
11:14And then they're just sort of looking and you're going, I'm not vaping.
11:16And then it's all at the door.
11:17Just, you know, you're ugly.
11:18These kids, I don't, I can't, these kids.
11:1914, 15 year olds.
11:20It's the kids shouting at you.
11:21Mm-hmm.
11:22The challenge.
11:23And then it's, can you take out your pocket?
11:24I haven't got anything in my pocket.
11:25But it's in your pocket.
11:26I can see it in your pocket.
11:27It's an item you're just taking off the shelf.
11:28Can you take out your pocket?
11:29I haven't got anything.
11:30And then take it out and sling it across the shop and then drink it.
11:31And then it's, you know, it's all at the door.
11:32And then it's, you know, you're ugly and.
11:33These kids, I don't know.
11:34These kids, I don't know.
11:35And then it's, can you take it out of your pocket?
11:37I haven't got anything in my pocket.
11:38But it's in your pocket.
11:39I can see it in your pocket.
11:40It's an item you're just taking off the shelf.
11:42Can you take it out of your pocket?
11:43I haven't got anything.
11:44And then take it out and sling it across the shop.
11:47And then drinks go.
11:48And you just think, really?
11:50This was yesterday.
11:51All kicked off.
11:52This is all in the evening.
11:53Alison.
11:54You needed Rachel here.
11:57I'll just go for it.
11:58If they're going to do it to me, I'll go back at you.
12:00Just relentless.
12:02What?
12:03Oh, Alison, I'm sorry you have to cut up with it every day.
12:06Yeah.
12:07Your journey home is kind of everything going through your mind
12:10of what's gone through on the day.
12:12You know, your frustrations.
12:13And you just think, oh, this is just crazy.
12:16For a bottle of 99 pence, you know, hair gel.
12:20And you just think, it's never going to end, is it?
12:23That's a different sort of customer now that you're getting in.
12:25It's just totally different.
12:27These kids that you're telling me about, they're just...
12:31They don't seem to have any fear whatsoever.
12:33They're quite hard-faced.
12:35And it's just getting worse and worse and worse.
12:37And there's no punishment at all for them.
12:39Any shoplifters, whether it be kids or an adult, they know that.
12:42And slap on the wrist, it's nothing, is it?
12:47Hearing what the staff at Body Care have to put up with is shocking.
12:51Very few people actually get prosecuted for shoplifting unless it's very serious now.
12:57It all feels very different to when I was growing up.
13:00When I was 13, 14, I went through a real phase with shoplifting.
13:05I shoplifted blue eyeliners, clothes, morgan tops.
13:12I remember finding it really exciting and feeling like I'd gotten away with it.
13:18You know when you walk out the shop and you haven't had a tap on the shoulder?
13:22That's exciting.
13:23That was a nightmare, awful.
13:25You knew it was wrong?
13:26Of course, yeah.
13:27So there was no thought of consequences?
13:30I sort of didn't really entertain the idea of consequences or, you know, I didn't take
13:36into consideration how the people in the shops were feeling, of course.
13:39I was just, I was the centre of my own universe.
13:42Nothing you needed?
13:45Nothing I needed.
13:46And that's the thing, it's like I can't even stand here and try and convince you or myself
13:53that it was because I was going without otherwise.
13:56I was just taking things that I hadn't earned, I hadn't paid for.
14:01And I was daft and I behaved really badly.
14:05To dress it up as anything else would be totally disingenuous.
14:11Since I was doing it, the number of offences overall has gone up by nearly a quarter
14:16and along with a growing acceptance.
14:19Some experts are saying a broader cross-section of society are also stealing.
14:26So we've just walked past an enormous supermarket, a recognisable supermarket.
14:29Do you tend to pinch from there alone?
14:30No.
14:31Yeah.
14:32Yeah.
14:34On the edge of Manchester's city centre, I'm meeting Otto.
14:37He's 22 and pursuing a career in music.
14:40He's happy to go on camera on the condition that his identity is partly disguised.
14:45He's just paid a visit to his local supermarket.
14:49So we've just walked past an enormous supermarket.
14:52Yeah.
14:53A recognisable supermarket.
14:54Do you tend to pinch from there a lot?
14:57Yeah, definitely.
14:58It is my shoplifting mecca.
15:01How often will you shoplift from there?
15:04Three or four times a month, maybe.
15:07OK.
15:08So like once a week?
15:09Yeah.
15:10Right.
15:11And what do you tend to take?
15:12I just do my shop and then pay for most of the cheaper stuff.
15:19Spices and sauces or tofu quite a lot.
15:23Tofu?
15:24Yeah.
15:25Loads of tofu.
15:26This is a very middle class pinch.
15:28It's true.
15:29Yeah.
15:30I don't eat meat, so I don't get any meat.
15:32Got you.
15:33Well, the meat's tricky to get, I'm told, because they've started putting them in cages.
15:36Yeah.
15:37Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:38They haven't caged up the tofu yet.
15:39Not yet.
15:40Thank God.
15:41They will after this.
15:42Yeah.
15:47Good morning.
15:48Thanks, mate.
15:49Hello, Izzy.
15:50So, what did you pay for and what did you steal?
15:54I paid for the flour, the tins of tomatoes, the onions, the tomato puree and the garlic.
16:01So you stole all that, did you?
16:03I did.
16:04That's a lot.
16:06So, how much is tofu?
16:08I think that's £3.50.
16:09So two of them, what do you reckon?
16:12Two squared easily.
16:13That looks spenny.
16:14I think I'll start with a four.
16:16Mmm.
16:17Fine.
16:18So...
16:19What do you reckon?
16:20I would say, like, you're probably stealing more than you're paying for.
16:23I think more.
16:24I think probably more, yeah.
16:25And this was just through the self-checkouts?
16:27Self-checkouts.
16:28Yeah, I do it because it's really nice to have stuff and not have to pay for it.
16:33It's selfish in that way.
16:34Yeah.
16:35And I could, you know, I could be earning more money.
16:36I could work full-time as a waiter and then I'd have more money.
16:40But I really don't want to do that.
16:41I'd much rather have less money and more free time and time to pursue my passions.
16:47Do you ever feel a sense of guilt?
16:54Um, yes.
16:55But if I read a headline about prices going up, I do, you know, I feel involved in that.
17:02But at the same time, it doesn't, yeah, it doesn't really, it doesn't eat me up.
17:07Yeah.
17:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:09So you have found yourself at times sort of really reflecting and contemplating.
17:15Yeah.
17:16what kind of a person it makes you.
17:19Yeah.
17:20Like, I want to be a good person.
17:22I definitely think about that quite consciously.
17:24And in a way, I still am doing it, so.
17:28Is this your pals arriving?
17:30I think.
17:31Hi, I'm Stacy.
17:32How are you?
17:33Likewise.
17:34Really nice to meet you.
17:35Yeah, I know.
17:36What are you making?
17:37I'm making a flatbread.
17:38I'm not sure.
17:39I've got some very questionable dough in there.
17:41Obviously, I've been sort of spending time with your pal and we've been talking about
17:45shoplifting.
17:46Do you have any strong opinions?
17:48Any thoughts?
17:49I'm not really opposed to it.
17:51I wouldn't do it myself because I don't like getting in trouble.
17:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:55But I know a lot of people that do it and it's just like, I think it's quite normal.
17:58Well, and yourself?
17:59Yeah, I mean, I also am kind of like, I'm too scared of shoplifting in my local because
18:04then, do you know what I mean?
18:05You don't want to get caught once and you can't go in again.
18:07Yeah.
18:08But I'm not going to judge anyone else for doing it as long as it's not like some independent
18:11struggling business, do you know what I mean?
18:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:13Like, if it's a supermarket, like, fair enough.
18:16So, obviously, Otto's preferred method is using the self-checkouts when he's stealing.
18:31And actually, if you think, they were introduced about 20 years ago.
18:35And if you look at that same time period, numbers in terms of shoplifting skyrocketed.
18:44And actually, so many people in every other aspect of their life, they're law abiding.
18:50So, the whole thing has become normalised.
18:56I've spoken to dozens of shoplifters making this programme.
18:59And, unsurprisingly, most don't want to go on camera.
19:03Today, though, I'm in West Yorkshire to meet someone who's relatively new to shoplifting.
19:09Hiya, Bruce.
19:10I'm coming now, I'm round the corner.
19:13I've managed to arrange a chat with them and they've just been to the shops.
19:20I can't hear you for the swally, sorry.
19:23I'll stop here.
19:25Couldn't hear a trolley so noisy on here.
19:28Are you alright?
19:29Yeah, sound.
19:30Can you tell the difference between stolen, bought?
19:33Which one's which?
19:34I couldn't tell you, Bruce.
19:36Exactly, no one can.
19:37But they weren't stolen, they just stood under there.
19:39Didn't find out until I got to the car.
19:40I'm not going to go back and pay for it.
19:42I spent £17 free.
19:44Yeah.
19:45Right, so, this is what I bought.
19:47These two.
19:48A bag full of stuff.
19:49This is what I stole.
19:51Oh no!
19:52What's under this bag?
19:54You have a look, Stacey.
19:56Don't touch any of the stuff underneath.
19:58Two bottles of wine.
20:00One for you.
20:01No, don't get me involved.
20:03I'm not having anything.
20:04Anyone fancy a coffee?
20:05Yeah, we're alright, thanks, Bruce.
20:06Oh, okay, right.
20:07You know, if I do get caught, I'll deny it.
20:10I'm so sorry, you know, I didn't realise.
20:12You know, of course, I bought those, so I'm not going to steal.
20:15So you're just played off.
20:16Look, look, look.
20:17If I put something in a trolley, I didn't steal it, it stole itself.
20:21I didn't know that.
20:22I put my bags here, because where else can I keep them?
20:25There's no thing for your bags.
20:27You seem quite excited.
20:28I am.
20:29You seem like you're on a bit of a hire.
20:31I am, and that's the trouble.
20:32And this is what it gives you.
20:33And I didn't know that.
20:34I was always brought up to, shoplifting's bad, you're a drain on society, you're costing
20:40everybody money, you know, and it's wrong, so I didn't.
20:43But I found myself, ironically, doing exactly that.
20:47I think lots of people feel like they would maybe turn a blind eye if they saw people stealing
20:53essentials, bread, milk, baby formula.
20:56You see, wine's not essential.
20:57Two bottles of wine.
20:58That's not an essential.
20:59No.
21:00Yes, but I buy that because that's a treat that I can never afford on my universal credit,
21:05because obviously it's not designed for you to drink and smoke all day, but that's my
21:09treat, so that's why I steal, because I, you know, I'm partial to a glass of wine in
21:14an evening.
21:17Bruce worked in a reasonably well-paid public sector job most of his adult life.
21:22He was signed off sick a year ago, and with his income greatly reduced, his shoplifting
21:27started.
21:28So I go to, like, smaller supermarkets, which are higher prices, then they charge 30-40%,
21:36so I thought, well, that's daylight robbery, so I will do my own, buy one, get one free.
21:41The way I shoplift is I know how to beat the electronic machines.
21:47They're so easy.
21:48Absolute double.
21:49The self-service ones.
21:50The self-service ones, yeah.
21:51The self-service ones, yeah.
21:52I can go in and say I've got five things, I'll pay for three, and steal two, and beat
21:56the machines.
21:57And do you know what, Bruce?
21:58Some people will be thinking, do you know what's good for him?
22:00I hope so.
22:01And other people will be thinking, where's this sense of entitlement coming from?
22:06We're all in, you know, we're all finding things difficult.
22:09I don't say sense of entitlement, I think it's, I'm trying to survive, and when my savings
22:14ran out, I had a shock, and I was living like people who aren't universal credit with
22:19no savings, and it's difficult when you're trying to run a car and trying to have a social
22:24life, so I wanted to save money.
22:26But the thing is, once you've done it a few times, you don't want to go in there with
22:30£50 and come out with £50 worth of goods, you think, did I pay for all that?
22:33Why did I do that?
22:34I could have stole half of that, and I think, missed opportunity.
22:37And I'm always going to the supermarket now, thinking, can I get away with it?
22:41What can I get away with?
22:42So it sounds to me, Bruce, like, initially it's born out of necessity, because the prices
22:47are so outrageous, but now...
22:50It's a thrill now.
22:51Yeah.
22:52I've never even been apprehended.
22:54No-one's ever come up to me and said anything.
22:56But I would not take, like, a television or something expensive and try and steal that.
23:01I would always spend, but obviously I'd steal half, at least.
23:05Obviously, Bruce!
23:06Obviously!
23:08Obviously!
23:09Yeah, well, obviously, yeah.
23:12All right, take care.
23:13Ciao for now.
23:14All right, cheers.
23:15See ya!
23:16I know I'm laughing, but I am surprised by how bold Bruce is.
23:21And it's not just him.
23:27Online, some are bragging about shoplifting.
23:32And others are showing their support.
23:34Shoplifting at big multinational conglomerate supermarkets like this one is a victimless crime.
23:41So if you see anyone shoplifting, no, you didn't.
23:45It's wild how many people are documenting it, you know.
23:49It's loads.
23:51Borrowing is, like, the hashtag for, like, pinching.
23:54And then there's loads of comments.
23:57You know, how do you do it?
23:58Let me know.
24:00I've added it all up.
24:01It's, like, 1,100 quid, this all.
24:04Their security is so slow.
24:05It's so easy.
24:07It's wild how much they can take.
24:11Ban from Tesco.
24:13Primark got me.
24:15I got caught as if that would ever stop me.
24:19I might be a kleptomaniac.
24:22I think this is, like, what's really changed, you know.
24:25People have always shoplifted.
24:29I think there did used to be, like, an element of shame, like, associated with it.
24:33And now I think it's, like, there's this casual acceptance that it just happens.
24:42In a Manchester suburb, Otto has agreed to meet me again.
24:46How have things been?
24:49It's six weeks since we first met, and last time it was clear how relaxed he and his friends were about shoplifting.
24:58I was thinking about today that, like, those companies aren't trying to give as much of their money away to their staff as they can.
25:05In the moment, in that shop, it doesn't feel like I'm taking this from someone who needs it.
25:10But the people that work in these stores, they would argue that you're making their working lives trickier or more difficult.
25:17Yeah. I don't feel like, by doing this act, I'm making someone else's life worse.
25:22But I don't believe these huge companies are setting out to create jobs and look after their staff.
25:26You know.
25:27I was young when Self Checkouts first came out, but I do feel like everyone hated them.
25:33And it was like, fuck these machines.
25:36I don't know, that's the feeling of being screwed over by these companies.
25:40I'm sure there are arguments against this, but, like, the feeling is, stealing from a person, like, it's almost unjustifiable.
25:48I'm not, I'm not taking from a person or this is just, like, a faceless thing, entity.
25:56Some retail bosses are saying this type of opportunistic theft through the Self Checkouts is a large part of the shoplifting rise.
26:04And in a new survey, over a third of people admitted to stealing through them.
26:10It is wild just how many people are stealing from the Self Checkouts.
26:17It's almost like they've decriminalised it in their minds, you know.
26:23We're not talking about a tiny section of society here.
26:26I mean, they are, they are shoplifters.
26:28I wonder whether or not they would call themselves shoplifters, but a whole new wave of people who now feel
26:36hard done by or put out if they've got to pay for everything in their basket.
26:46I have lived here for a while now.
26:49In Manchester City Centre, I'm catching up with Chloe.
26:52When we first met three months ago, something just didn't add up in her reasoning for stealing.
26:59So when was the last time you went out shoplifting?
27:02It's been a while because I've had an incident where I got in trouble.
27:07So I've just kind of been a bit low, trying to make myself lower on the radar.
27:11Right.
27:12When you got caught, oh, talk me through that.
27:17Well, I got caught in one of the sort of cosmetic stalls in Manchester.
27:24The beepers went off as I left and I just stood still.
27:27What was it?
27:28It was some eyeliner for my friend because she had run out.
27:31So I thought, well, she wants this thing, I'll get her this thing.
27:34And yeah, I got in trouble.
27:36He said, you're not allowed back.
27:37So I said, yep, and I have her in back.
27:40That's it.
27:41That simple.
27:42What would you say if some of the ladies that work in these kinds of stores
27:45are saying that their bosses are telling them
27:48the reason they can't have a bonus at Christmas is because shoplifting is sky higher?
27:54Definitely makes it seem unfair for me to do it.
28:06But if I didn't do it, then someone else would.
28:10And I think they're lying.
28:13I think those companies are lying.
28:15No-one's perfect.
28:17Like, the more I think about it, the more there isn't maybe one solid reason
28:23or if I deserve to steal, but it doesn't matter at the end of the day.
28:30As long as I'm fine, they're putting food on their plate,
28:33I'm managing to get put on mine, even if it's not a lot.
28:36You know, I've come from poverty, I'm still in poverty.
28:40I'm on benefits, why does it matter?
28:42So, at the minute, you're on universal credit,
28:45you're actively searching, you want a job?
28:48Yeah.
28:49Well, the past four months have been, like, really rough,
28:51so, like, I graduated in the summer.
28:53Have you come out with debt?
28:54I've come out over £60,000 of debt, but...
28:58£60,000?!
28:59Yeah, it's a lot of money, it's a lot of money,
29:02and I've been jobless since August,
29:05and it feels like a lot of jobs don't really care that you've got a degree,
29:09especially in the sectors I want to go into.
29:11It's more about experience, so I've been working myself to the bone,
29:15trying to get experience since then.
29:17And it's like I just worked...
29:19I was working for four years to get my degree.
29:21Why can't this, like, be enough?
29:23But, you know, some people will be thinking,
29:25well, we're all skint, we're all struggling,
29:27we're all trying to find a job.
29:28What makes you so different to me?
29:30Like, we're not out stealing.
29:31What would you say to them?
29:32I wouldn't say I'm any different, really.
29:36Just because I do steal something,
29:38it doesn't mean that I think I'm better than anyone else.
29:40What's wrong with me not wanting to pay £15 for some moisturiser
29:45if I could get it for free?
29:47With Chloe today, there was a bit more clarity.
29:51She was a bit more honest, maybe, about why she shoplifts.
29:54Some of it is she just wants these things.
29:57But I also accept that actually she's a girl in her early 20s
30:00and financially she feels very vulnerable
30:04and lots of her peers will be in a position to be able to buy those things
30:08and she's not there.
30:10And that must feel frustrating at times.
30:18I'm back in West Yorkshire meeting Bruce again.
30:21The last time we met, he was incredibly upfront and open
30:24about his shoplifting.
30:30Hey, Bruce! How are you?
30:31Hello.
30:32Come in.
30:33Real fire.
30:34I know, they're spoiling us.
30:36So, how are you doing, Bruce? How have you been?
30:38I've been okay.
30:39I'm just a bit hesitant
30:40because I was just a bit concerned about
30:43me bearing all and coming clean on what I was saying.
30:47I suppose I was more worried about the people
30:49that were saying all the, you know,
30:51you're going to get me known as Bruce a shoplifter
30:54or, you know, get known as a known shoplifter wherever I go, you know.
30:58But I will have given up when this programme goes on TV.
31:03So, I'll be a reformed ex-shoplifter.
31:07That's the goal, is it?
31:09That is definitely 100% the goal.
31:11So, after a bit of jitters, I think I'm quite through
31:14and I'm doing the right thing.
31:16You've been out pinching since I last saw you?
31:18Yes.
31:19There's very few shops where I don't pinch from.
31:21I just can't help myself.
31:23Do you feel like that you can't help yourself because you find it so easy now?
31:27That's how it's becoming, yes.
31:29I go into a supermarket and I look to see where the opportunities are,
31:33where the cameras are, if there's a security guard on,
31:36how switched on everyone is, how keen they are.
31:39And it's like a bit of a hobby, if you like, you know.
31:42But I nearly got caught.
31:43I tried to steal some sheets, put them in a carrier bag
31:48and I was buying some random things
31:50but then I realised I left my credit card in the car.
31:53So, I scanned everything through that I was going to pay for.
31:55It came to £9.
31:56So, I ran to the car and as I ran back into the store,
31:59the woman who was there was going through my bags and seeing...
32:03Cos she obviously saw what had been scanned
32:05and saw what was in the bags underneath and the other bags.
32:08So, I turned round, ran out, got in the car and drove off.
32:11So, shit, you nearly got caught.
32:13So, talk me through...
32:15Well, absolutely.
32:17How you felt.
32:18How I shit myself.
32:20I was shaking, I was panicking,
32:22I was visioning, spending the night in the cells
32:25and I don't want to be branded as a criminal.
32:28Yeah, you must have felt sick, Bruce.
32:30I did.
32:31I panicked and I actually went cold turkey
32:34and didn't shoplift for nearly a week.
32:36Really?
32:37So, it frightened Jack, gave you a scare?
32:39Yes, it did.
32:40So, it's moved on from food, cat treats,
32:45a couple of bottles of Pinot.
32:47You're now shoplifting...
32:49Homewear, I suppose.
32:50Nearly to order.
32:51And it sounds to me, Bruce, that you're starting to pinch to order.
32:56No, I'm nearly at that stage.
33:00So, I'm going to stop and I'm not going to be that person.
33:05Because, you know, if you start getting really high ticket items,
33:08that's serious shoplifting or something I don't want to get into.
33:11But it's easy to see how it could escalate.
33:14I mean, it's like...
33:15It's like an addiction.
33:16For sure, I think it can become an addiction.
33:19Do you...
33:21Do you think you're becoming addicted?
33:23I think I'm on the verge.
33:24Yeah.
33:25I need to stop.
33:27See ya!
33:28Very popular.
33:29Stay in touch.
33:30Will do.
33:31See you soonish?
33:32Yeah, definitely, yeah.
33:33Have a nice evening.
33:34And you.
33:35Take care, bye.
33:38Bruce clearly fears getting caught, whether or not the police are involved.
33:45Being caught shoplifting does still have a real impact on some people.
33:52This girl actually got in touch with us.
33:55She's got a little boy.
33:57This is interesting.
33:58She goes, if it wasn't for survival, I wouldn't do it.
34:01I think it's really degrading.
34:03It's really embarrassing.
34:04And I hate that I have to do it.
34:05But when a situation is this tight, sometimes I have no choice.
34:09It's my only way of providing.
34:11Listen to this.
34:12People think I'm scum.
34:14And it's disgusting.
34:15And I agree.
34:17I'm just trying to feed my baby.
34:19Oh.
34:23Ellie is 20 years old and was recently caught.
34:26She's agreed to meet me on the condition that we conceal some parts
34:30of her identity.
34:32Hello.
34:37She's currently living in emergency accommodation and is struggling with debt.
34:41He's a year older than my little girl.
34:43She was two in January.
34:47Oh, oh.
34:48Sorry, Mama.
34:49It's okay.
34:51I'm sorry, Mama.
34:52These things happen.
34:53Yeah.
34:54It was accident.
34:55There you go.
34:56I wanted to thank you for agreeing to talk to me.
34:59I really, really appreciate it.
35:01Yeah, not a problem.
35:03When I received that text that you initially sent, it sounded like, you know, things were
35:09really tough.
35:10Oh, yeah.
35:11Yeah.
35:12Yeah.
35:13You were having a hard time of it.
35:15Yeah.
35:16After we came out of a domestically violent relationship, we were homeless for a little
35:20while.
35:21That's when the struggle really kicked in.
35:23And then you were recently caught.
35:24Yeah.
35:25Shoplifting.
35:26Talk me through that.
35:27So it was just like a normal day, you know, but the fridge were a bit empty.
35:30So we thought, right, we'll go shopping.
35:32So I went in with him, because it's less suspicious with the pram.
35:35And I was just filling the bag up with the shopping and putting stuff under the pram.
35:39I had a couple of things that I kept out, so I'd pay for something.
35:42Right.
35:43But she was like, can we have a look in your bag, please?
35:45Honestly, I just wrote down.
35:47I said, no, I'm sorry, but I can't feed my son.
35:50I can't feed myself.
35:51So this was really my only option.
35:53And the girl, when she said to you, can we have a look in your bag?
35:56I can imagine your heart sank.
35:58Yeah.
35:59Worst-case scenario.
36:00Just talk me through how you felt.
36:02It was just really degrading.
36:04I was absolutely terrified.
36:06I thought, oh, no, police are going to get involved.
36:09I thought, well, what if I lose custody of my son?
36:11Because, like, I can't afford to feed him.
36:13Of course.
36:14Yeah.
36:15But the lady, she said, listen, I understand where you're coming from, but you can't be
36:20doing that.
36:21So, I mean, what are you pinching?
36:24What are you having to steal?
36:26Bread, milks, eggs, water, freezer food.
36:30Something that will last a long time or I can reuse.
36:33Just basically the main stuff.
36:35Cereal, you know, things that will keep them full and that will last a while.
36:40So you're stealing food.
36:41Are you having to steal other bits as well?
36:44Yeah, nappies, wipes.
36:46I wouldn't ever steal anything from me.
36:49For his second birthday, I stole balloons, candles, you know, just so I could decorate
36:53for him when he wakes up to something in the morning.
36:56Because if I hadn't, he wouldn't have.
36:58And I'd have felt even worse for not doing anything about it.
37:01There will be lots of people watching this who feel like, well, if everyone was going around pinching, you know, we'd be in a real mess.
37:10But what would you say to those people?
37:12I mean, probably the best thing I could say to them is if you were going to go a month on less than £600 and that's got to pay for your gas,
37:19electric, toiletries, food, everything, you know, it would be impossible and they wouldn't be able to afford it.
37:25And by day two, three, maybe, gas is gone.
37:28And, you know, you're there in a cold house.
37:30Like, put yourself in my shoes, really.
37:32You said in your message that I feel ashamed, I'm ashamed of this.
37:36Um, yeah.
37:37So no part of you enjoys it?
37:39Oh, no, absolutely not.
37:41I'd do anything not to do it.
37:43I wouldn't choose to do it if I didn't have to.
37:45It's the last thing I want to do, really.
37:47I mean, it's sort of tricky to know what to say without it sounding like painfully predictable,
38:03do you know what I mean?
38:04But I obviously just really, really feel for her, you know?
38:10I think, and I know this, like, sounds so cheesy or whatever, but...
38:18Like, when you're a mum and you hear, like...
38:25You hear another mum really going through it, it's really tricky, it's really difficult.
38:30And it's true that you'd do anything to feed your kids, do you know what I mean?
38:35You just would, you just would.
38:36Say bye-bye.
38:37Bye, darling.
38:38Bye, boy.
38:39So, get home safe, yeah?
38:45And I think what's really worth sort of bearing in mind is she seemingly appears...
38:55..to feel the most guilt out of everyone I've spent time with.
39:00It really, she's full of shame.
39:03She is so embarrassed and sort of so mortified that she has to do this.
39:09You know, I think you could assume that maybe we're in this situation because people are so hard up.
39:28And I'm sure, you know, in some circumstances that's why there's been such a rise.
39:34But are there some people that are perhaps taking things, not necessarily because they need them, but maybe because they want them?
39:42Psych bag.
39:43Some retail groups say that non-essential items, things you don't need to survive that are easy to sell on, are the most stolen.
39:54Next, please.
39:55And in body care, most of what I've seen being taken couldn't be counted as essentials.
40:02That girl in the blue.
40:04Yeah.
40:05I'm having.
40:06Go to Spain.
40:07She can't throw an aporos, she doesn't get the stock bag.
40:09She's going to get this.
40:10Yeah, give that.
40:11So the one in the blue had these, but the one in the grey is echoing and jeffing out and saying,
40:18I've got nothing from your store open.
40:20What a skeleton.
40:21I want a bit like that.
40:22It's on our one where the double sets are.
40:24I saw the pair in and I thought, I think they're pinching.
40:27And then you don't, and then you feel bad for sort of assuming.
40:30Yeah, for these.
40:31Yeah, it does do it there.
40:33She's a white girl in a blue tracksuit.
40:36She was walking with a bit of a limp.
40:38So yeah, that's her.
40:40At the end of the day, they know nothing's going to happen to them, so they're not bothered.
40:50It's just a case of taking it off and they've lost nothing.
40:53So it sort of genuinely wiles you, it really annoys you.
40:55Yeah, because we're in here every day trying to do a job, earn our own money and you get
41:01people just like that robbing, thinking it's free, basically.
41:05I think with the cost of living crisis, it is a pandemic now for us as retailers,
41:10as each year has gone on, it's got worse for us.
41:12And to those who say, oh, we're pinching because, you know, our wage, the paycheck doesn't
41:18stretch till the end of the month, what would you say to them?
41:21I don't go out stealing or shoplifting, so it's no excuse at all.
41:25Don't accept that?
41:26No, not at all.
41:27Not at all.
41:28You have to work for your money.
41:30You know, I have spent months and months looking at this.
41:37And I wonder if what will surprise some people is, like, the attitude shift.
41:44That has changed and the acceptability surrounding shoplifting.
41:51But actually, of course, we've had the new government, haven't we?
41:54They've come out and said that they really want to clamp down on it.
41:57So, who knows, you know, but it might be that some people force them to change.
42:09It's four months since I first filmed with Bruce.
42:12Money makes the world go round.
42:14And at the moment, my world isn't going round very much
42:17because I don't have very much money.
42:19He's continuing to shoplift, but plans to stop once his circumstances improve.
42:24Maybe it is an addiction.
42:27Maybe I'm just kidding myself.
42:28I'm pretending that I need to do it.
42:30I'm really confused, and it's making me unhappy,
42:35and I don't want to do it anymore.
42:41No!
42:42Are you going to leave footprints?
42:44For Ellie, life is on the up.
42:46She has a new job, she's starting to get a grip of her debt,
42:49and she's no longer shoplifting.
42:52It's getting easier to get by now.
42:54We're definitely a lot happier.
42:56It's not been as stressful.
42:58Are you going to pick it up?
42:59Yeah, I've been a bit tempted to shoplift.
43:02I mean, yeah, there's definitely an urge.
43:05But I just can't.
43:06I'm really trying not to.
43:08But, yeah, you've just got to push through, I guess, this year,
43:11and hopefully next year, we'll be better off.
43:15Bye.
43:44Bye.
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