Latest news with #EmmelineTaylor
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
I simply must have my Perelló olives: the rise of the posh shoplifter
Exhibit A: a former criminology lecturer, who self-identifies as the 'UK's poshest thief', nicking £1,000 worth of Le Creuset cookware. Exhibit B: middle-class commuters looting Marks and Spencer for snacks for the train home. Exhibit C: 'well-off, middle-aged women' being blamed for a shoplifting spree in Haslemere, Surrey. Need I go on? 'Shoplifting was always quite a grubby crime,' says Professor Emmeline Taylor, a criminologist and specialist in shoplifting and serious acquisitive crime. 'It has always been associated with the down-and-outs – you can't afford to put food on the table and clothes on your back.' Over the past five years or so, Taylor argues, that has changed. In 2016 she coined the acronym 'Swipers' to describe the emerging class of middle-class shoplifters: 'seemingly well-intentioned patrons engaging in routine shoplifting '. Since then, the swipers have got out of hand – shoplifting offences reached a record high last year, with the British Retail Forum revealing that 20 million incidents were reported in the 2023/24 financial year – costing shops £2.2 billion and adding an estimated £133 to the cost of an average household's annual shopping bill. For the first time, fingers are being pointed firmly at the middle classes, with John Lewis and Waitrose bosses pushing back at a growing category of entitled criminals whose thefts are motivated by 'greed not need'. So what's behind the problem? Self-service checkouts Because otherwise decent and law-abiding citizens find it 'easy to lie to a machine in a way you wouldn't try to deceive a person', Taylor believes the introduction of self-service checkouts is a major factor in the trend. According to a poll of 1,000 British shoppers commissioned by The Grocer magazine last year, 37 per cent of customers admitted deliberately failing to scan an item at the self-service checkouts (with men and the under-35s most likely to try conning the computerised cashiers). A third (32.5 per cent) also confessed to weighing loose items incorrectly, with 38 per cent having used the 'banana trick' to pass off an expensive item as a cheaper one. On the Mumsnet forum users admitted to 'taking advantage' of unmanned tills to scan steak as onions, or on a more minor scale, passing off Pink Lady apples as Granny Smiths. Their accounts support Taylor's belief that these thieves 'don't think of themselves as criminals; they will think they've cheated the system'. Several argued that 'big chain businesses' could afford to soak up the costs and viewed their fraud as simply paying their 'wages' for scanning their own groceries. 'After all, they are saving so much money not paying staff to man tills anymore.' But they said they would never steal from independent shopkeepers, who they saw as 'real people'. 'It's quite a fun game,' wrote user1471434829. 'I would never ever steal from a person, but tbh [to be honest] Tesco is fair game!' Another using the handle VanityDiesHard confessed to scoping out the security at various stores in advance, noting that surveillance at the local Waitrose was too good to evade, but deciding that the unmanned checkouts at M&S were fair game. 'I am angry with myself if I don't at the very least put through a carrier bag without paying,' they wrote. 'If it is busy enough there, I also put pastries through as something cheaper, ditto bread.' Not just shoplifting, then, but M&S shoplifting. Another was occasionally tempted to 'select small loose onions instead of large onions that are marginally more expensive', admitting the crime was 'mostly due to laziness and in parts rebellion – why is there an effing price difference in them anyway?' Taylor says the same psychology has led to a rise in 'wardrobing': buying expensive clothes you plan to wear once then returning them for a full refund. In some circles, she says, such behaviour is 'seen as culturally acceptable even though it's fraud'. Being able to return items online allows the fraudster to avoid an 'embarrassing' human interaction in which a sales assistant might sniff the garments and challenge a shopper by saying they smell like they've been worn. Keeping up with the Joneses While the cost of living crisis has forced the poorest in society to choose between heating and eating, Taylor says that more entitled middle-class shoplifters refuse to adjust their lifestyles to suit their more straitened circumstances. 'Those individuals who have got used to having branded goods or nicer, higher value items are suddenly finding that their household budget doesn't stretch as far as it used to,' she says. The swanky store-cupboard staples displayed on counter tops as badges of middle class pride have been hit hard by food inflation. Taylor notes the eye-watering prices of olive oil (which has risen by more than 80 per cent over the past two years) and honey (set to rise by another 30 per cent this year). Last year Tesco began putting nets and tags on bottles of olive oil because so much of the 'liquid gold' was being stolen by those who'd decided that every drizzle helps. A similar trend was spotted during the 2009 recession, with the Centre for Retail Research clocking a spike in thefts of high end meat, cheese, alcohol, perfume and face creams as middle-class shoppers turned to crime to maintain their standards of living. 'I think there's an element there of keeping up with the Joneses,' says Taylor. 'Some people don't want to be having a dinner party where they've bought everything from Aldi or Lidl rather than Waitrose because that could raise a few eyebrows.' Was this what motivated former criminology lecturer Pauline Al Said and her husband Mark Wheatcroft to pinch £1,000 worth of cast iron Le Creuset cookware (along with steaks, premium wine and boutique gin)? The pair planned their 2021 and 2022 crimes in advance, taking a device for removing security tags with them to both a branch of M&S and a garden centre. Last month – after they were fined £2,500 for walking out of the stores in broad daylight with their luxe loot piled into trolleys – Al Said proudly adopted the title of 'UK's poshest thief' on her X profile. Richard Fowler, security manager at chi-chi health food brand Planet Organic, has previously flagged an increasing issue with 'posh totty' pilferers. The chain, which has eight stores across London selling only organic produce, loses £900,000 a year to shoplifters. Talking to the BBC last year, Fowler put a percentage of these thefts down to regular clientele who 'spend a lot of money with our business. [They think] 'Today I'm a little bit short of money, so I'm entitled to steal something'.' A similar sense of entitlement has been blamed for the rise in middle-class commuters pinching snacks from convenience stores around train stations. Last month John Nussbaum, director of retail at Kingdom Security, told The Telegraph that these 'petty thieves' targeted shops largely in the early morning or early evening, with a smaller peak around lunchtime because they 'can't be bothered to queue so just leave without paying'. The thrill factor 'Some studies show that if you get a bargain – something [for] 70 per cent off – it can release endorphins, a hit of dopamine that is pleasurable,' says Taylor. 'The same can go for risky behaviours, because it creates this fight-or-flight moment physiologically. If you put yourself in that danger moment of 'I'm going to steal this', the anxiety and the adrenalin is going. Then, when you then get away with it, that's replaced with this rush of reward.' Some middle-class shoplifters find themselves addicted to the crime, and compare it with gambling addiction. On the Mumsnet forum one woman wrote that she'd turned to shoplifting 'when I was menopausal and had urges, god knows why'. Another, using the handle Ladyofthepond, confessed to a history of 'slipping things into pockets or not scanning things at self-service' that was the consequence of 'a mix of undiagnosed mental health issues, which was probably one of the many things that led my alcoholism, which in turn led to a decimation of my finances. When you are in the depths of addiction nothing else matters, it also leads to a very nihilistic attitude towards life, so shoplifting from large supermarkets was easy in that state of mind to justify, also not getting caught was a ridiculous dopamine hit.' The poster claimed to be currently 'in recovery and managing my mental health. I have to get my dopamine from ice baths and running now.' Getting away with it – and a nice accent While many of these criminals claim they'd only steal from big chain stores and not independent businesses, the evidence suggests otherwise. In January independent shopkeepers in the upmarket Surrey town of Haslemere created a WhatsApp group to help each other identify the increasing number of 'very normal well-to-do people coming in and stealing things'. Small stores selling gifts, antiques and bicycles were targeted as well as grocers and cafés. Even one of the town's charity shops found thieves pinching retro clothes to resell online on sites such as Vinted. Taylor believes that, if caught, more affluent shoplifters expect retail staff to let them off the hook more easily than those genuinely in need. 'They will absolutely play upon their appearance, their accent,' she says. 'They get pulled over in the shop; if somebody says, 'excuse me, ma'am you haven't paid for those', they know they can be like, 'Oh, gosh I can't believe it!' And the likelihood is they will just get away with it.' In some circles she says that theft is considered 'cool'. 'There is an element of showing off, one-upmanship.' concludes Taylor. 'I always think it's a bit like that YOLO hashtag. I only live once, so sod it. You know, 'what are they going to do?''
The Sun
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
How thieves are targeting new collectable toys dubbed ‘JellyCats 2.0' in £150k heists as UK becomes toy crime hotbed
TRENDY soft toys dubbed the "Jellycat 2.0" are being swiped from unaware fans' bags, cars and even lorries - with some buyers turning a blind eye when the plushies are resold online. The teddies became viral after celebrities like OIivia Attwood posted about their love for the grinning little monsters. 11 Adults and children around the world are vying to get their mitts on the popular Labubu toys. Videos posted on TikTok show massive queues at PopMart shops as crowds try to buy their favourite type of the colourful toy. Many have been tricked into splashing out on toys that they later discovered were fake - leading to the term "Lafufu". And those who do manage to get an authentic teddy have been warned to keep an eye out for thieves as a soft-toy crime wave has gripped the country at an industrial scale. However some post looking for a Lafufu because they think the quirky dolls are cuter than the originals. Experts told The Sun that thieves think they are less likely to get caught stealing toys compared to more high value items like jewellery. TOY SNATCHING PHENOMENON Criminology Professor Emmeline Taylor, from St George's University of London, said that online marketplaces like Vinted and eBay have become a "hotbed" for thieves to resell stolen plushies . This way the buyer is more likely to "turn a blind eye if the price is right". She said the "phenomenon" of soft toys like Jellycats and Labubu being stolen is in part because they are often sold in shops that normally don't need high levels of security. "This has created an opportunity for thieves who feel that there is little chance of apprehension or later detection," she said. "Goods that are stolen to sell on typically attract between a third to half of the retail value. So, something with an RRP of £10 will sell for between £3 and £5. "However, the popularity of Jellycats and similar toys means they often command more than the RRP. "The marketing strategy of the brand often creates surges in demand for particular toys, those that are limited edition or have been discontinued, and that makes them more attractive to thieves. "There are examples of individual toys worth approx. £20 selling for hundreds of pounds on online marketplaces. "These online spaces have become a hotbed for thieves to sell on as they can reach a much larger target audience and sell with relative anonymity. 11 11 "It can be difficult for buyers to ascertain if they are genuine resales or stolen goods – and some buyers might be willing to turn a blind eye if the price is right." But she added: "Retailers are getting much more attuned to the shifting 'hot products' and using tried and tested security techniques and technologies to protect products that are vulnerable to theft." FANS DEVASTATED AFTER TOY THEFT Some devastated owners have posted on X to express their grief and caution others about the toy snatchers. One said theirs was stolen just eight days after they bought it. A X user said: "Someone jacked my Labubu from my bag. Londoners stealing my child..." Another posted: "I'm so scared to wear my Labubu's on my purse because I don't want them to get stolen but also they make me look so stylish." A third person targeted by the teddy thieves said: "I became a Labubu victim. Someone stole my Labubu off my bag." One said they plan on putting an Apple AirTag on their teddy keychain once they buy it. Others posted to ask if they should leave their beloved plushies at home if heading into the capital. Several also warned about bringing the keychain versions to the gym, saying they were nicked off their bags as they worked out. One even said that sneaky children keep trying to steal her toy. A victim of the teddy snatchers posted a photo of their farmer version, writing: "RIP Mclovin, my fake Labubu, someone stole you when I wasn't paying attention. Rest in piece." One wary toy owner said: "Psa that if anyone tries to steal my labubu charm from my bag I will absolutely chase after you so please keep it moving and find another victim." LABUBUS RESOLD FOR "THOUSANDS" ONLINE The toys cost around £30 for a keychain version, but the full sized teddies are on the pricier end - with fans splashing out upwards of £200. But the viral plushies are being resold on sites like eBay and Vinted for thousands of pounds, taking advantage of fans' desperation. The Sun found listings as high as £1,545 for one of the dolls online. 11 11 11 Last week, £150,000 worth of the Pop Mart toys were swiped from a lorry. A major shipment was raided in the early hours of April 8. The lorry in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, contained toys which were due to hit stores in May. The theft came just a few days after £20,000 worth of Jellycat toys were also stolen in a night-time raid. The Gorge Bear Company in Cheddar, Somerset, was brutally ram-raided by at least two thieves at around 4.40am. A TikToker recently posted on the platform after their car was smashed by the toy snatchers. In a slideshow of pictures on TikTok, they showed how their car had been violently broken into just so the thieves could nab the three Labubus they could see inside "NEVER leave a Labubu in your car," they wrote over the snaps, revealing the incident had taken place at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose, California. In the caption, they explained: "We lost our Labubu Hehe, from the Have a Seat series, What a Frog from the Cry Again series, and the blue Crybaby from the Cheer Up series." The three toys are worth around a combined £128. "We also had a little seat that was hanging from the AC vent that we would sit the Labubu on and they ripped that off as well leaving scratches and chips on my vents," they said. After returning to their car and discovering the break in and theft, they spoke to security guards at the shopping centre, who told them "they will investigate but ONLY if the police are involved they'll release the footage". Following that, the Labubu mega fan called and filed a police report, after which officers arrived to take down more information and take pictures. "I mentioned to them that mall security was already working on the investigation and that they would only release footage if they brought it to their attention," the caption continued. "I tried to get them to do something right at that moment but I guess it wasn't that important to them." They concluded by saying it's "absurd" that customers at the shopping precinct can't "have a sense of security" over their belongings in their vehicles as they shop. "In the end nothing was done by the police or mall security," they sighed. "I had to go through insurance and was forced to pay my deductible. "Luckily someone was nice enough to replace our lost Hehe, as for the Crybabies we can always re-purchase them." 11 11 11
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tesco trials giant trolley scales in Gateshead
Giant trolley scales are being trialled at a Tesco store in Gateshead sparking a mixed reaction from shoppers. Trolleys are weighed before checkout to identify any items customers who have used Scan as you Shop might have missed or scanned twice. But some shoppers are unsure whether the new technology will take off with some likening it to airport security. "Am I at border control or Tesco?" one Reddit user posted, while another joked "No clubcard? Deported!" Others questioned whether the scales were aimed at cracking down on self-scan shoplifters or cutting back on checkout staff. Tesco declined to comment. Tesco Clubcard members already have the option to use Scan as you Shop handsets as they fill their trolleys then check out and pay at the end. Now in the Gateshead Trinity Square Extra store, shoppers can push their trolley on to the scales and if the weight matches the items they've scanned they pay as normal. If there is a discrepancy a staff member will do a manual rescan of the whole trolley. Although some Reddit users who commented on the photo of the scales were positive with one saying "they are 10x more convenient and faster", many were more critical of their introduction. "More and more the honest shopper is treated like a thief," one said, while another wrote "the point of all this is to save on staff". Business retail consultant Ged Futter told the BBC this was about loss prevention and staffing costs. "There is no way this is about making it quicker for the shopper. It's supposed to be scan and go - this is scan and stop while your trolley is weighed." He said self-scan had increased the rate of shoplifting but instead of putting staff back on tills, supermarkets were trying to use even more technology to stop thefts. "This is supermarkets saying, 'we know there are thefts so what we are going to do is treat every customer in exactly the same way to reduce theft'. "They're forgetting that trust is the most important thing for all of the retailers and it works both ways. If customers don't feel trusted or think they're being treated like thieves they will go somewhere else." The British Retail Consortium has said shoplifting is "out of control" after its annual crime survey found incidents of customer theft reported by retailers in the UK rose by 3.7 million to 20.4 million, and cost retailers £2bn. Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics revealed shoplifting offences reported by police in England and Wales rose by 23% to more than 492,000 over the same period. That is the highest figure since current recording practices began in 2003. Retail criminologist Prof Emmeline Taylor told the BBC she had seen similar trolley scales used in European supermarkets and there was "definitely an element of trying to control loss" but added "let's not forget a lot of scan and go loss can be accidental". A random audit of 20,000 scan and go baskets found 43% had at least one error, a 2022 global study on self-checkout found. Prof Taylor said Tesco's scales were "quite foreboding and reminiscent of security scanners". "They don't want to give the impression that they are pointing the finger at their honest customer," she said. "They will need to balance how they respond when there is a weight discrepancy because you can lose a customer for life if they feel they've been wrongly accused of something." She said she could see customers getting frustrated using the scales. "You've left your handbag in the trolley, you've got to take your child out of the seat, you might be queueing behind someone who has been stopped and you can't get through so the trial needs to focus on minimising friction points in the customer experience." The scales are the latest example of supermarkets turning to technology to streamline time and costs. The ratio of self-scan to staffed tills continues to be fiercely debated. Some shoppers love the speed and convenience while others are fed up of hearing "unexpected item in the bagging area". In August upmarket north of England supermarket chain Booths got rid of self-scan altogether, while Asda and Morrisons said they would put more staff back on manned tills.
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tesco trials giant trolley scales in Gateshead
Giant trolley scales are being trialled at a Tesco store in Gateshead sparking a mixed reaction from are weighed before checkout to identify any items customers who have used Scan as you Shop might have missed or scanned some shoppers are unsure whether the new technology will take off with some likening it to airport security. "Am I at border control or Tesco?" one Reddit user posted, while another joked "No clubcard? Deported!"Others questioned whether the scales were aimed at cracking down on self-scan shoplifters or cutting back on checkout staff. Tesco declined to comment. Tesco Clubcard members already have the option to use Scan as you Shop handsets as they fill their trolleys then check out and pay at the in the Gateshead Trinity Square Extra store, shoppers can push their trolley on to the scales and if the weight matches the items they've scanned they pay as normal. If there is a discrepancy a staff member will do a manual rescan of the whole trolley. 'Treated like a thief' Although some Reddit users who commented on the photo of the scales were positive with one saying "they are 10x more convenient and faster", many were more critical of their introduction."More and more the honest shopper is treated like a thief," one said, while another wrote "the point of all this is to save on staff".Business retail consultant Ged Futter told the BBC this was about loss prevention and staffing costs."There is no way this is about making it quicker for the shopper. It's supposed to be scan and go - this is scan and stop while your trolley is weighed."He said self-scan had increased the rate of shoplifting but instead of putting staff back on tills, supermarkets were trying to use even more technology to stop thefts."This is supermarkets saying, 'we know there are thefts so what we are going to do is treat every customer in exactly the same way to reduce theft'."They're forgetting that trust is the most important thing for all of the retailers and it works both ways. If customers don't feel trusted or think they're being treated like thieves they will go somewhere else." The British Retail Consortium has said shoplifting is "out of control" after its annual crime survey found incidents of customer theft reported by retailers in the UK rose by 3.7 million to 20.4 million, and cost retailers £ figures published by the Office for National Statistics revealed shoplifting offences reported by police in England and Wales rose by 23% to more than 492,000 over the same is the highest figure since current recording practices began in 2003. Retail criminologist Prof Emmeline Taylor told the BBC she had seen similar trolley scales used in European supermarkets and there was "definitely an element of trying to control loss" but added "let's not forget a lot of scan and go loss can be accidental".A random audit of 20,000 scan and go baskets found 43% had at least one error, a 2022 global study on self-checkout Taylor said Tesco's scales were "quite foreboding and reminiscent of security scanners"."They don't want to give the impression that they are pointing the finger at their honest customer," she said."They will need to balance how they respond when there is a weight discrepancy because you can lose a customer for life if they feel they've been wrongly accused of something."She said she could see customers getting frustrated using the scales."You've left your handbag in the trolley, you've got to take your child out of the seat, you might be queueing behind someone who has been stopped and you can't get through so the trial needs to focus on minimising friction points in the customer experience." The scales are the latest example of supermarkets turning to technology to streamline time and costs. The ratio of self-scan to staffed tills continues to be fiercely debated. Some shoppers love the speed and convenience while others are fed up of hearing "unexpected item in the bagging area".In August upmarket north of England supermarket chain Booths got rid of self-scan altogether, while Asda and Morrisons said they would put more staff back on manned tills.
