Am i a thief?

[jackie j]

Parents very often steal but dont think they are when they give their children something to eat on the way round the supermarket it is usually a bananna or a few grapes, the odd apple etc they dont see it as stealing. I know some parents do pay for these things before they start the shopping, but most dont, packets of crisps or sweets can be paid for if you keep the packaging fruit or veg cannot. Lots try to put the empty bananna skin through the till !!!
Next time you find something open admit at the till you found an open packet and ask how much for it or keep quiet about it.

[maytreefrannie]

If you do have to go to court you could say they were"planted on you" HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHH

I've just found this thread and at first I thought it was a lot of fuss over a few seeds, but I have to say, it's growing on me...

[windowsillqueen]

I always pay for the stuff my toddler eats on the way round the supermarket. I do have a habit of walking through with cat litter though - not deliberately, it's just often the last thing I get and I carry or hang it on the trolley hook.

Should'nt this debate be in 'General Chitchat' anyway?

[SarzWix]

Having worked in the garden section of a large chain... If you had taken the damaged packet to the customer service desk, they would have written it in the "Write Off" book, and thrown it in a skip. The staff wouldn't be allowed to use/have the seeds, so they would have gone to waste totally. By leaving the packet on the shelf though, someone may buy the packet without realising seeds were missing, so that's the person who will lose out, not the store.
Same goes for you Matthew, you're probably depriving the next customer, not the garden centre

[DavidM31]

I wonder if the seed packet had been tampered with before you picked it up, Mcbee? These big multi stores are fair game to anyone with half a mind to be less than honest. I was in Wickes last week buying some hardware, wood screws were on my list. I needed a lot so it's cheaper to buy in bulk. I had to search through the trade packs to find ones that were not opened, some were nearly empty. I'm sure that the screws didn't just float away into thin air. The serve yourself stores expect this to happen and build it into the price.(OK, I know I'm just an old cynic )

This has happened to me as well in Wickes, only I complained to the staff and they said the company does ban anyone they find stealing, and have prosecuted customers before now. I guess it's hard to catch them opening the packets though.

Having worked in the garden section of a large chain... If you had taken the damaged packet to the customer service desk, they would have written it in the "Write Off" book, and thrown it in a skip. The staff wouldn't be allowed to use/have the seeds, so they would have gone to waste totally. By leaving the packet on the shelf though, someone may buy the packet without realising seeds were missing, so that's the person who will lose out, not the store.
Same goes for you Matthew, you're probably depriving the next customer, not the garden centre

I quite agree, I would have taken the open packet to the till and told them about it, so nobody else got cheated.

[greendean]

honesty always pays

i spotted some pallets outside a building site at weekend and i thought they will do for the allotment. i asked my wife if she thought this was ok. she said the fact i asked showed i knew it was wrong to just take them

i went to the site this morning and asked for if i could have them and the manager said you would be doing me a favor, take what you want and if you go to our other site down the road you can have the 20 or so down there.

now i feel happy i have done the right thing and benefitted from it not just in pallets but a clear conscience.

but thats me. you have to deal with things in your own way and be happy with your choice

[Alison]

I would prefer to live by the don't take anything which isn't yours mantra. Yes, they're a big organisation but they employ plently of little people like you and me. If we all nicked stuff off them then it would effect their profits and it would be the little people who would suffer. A few seeds on their own make little difference but it all adds up. The fact that the OP felt the need to post seems to indicate that they feel a sense of guilt - well at least I hope it does - so maybe they'll think more next time. Sorry if this sounds sanctamonious (sp?) but stealing anything is just plain wrong.

[DavidM31]

I would prefer to live by the don't take anything which isn't yours mantra. Yes, they're a big organisation but they employ plently of little people like you and me. If we all nicked stuff off them then it would effect their profits and it would be the little people who would suffer. A few seeds on their own make little difference but it all adds up. The fact that the OP felt the need to post seems to indicate that they feel a sense of guilt - well at least I hope it does - so maybe they'll think more next time. Sorry if this sounds sanctamonious (sp?) but stealing anything is just plain wrong.

Very well put Alison.....I totally agree.

[SlugLobber]

I think some people are being a little harsh, here, since the OP did not go into a garden centre to steal. Granted, it may have been a good idea to take the open packet to the till and report it, but I hardly think 5 seeds falling out of an already open packet consitutes a capital offence? The OP did not open the packet, somebody else did!

If you feel the need to redeem yourself, OP, donate any spare plants resulting from the seeds to a local school fair, or sell them for money to donate to a charity of your choice! That or give some of the crop to an elderly/sick neighbour/friend.

[allotmentlady]

dont worry, i suspect they lose more than a few seeds......if u feel bad hunny go back to the store and buy the packet.
I am sure that noone will buy the pack cos when they pick it up the seeds will fall out. I suspect that the staff may have already seen them when tidying up.

Dont worry about it, xxxx

[Geo]

Geo.. Confess your sins and hope for forgiveness!

[Victoria26]

I think some grapes should stop being so sensitive!

It was a lighthearted thread with an understated "I did wrong and I know it" tone.

Don't act all judgemental! Your taking it too literal. Chillax!!!

[Chillimad]

If it had not been you Mcbee it would have been someone else, my local garden center often collect up all the damaged seedpacks and offer them for free, "Although they do have a donations box next to them"

As victorial26 says Chill, it would have only been counted as rubbish anyhow.

Lets just hope they grow for you

[MrsC]

...but what would have happened if those seeds had fell on the floor and been trodden on, they never would have been grown. Go plant them and lets not have this thread turn into something it shouldn't

[Victoria26]

SEE other people agree!!! As part of a community forum we need to stop being so Supersensitive and identify understated sarcasm when we see it!

Chill out it was 5 seeds not the great train robbery!