Between highschool and starting uni, I did a small stint as a cashier.
I called the cops on two people, one was stealing beer, the other some keychain. Both cheap items, but not necessities.
I saw multiple people steal baby formula and diapers and there wasn’t a bone in my body that even thought of calling the cops on them.
The first are stealing to steal.
The later are stealing to survive.
Imho the law should make a clear distinction between the two too.
You probably also thought people were stealing Sudafed because they had colds.
If they’re stealing it from people, I think I’d do something. But corporations aren’t people.
Depends where you are. In the US they actually are:
I’ll believe it when they execute one
I remember standing in line at a liquor store, watching a (likely) homeless woman carefully pocket some food item. I said nothing. I talked about it the next day at work. A coworker suggested I’d just passed an “ethics test.”
That was many years ago, before I’d established my current worldview. Today, I’d be silently rooting for them. “Get some food!”
I wouldn’t call that necessarily passing an ethics test. You could’ve wanted to say something, but were too lazy.
Not doing something wrong is different from doing something right.
Or toilet paper/other hygiene products. The first 5 years of my 20s evaporated due to an abusive relationship dumping me into homelessness. I stole more hygiene products than I’d like to admit…
Same thing I do when I see someone punch a Nazi.
Stop what you’re doing and also punch a Nazi?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but very rarely are desperate parents the ones stealing baby formula to feed their baby.
Baby formula theft is done in large quantities by a middleman for two purposes:
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to be resold at another smaller store, not any cheaper than the original retailer
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to be used to cut / dilute the product in drug manufacturing
People stealing baby formula are not handing them out to grateful mothers in a Robin Hood style act of compassion.
That sounds more like DARE style bullshit to justify getting angry at people stealing formula. I’ve definitely heard of baby powder or baby laxative but that’s because they react similar to coke by dissolving in water like blow or acting like a numbing agent. Baby formula doesn’t numb and it gets milky in water.
It makes no sense from a economic stand point either. People cut drugs to make more money. Most of the shit they use costs next to nothing, isn’t watched and definitely isn’t locked up.
It’s not all baby formula, only certain ones. I believe Similac has one that works. Baby formula is locked up in some stores for this very reason.
HOWEVER, I would definitely not say “most baby formula shoplifters are using it for drug production”, especially not these days.
Yeah it’s always assholes looking to resell it. Much like all the theft at hardware stores, with people reselling stolen power tools.
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