QUEUEING in a heaving Greggs to grab a lunchtime sandwich, Louise looks like any other peckish office worker.
After smiling sweetly at the cashier, she pays for her sandwich and exits through the door – all while hiding a couple of bottles of Coke and a packet of ready salted crisps in her handbag that she hasn’t paid for.
She’s not on the breadline and can afford to pay for her lunch, but the mum-of-two is part of a growing number of Brits who are happy to swipe sandwiches from bakery chain Greggs – as exposed by The Sun.
Just days ago, was laid bare as new figures showed
The recorded by in England and Wales passed half a million for the first time last year, official data shows.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics came after a of shoplifting from , with only 350 people in England and Wales actually prosecuted.
Greggs boss Roisin Currie said the sausage roll chain is working with to record thefts. Details are passed to local police forces.
And Louise, 39, from Chatham, Kent, is part of these shocking statistics.
The office-based healthcare worker says: “When I saw the story in The Sun about the Greggs shoplifting crime spree, I was horrified to see footage of somebody brazenly pinching goods in broad daylight.
“But there was another reason I was so taken aback.
“I’ve been stealing sandwiches for years – and I had no idea that so many others were doing the same.
“Despite my habit, which I am ashamed of, it made me feel sick that I could have been in one of the video clips printed.
“I know what I’ve been doing is against the law, but I don’t really think of myself as a criminal in the same sense as some of these people – even though, deep down, I know I’m just as bad.
“I would never be so brazen as to walk into a shop and fill a backpack with goodies, as I have read people do.
“But would I slip a bottle of into my handbag, while paying for a pasty from behind the till? Absolutely. And I’ve done it numerous times.
“Despite my shame, I get a cheap thrill by stealing a small item here or there.
“To the outside world, I’m the last person you’d suspect of shoplifting.
“I have two primary-aged children and I’d be horrified if they were ever caught stealing.
“I have a good office-based job working in the healthcare industry and my husband is in a well-paid role for a large conglomerate. We have a lovely four-bed home in a leafy suburb.
“But my slip into shoplifting started when my eldest was a baby and I accidentally left a supermarket without paying for compost that I’d popped under the pram.
Greggs – which is valued at £2.6billion – can afford to lose a couple of quid.
Louise
“When I realised that I’d taken it, I got such a thrill that I’d got away with it, I tried it again on my next trip.“Now, nine years later, I’m completely addicted.
“I’ve often nipped into one of my local Greggs for lunch – there are three near my office – to see if I can come away without paying for part of my lunch.
“I wouldn’t ever try it in a smaller bakery, but the way I see it, Greggs – which is valued at £2.6billion – can afford to lose a couple of quid.
“have even had major brand collaborations, like their clothing line with that Pearl Harbour actress was pictured wearing – so I don’t lie awake worrying I’m going to put them out of .
“The stores I use are always so busy that staff don’t notice.
“And if they did clock me, I’m confident they wouldn’t challenge me. They don’t get paid enough to confront shoplifters.
‘BUZZ’ FROM THEFT
“Sometimes, they barely make eye contact with me when I’m trying to pay, so if they don’t notice the £1.25 packet of crisps I’m holding while putting my tuna mayonnaise sandwich on the counter, that’s on them.
“When I read that only 350 people in England and Wales have been prosecuted for stealing from Greggs – and most of those are prolific shoplifters – I realised my chances of actually being caught are slimmer than I’d thought.
“But I never steal anything worth a lot of money and I always make a purchase.
“I make my stealing seem ‘accidental’ and I only go into Greggs during the lunchtime rush, often picking up something for my colleagues, too.
“The more I’m trying to juggle, the easier it is to pop something in my handbag.
“I’ll often have to take an ‘urgent’ phone call too, just before I have to pay, while smiling apologetically at the member of staff on the till, mouthing ‘sorry’.
“I think if I was ever challenged, it would be easy to convince them that I was just distracted and forgetting to pay was an honest mistake.
“I’ve only ever once been asked to pay for something that I’ve tried to steal.
“I had put a packet of doughnuts down on the shelf in front of the till, while putting the rest of my lunch on top for the cashier to scan.
“She asked me if I wanted the iced treats as well, so I just smiled and said: ‘Yes please’, as though there wasn’t any doubt that I’d intended to pay for them.
“I’d be mortified if any of my friends or family knew I did this. Maybe it’s a little bit of middle-class rebellion, as I’ve always followed the rules. This is my small act of resistance.
I think if I was ever challenged, it would be easy to convince them that I was just distracted and forgetting to pay.
Louise
“The buzz I get from walking out without paying for something is difficult to ignore. I really feel like I’m addicted to it.
“I make my own lunch most days, to save money. We’re not on the breadline, but like most families, we feel the squeeze of the crisis.
“If I can save a pound or two on lunch once a week, it all adds up.
“I don’t do it often, once a week at most, and I’ll often go three weeks without stealing anything.
“I also go to different branches, so I’m not trying it on in the same shop all the time.
“But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to kick the habit while it’s so easy to nick the odd treat here or there.
“Some Greggs stores are putting bouncers on the doors, but this wouldn’t deter me as what I’m taking looks like a genuine accident.
“If I was ever challenged, I’m confident I would get away with it.
“However, it did worry me to read that some stores might use AI facial recognition software to record thefts.
“I couldn’t live with the shame if my husband found out. He’s incredibly honest and I think he’d look at me in a different way if he knew I’d been stealing food.
“Ultimately, if security was tightened in shops like Greggs, it would help me break the habit. If I thought I was likely to get caught, I simply wouldn’t do it and in a way, it would be a relief.”;
- *Names have been changed
