Meet the Shoplifters

In Britain, shoplifting is at an all-time high, incidents of violence and abuse against shop staff have skyrocketed, and a third of Brits have admitted to stealing through the self-checkouts. To understand what's causing this high-street epidemic, Stacey is meeting the people behind the crime and spending time on the shop floor with the staff who deal with shoplifting every day. 

In Manchester city centre, beauty and cosmetics chain Bodycare has one of its biggest and most shoplifted stores. Here, Stacey meets the staff at the sharp end of shoplifting, seeing first-hand the impact it has on them, while witnessing near-constant attempted thefts. Stacey sees what staff members Rachel and Dips have to deal with, and manager Dips tells her, 'It's not a victimless crime. Somebody always pays the price for it down the line. And for us, it's the staff in here.' 

Around the corner from the shop, 22-year-old 'Chloe' is window-shopping. She's a recent graduate who regularly steals skincare products and plastic jewellery. She doesn't have much love for the big chains and justifies her actions as a form of protest against corporate greed and unsustainable products. But underneath her activism, Stacey discovers there is more to her shoplifting. 

In another part of Manchester, 22-year-old 'Otto' invites Stacey to his flat, where he's cooking dinner for his friends using stolen tofu and flatbreads. He doesn't have many qualms about stealing through self-service checkouts and believes it's an act of defiance against big corporations and ultimately a victimless crime. 

Not all shoplifting is about wanting nicer things. For 20-year-old mother 'Ellie', who is trying to provide essentials like nappies for her son, stealing is about the struggle to survive. In Ellie, Stacey sees how the cost-of-living crisis may be driving some people to steal out of desperation. 

Away from Manchester, Stacey meets Bruce, who asks her whether she can tell the difference between stolen and bought items. His shoplifting started when he was signed off work sick, but now that he's grown accustomed to getting things for free, his stealing is escalating, and he's finding it hard to kick the habit.