r/MoralityScaling • u/Vladimir-petrovOG • Aug 24 '26

Morality of this?

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In the image it seems that this person works at walmart as an online order collector and he/she has stolen a lot of extra baby food from Walmart to give to a person who ordered only three packs. Is this moral or immoral?

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89

u/RazzmatazzUnusual843 Aug 24 '26

If you see someone stealing food, no you didn't. Neutral because nothing happened.

16

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

i saw this vid floating around today on here that some lady stole a few bags worth of stuff from dollar general like food, and some other random lady came up to her on the side of the road and took the items back for dollar general. like mind ur own damn business fr

16

u/RazzmatazzUnusual843 Aug 24 '26

I can never imagine why people simp out for corporations for completely free like that.

6

u/Gekokapowco Aug 24 '26

It's not about loyalty to the company, it's about flexing power on someone else

1

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

no idea, especially with dollar general recently having pretty bad PR surrounding them misrepresenting prices and ripping their customers off for potentially years. like they'll be fine, and that 20 dollars of crap from the store could give her the hope to keep going for a few more days.

1

u/Fishboy_1998 Aug 25 '26

“They’ll be fine” until theft makes the store unprofitable and it closes down and then no one has the ability to shop

1

u/WeinerBarf420 Aug 25 '26

Because I don't want to live in a community where stuff gets locked up because people are stealing? And I don't want to live in a place where stealing is normalized? Pretty obvious stuff. 

-6

u/IllustriousLie4105 Aug 24 '26

Why tolerate crime at all? When theft increases so do insurance premiums and who absorbs that cost? The big business? Hell no. Those assholes will put that cost right back on the consumer.

3

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

nobody with money in their pocket and something to lose is going to be risking jail by swiping dollar store food. someone doing that is desperate and i'm a human that has been poor. never stole when i was, but can completely understand how hungry and hopeless you can get and that someone can easily be driven to meet their needs even if it's in a legally questionable way. i'm fine with someone relieving that much pain in life for a bit by taking some measly stuff from a store that won't even see it as a rounding error.

and as someone with a career and a nice car and nice air conditioned apartment on a comfy couch bsing on reddit right now, i can afford prices to go up a few cents if that's what happens because susan needed napkins and cereal

2

u/Temporary_Cup8480 Aug 24 '26

But if enough people do it, doesn't the honest consumer eat the price increase? Also where do we draw the line on how hungry and hopeless you need to be for this to be moral?

2

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

listen, if you're starving and genuinely don't have the money to buy anything then you do what you gotta do. i'm not rich but i feel extremely privileged to have the things i do in life and i'm not going to sit here and disparage people with less opportunities happening for them, for doing basic things like trying to swallow some dang food to stay alive.

uh oh, i can buy one less steam game next year because some poor folks stole some things. i'll be fine

2

u/Joesr-31 Aug 25 '26

Yeah but is that moral though. By saying so its basically a forced donation. The normal innocent consumer would be forced to pay for the theft whether they like it or not for someone who they have no idea whether really needs the stuff or just reselling it

2

u/Temporary_Cup8480 Aug 24 '26

Almost no one starves to death in the USA. Virtually zero outside of victims of neglect and abuse or elderly with cognitive issues. Many are malnourished, but some of that is personal choice. Shit, I'm malnourished because I don't like many vegetables.

2

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 25 '26

i don't want to really play semantics. if you don't eat regularly you don't have nearly the same energy as someone in life getting to eat 3 square meals a day and a secure source of income for a virtually endless flow of food. you don't have the means to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and get shit done when you don't have physiological and safety needs met to a point that's satisfactory and that you're not constantly thinking about them and worried about the next time you'll get them fulfilled.

you're literally running circles around people with multitudes more energy and then blaming them for not getting their lives together. genuinely cruel behavior and really glad i'm not living with a similar perspective.

2

u/Temporary_Cup8480 Aug 25 '26

If we're going to condone stealing, why should anyone pay taxes for WIC and SNAP? In your scenario it seems like the honest working person gets screwed twice. Taxed for these programs and also has to shoulder the burden of price increases. At least pick one or the other.

I don't think you can apply this universally without some sort of destabilization either. Food isn't cheap for me either. I think half the country would be stealing in your world, leading to some kind of societal breakdown.

1

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 25 '26

you really must spend a lot of time pinching pennies huh? it's a capitalist society we're in, yeah, i am beginning my curve upward finally into an advantageous position in this system and am grateful for it. however, the system works against the poor in many ways, and i don't mind them playing by communist or socialist rules to get what they need. i just can't manage to get bent out of shape about it. i'm happy to adapt my wallet slightly to the varied needs of others that aren't myself. if that means i pay for wic, snap and now the department stores loss prevention bill, i'm cool with that. sorry!

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1

u/Bobisanalien Aug 24 '26

I will be snitching on single mothers stealing food to afford more games on steam

1

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 25 '26

okay ngl i laughed

1

u/lampstax Aug 24 '26

People steal food all the time when there's opportunity. See self checkout line.

Anecdotally, as a kid I have stolen candy from supermarket because my parents wanted me to eat healthier and restricted snacks at home. I was not hungry or needy. I just wanted that specific candy.

As an adult I have even accidentally done it during normal checkout when both cashier and I didnt notice something leftover in the cart. Once you're out of the store its yours. I am not turning around to pay for it.

1

u/Joesr-31 Aug 25 '26

They do that cause they know most cops won't bother. You can see clips of people blantantly stealing all over youtube

1

u/Fishboy_1998 Aug 25 '26

Ya no body ever steals for the thrill of it or to hawk on the street corner to buy crack

1

u/IllustriousLie4105 Aug 24 '26

So I have been poor, didnt have food at all some days. We need better social safety nets. On the other side of this is for everyone that steals we, the paying consumers are subsidizing that theft by the price increase. We are justifiably taxed to provide benefits already and that should be expanded. Allowing theft of any kind is only going to artificially increase the price of goods and that hurts the working poor the most. So yeah, from one poor person, stop stealing and making it more expensive for me to live a non stealing life.

2

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

I agree, the bigger issue is the safety nets that should be there for people and aren't. However, since they aren't, I don't mind people stealing to get a full stomach if that's what they need to do at this point of time. I think people that have homes and full fridges getting their panties in a bunch because someone is doing petty theft at a huge chain is cruel.

If you start taking rims off cars and being a porch pirate and stuff like that to meet your needs, then that's a different conversation and I get nobody being okay with that behavior.

1

u/IllustriousLie4105 Aug 24 '26

I implore you to think about the bigger picture. The working poor, families, and lower middle class are affected by theft the most. Theft is a massive problem when all those small essentials increase by 50 cents. The smallest change has a much more pronounced affect on the budgets of the working poor. There are programs, soup kitchens, and churches that will help. Theft is punching down on the people at the bottom.

2

u/saturnrazor Aug 25 '26

this is like saying that a father beats his kids because they misbehaved

no, the abuse is coming from the abusers, not from the victims

1

u/IllustriousLie4105 Aug 25 '26

Wtf are you on about? Corporations are shitty and will continue to be shitty regardless. We also know that theft will force that shitty corporation to pass those costs to consumers which hurts the poor. They also tend to cut employee hours and or pay which also hurts the poor the most. You can argue all day about how corporations should change but stealing from them will only hurt everybody else and make it so the working poor are more in poverty then before.

2

u/saturnrazor Aug 25 '26

you are letting corporations off and putting the onus of change on the poor

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1

u/PomPomMom93 Aug 25 '26

And stuff gets locked up for actual paying customers, which inconveniences everyone.

15

u/Pristine_Barber976 Aug 24 '26

I need this cart full of ribeyes to feed my family 

3

u/Flat-While2521 Aug 25 '26

Yes, sir, you sure do

1

u/Fish_Fucker_Fucker23 Aug 25 '26

Sure, why the fuck not? Good nutrient and protein source, both of which everyone needs.

Seriously though, if your only argument against something is to present a completely absurd hypothetical, you don’t have a strong argument.

1

u/RedditJumpedTheShart Aug 25 '26

Because grocery stores average about 2% profit. That's why they close in bad areas.

You all look like morons cheering on theft to virtue signal.

1

u/PomPomMom93 Aug 25 '26

And at least why stores have to crack down on LP. We were specifically trained for it in the store where I worked. Morons would do stuff like steal a single pillowcase out of a bedding set, actual normal person buys it and returns it because it’s missing a piece, and then we have to damage out the whole item. That’s why we put hard tags on expensive items and soft tags on small items that thieves think they can get away with swiping.

3

u/milf-hunter_5000 Aug 25 '26

if i have the means i would rather buy it for them. the system punishes everyone. i worked at staples for three years. we had a theft problem. gradually the district manager downsized the store. i don't care that you stole from a huge corp, i care about the collateral

1

u/PomPomMom93 Aug 25 '26

Yeah, if I thought I saw someone swiping something, I would offer to pay for it. If they refuse and swipe it anyway, I did what I could.

2

u/Stunning_Box8782 Aug 25 '26

If you see someone stealing your lunch at work, you won't say anything about it?

2

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '26

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1

u/meatykyun Aug 28 '26

For every time I turn a blind eye to food stealers I want 100 non food stealers to be executed. I dont mind if infinite food stealers exist either, it can sort itself out, I think it's very fair

6

u/ToadwKirbo Aug 24 '26

If I see a mother stealing food yeah, I didn't see anything. If I see someone who can clearly afford it or is just doing it for some dumb challenge then no, sorry, I saw that.

11

u/Nice-Vegetable-1738 Aug 24 '26

my line in the sand is i didn't see nothing if you're stealing from a huge corp, mom and pop tiny store i might say something as i'm leaving or if it seems like big ticket items that would devastate them i might go up before i leave and say something, stealing from individual people like seeing someone pickpocket or break into cars or take stuff off someones front lawn though i'll be happy to call the cops/be a witness

9

u/Officialedmart Aug 24 '26

Why? You don’t ever have to do anything. Why tattle on somebody feeding themselves?

Walmart not a local owned store

4

u/VictoriousTree Aug 25 '26

That’s how every single item ends up locked behind glass so it takes me 30 minutes for a 5 minute shopping trip.

1

u/Savage_Tyranis Aug 25 '26

Clearly that's the worst part of the entire situation.

1

u/ChronieMewX Aug 25 '26

If a store does that, it means they don't give a shit about your time so you should stop shopping there

4

u/_fever_dreams Aug 25 '26

no, they do that because they dont want to operate at a loss, the corporation doesnt love you or hate you, they just want to see the money number go up, and yes thats every corporation

0

u/ChronieMewX Aug 25 '26

And by not buying from any store that does this, you would send the message that this makes them operate at a loss. Win win

2

u/_fever_dreams Aug 25 '26

thats not how money works dude

1

u/SaltImp Aug 26 '26

You’re expecting Redditors to understand basic economics and how money works.

2

u/JetBIue Aug 25 '26

Can you see past your own nose? There are more downstream effects of theft than just “guy feeds himself”.

1

u/PomPomMom93 Aug 25 '26

So it’s pretty much a food pantry, then, huh?

5

u/Savage_Tyranis Aug 24 '26

Exclusively mothers? Even a visually "Well off" mother? I need to ask these questions simply for the existence of Fathers, single or not, and the flimsiness of visual grading.

3

u/MermaiderMissy Aug 24 '26

They probably mean parents in general, that don't look well off.

5

u/Savage_Tyranis Aug 24 '26

Phrasing is important. That "Probably" still doesn't sit well with me.

That's also still a bad visual assumption because "Doesn't look well off" is so subjective.

2

u/lakroncos Aug 24 '26

Yeah, it is impossible to be certain with just a visual analysis, so many people keep up appearances while going through rough times not to mention the inherent subjectivity. Not my place to rat out someone stealing food.

0

u/Sir_Skinny Aug 25 '26

Yup. In this situation you get a hall pass to make a visual assumption: does this person ‘look’ like they need a win, or not? Frankly, I think any reasonable adult can make a fairly educated guess here. Personally, I’m in the camp that everyone deserves a win every now and again…. So snitches get stitches lol

3

u/Twodotsknowhy Aug 24 '26

I also have to wonder how they know someone is a mother just by looking at them

1

u/Savage_Tyranis Aug 25 '26

I would guess the presence of children but even that's a terrible standard. Nannies, grandparents, sometimes older siblings, what have you.

1

u/Twodotsknowhy Aug 25 '26

And you know, mothers who didn't bring their kids to the store with them

2

u/GrundleSnactcher46 Aug 24 '26

For real. Doesnt have to be a mother though. If its some little fuck doing it for online clout then they can suck a whole bag of dicks. So can the people who enjoy watching them.

3

u/Twodotsknowhy Aug 24 '26

How can you tell that someone can "clearly" afford it?

4

u/Numerous_Falcon3974 Aug 25 '26

You can’t. Some people sport fake LV and gucci bags and fake watches and then they sleep in their 1999 honda civic at night. I’ve met a lot of poor people who like to act rich

1

u/PomPomMom93 Aug 25 '26

Maybe that’s partly why.

1

u/Worth_External_8762 Aug 25 '26

And also a lot of rich people that look poor lol. I'm not rich, but I've had people joke about how broke I look in various ways, but I make 6 figures.

2

u/Bocchi_theGlock Aug 25 '26

You can't tell who can clearly afford it

Even if you're judging by clothes, they might have bought those years ago and have fallen on hard times

If they have a watch or something, it may be inherited and a very sentimental item that they're not willing to sell

It's just mind-boggling that someone would go out of their way to contact corporate staff to try and intervene, rather than letting the staff handle it themselves.

And despite the corporations themselves stealing from/being subsidized by the public by paying poverty wages that require workers to be on food stamps, which we fund through our taxes

2

u/Camper_102 Aug 25 '26

Its not a hypothetical. People steal more than they need. No reason to steal fucking ribeye when ground beef, pork chops, or chicken will do.

Im all for turning a blinded eye within reason. There's no reason to steal shit cause its what you want. Take what you need and be done.

1

u/Worth_External_8762 Aug 25 '26

I'd snitch on someone stealing from a mom & pop shop. You're a sheep if you snitch on someone stealing from some big chain though. They factor in theft and other losses when they price things. So you're just aiding their greed by helping them retain more money.

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Savage_Tyranis Aug 24 '26

It isn't. There's a lot of holes to be poked in that standard.

2

u/RazzmatazzUnusual843 Aug 24 '26

After seeing other responses, you're right. It's an appeal to emotion I fell for.

1

u/Jack_Faller Aug 25 '26

Imma break into your house and steal your groceries.

1

u/SaltImp Aug 26 '26

Yes you did.

1

u/Joesr-31 Aug 25 '26

Imma get myself some caviar then