Well, when I was a kid (about 6 or 7 years old) I’d go to the supermarket with my mum. While she’d be looking for the things we needed I’d go to the sweet’s aisle and eat a few chewing gums. They had really tasty chewing gums that were sold in packages that looked like cigarette packages. My mum disapproved of that so I wouldn’t get them otherwise. But actually it wasn’t really about the gums. It was about “the kicks” and I think I felt superior to these adults that were so strict about those sweets but would never catch me. I’d do this alone and also with my younger brother. Just chew the gums a few times then throw them away again. A bit later (I think I was about 14) I also stole pens from the paper store. Mostly I would take pens that I had bought previously and that were broken with me to the store, I’d put them back and take new ones in their stead. I think that made me feel less like a thief but well, it actually was theft. I mostly feel bad about this because I didn’t even take care not to ruin these pens because I knew if they were broken, I’d go and “return” them.
I stopped these things because I felt bad about them. I also imagined how maybe a shop assistant would get blamed for this and that I’d be responsible for them losing their job or something like that.
And that’s the story of how I was a shoplifter as a kid.