Growing up without money, Julien started stealing from stores for fear of missing out. Today, at 34, he continues to steal several times a day even though his standard of living has changed significantly. Testimonial from Thune Podcast, created by journalists Laurence Vély and Anna Borrel.
Committing theft, for many, is a shameful crime, while for other people, it is a pleasure. Julien, 34, is one of those French people who started stealing out of fear of missing out, then out of a taste for a challenge, before it became a pleasant habit. Throughout his childhood, he grew up without money. Her mother was a second-hand dealer, she had few means and numerous debts on her hands. “I started stealing early, I couldn’t work, my mother didn’t give me pocket money and I needed to eat,” he confides in Thune, the intimate podcast on money, created by journalists Laurence Vély and Anna Borrel. At that time, he also had an underlying anger against people who spend their money haphazardly.
When his mother died when he was 24, he had a sort of trigger to take control of his life. He returned to school, obtained a CAP in cooking, went abroad and at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, he returned to what he had always known: the flea market. He then set out on his own, with his girlfriend, as a second-hand dealer. Today, Julien’s standard of living has changed a lot. The business, which they started together, is working well, and last January, they had a turnover of 15,000 euros, a record for this young couple. But that doesn’t mean his thefts have become ancient history!
Since his first thefts, Julien has never stopped, he regularly steals once or twice a day, without ever exceeding 20-30 euros of loot. “I steal what I want: food, alcohol, clothes, and always from the big stores,” he explains. Its goal is to pay as little as possible; thus, he always steals valuable objects, avoiding low-cost products. And he takes a certain pleasure in it, he even feels adrenaline while flying. “I could buy anything, but the fact of going into any store is to say to yourself that you can get everything without paying anything, it’s quite pleasant,” he admits.
Listening to him, the young second-hand dealer doesn’t really have a modus operandi. He goes to a large store, finds a product that interests him and carefully hides it, either in his jacket, his pants or under his scarf. He is of course careful about the anti-theft devices and when there are some, he admits to his little tricks to remove them or to prevent them from ringing once he arrives at the checkout. Having a face that inspires confidence and sympathy also works in your favor. “For my part, I remain natural, I don’t have the physique for the job, even if to tell the truth, there isn’t one, but it’s true that it helps me”, he declares.
Thanks to his flights, Julien saves approximately between “800 and 1000 euros per month”. This habit, which of course puts him outside the law, allows him to derive a certain financial advantage. He was thus able to save a large sum of money for his future. “I put about 70,000 euros aside. The flight helped me get to where I am now in life. I’m careful and I’m never overdrawn”, he admits. He doesn’t hide, his loved ones know about it and he even introduced his girlfriend to the thefts. After twenty years of flying, he accepts his way of life and he is not ready to give it up. For him, flying has become an integral part of him. A practice which is of course not to be imitated…