'[She is] selling the samples to her little friends': 17-year-old steals hundreds of dollars worth of perfume from relative, mother insists she's "just a kid"

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 31, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

Some kids are too smart for their own good. This teen is also too entrepreneurial for her own good!

Even from a young age, some children just crave money. It's hard not to, since money buys basically everything good in this world. However, kids don't always know that there are ethical ways to make some cash, and ways to make some money that are a bit shady. That kid is so desperate to buy the newest game or some snacks that they might start pilfering from their classmates or stealing pocket money from their siblings. 

This person is infuriated at their 17-year-old niece, who may be old enough to know that what she's doing is completely unacceptable. It's a truly incredible story, as u/Kind-Yesterday-3237 told the people of the r/AmItheA****** subreddit. They shared that they're a long-time perfume collector, with some costing hundreds of dollars. 

Their niece not only broke in and stole some of the perfumes, decanting them into other containers for herself, but she turned it into a full side hustle that should make her mom worry about her future. Even though she stole hundreds of dollars worth of perfumes, her mother is taking a very laissez-faire approach to it all. Check it all out below, and see if you think the original poster is doing the right thing with her sister and niece.

Next up, this cosmetics store employee realized that a nurse she was interviewing for a part-time job wanted the unbelievable salary of… $55 per hour! 

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  • 01
    C
    via Daiga Ellaby For Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITA for demanding that my niece, or her parents, pay me back for the hundreds of dollars of perfume she stole from me? (Note: I'm not involving the police, suing anyone, etc. Please don't try to argue with me about this or "convince" me why I should.)
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 03
    I have a perfume collection that I started when I was a teenager slinging burritos as my first job. I have over 400 bottles at this point, I take great pride in my collection, and I use it. I'm also happy to give people decants (samples) of most of my bottles, let them sample a spray or two, give some bottles as gifts, etc.
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 04
    What I have a HUGE issue with is my 17 year old niece coming into my home under the guise of walking my dog, decanting bottles on her own and SELLING THE SAMPLES to her little friends. She thinks that because I have so many bottles, I wouldn't notice some missing or getting massive dents in them. Well little miss entrepreneur failed to realize that her "private" Instagram wasn't "friends only" or whatever and I saw each and
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 05
    every I story with each price and sample she had. I tallied that sh up and got a pretty good estimate based on cost per ounce. Thankfully she mostly picked the "Tiktok famous" perfumes like Bianco Latte and Escapade Gourmand and didn't go for the most rare, niche perfumes. She did an entire 2.5 oz bottle of Baccarat Rouge, though, which runs $300+ at most retailers, as
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 06
    well as full bottles of perfumes you can get at Sephora. Like Marc Jacobs Daisy, Burberry Her Elixir, Flowerbomb, etc. Petty or not, I printed out the entire list of what she'd taken, price estimate, and handed it off to my sister (her mom). I said that I expect to be paid back, in full. And of course her little sneaky is never allowed in my home again. My sister got super pissy with me going on about
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 07
    how my niece is just a kid, kids make mistakes, etc. I said yes, kids make mistakes, and this is a GREAT way for my niece to learn from hers. Their argument is that now the money she was going to use for a car has to go towards paying me back. I don't care. She is lucky that I have no interest in involving the police, small claims, or any of that. But AITA, because she IS a teenager?
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 08
    I'm demanding my niece or her parents pay me back for what she stole from me. This means she's not going to be able to buy a car for college anytime soon, which is what would make me the a hle. She'll need the car for college.
    via u/Kind-Yesterday-3237
  • 09
    Poutiest_Peng... She's "just a kid" who created a successful business enterprise selling stolen property. NTA
    via u/Poutiest_Penguin
  • 10
    TemptingPeng... NTA. I can see from the fact that her mom considers a 17-year-old "just a kid," as if she were a 5-year-old who stole a cookie before dinner, has caused her to act very entitled. She made a series of decisions to steal from you and profit from it. And she's either "just a kid"
    via u/TemptingPenguin369
  • 11
    when she's stealing pricey scents, or she's an almost adult saving up for a car; can't have it both ways on your dime. You'll be teaching her a better lesson than her mom bothered to.
    via u/TemptingPenguin369
  • 12
    naraic- NTA Note: I'm not involving the police, suing anyone, etc. Please don't try to argue with me about this or "convince" me why I should. Understood but your niece
    via u/naraic-
  • 13
    is very lucky you are taking this approach. Their argument is that now the money she was going to use for a car has to go towards paying me back. I don't care.
    via u/naraic-
  • 14
    Of course it has to go to paying you back. Why would you buy your niece a car. If she didn't have to pay you back that is what would be happening with extra steps.
    via u/naraic-
  • 15
    briomio Decants from rare vintage perfumes can go for substantial amounts - People make a living off of this. Your niece decided to defraud you hoping she would never get caught. I think her parent needs to take a hard look at the morals of her child.
    via u/briomio
  • 16
    sour_lemons NTA. I don't see how her not having a car is your problem. The money she has for the car is made from selling perfume she stole from you. She's lucky the consequences are not more serious. I guess she won't have a car until she figures out legitimate ways to earn money that doesn't involve stealing.
    via u/sour_lemons
  • 17
    Natto_Assano A mistake would be accidentally knocking over and breaking a bottle. She had to: • make a plan • find a way into your house • Choose a perfume • put it into a sample bottle
    via u/Natto_Assano
  • 18
    • look up prices • set up her Instagram • collect the money • deliver the perfume • repeat At any one of these points. she could and should have realized that what she was doing was wrong and could get her in trouble. The only reason she thought she
    via u/Natto_Assano
  • 19
    could do this is because she thought she wouldn't face any consequences because you are family. Imagine if she went into a Sephora and stole perfume to sell it. Would her mom still say "oh she's just a kid"?! Someone who is old enough to think about getting a car and with that level of
    via u/Natto_Assano
  • 20
    criminal energy is definitely old and mature enough to fave the consequences of their own actions. She will only escalate from this point on if she gets away with this
    via u/Natto_Assano
  • 21
    blueswan6 NTA But it might not be a terrible idea to post on her account how she got the samples so that her friends also know what she did and they have to protect their own collections. Tell other family members also. It's possible you're not the only victim.
    via u/blueswan6

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Tags

teens aita perfume teenager teenagers friends niece raising teens family sister selling
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