Another vote for asking.
I’ll back it up with a little story. One night, when I arrived at my usual haunt, I saw the owner running after a few guys who were leaving the pub. She had a few words with them (and knowing her as I did, they were sharp words), they pulled glasses out of their pockets, and she headed back in with the glasses. I caught up with her, and she told me that these guys had been trying to steal the glasses. “And you know,” she admitted, “had they just asked, I would have given the glasses to them. But it’s the principle of the thing.” I’ve always recounted this story when somebody in our party wonders if the bar would notice if a glass went missing, and advised the person that if they want one, to ask. So, usually, they ask–and get the glass.
So yes, asking is a much better idea than just stealing.