Waitrose employee 'sacked after he tried to stop shoplifter stealing Easter eggs'
A Waitrose employee has been sacked after attempting to stop a suspected shoplifter from stealing a bag of luxury Easter eggs.
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54-year-old Walker Smith was an employee at the supermarket’s Clapham Junction store in south London when a shopper warned him someone was attempting to steal the chocolate treats.
“They told me someone had filled up a Waitrose bag with the eggs,” Mr Smith said.
Mr Smith said he confronted the alleged thief, attempting to grab the back, which led to a struggle between the pair.
Read more: M&S staff ‘worried’ about coming into work as boss issues plea to mayor following Clapham disorder
The bag then ripped, sending several £13 Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs flying across the store.
The suspect then fled the scene, Mr Smith says.
Speaking to the Guardian, Mr Smith said he then picked one of the broken chocolate eggs up and threw it in frustration.
He insists he was not aiming at the shoplifter.
He told the outlet he had been told not to approach shoplifters in the past but the frustration of seeing it happen every day
“I’ve been there 17 years. I’ve seen it happen every hour of every day for the last five years,” he said.
“It’s everybody from drug addicts to teenagers nicking bits and bobs or walking out with bottles of wine in their arms. We’re not allowed to do anything.”
He said the store had scaled back its security operation, with guards only working five days per week.
A few days after the incident, Mr Smith says he was hauled into a meeting, where he says he pleaded with them not to let him go.
He told them: “Waitrose is like my family.”
Despite this, he was dismissed.
Waitrose claims this account does “not represent the full facts” of the case, but has declined to provide specific details.
A Waitrose spokesman said: “We’ve had incidents where our Partners have been hospitalised when challenging shoplifters. Luckily, they have always recovered, but that might not always be the case.
“There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters. We refuse to put anyone’s life at risk and that’s why we have policies in place that are very clearly understood and must be strictly followed.
“As a responsible employer, we never want to be in a position where we are notifying families of a tragedy because someone tried to stop a theft. Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for.
“The reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation. While we would never be able to discuss an individual case, we can assure you the correct process is being followed, which includes a standard appeals procedure.
“We have campaigned for some time for more to be done to protect shop workers from offenders, including retail crime being made into a specific standalone offence.”