Walker Smith, 54, was a Waitrose employee for 17 years before being sacked after confronting a shoplifter who filled a bag with luxury Easter eggs at the Clapham Junction store
A Waitrose employee has been dismissed after attempting to prevent a thief from pinching a selection of upmarket Easter eggs.
Walker Smith, 54, had worked for Waitrose for 17 years before getting the boot. He confessed he was “crying inside” when management escorted him out, as the supermarket chain felt like his family. Mr Smith worked as a shop assistant at a Waitrose store in Clapham Junction, south London. He was going about his regular duties when a customer informed him that someone had stuffed a bag full of eggs.
Standard procedure dictates avoiding confronting shoplifters, instead reporting incidents to senior staff. But having witnessed countless thefts over the years, Mr Smith decided to take matters into his own hands, he explained.
He challenged the thief and grabbed their bag. A short tussle allegedly ensued, before the bag split and several Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs tumbled to the ground. The shoplifter bolted for the exit, but Mr Smith picked up a fragment of broken Easter egg and “threw it out of frustration” towards some trolleys – rather than at the thief – he claimed, reports the Mirror.
His supervisor told him off at the time, but several weeks later, he was summoned to a meeting with store management. Mr Smith said he made one last appeal for mercy, but was eventually informed of his dismissal.
He told the Guardian: “I tried to stay strong and I didn’t say a word but inside I was crying. They led me out the back door by the bins. I just felt demoralised.
“Waitrose is like my family. My friends are there. I was there for 17 years, I must have been doing something right. I’m not a bad or violent or aggressive person. I just got frustrated seeing this day in and day out and not seeing Waitrose do much about it.”
Mr Smith subsequently expressed gratitude to supporters on his personal Facebook page. He revealed his immediate focus is securing fresh employment.
He posted: “Thank you everyone for getting in touch with kind messages and support, I really appreciate it. I didn’t think it would blow up like this but now it has my priority is getting a job.
“I’m based in Clapham Junction so if you or anyone you know is looking for a reliable, conscientious employee please reach out. I was at Waitrose for 17 years so warehousing, customer service – except dealing with shoplifters(!), or similar would be amazing.”
Waitrose, meanwhile, stated the safety of its staff was paramount, which is why it maintained specific policies for responding to shoplifters. Staff had previously sustained injuries when confronting thieves, and it would never wish to place workers in danger.
A Waitrose statement declared: “The safety and security of our Partners and customers couldn’t be more important to us, and we have policies in place to protect both. 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 stand alone offence.”