Waitrose worker of 17 years offered new job after being sacked for confronting 'easter egg thief'
A rival retailer has offered to employ the Waitrose worker who was sacked after confronting a shoplifter swiping Easter eggs.
Walker Smith feared he might end up 'homeless' after losing his job at the supermarket in wake of a recent run-in with a light-fingered customer.
After the story of what led to his dismissal started doing the rounds, he took the opportunity to put the feelers out for a new employer - and now, he's been offered a gig.
The shop assistant, 54, has told how he was left devastated after Waitrose managers hauled him in and informed him that he was being sacked after 17 years of service.
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Smith had challenged a man, who he alleges was a serial shoplifter, at the branch in Clapham Junction, south London after spotting him 'fill up a bag' with Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs.
He 'grabbed the bag' from the bloke, leading to something of a tug-of-war between the two, before it then snapped and the chocolate fell onto the floor.
Smith admitted that he picked up a piece of chocolate and chucked it towards some shopping trolleys 'out of frustration' while the alleged shoplifter fled the store.
The Brit said he had previously been instructed not to approach shoplifters, but had become frustrated watching this sort of thing 'happen every hour of every day for the last five years'.
Speaking of being fired, Smith 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."
As well as this emotional turmoil, he's got his finances to worry about too - as the former shop worker revealed he had recently moved into his own studio apartment after living with flatmates for 25 years.
"I’m not too sure what’s going to happen with this place now," he said. "I might be homeless. My confidence is on the floor right now.
"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."
After the story about his sacking went viral, Smith shared a Facebook post on Sunday (5 April) thanking people for their 'kind messages and support'.
"I really appreciate it," he said. "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. Thank you all."
Around 24 hours later, Lord Richard Walker - the boss of supermarket chain Iceland - took to LinkedIn to offer Walker a job with his firm.
Sharing a screenshot of an article which discussed Smith's sacking, he wrote: "You’re welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name…"
A GoFundMe has also been set up for Walker by a Good Samaritan who said she wants to raise some cash to help him 'pay his bills and rent'.
So far, a whopping £7,309 has been raised for the former Waitrose employee.
Politicians have even been wading in on the shoplifting-sacking saga, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage saying in a post on X: "We are now a country that favours criminals over law enforcers. Britain is broken."
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp also wrote a letter to Waitrose bosses urging them to reinstate Smith - and suggested he should be awarded a bonus for his 'bravery and initiative'.
The Conservative MP said the case shines a spotlight on the 'wider and growing problem' of offenders acting 'brazenly and with little fear of consequence'.
"Staff safety must come first," Philp said. "But dismissing a long-serving employee in these circumstances sends entirely the wrong message. It penalises those who act, while offenders are left unchecked."
Waitrose said that 'the reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation' and explained that 'nothing we sell is worth risking lives for'.
A spokesperson previously told LADbible in a statement: "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."
Olivia Burke