Waitrose has told its staff that 'nothing we sell is worth risking lives for' after sacking a long-serving employee for confronting a shoplifter.
Walker Smith, 54, has been left devastated after being dismissed by the supermarket in wake of the incident at the branch in Clapham Junction, south London.
The shop assistant claims that he intervened after a customer informed him that a man had 'filled up' a bag with Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs - and it ended up costing him his job.
Smith, who has worked for Waitrose for 17 years, has spoken out about his heartbreak after the firm who he considers to be 'like his family' gave him the boot.
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He claims that while on shift, he was approached by a customer who told him that a bloke - who he alleges is a serial shoplifter - had 'filled up a Waitrose bag with the eggs'.
Smith says that he 'grabbed the bag' from the man, leading to a brief struggle over it, before it snapped and the chocolate treats which retail for £13 each tumbled onto the floor.
The alleged shoplifter then fled the store and 'out of frustration' Smith picked up a piece of one of the broken chocolate bunnies and chucked it towards some shopping trolleys.
He insisted he did not aim it at the light-fingered lad, but admitted he quickly regretted his actions.
Smith told The Guardian: "When I got home, I was punching myself and thinking: ‘Why did I do that?’"
The former shop worker said he was reprimanded by his manager and explained that he subsequently apologised for the incident, but that wasn't the end of it.
Although he admitted he had previously been instructed not to approach shoplifters, Smith said he is sick of seeing people swipe items 'day in and day out'.
"I’ve been there 17 years," Smith said. I’ve seen it happen every hour of every day for the last five years...we’re not allowed to do anything."
Smith - who has been diagnosed with anxiety - was then hauled in for a meeting with two store managers a couple of days later and was told he was being dismissed.
"I tried to stay strong and I didn’t say a word but inside I was crying," he said. "They led me out the back door by the bins. I just felt demoralised."
The former Waitrose employee said his 'confidence is on the floor right now', adding: "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."
Waitrose has since responded to Smith's claims and said 'the reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation'.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the supermarket told LADbible: "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