Over this bank holiday, Walker Smith’s story about his run-in with an Easter Egg shoplifter went viral across the country.
That’s as the incident led to the Waitrose worker of 17 years losing his job.
The 54-year-old had apparently been informed by a customer at the Clapham Junction branch in south London that a man had ‘filled up’ a bag with Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs.
And Smith had had enough of it, so decided to confront the alleged serial shoplifter.
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However, having expressed regret for his actions, his manager dismissed him from Waitrose which he had considered to be a place ‘like family’.
The company has since said the ‘correct process is being followed’ and Smith has responded to the story going viral as he issues a plea for a new job.
Walker’s sacking from Waitrose
Having been informed by a customer, Smith claims he ‘grabbed the bag’ of eggs 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 ‘out of frustration’ and the worker picked up one of the broken chocolates and threw it towards some shopping trolleys. He insisted it wasn’t aimed at the shoplifter but admitted he quickly regretted his reaction.
Smith told The Guardian: "When I got home, I was punching myself and thinking: ‘Why did I do that?’"
Having been reprimanded by his manager, he claimed he apologised for the incident – having admittedly been instructed before not to approach shoplifters.
"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 – then met with two store managers a few days later and was told he was 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."
Walker says he had worked for Waitrose for 17 years. (HOLLIE ADAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
Walker’s response to the reaction
As his story went viral, Walker took to Facebook to write yesterday afternoon (5 April): “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.
"Thank you all."
Waitrose Statement
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."
Jess Battison