A Waitrose employee of 17 years has been sacked for intervening to stop a shoplifter stealing Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs, worth £13 each. Walker Smith, 54, a shop assistant at the Clapham Junction branch in south London, said he grabbed the thief's bag after a customer alerted him. The shoplifter, a repeat offender, snatched it back, leading to a brief struggle before the bag snapped, spilling the eggs. One bunny broke, and Smith admitted throwing a piece in frustration, though not at the thief.
Smith was reprimanded by his manager and apologised, but the matter was escalated and he was dismissed. He said he had been told not to approach shoplifters, but the constant theft over five years spurred him to act. 'I've seen it happen every hour of every day for the last five years,' he said. He noted that security had been scaled back, with no guards on Mondays and Tuesdays, leaving non-security staff on the frontline.
Smith expressed regret, saying he was 'punching myself' afterwards. At a meeting with two store managers, he pleaded that 'Waitrose is like my family,' but was still sacked. He said he was led out the back door by the bins, feeling 'demoralised.' Smith, who has anxiety, worries about losing his recently acquired studio flat and becoming homeless. 'My confidence is on the floor right now,' he said.
Retail crime is rising in England and Wales, with 519,381 shoplifting offences in the year to September 2025, up 5% from the previous year. The retail trade union Usdaw reported that two-thirds of attacks on staff are triggered by theft. M&S chief executive Stuart Machin has called for a crackdown on 'more brazen' retail crime.
A Waitrose spokesperson said: 'We take the safety and security of our customers and our partners incredibly seriously... we have policies in place which our partners are aware of and required to follow.' They added that policies must be strictly followed due to the serious danger of tackling shoplifters: 'Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for.'
