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18
Mar 2022
Harrogate gran in tears after being wrongly accused of stealing in Sainsbury's
A Harrogate grandma was left in tears after a Sainsbury's shop worker accused her of stealing an item she had already paid for.
Pam Forster has shopped at Sainsbury's on Wetherby Road in Harrogate for more than 20 years but said she won't be going back after her experience on February 27.
Ms Forster was leaving the store when the security barriers started beeping and a shop worker asked to see her receipt. But because she had used the self-checkout machines and chosen not to get a receipt, she didn't have one — she had bought a pair of wellies and some food and didn't expect to have to return any items.
Because Ms Forster didn't have a receipt, the member of staff asked her to accompany her to the till so they could print a receipt. The shop worker then looked through Ms Forster's bags, matching items with items listed on the receipt.
During this, she said a packet of salmon had not been paid for but Ms Forster insisted it had. The shop worker left Ms Forster to speak to a colleague and later returned to say "you really should get a receipt next time, sweetheart" and walked away.
Ms Forster's receipt
The Harrogate office manager was left "mortified and very upset", adding she didn't know if she was free to leave at this stage because she was left standing near a till.
'Humiliating experience'
Ms Forster eventually left and "cried the whole way home". She knew she hadn't stolen anything and, after checking, found the salmon was indeed listed on the receipt.
Ms Forster said:
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Ms Forster said she previously visited the shop every week and that "98% of her wardrobe is from Sainsbury's" because it's so easy to get it all from one place.
She called the customer care line the same day and managed to speak to a phone operator, who said someone would be in touch. Her daughter also tried to contact the retailer but no one responded.
Since the Stray Ferret contacted Sainsbury's about the incident, the supermarket has been in touch with Ms Forster to offer a £15 gift card as a gesture of goodwill. Ms Forster said she rejected it because she won't be going back.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said:
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