For the second time in less than a year, Waitrose has found itself at the centre of an unwanted staff-related controversy.

Over the weekend, a media storm blew up when it emerged that Walker Smith, a shopworker at Waitrose’s Clapham Junction branch, had been ’let go’ after he tried to prevent a shoplifter making off with a bagful of Lindt Easter eggs. The case comes just six months after the retailer was widely criticised for telling autistic volunteer Tom Boyd his services would no longer be required after his mum asked if he could be paid.

There has been no shortage of people jumping on the bandwagon to lambast Waitrose in the past couple of days, but these two situations could not be more different. And while full details of the latest case are not available, there is an incredibly serious issue at the heart of the matter: staff safety.

The rising tide of retail crime

Since the cost of living crisis reared its ugly head over the past few years, journalists covering the retail sector have written countless stories about the horrific toll that shoplifting – as well as the rising tide of verbal and physical abuse – is taking on shopworkers. While we are lucky not to be on that frontline ourselves, it is heartbreaking to hear the impact crime is having on people who just want to help and serve customers. The very same people who were, not too long ago, hailed for their efforts in feeding the nation during the Covid pandemic.

It’s quite understandable then, when some shopworkers instinctively try and prevent crime, even though that is going against the strict instructions of their employers. It is also very easy to understand why these policies are put in place in the first place.

As Waitrose says, previous incidents have resulted in staff being hospitalised while trying to stop theft. The loss of any groceries, no matter how valuable, is simply not worth the price of any injury (or worse) happening to a shopworker who has just turned up for a day’s shift.

On the face of it, terminating an employment contract for having a go does seem a touch harsh, although Waitrose claims the reporting so far does not cover the full facts of the situation. That is a matter for an ongoing appeal, but there has to be a blanket rule against staff intervention; partly to avoid staff getting hurt or even killed, but also to avoid creating a culture where staff are expected to get involved, leaving those unwilling or unable to do so in a difficult position.

A united front

Of course, the latest case has been the subject of radio and television phone-ins, with Waitrose, rightly or wrongly,  taking a battering. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp has written a letter to MD Tom Denyard calling for Smith to be reinstated and even given a bonus. He posted the letter on social media to show his support for Smith and (of course) make the most of public sentiment.

These tactics are hardly surprising, but it was a little disappointing to see Iceland Foods chairman Richard Walker also seeking to make political and commercial capital out of the situation. Walker posted a link to the story from a national newspaper and said Smith was “welcome to a job with us”. For someone who quite rightly and successfully has played a prominent role in bringing the impact of retail crime to light in recent years, it was disappointing to see the issue reduced to point-scoring against a rival.

Retail crime is something about which everyone involved in the sector, along with government and police forces, needs to be united. Keeping all staff safe has to be the number one priority. 

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