I feel robbed by Waitrose response to shoplifting

While I was shopping at my local Waitrose, I saw a man putting three bottles of gin into his backpack. I challenged him and told him to put the gin back.

- By Jill Insley

He verbally threatened me in the store, saying he was going to follow me to my car, get my number plate and come to my house. I said that wouldn't get him very far as I had walked (I was angry at this point).

As he left the store, I alerted staff in a loud voice that he had stolen gin and put it in his backpack.

I then paid for my shopping and, as I left the store, I asked the staff at the door what happened. They said the store had no security so they just let him go.

The man was waiting for me at the edge of the car park and, as I walked past him, he poured a bottle of sticky drink all over me, shouting, “Next time that will be petrol”.

Other shoppers came to see if I was OK but when I went back into Waitrose to speak to the manager, he offered me no support, empathy or care. When I asked him to replace my newspaper he said yes, he could do this for me. The rest of my shopping I had to wash when I got home.

The manager knew I was not happy with his response, but he did not budge from “I will not do anything to put my staff in any danger” and expressed no interest in me and the attack as it did not happen inside his store. He did tell me to lower my voice.