False shoplifting accusation

Third Opinion

Third Opinion

Third Opinion

Soldato
Joined
3 Jun 2005
Posts
5,365
Location
West Sussex
I shop daily at a leading supermarket and have done in the same branch for many years. I use the scan and pack and today was given a random search. All was fine and I went to leave the store as normal with my partner.

We were then detained in the car park and accused of having some meat we hadn't paid for. We showed our receipt and everything checked out. A bit of a crowd stopped and watched us questioned which was very humiliating. I asked why we had been stopped and was told a customer had tipped them off.

I wasn't happy with the explanation or the humiliation so I returned to the store to try to get an understanding of what was going on. The security staff backed up by and junior manager said I had been observed on camera concealing items. This is so untrue and I protested to be told I am lucky I am not being banned.

I am a trainer, a SIA licensed security operative and CCTV operator and this whole thing is well out of the ordinary and totally unprofessional.

I phoned the head office to be told that the store has CCTV footage of me concealing items in the store. I know this is totally untrue so am going to send off for a Subject access request to prove my innocence.

I have managed to get through to the store manager who wants to see me urgently. The head office said the junior manager is recommending I am being banned from the store yet I have done nothing wrong.

Never been through anything like this in my life and am gobsmacked as I work in the security industry and this could cost me my job. It is a small town and two co-workers have already called me saying they saw me detained outside this supermarket beginning with T.

I just can't believe it.
 
I would have expected an apology after it was proven that I didn't steal anything. I always set off peeps at my local tesco when i buy meat because they have those anti-theft badges on them and they don't get removed when you pay for it. Very stupid imo because it creates a lot of false positives. But thats another discussion. I just keep walking. Once the receipt has been checked then i would tell them to get lost and apologize.

Whether they think they saw something is irrelevant.
 
Ask if they have followed the S.C.O.N.E which i had to follow as a security guard for tesco.

If they dont then they are not following procedure,im sure they will back down as your innocent but ask them about scone.

S=selection.
C=concealment
O-observation
N=non payment
E=exit
 
Don't get me wrong this isn't a suing thread. I am a 40 year old family man who pays for his shopping daily and is being told he could be banned from a leading supermarket even though it has been proved he did nothing wrong.

I would just say I would go elsewhere but I live in a small town with no alternatives.
 
The accusation is that you stole something, right ?

You say that you were searched and nothing was found, right ?

Presumably your store receipt corresponds with the items in your bags, right ?

So, what's the problem ?

Surely, no evidence, no crime. :confused:
 
So you'll be able to upgrade your Q6600 and sli a couple of 780 ti's when the compo arrives, seriously though, they are bang out of order, don't let it drop, name and shame the supermarket.
 
Whilst I can sympathise with the OP, taking this too far could result in the security of the store being too afraid to tackle actual shop lifters in future. At the end of the day, we're all human after all.
 
estebanrey said:
Whilst I can sympathise with the OP, taking this too far could result in the security of the store being too afraid to tackle actual shop lifters in future. At the end of the day, we're all human after all.
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Sort of, but they've had the opportunity to be reasonable and still carried on threatening to ban him. I'd keep going until I got the apology tbh, you don't want to be going back wondering if you're being watched/followed around.
 
Did they stop you on private property? Not forgetting they have no rights to actually search you :p They can detain you until police arrive.
 
If they had conducted themselves differently would you still feel the same way?

I mean, say for example they had called you back into the store and performed their search in a nice quiet corner away from the public eye?
 
Like I said it is not a suing thread. I just feel humiliated as they detained us, wrongfully in front of a crowd. I can even live with that until they maintain we were concealing items which simply isn't true.

I am not a thief and never had been. My complaint is they maintain I am on camera with my partner concealing items.

I don't want compensation, I just want recognition I do not go around a supermarket concealing items to steal.

Imagine how you guys would feel?
 
I don't understand: are they taking this further? did they not back down at the time when you were able to demonstrate that your pockets were empty? Are they still insisting you thieved something, or are they just claiming the evidence was sufficient that it was proportionate for them to apprehend you to check?

Basically, what is the ongoing problem?
 
Third Opinion said:
Like I said it is not a suing thread. I just feel humiliated as they detained use, wrongfully in front of a crowd. I can even live with that until they maintain we were concealing items which simply isn't true.

I am not a thief and never had been. My complaint is they maintain I am on camera with my partner concealing items.

I don't want compensation, I just want recognition I do not go around a supermarket concealing items to steal.

Imagine how you guys would feel?
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Well put it this way, what does it matter? They have **** all on you, I'd say they're making it up that they have you on film so that they don't look like plonkers.
 
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