Basicaly the old man was stopped in the store and accused of shop lifting while exchanging the goods at the checkout with receipt.
Shop manager changed story 4 times eg he put it in his coat, carry bag or was about to walk out while standing at the checkout.
Luckily the checkout lady told the manager she had sent Gramps to get correct goods and to hold on to original goods. He was terrified and could of been arrested. And had to plead to be let go and left his goods that paid for too.

Realising their mistake they let him go but now he is terrified to walk past that area even with me (he's 75 now)

I have written asking for an apology but not a thing heard and he still won't walk past that area-that is really annoying me.
Trying to ignore it but feel sorry for him and would be fine with an apology from the manager but they have ignored my written letters asking for an apology to him.

I rang the store and they refuse to speak to me when I politely ask about the incident.

Should I even bother? Personaly I would ignore them but he still won't walk past that shop or street with my Mother either! 😕

Go there. Confront them. Bring him with you if you can persuade him.

If it's a chain etc you could go up the line of command?

Seen this? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10785859

If it's a chain then find the MD's email address and write to him. Copy in the marketing director. Suggest that your old man wants to get the local paper involved but that you don't think that would be necessary of they just did the decent thing.

There's a website that'll help you get email addresses (can't remember the name but google will help).

Can i be the first one to offer the standard stw advice involving wee, shoes, or bombers?
Sensibly though, go up the line of command if it's a chain of shops, or suggest that the local paper might be interested in the story. Sounds like a crap (and scary) incident for the old chap.

Yep, if you have been wrongly accused by a shop of shoplifting, you can sue.

Yes yes OP but have you tried offering a Ragley mmmbop to your Grandad as the solution? 😉 😆

Not after money or sue or staff fired etc.
Just an apology would be fine for him-he's modest and a tough guy but I think his character was offended as he hates crime.

Oh and I did feel like getting the Bombers out but I refuse to go their level and get myself arrested no doubt!

Found HO details and writing a letter when I get home tonight.

The wife is in retail, this happens alot when staff get promoted beyond thier capability.
You MUST get the head office phone number and complain most strongly.
If this particular manager has a history of this kind of behaviour it helps in the case for his removal/ demotion/ dismissal.

Which shop and where?? Name and shame.

I work in the glamourous world of grocery retail.
Legally a person hasn't shoplifted until they have left the premises with unpaid goods.
So if the shop manager in question attempted to detain him before that point then he would be wrongfully accusing him even if he was a genuine shoplifter… Sounds to me like the shop manager in question is just the sort of overzealous power tripping middle management twatt that retail is overrun with..
DEFINITELY take it further.

Yeah – as above – you can't be accused of shoplifting until you've left the premises with the goods. While at school/uni I worked in a sports shop & a Primark and we'd literally get people filling sports bags with clothes and heading to the exit. If they got spotted before they got to the exit, they'd just empty the bag on the door step and wander off.

I'd go into the shop & ask for the area manager's details – that always used to get the managers where I worked sweating…..

I have access to a number of databases. In my experience it is always better to address your complaint to someone significant preferably via email. If you drop me a PM I may well be able to get you the details for this shops customer experience manager who will I'm sure take up the matter and resolve it well.

Well I rang the store and asked for the managers name please and they refused to give me that and the area managers name -sorry we can't tell you.

And they were quite rude to me on the phone, put me on the phone (never raised my voice and explained why I was calling – But I did get told to call head office and "we've been told not to speak to you" and they laughed it off… 😯 Grrr makes me mad/disgusted but they have little respect for people.

So I've called Head office just now and they were very polite and wished Gramps the best and told me to type it all up and they would investigate the matter as they had not heard about it.

Its not a bike shop btw! and I best not give out shops name out to avoid slander? but will update in future.

Thanks for thumbs up and yes he does still ride with me Xc or road but ever so slowly lol

Cheers for the advice -might take you on it if not resolved. Oh and he was waiting at the checkout to speak to the lady who told him to get the right goods and come back to her for an exchange.

The manager told the assistant she should have kept the goods off him and not send him to pick the right ones

The manager said it wasn't their fault as they have many shop lifters… Personally I feel it is disgusting..

name & shame

No, you need to go above area manager, he will try and protect his interests, go directly to the top.
These kinds of morons need removing from thier positions, not only are they a danger to the likes of your grandad, they are more then likely to be making the lives of the staff a living hell too…

DO NOT name and shame!

Best of luck to you/him.

By sending an carefully worded but very polite email directly to then the head of what was NTL I got free broadband and phone for a year.

Senior bods can't be seen to ignore these things and will often delegate it down to a signnificant person to deal with.

I would contact Age Concern in the meantime this kind of bullying of the frail and elderly cannot stand.

sue.

I would contact Age Concern in the meantime this kind of bullying of the frail and elderly cannot stand.

Seconded. I abhor bullies, this stuff really sticks in the throat.

Get the groups MD and chairmans email address, its easy to guess. We complained directly to Andy Steet of John Lewis at andy.street@johnlewis.com and got a call from his PA that day. I have done the same in the past with parcel force.

Google the board and guess the email addresses several times over and more likley than not you will have the desired responce in under 48 hours

Thanks for the advice!

I know real shop lifters have made it difficult for retail and Joe Public but you can't just label everyone a theif and you should do it legally.

When I worked as student in retail, we had a customer you could label a scruffy person. He used to haggle with me over prices as bought mega expensive stuff (which I did lower some prices) and he was a nice bloke' until my supervisor/'police officer wannabe' followed him around the store making him feel uncomfotable and when asked why, supervisor basically accused him of being a gypsy theif and showed his 'Special Constable Police badge'

Turns out the scruff was loaded and a construction company onwner and met up with head office CEO and supervisor was 'pushed' out (the idiot)

You just can't label people from your past experiences but in this case Gramps was wearing smart casual and clean shaven doing the once a week shop as we all do etc and treated like dirt.

I'm tempted to stand outside the shop handing out flyers of what will happen if you go into this shop in front of the press…if nothing gets done and if I can't be sued that is (if nothing gets done). 😆

I can't condone any bullying either-no need for it anywhere.

(Thanks for kind remarks too – appreciated)

If the company is a plc you'll get everything you need from the investor relations part of their website

Mrs U31 here
This behaviour is completely unprofessional.
It seems obvious that the assistant involved has not been properly trained.
The manager will now be panicking as his/her faults are about to be shown.
Definatly ring head office. The store MUST provide details for you.
They will be more than happy to deal with the problem courteously, They want to protect the company name.
And they WILL investigate.
Best of luck

Yes, the country is over run by 75 yo shop lifters FFS.

A very nicely worded and polite email can do wonders.

All the best, and tell your Grandad the staff of today aren't what they used to be 😉

If there has been a false accusation this should interest you then

The Lidl case is interesting but they did man-handle the toddler and he was innocent. But I couldn't convince the Gramps to sue as its not in his nature and an apology would be more than enough (he doesn't need the money nor would he take it).

I train retail staff and store guards on behalf of the Police and have been on national radio and in the printed media dealing with these sorts of issues.

I can therefore catgorically tell you that Sam42 is wrong regarding his definition of theft as defined under the theft act of 1968 and PACE 1984. It is the lazy erronious definition that most retailers rely on though so it's not his fault.

However I would also comment that the manager in question appears to have been ill/untrained and possibly promoted above his level of competance. When I have to deal with these sorts of issues the first port of call is always head office with a friendly call asking for the area/regional operations manager. They will be your best bet.

emails in the profile if you want profesional advice.

This is an interesting one.

If you can't be accused of shoplifting (and I assume this is just stealing) till you leave the shop, how does the law deal with consumables?

Mrs brassneck was once accosted by an assistant for feeding little brassneck some grapes from a punnet to keep him quiet long enough to finish the shop.. handful of grapes, from a fixed price punnet.. and accused of stealing.

Always wondered how this looks legally, not that I could be bothered to take it any further – we just moved our several thousands of pounds a year in shopping to a different retailer, their loss.

I can therefore catgorically tell you that Sam42 is wrong regarding his definition of theft as defined under the theft act of 1968 and PACE 1984. It is the lazy erronious definition that most retailers rely on though so it's not his fault.

You can be accused of theft whilst still in the premesis.
theft act 1968 means that you have a series of points to prove, leaving the store is not a necesity of proving theft.

Re consumables, if you have evidence- witnesses etc it still counts. I nicked a guy last week who'd downed a bottle of vodka and two cans of lager in a store.

But whilst we're on it 'Grandads' alleged crimewould have been fraud and obtaining funds through deception (ie a fraudulant refund) not shop theft anyway.

Well i stand corrected.

So eating a couple of grapes on the your way round a supermarket is out then?

a guy last week who'd downed a bottle of vodka and two cans of lager in a store

Got to be Asda.

@Sam42,

If the grapes are in your trolley and you pay for them then it's fine, if you get to the till and conceal the empty bunch and claim they never existed or just helped yourself to fruit like it was a buffet whilst wandering around then no it's theft.

A certain amount of disctretion and common judgement comes into it. I'm sure you'd agree that there is a difference between a tired toddler being given jafa cake from a packet already in Mum's trolley and you or I shotgunning a bottle of vintage clarret then legging it.

@2tyred- nah, can't say where it was, suffice to say he had a taste for quality.

you or I shotgunning a bottle of vintage clarret then legging it.

Surely worthy of discretion purely on style grounds! It'll probably be CFH anyway 🙂

I wouldn't kick off a fuss as a store manager about grapes but I still wouldn't eat any until I had paid and was home etc as it can classed as stealing by a store.

When I was a teen my Mother buying some pick and mix sweets stacked as a pyramid with sweets rolling down as you pick some for your bag.

Some sweets rolled down and fell in her 80's large coat pocket but luckily it caught my eye and she picked out 2 in her pocket and put them in her bag and paid for with the food shop etc.

Accidents can happen but I bet if she was ever stopped and searched and I didn't see the sweets fall, she would easily be arrested as the general idea is everyone is a criminal when you walk into a shop according to some shops…

Another time while paying for my comic book I saw a classmate trying to pull off a pc disk off a magazine. Me and the shop keeper just watched him while I said "I'm not with him!" luckily the shop keeper knew me as they held my subscription and the classmate gave up -was it worth a shoddy pc disk? he didn't even own a pc!

So I understand shops getting suspicious but the majority of us are innocent and treating us like dirt will only cause us to shop elsewhere.

but I bet if she was ever stopped and searched and I didn't see the sweets fall, she would easily be arrested as the general idea is everyone is a criminal when you walk into a shop according to some shops…

they cannot stop and search you without reasonable suspicion, and in general it's hard to get a successful conviction without direct witnessing of intentional stealing ie they have to see you put the thing in your pocket etc, otherwise a credible defence is that it fell there accidentally.

Spot on Simon. You could have a job working for me.