Anna Bagot says she was accused of ‘theft by deception’ for trying a nut before she bought them (Picture: SWNS)
A nurse says she was accused of stealing from Lidl after eating a single nut.
Anna Bagot tried a loose cashew to test its quality and make sure the batch wasn’t stale.
But the 60-year-old NHS worker was spotted in the act by a member of staff who said it amounted to stealing, she claims.
The incident happened last month in a branch of the budget supermarket in Fakenham, Norfolk.
The nurse of 20 years, who is also living with cancer, said she intends to boycott the chain over the embarrassing stand-off.
Anna said: ‘It was so so awful. I felt quite intimidated. It’s not like I was having my lunch. It was half a nut – it’s absolutely ridiculous.
‘Honestly I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. And with everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, it just felt so trivial.
The nurse, who has recently had chemo, intends to boycott the supermarket chain (Picture: SWNS)
‘I’ve worked all through Covid and now we’re in a cost of living crisis. Nuts are a luxury and we can’t all risk money on food that might be stale.
‘It’s inconvenient taking goods back and it takes time, plus it can feel awkward.
‘I’ve just had 25 rounds of chemo, and with that and everything else going on in the world, a nut seems pretty insignificant.’
Anna says she paid the for £2.33 bag of cashews immediately and left a single nut behind in the shop to make amends.
She was with her daughter Estella, 20, at the time, who also claims to have been the altercation.
The nurse said a manager accused her of ‘theft by deception’, adding: ‘At the start he just came up to me, and he was wearing a coat so I didn’t even know he was the manager.
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‘He said “Do you know it’s theft? Because it’s an unweighed item”. I explained and he unzipped his jacket.
‘He just showed me his Lidl emblem and said “I work here, I’m a Lidl employee”. Later the cashier told me he was a manager.’
A Lidl spokesperson said: ‘We always aim to provide our customers with a pleasant and positive experience when shopping in our stores.
‘Nevertheless, we kindly ask that products are purchased before consumption.
‘Should a customer be unhappy with a product, we would always encourage them to get in touch with our customer services team.’
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A 60-year-old NHS worker claims she was confronted by a manager for trying a nut before buying a batch.
