When you're out doing some retail therapy, you've probably stopped to think about why there are people in some shops who greet you when you enter the store.
The job may seem tedious, but it actually serves a really important purpose.
One ex-JD Sports worker has explained to what the point of the role is - and it's more sinister than you think.
22-year-old Arriminta Hardwicke from Woodbridge, Suffolk, worked at JD Sports for seven years, so she knows exactly what happens behind closed doors.
Arriminta said that many dodgy customers would come through the sports shop and she claimed that stealing was unfortunately a daily occurrence.
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She told The Sun : "If we did suspect someone, we would usually go over and ask them if they were OK. It was to let them know you are watching them but in a subtle way.
"The person who stood at the front of the store at all time was there to greet customers but - they were also there to check for stealing and whatnot."
She also spoke about a time she was scammed by a customer when a person handed her notes, she checked them, he then asked for it back, appeared to recount it, but then he slyly swapped the real amount for fake cash.
She didn't realise that she'd been conned at the time, but then the brazen man came back asking for a refund.
After the customer had gone, her manager realised what had happened and informed Arriminta that she'd been scammed.
She was really upset and very 'emotional' and 'on edge' trying to ensure she didn't make the same mistake again in the future. She said the job was very high pressure for a low wage.
The former worker said that she also hated processing returns because some customers would try to pull the wool over their eyes about whether things were faulty.
Arriminta did enjoy the 25 per cent discount the retailer offered, though.
JD Group spokesperson said: "The safety and security of our staff is our highest priority as a business.
"We do not condone threatening, violent and abusive behaviour in any shape or form, and we have extensive protective measures and procedures in place to ensure colleagues do not have to encounter this to do their jobs.
"As a company, we take a zero-tolerance approach to shoplifting and take all incidents very seriously.
"We specifically train our store colleagues not to put their safety at risk and provide market-leading processes and technologies – from high-quality CCTV to sophisticated product tagging and panic buttons – to help prevent and respond to shoplifting incidents quickly.
"We also have strong relationships with the police in the communities in which we operate – and work closely with them to help bring perpetrators of retail crime, including industry-wide scams, to justice.
“For colleagues, we offer a range of training programmes as part of our onboarding process to ensure they are fully aware of the protections in place, and we regularly encourage them to submit concerns or suggestions on how we can improve practices, anonymously or otherwise.
"The mental health of our colleagues is also of paramount importance to the JD Group and where an incident does occur, we have robust strategies and support networks in place to help ensure their wellbeing.
“Furthermore, JD provides store colleagues with highly competitive hourly rates of pay, as part of a broader benefits package."
JD Sports also mentioned that its salaries are now on average 18p more than the minimum wage.
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