A man has been banned from Sainsbury’s for life and claims it is because he criticised the way staff at a branch were parking. Garry Frost says that he got into a dispute with staff at the Sainsbury’s Local on Middleton Park Avenue in Leeds about why they were parking on a street outside the shop, and has now been warned that police will be called if he tries to enter any store in the UK.
The 62-year-old says he is innocent and has vowed never to return, even if his lifetime ban is lifted, unless the supermarket giant apologises to him, Leeds Live reported.
He claimed: “I’ve done nothing wrong. I wasn’t discourteous, I wasn’t rude or aggressive. I merely pointed out that it was morally incorrect what they were doing.”
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Garry says he was banned for asking staff at the store why he often saw a number of cars parked on the road outside the shop all day, despite a one hour no return policy during working hours. Staff told him the cars belonged to them, but Garry told them they shouldn’t park there, as it may affect people trying to access the parade of shops along the street.
The carpenter and joiner says he pointed out that there is a free car park about 30 yards away, but he said their response was impolite. He claimed: “They were quite rude about it actually and said ‘we’ll do what we want – blah blah blah’”.
One week after the incident, Garry was sitting in The Cracked Pot Café opposite the Sainsbury’s store at which he regularly eats his breakfast. He says that on July 30, a member of staff from Sainsbury’s “swaggered” into the café looking “smug”.
She placed a letter on his table that informed him he was banned for life from every Sainsbury’s.
He said: “I opened up the letter and I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a joke at first and we had a good laugh about it.
"But they’re serious. It says if I go into one, they will call the police and I will be treated as a trespasser.”
The letter read: “I confirm that the invitation to enter and shop at all Sainsbury’s stores, including car parks, is permanently withdrawn due to the incident in which you were involved in. Should you enter any of our premises, you will be treated as a trespasser and the police will be called as necessary.
“We do not tolerate threatening, abusive or violent behaviour. Under these circumstances we have a statutory duty to protect our colleagues and customers from such behaviour whether it is face to face, over the telephone or in correspondence. This includes the discretion no to serve any customer that they feel is causing them alarm or distress.”
Garry said he has been in touch with Sainsbury’s head office to appeal the decision. He said: “I find it just totally disgusting and I think it needs bringing to light.
“The staff are just flouting the law and it’s being condoned by the store manager. Their parking is hindering people who really need those spaces. It’s just being bone idle, for the sake of it.”
He says that staff now gloat at him by waving at him across the street whenever he visits The Cracked Pot Café. He also claims he used to have “banter” with staff in the store and even had one as a friend on Facebook, but they have since unfriended him.
Garry said: “It’s a vendetta. It’s totally over the top what they’ve done. I’m honestly really annoyed about it. Plus, it’s the principle. The wording of the letter and everything.
"They need some bad publicity about it and I need an apology, it’s just wrong.”
Garry attempted to get the lifetime ban reversed by emailing and ringing head office, but the company has said that the ban will be enforced following an internal investigation into the matter.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson told Leeds Live: “We do not tolerate abuse or threatening behaviour towards our colleagues and are in touch with Garry to explain this.”
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