A sacked B&Q worker has been banned from every store in the UK - after branding his colleagues 'c****' and declaring 'f**k everyone' in an explosive final customer announcement. Adam Powis filmed himself as he broadcast his foul-mouthed farewell across the hardware giant's branch in Weston-super-Mare.
A viral video shot by the 18-year-old shows him calmly declaring 'this is a customer announcement. I just got sacked and B&Q are c****. F**k everyone. Have a nice day'.
Adam, who admits his heart was racing, then walked away from the desk and left the store for the final time without speaking to stunned staff or customers. The college student claims he was sacked for vaping outside the designated smoking area and says he 'acted irrationally' as he felt other staff had done the same and hadn't lost their jobs.
His video has been viewed 2.5million times where some said his bizarre act had 'justified' his sacking while others joked they wish they could do the same. Adam followed this up by revealing a letter from B&Q titled 'banning notice', which claims he will be treated as a 'trespasser' and legal action could be taken if he enters any of their UK stores again.
The aspiring personal trainer brushed off the ban claiming 'he doesn't shop there regularly anyway' and will simply ask others to buy items for him. He's admitted he regrets the 6.30pm rant - but only because future employers could see the video now he's shared it.
The 18-year-old had been working in B&Q's building department part-time for around six months where he was trained to cut materials for sale. Adam said: "I don't really get embarrassed but my heart was racing.
"I was on my way out and I thought it would be funny so I acted a bit irrationally. I didn't really think about it. I made a mistake at work and then they took it further than they needed to so I was a bit annoyed. It wasn't anything serious.
"I didn't think I deserved it because people have done worse things and they've not been fired. I've seen other staff [vape outside the designated area] and that's why I was a bit baffled. I actually enjoyed the job. I was good at it and I was never late. I wouldn't even talk bad about the company but I felt I was treated differently.
"I understand the criticism, but a joke is a joke and you can either take offence to it or you don't. It was directed to staff in a sense but it wasn't malicious. I didn't hear anything from them afterwards so I thought I'd put it on TikTok for a joke. It's so unexpected that some people think it's fake, but the banning order proves it.
"I probably shouldn't have [made the announcement] but it happened. I do regret it a bit. Not because of what I said but more about future job opportunities. If a company sees it then they might think I'm that sort of person but I'm good at my job and [in] the moment I got a bit heated.
"I'm not too bothered about the ban. I don't shop there on a regular basis. In future I might just have to get someone to go in for me."
Adam says he had smoked his e-cigarette outside the smoking area behind the store on one occasion when he was spotted and sacked. He insists he wasn't aware of the rule and believes he should have been given a warning rather than losing his job.
Adam says colleagues text him after he left to joke about the stunt but he didn't hear from B&Q bosses until he saw the banning order. The post of his stunt, captioned 'got fired so left with style', had attracted a staggering 180,000 likes and 1,600 comments until it was removed by TikTok yesterday morning.
One user said: "Is that your response? Then you justify why you were sacked from whatever you did before?"
Another commented: "There goes his reference."
A third said: "Whether you should do this depends on why you were sacked."
However one said: "I've always wanted to do this."
Another joked: "You should have said everything is free for five minutes."
A B&Q spokesperson said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases. We have agreed processes in place, and any decision to review a colleague's employment is not taken lightly and considers all relevant circumstances."
