Exeter Tesco bans bread roll man
SUPERMARKET giant Tesco handed a letter to a customer stating he was banned from every store in the country after he took a bite from a bread roll before paying for it.
David Bowes, 31, said he was treated “like a terrorist” in Exeter city centre’s Tesco Metro when he argued with a security guard who told him to stop eating before he paid for his food. He admits he became abusive when the guards grabbed him but says he was thrown to the ground and pinned face down while police were called.
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David Bowes was banned from Tesco Metro after starting to eat a bread roll before paying for it
Tesco stands by its actions and claims he became aggressive to staff when challenged.
Mr Bowes said he was waiting in the queue for the self-service checkout when he was confronted by a security guard and told to stop eating.
He told the Echo: “The security guard said, ‘Dont do that or someone is going to shout at you’.
“I took another bite while I was paying for it and I was two steps away from the door when two security guards told me I was banned.
“I never raised my voice and I never swore but I said, ‘You can’t be serious’.”
He said one of the security guards then grabbed him and he shrugged his hand off his arm.
There was a further commotion and Mr Bowes, from Stoke Hill, Exeter, became abusive to the guards before he claims he was pushed to the ground so hard that he landed on his knees. He was then pinned down on the floor with his arms behind his back and his face pressed against the floor, he said. “I was treated like a terrorist for biting a granary roll,” he said. “I don’t have a criminal record and they treated me like I was a criminal.”
He said the guards then picked him up and took him to the back of the store and the police were called. He wasn’t fined or arrested.
“They (Tesco staff) gave me the letter just before they escorted me off the premises. I couldn’t believe it. In big print it says I am banned from every store in the UK.”
Tesco, which claims the incident took place before Mr Bowes reached the checkout, said the letter was misleading and that the customer would only be banned from the Exeter High Street branch and not every store in the country.
But a spokesman added: “The welfare of staff and customers is our highest priority.
“This man was banned for consuming goods there was no attempt to pay for and highly aggressive behaviour which we simply cannot tolerate.”
A police spokeswoman confirmed they attended the store at around 2.30pm on Thursday, June 18.
She said: “We were called to reports of a man causing a disturbance. The problem must have been resolved.
“He was not arrested and no further action was taken.”
58 Comments
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by nikki, Exeter
Saturday, June 27 2009, 3:48AM
“this is pathetic, come on guys its a bloody bread roll................!!!!!
a young lad died after a crash on the 25th shouldnt that have been front page. is this wat our contry is reducing too? as a young person i feel outraged by some of the adult behaviour, its discrimination, i agree with who said if the guy was in a suit then the security wouldn't have battered an eyelid. come on ppl!!!!”
by BN, Cullompton
Friday, June 26 2009, 5:57PM
“Not a fan of Tesco then Timothy - nor BT for that if that's what you are paying for 'phone calls”
by Timothy R. Allen, Exeter, formerly of San Diego, CA
Friday, June 26 2009, 3:00PM
“It is ludicrous that this person was, in the first place banned from Tesco, and in the second place is now being sued by Tesco for ¿administrative costs¿. If the gentleman in question were dressed in a suit and tie the so called ¿security¿ in Tesco would have thought nothing of the man standing in the queue eating a piece of bread. I occasionally will eat or drink a product while queuing at the till -- if I were going to shoplift an item why would I, or the gentleman in question, bother standing in the queue -- because I know I have the means to pay for it , and I am hungry. This action causes no harm or inconvenience to the staff or management of Tesco or its clients, of which I am, or was, one. Tesco seems to have forgotten the golden rule of business ¿ the customer is always right. It has already been established by both the man and Tesco that the bread was paid for by the man; therefore, Tesco should leave the matter alone, as well as unban the man from whichever stores they have banned him from, in order to regain some of their dignity. If Tesco wanted the public to see what actually happened, and who is telling the truth they need merely to release the video surveillance, which it certainly possesses.
I recently received an offer from Tesco to shop online and receive £10 off of my order, and free delivery; however, when I entered the voucher numbers the order could not be completed. Consequently, I was required to contact Tesco to determine why the online order system would not accept the order, and I was told that many of the online vouchers were not working. I was informed by the Tesco representative that I needed to place my order, enter my credit card information, and then once my order arrived at my home I would have to contact Tesco and my credit card would then be reimbursed at that time. It seems to me that I should be charging Tesco an ¿administrative cost¿ for the inconvenience that they caused me, and perhaps if all the other people who had to waste their time because of the ineptitude and misleading e-mail presented by Tesco, were to sue Tesco for an ¿administrative cost¿ that could turn into quite a large sum of money that Tesco would have to pay to its "clients".
Congratulations to Tesco on its fine public relations skills. You have managed to lose one customer by not only your mishandling of the situation with a piece of bread, and your, apparent, mistreatment of the person possessing the aforementioned bread, but also your inability to streamline the rather simple process of placing an online food order and making me waste my time and money trying to determine how to fix your error. I probably spent £16 making phone calls to make certain I received the discounted amount that was stated in the e-mail voucher. In the end I did get the stated discount, but how much it cost me in time and money is unknown. Sod off Tesco! It appears to me that in this atmosphere of political correctness and corporate bullying that the general public, the so-called ¿clients¿, have not only lost their common sense, but are also willing to yield their rights in order to maintain that status quo.”
by SKoM, Cullompton
Thursday, June 25 2009, 12:05PM
“No Sally it isn't any form of racism - it's League of Gentlemen syndrome.
A local paper for local people
:-)
As for the war comment - I'm with you on that.”
by Sally, Devon
Thursday, June 25 2009, 11:36AM
“Brian, how am I a racist exactly?
I merely pointed out that the incident wasn't, as Murray stated, on his doorstep.
A couple hundred miles from his doorstep, in reality.”
by Brian Harvey, Exeter
Thursday, June 25 2009, 11:11AM
“I think murray is entitled to say what he wants, after all isn't barring a person from an opinion due to where they live a form of racism?”
by Sally, Devon
Thursday, June 25 2009, 9:47AM
“Murray Wentworth, the UK isn't at war - we are assisting someone elses!
What on earth does eating a bread roll have to do with war anyway?
Besides, this isn't really on YOUR doorstep, is it mate?
Why on earth is a man from Essex commenting on a something-or-nothing incident in Devon?”
by derk, st thomas
Wednesday, June 24 2009, 11:37PM
“this guy is a prize t**t, but he didn't deserve to be knocked to the floor
it's a bit of bread, for f**k sake”
by Murray Wentworh, Essex
Wednesday, June 24 2009, 11:27PM
“As a pensioner and veteran I am horrified that this could happen in a country at WAR. ,We have men dying in battle and yet we this kind of food fascism happening on our door step!”
by J.R., Exeter
Wednesday, June 24 2009, 10:46PM
“what i`d like to know is what are the guards like it`s a long time since i was thrown to the floor by a hunk guess where i`m going shopping tomorrow, and i may even get myself a bread roll to eat on the way round the store (knowing my luck i wont be able to get my false teeth into it and the guards wont even notice me )”