That’s nuts! Cancer-hit NHS nurse says Lidl manager accused her of theft when she ate half a single cashew in the store to check they were not stale

• Anna Bagot, 60, said she was accused of theft after trying half a cashew nut
• Nurse, who is battling cancer, said she was checking the items were not stale
• Ms Bagot left ‘upset’ by incident and is boycotting the Norfolk supermarket 
• Lidl said they ‘kindly ask that products are purchased before consumption’

A nurse battling cancer said she was accused of theft by an over-zealous Lidl manager after eating half a cashew nut in the store to check they were not stale.

Anna Bagot, 60, blasted the ‘absolutely ridiculous’ accusation levelled at her that she was stealing from the supermarket in Fakenham, Norfolk, last month.

The NHS nurse, who has recently undergone 25 rounds of chemotherapy, said she didn’t know ‘whether to laugh or cry’ over the incident, which she added ‘felt so trivial’ compared to everything else going on in the world at the moment. 

A spokesman for Lidl has since said they ‘kindly ask that products are purchased before consumption’.

Anna Bagot pictured outside the Lidl store in Fakenham, Norfolk, where she was accused of stealing after trying half a cashew nut to check they were not stale

Recounting the incident, Ms Bagot 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.

‘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.’

Ms Bagot, who has been an NHS nurse for almost 20 years, said she immediately went to pay for the £2.33 bag of cashews after being confronted, even giving one back to make amends.

Ms Bagot, 60, blasted the triviality of the store manager, adding: ‘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’

She added: ‘I won’t go back after this. He said, “It’s theft by deception”, I said, “It’s just one nut”. He was absolutely serious and I was really upset.

‘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.

‘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.’

Ms Bagot attended the supermarket with her daughter Estella, 20, but they took separate baskets on their weekly shopping trip, so it wasn’t obvious they had arrived together.

Estella said she saw what happened, having been stood further back in the queue.

Ms Bagot ate a single cashew nut to check they were not stale after buying a previous batch that where. She was shocked to be accused of stealing by an over-zealous Lidl manager

Ms Bagot has since called Lidl’s customer complaints department and asked them to look at the CCTV footage to show she ate just one nut.

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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