'Embarrassed' Mum left in tears at Greggs after she…

'Embarrassed' Mum left in tears at Greggs after she went to buy sausage rolls

A mum says she was left humiliated after she went into a Greggs shop to buy sausage rolls. The woman, who had a pram with her, went to the Greggs store and got sausage rolls before putting the cash on the counter to pay for them.

She then turned to attend to something in the pram. When she turned back to the counter, she claims a staff member said she had not paid for the pastries.

The mum, aged 40, told the member of staff she had put the money on the counter but they insisted the sausage rolls had not been paid for. The woman started to sob and was soon "properly crying", reports the Liverpool Echo.

She took to Mumsnet and explained what happened in a thread titled "would you have cried?", she wrote: "Went to Greggs to buy sausage rolls, counted out the cash and put it [on] the side, turned away to sort something in the buggy, picked up my sausage rolls.

"She says you haven't paid. Not rude just politely firm, I insisted I had as I'd paid cash, remember putting it on the counter.

"She maintained I [definitely] hadn't as till hadn't opened. I'm checking the buggy in case I've put it back my pockets, my bra the lot. No cash. So I'm saying but I must have, I don't have it any more and start getting upset.

"She calls a colleague over, someone offers to pay and by now I'm properly crying because I'm embarrassed someone might think I'm trying to steal sausage rolls. Someone else offers to pay, staff again refuse to take the money and basically put it through the till as paid.

"But by now I'm properly blubbering and saying I'm sorry and that I don't want them to think I'd try and steal it etc. They were [very] kind, reassured me it was probably a customer who'd picked it up and offered me a cup of tea.

"Humiliated enough, I thank them and leave. But as I'm walking through town looking like I've just cried it occurs to me again that this isn't a proportional response, and that everyone must think I'm weird to cry so easily and that at 40 with three kids I should do better.

"Is it reasonable to say that I'm being pathetic and need to toughen up already and anyone else would have breezily just laughed it off? Or am I being unreasonable to myself and my response to stress is normal?"

The mum's post attracted a string of responses from other parents. One said: "Aww don't worry, I think I'd cry too, it sounds embarrassing and uncomfortable, and who wouldn't feel a bit s*** at being sort of accused of attempted theft?"

Another said "I would prob have cried too", and a third added: "Don't know how I'd react to be honest, it would probably depend on my mood. Most days I think I'd just laugh it off, if I was feeling low though it might be the thing to tip me over the edge.

"It's likely the shop has CCTV so the incident may have been recorded. If you're happy to pay an admin fee of maximum £10 you can demand a copy of any CCTV footage that you were captured on. Just supply them with a photograph so they know who you are and give them the date/time/location."

A fourth person wrote: "Last time I heard about something like this (though not in Greggs, in a Premier Stores!) it was a staff member who was taking the money. I think you should ask for the CCTV footage because you've been robbed."

And another said: "I'd have been very distressed by that. A horrible lesson learned that people are dishonest and will steal money left on the counter. You always put it in the sales persons hand."

ChronicleLive has approached Greggs for comment.

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