Swearing moms, POOPING in-store, and LOTS of stolen condoms – a Home Bargains employee describes her crazy experience

Cardiff gal Grace Payne, 20, was in shock when started working at Home Bargains back in 2016. 

The store was to be Grace’s workplace for two years in a row.

The incredible bargains they offer include the unicorn duster and the unique Christmas bath bomb calendar.

But little did Grace know she would witness customers pooping in the shop and thieves stealing condoms every weekend.

She immediately understood that something was rotten on her first day at the job when she was shown CCTV footage of barred customers – including a woman they called the ‘flower lady’.

“Tell us immediately if you spot these lot,” then 16-year-old Grace was told.

“I was stunned,” the aspiring stewardess recalled.

“I was sitting down in a room and was watching a slideshow of all sorts from mums to teens and even grannies.

“If we spotted them we had to run to the front of the story and press a button.

“They included ‘flower lady’ who always had massive flowers in her hair, a mum who would sneakily put things in her basket and other people as well – all nicking things.

“I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for.”

And the stealing never seemed to stop.

“On Saturdays the bell would ring around six times a day signifying a shoplifter,” Grace said.

“You would see all the managers legging it towards the entrance to the store, trying to get them as they raced into the street.”

Condoms were among the most stolen items – but clothes and sweets were also in high demand.

“It was mainly teens who nicked condoms,” Grace said. “

They weren’t even that expensive.”

But Grace also had other things to worry about.

“Once I walked into the staff toilet and there was poo absolutely everywhere,” she recalled. “It was smeared all over the walls. It was so vile.

“I have no idea who did it. Not a staff member – I think a customer had let themselves in.

“Thankfully I didn’t have to clean it up, someone else did.”

Grace said she was even abused by nasty customers on a daily basis.

“It was cheap and people were in a rush, so you would get people really, really frustrated with you,” she said.

“I would get yelled at quite regularly.”

To make things worse, there were also customers who were trying to get freebies.

“They would come up to the till and say, ‘Um, this is a bit broken’ when they had clearly just broken it themselves.”

“One of the worst things was screaming children, she added.

“Saturdays, when I was on the till, was relentless.

“There was constant yelling. I would hear mums saying ‘F**k off and be quiet’ all the time to their kids.

“It made me cringe but what could I say?”

Thankfully, Grace said she never felt at risk while at work – and also stressed that the bargains at the shop were quite amazing.

“To this day I use the shop’s washing up liquid. It is great” she said.

“And Home Bargains does have loads of good deals and products – you can get loads of money off things that cost double the price in Tesco.

“They will always have certain deals on – including the penny sale which is fantastic.

“If stock has been in the shop for a while it will often get discounted because they might be trying to discontinue it.

“So it is sometimes worth waiting to see if something has the price knocked down – you could even get it for a penny.

“Meanwhile, if you think something isn’t up to scratch tell the manager – they’ll take you seriously and often offer a discount.”

Grace recalled how all the shop’s discounted products were placed at the entrance so people cannot miss them.

They included boxes, cleaning products, cakes, and sweets, among other things.

She also said that freshly-opened stores would have better offers in order to lure customers in. 

“Even though it was a dramatic two years and I learnt a lot about shoplifting and people I don’t regret it,” Grace said laughingly.

Home Bargains did not wish to comment on the matter.

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Source: The Sun