A shopper accused Coles staff of doing nothing to stop two young “thugs” from knocking products off shelves and stealing.
In an angry letter to The Beast magazine, Brontë’s Grace wrote about the recent incident at Coles Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east.
Grace was shopping at the supermarket and saw two teenagers between 13 and 15 years old.
“They were displaying what I would call inappropriate behavior, deliberately knocking products off shelves onto the floor, carrying products under their sweatshirts, etc.”
Grace wrote that while using the self-checkout, she saw children approaching the exit and Coles staff shouting at them to stop.
‘The two boys continued walking.
“I told one of the employees, ‘You’re going to want to stop them, I guarantee they stole something.’
Grace claimed the Coles employee responded: “We can’t, we can’t stop them or ask them to pay for what they have, they’re minors.”
The employee also told him that she was afraid of children.
A shopper accused Coles staff of failing to stop two “untouchable” young men who were throwing products off shelves and stealing at Coles Bondi Junction (file image)
The shopper asked staff to stop the children because she believed they had stolen. They told him that they could not act because the children were minors. Pictured is the Coles Bondi junction
Grace asked why the security guards couldn’t stop them from leaving the store.
The employee told him that they can’t do anything.
“So we all stood and watched as these two mini-criminals walked out, never looking back,” Grace wrote.
She wrote to the employee who told her the two boys were well known to staff and often frequented the store as part of a larger gang.
Expressing her exasperation, Grace wrote: ‘And why wouldn’t they? Free stuff, always. Untouchable!’
Angry shopper wrote that if she were underage she would deliberately steal large items “just to make a point” (file image)
And he added: “If I were a minor, I would do it.” I went to Coles every day and stole things, just to prove it, to illustrate the utter inefficiency, helplessness and uselessness of our authority figures.
“I would steal the huge bags of dog food, ironing boards, brooms and mops, things so big they can’t be ignored and maybe they would have to deal with it.”
Grace concluded her letter by writing, “There is nothing to be gained from this rant.”
“I guess I’d like to get some answers from those who decided it’s a good idea to encourage our young bullies to become adult bullies because of the lack of consequences and responsibility.”
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “The safety of our team members and customers is our top priority, and we never want our team to put themselves at risk of violence.”
‘We have a range of security measures in place to reduce theft in our stores, including smart security doors, electronic article surveillance (EAS), personal duress devices, security staff and surveillance technologies such as CCTV. We also work closely with the police to report these matters.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted New South Wales Police for comment.