I am in Lidl. As usual I'd first been to Sainsbury
to buy some bananas and for some other items
I go to a self service checkout and put 6 items through,
My usual custom is to put them back into the basket and
load them into my backpack at my leisure using the shelf
provided.
As a regular customer most of the usual assistants recognise
this. Some don't and usually just at the moment I'm sorting
out payment they attempt to snatch the basket away.

At which point I simply grab hold of the basket so
as to stop them. With most the penny immediately drops
and its "oh sorry".

But not today with the Greg Wallace lookalike who was
overseeing the checkouts. Given his look of total
astonishment I simply asked him whether he'd prefer
me clogging up the checkout for 5 minutes with people
waiting while I carefully loaded the items into both
compartments of my backpack or put them all back into
the basket and load them up on the shelf at my
leisure ? Penny drops


However no sooner have I reached the shelf but he followed
me over. " I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

Now he knows I didn't buy them in Lidl as he watched me
check out. And if he had seen me buy them Lidl he wouldn't
have asked.

And as he had no reason to assume that I'd stolen them,
as I hadn't acted suspiciously in any way, and as its no
business of his where I buy bananas could his question

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

I said it was anyway. In the ensuing altercation. The other
assistants had to calm him down and drag him away basically.

* Or at least worth some gift vouchers.


bb

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2024-12-04, billy bookcase <billy@anon.com> wrote:

I am in Lidl. As usual I'd first been to Sainsbury
to buy some bananas and for some other items
I go to a self service checkout and put 6 items through,
My usual custom is to put them back into the basket and
load them into my backpack at my leisure using the shelf
provided.
As a regular customer most of the usual assistants recognise
this. Some don't and usually just at the moment I'm sorting
out payment they attempt to snatch the basket away.

At which point I simply grab hold of the basket so
as to stop them. With most the penny immediately drops
and its "oh sorry".

But not today with the Greg Wallace lookalike who was
overseeing the checkouts. Given his look of total
astonishment I simply asked him whether he'd prefer
me clogging up the checkout for 5 minutes with people
waiting while I carefully loaded the items into both
compartments of my backpack or put them all back into
the basket and load them up on the shelf at my
leisure ? Penny drops

However no sooner have I reached the shelf but he followed
me over. " I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

Now he knows I didn't buy them in Lidl as he watched me
check out. And if he had seen me buy them Lidl he wouldn't
have asked.

And as he had no reason to assume that I'd stolen them,
as I hadn't acted suspiciously in any way, and as its no
business of his where I buy bananas could his question

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

I said it was anyway. In the ensuing altercation. The other
assistants had to calm him down and drag him away basically.

* Or at least worth some gift vouchers.

It might be worth some gift vouchers. It isn't defamation,
because you can't defame someone to themselves.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote in news:vipjid$sn5k$1@dont-
email.me:

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

No

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Le 04/12/2024 à 12:56, billy bookcase a écrit :

Greg Wallace lookalike who was
overseeing the checkouts.

Yes, I would definitely sue for that.

--
Ottavio Caruso

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12:56 4 Dec 2024, billy bookcase said:

I am in Lidl. As usual I'd first been to Sainsbury
to buy some bananas and for some other items
I go to a self service checkout and put 6 items through,
My usual custom is to put them back into the basket and
load them into my backpack at my leisure using the shelf
provided.

As a regular customer most of the usual assistants recognise
this. Some don't and usually just at the moment I'm sorting
out payment they attempt to snatch the basket away.

At which point I simply grab hold of the basket so
as to stop them. With most the penny immediately drops
and its "oh sorry".

But not today with the Greg Wallace lookalike who was
overseeing the checkouts. Given his look of total
astonishment I simply asked him whether he'd prefer
me clogging up the checkout for 5 minutes with people
waiting while I carefully loaded the items into both
compartments of my backpack or put them all back into
the basket and load them up on the shelf at my
leisure ? Penny drops

However no sooner have I reached the shelf but he followed
me over. " I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

Now he knows I didn't buy them in Lidl as he watched me
check out. And if he had seen me buy them Lidl he wouldn't
have asked.

And as he had no reason to assume that I'd stolen them,
as I hadn't acted suspiciously in any way, and as its no
business of his where I buy bananas could his question

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

I said it was anyway. In the ensuing altercation. The other
assistants had to calm him down and drag him away basically.

* Or at least worth some gift vouchers.

bb

Just because the assistant's eyes watched as you checked out, his brain
may not have registered and remembered your groceries. It may have been
checked out in another way.

Anyway, why are you buying bananas at Lidl rather than Sainsbury's? I do
it the other way around ... Lidl first then Sainsbury's.

I do hope your "Gregg Wallace lookalike" wasn't sporting his inane grin,
as I find it very off-putting. I can forgive Wallace's reported sexual
comments as crass and boorish but the grin is something else.

obLegal: No, not defamatory. He may have been checking you hadn't stolen
the bananas, suspicious behaviour or not, but paying for the rest.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

"Jon Ribbens" <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> wrote in message news:slrnvl0s10.24m.jon+usenet@raven.unequivocal.eu...

On 2024-12-04, billy bookcase <billy@anon.com> wrote:

I am in Lidl. As usual I'd first been to Sainsbury
to buy some bananas and for some other items
I go to a self service checkout and put 6 items through,
My usual custom is to put them back into the basket and
load them into my backpack at my leisure using the shelf
provided.
As a regular customer most of the usual assistants recognise
this. Some don't and usually just at the moment I'm sorting
out payment they attempt to snatch the basket away.

At which point I simply grab hold of the basket so
as to stop them. With most the penny immediately drops
and its "oh sorry".

But not today with the Greg Wallace lookalike who was
overseeing the checkouts. Given his look of total
astonishment I simply asked him whether he'd prefer
me clogging up the checkout for 5 minutes with people
waiting while I carefully loaded the items into both
compartments of my backpack or put them all back into
the basket and load them up on the shelf at my
leisure ? Penny drops


However no sooner have I reached the shelf but he followed
me over. " I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

Now he knows I didn't buy them in Lidl as he watched me
check out. And if he had seen me buy them Lidl he wouldn't
have asked.

And as he had no reason to assume that I'd stolen them,
as I hadn't acted suspiciously in any way, and as its no
business of his where I buy bananas could his question

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

I said it was anyway. In the ensuing altercation. The other
assistants had to calm him down and drag him away basically.

* Or at least worth some gift vouchers.

It might be worth some gift vouchers. It isn't defamation,
because you can't defame someone to themselves.

Even in front of witnesses ? Assuming at least some were
English speakers. Perhaps I should add something about
witnesses as he denied it, saying it was only a question.
This exchange went on for quite a long time, with voices
being raised

I dunno I've got it all downloaded into the box on the Lidl
contact page ready to press Send. But if sucessful at all which
is maybe unlikly he might get into trouble just before
Christmas; never mind seeking revenge.

This is maybe just a price we all have to pay shopping in places
which are plagued by shoplifters, Getting accused ourselves.
Any CCTV footage would have been a hoot. He was actually led
away.

I think I'll just wimp out.



bb

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

"Pamela" <uklm@permabulator.33mail.com> wrote in message news:XnsB23EA44EB51CB1F3QA2@135.181.20.170...

Anyway, why are you buying bananas at Lidl rather than Sainsbury's? I do
it the other way around ... Lidl first then Sainsbury's.

That would depend on the location of the respective stores on one's
route I'd imagine. You'd first check out the bananas in whichever
store you first visited.

obLegal: No, not defamatory. He may have been checking you hadn't stolen
the bananas, suspicious behaviour or not, but paying for the rest.

But surely unless he checked everybody, he'd need some grounds on which
to imply that I was stealing bananas ?

Over and above the demonstrable fact, assuming the basket business was
caught on CCTV that he was miffed ?

Anyway I've decided not to proceed, as "he knows where I shop".


bb





--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 04/12/2024 15:25, Peter Walker wrote:

"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote in news:vipjid$sn5k$1@dont-
email.me:

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

No

But if a store detective detains you and stops you leaving the store
until you've answered his questions that could in theory amount to false imprisonment.

Bananas, though....

We now know that Jacob Rees Mogg hates bananas. I hope viewers will send
him truckloads of them.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

"The Todal" <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote in message news:lrc2d5FjhcaU2@mid.individual.net...

On 04/12/2024 15:25, Peter Walker wrote:

"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote in news:vipjid$sn5k$1@dont-
email.me:

"I've just noticed you've got bananas in your
bag. Did you buy them in here"

be construed as defamatory * ?

No

But if a store detective detains you and stops you leaving the store until you've
answered his questions that could in theory amount to false imprisonment.

Bananas, though....

He'd already watched me spend around £6 at the checkout.

I "could" have produced a packet of Sainsbury Porrige and asked
him if he thought I'd bought that in Lidl as well. But why should
I have to ?

We now know that Jacob Rees Mogg hates bananas. I hope viewers will
send him truckloads of them.

He'd probably force feed his kids with them.

quote:

"I don't want to be a celebrity," former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg insists when I ask him why he, his wife and six children have decided to take part in a Kardashian-esque reality series called Meet the Rees-Moggs.

[...]

It is not known how much he is being paid by Discovery+ for the documentary

unquote

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75l27rdnpwo


bb


--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 04/12/2024 16:09, Pamela wrote:
<snip>

Anyway, why are you buying bananas at Lidl rather than Sainsbury's?

Other way round. But IME you can buy loose banananas in Sainsbury's but
not in Lididl.

--
Cheers
Clive

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 11:04 5 Dec 2024, Clive Arthur said:

On 04/12/2024 16:09, Pamela wrote:
<snip>

Anyway, why are you buying bananas at Lidl rather than Sainsbury's?

Other way round. But IME you can buy loose banananas in Sainsbury's but
not in Lididl.

Oops, yes I got it the wrong way around. I slipped on a banana skin.

My shopping trip strategy is to first get the basics at Lidl/Aldi then
anything else from Sainsbury's.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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