Furious grandmother, 67, is banned from Asda after supermarket accuses her of switching yellow stickers
Jan Rhodes, 67, can no longer enter the store on Hall Road in Norwich, Norfolk, over the next three years despite having shopped there since it first opened in 2015.
Bosses say they caught Ms Rhodes red-handed swapping the stickers in order to save cash.
But the 67-year-old has denied all wrongdoing. She explained: 'I went in to buy three things and while I was there, the security came up to me and said I wasn't allowed in anymore.
'I've never done that [switch stickers].
'I'm angry and I'm upset. I used to go in there all the time. I know loads of them in there. I just want to prove them wrong.'
Ms Rhodes' partner, Rob Gillies, said one of the misappropriated items mentioned to Ms Rhodes by Asda staff was a pack of bacon.
He said this had been purchased the day before his partner was told she was banned.
Mr Gillies said: 'She bought it the same day it was expiring. I went back with the bacon to show them.'
Ms Rhodes's stepdaughter, Leanne Hutchings, said she had also been to the store to plead her stepmother's case.
She added: 'They say she's been doing it for a prolonged period of time.
'I explained saying that this is a case of mistaken identity. They also said she's been abusive. She would never be nasty to someone.'
A spokesman for Asda said: 'We ask all customers to treat our colleagues and stores with respect and do not tolerate any form of abuse.
'While banning a customer is always a last resort, this decision was taken due to repeated disruptive and abusive behaviour.'
It is not the first time a pensioner has got into trouble with Asda - in 2024, 68-year-old Andrew Oliver demanded an apology after he was barred from a store in Sittingbourne Kent.
The full-time carer was attempting to rush out of the supermarket having received a call from his wife that she was struggling to breathe.
But workers tried to stop him from using the travelator as there was a chair in front of it that prevented people going down.
After escaping to tend his wife he later returned to the store, and was informed he had been banned for four weeks.
The pensioner admitted he had been verbally abusive.
In October 2024 it emerged a disabled woman had been banned from every Asda in the UK.
Elanor Maxey, 32, was told she couldn't bring her dog Genie into any branch of the supermarket after an argument with one of the shop's security guards in Bexleyheath.
The woman claimed she was branded 'rude' by the female member of staff and told she was breaching the Data Protection Act by recording the incident.
Asda later apologised to Ms Maxey and reversed the decision to have her barred.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Hundreds of newlyweds are STILL without footage of their big day after police seized it during fraud probe... despite videographer being cleared
Heartbroken newlyweds are still waiting for precious footage of their big day despite the videographer at the centre of a police fraud probe being released without charge. More than 200 couples hired Wallflower Weddings, run by Sarah Stanton, 35, from Kent - only to be left high and dry, with no videos and no refunds. Kent Police launched a criminal investigation into the business in January this year following a flood of complaints from furious brides and grooms, some of whom said Stanton cancelled on the morning of their weddings. Officers seized a trove of wedding footage as part of the inquiry but despite the operation spanning months, police have now concluded there is no evidence of dishonesty, and that no further action will be taken. Newlywed Amy Campbell-Parker, 38, from Bexley, tied the knot in February 2023 and paid £515 for a full video package, but were left with nothing but heartbreak and unanswered messages. She said: 'It's devastating. That video was supposed to be how we remembered the most important day of our lives. Now we might never get it.' It wasn't until almost a year later that Amy discovered she was far from alone - finding a Facebook support group titled Victims of Wallflower Videography, now with nearly 350 members. Wallflower's owner, Ms Stanton, has previously insisted she is not a con artist, saying: 'Those who know me know I am not a scammer.' But as complaints stacked up and dozens of couples turned to police and civil courts, she continued to claim she was simply overwhelmed by the backlog. Kent Police has now confirmed the investigation has concluded and that negligence 'does not constitute dishonesty'. A spokesperson said: 'There was insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution. 'Complainants have the right to pursue civil action for any alleged breach of contract.' The decision has enraged couples still battling for justice and for their footage. One bride, who wished to remain anonymous, said she and her husband are still fighting to retrieve video from their April 2023 nuptials after paying £775 for a comprehensive video package. She said: 'It's a real slap in the face they're saying no further action. We've done everything right. We paid in good faith. We've waited. We've been patient. And we've been ignored.' The couple say that when they contacted Stanton on their first anniversary, she offered them raw, unedited footage only if they signed a gagging agreement. According to the couple, the contract stated they must waive their rights to pursue legal action, not leave any 'negative or derogatory' reviews, and absolve Wallflower from responsibility for the final edit. They refused and won a civil court case in February. The judge ordered Stanton to hand over the footage, issue a full refund, and pay compensation and court costs. But when she failed to comply within 14 days, the couple were forced to obtain a writ of enforcement - sending in bailiffs to recover the footage and funds. Even then, the bride claims, there was 'very little of value to seize'. Ms Stanton, who launched Wallflower Weddings in 2021 after 16 years of amateur videography, previously told KentOnline she had sunk into depression due to the backlash - and accused angry customers of launching a 'witch hunt'. She said: 'Clients seem to like the contract when they want it to work in their favour, but refuse to acknowledge it when it goes against something they want. 'This entire 'witch hunt', bullying and harassment snowballed from initially starting cheaply.' The backlash began last summer after multiple couples accused her of vanishing after being paid or worse, cancelling on the morning of the wedding. Others say they waited months or even years for footage, only to be ignored or blocked after reaching out. It's understood that more than 100 couples were still waiting for videos to be edited at the time of the police investigation. Despite the conclusion of the criminal probe, many say they feel utterly let down - and that justice has not been served.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
JENNI MURRAY: My friend lives near the Epping migrant hotel. This is what's really been going on... I fear for her
My friend lives in Epping, the upmarket Essex town where tensions over asylum seekers turned violent over the weekend. In her late 50s, she's ferociously independent and I've never worried about her before. We met as journalists working in London.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Finally a crackdown on West End's brazen shoplifters: Moment prolific thieves are caught stealing £9k of clothes and £1.3k of board games in lawless London crime hotspot
Prolific thieves have targeted London 's lawless West End as shoplifters have been caught stealing thousands of pounds worth of goods, including designer clothes, iPhones and board games. Over the past week in the West End, a board game thief was caught 10 minutes after stealing as part of a £1,300 crime spree, while a masked gang was cuffed moments after stealing £100,000 of Apple products from a phone shop. And a rampant thief who stole £9,000 from stores in Covent Garden throughout February and March was caught by bobbies on the beat last month. The crisis has seemed to reach boiling point in the West End as the Metropolitan Police has been forced to take action in a bid to contain the shameless thefts. In a crackdown on shoplifting, the number of officers policing the district will increase by more than 50 per cent following a spate of brazen thefts. Knife crime and theft is at record levels in the city – and the force has faced accusations of failing to take the challenge seriously or to be tackling it head on, all while trying to manage with an ever–shrinking budget. Prolific board game thief Omar Innis, 32, was spotted by West End district coppers carrying a large number of board games and toys on July 25. Officers had been speaking to shop owners in the area, who had informed them that board game thefts had been on the rise. Innis was 'acting suspiciously', the Met said – and it emerged he had stolen the games just 10 minutes before. In fact, it was the seventh time he had struck in a month and a half, nicking £1,300 of goods in total from the same shop in Covent Garden. The Camden man is now behind bars after pleading guilty to thefts and receiving a 26–week jail sentence. Similarly, a group of men who allegedly stormed an O2 phone shop on Tottenham Court Road and made off with £100,000 of Apple products were cornered minutes later in Cranleigh Street, just under a mile away. Three men aged 25, 24 and 18 who were suspected of entering the store in balaclavas on July 24 and 7.17pm and making off with goods. Police bodycam footage shows one man getting arrested on a nearby street as he his told he 'matches a description of males who have gone into an O2 store and stolen some phones'. Officers found around 100 iPhones and a number of Apple Watches in a car, along with a large machete. The men were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and remain in custody today. In the West End's shopping hub, Covent Garden, a rampant clothes thief was arrested in June after spending two months stealing £9,000 worth of high-end clothes. Officers happened upon Zenith Lawrence, 33, a stone's throw away in Phoenix Gardens, after he spent February and March pillaging a number of stores. Already wanted for recall to prison, he was caught on camera wrenching clothes from rails and helping himself to jackets off the hangar. Footage showed him downed on the ground beside a Lime bike after trying to flee from cops. He was wearing stolen clothes. The arresting officer can be heard asking him: 'Why did you try to run?' His colleague notes: 'Mate, this is from the dancewear store from round the corner. 'Are you a little dancer?' Lawrence was jailed for 28 days, fined, and banned from entering Westminster for three years. Since the pandemic, the Russia Ukraine conflict and soaring inflation, theft has soared in the UK, recently hitting the highest level ever seen. Shoplifting has become an increasing nightmare for High Street shops, with only a tiny minority of offenders ever charged, as 530,643 offences were recorded in England and Wales in the year to March 2025 - the highest figure since records begun and up from 444,022 in the previous year. The crisis is most acute in London, where the capital has recorded a shocking 50 per cent boom in shoplifting, up from 53,202 in 2023 to 80,041 last year. Norman Brennan, a former police detective in London, said earlier this year that terrified shop staff had been left helpless to prevent crooks from brazenly ransacking their businesses. The 65-year-old - who spent 31 years as a cop and was once stabbed in the chest by an armed burglar - said crippling cuts to policing, which have seen thousands of officers lost in recent years, had left forces stretched too thinly. Problems reached a peak in August 2023 when West End stores were forced to lower their shutters and lock customers inside after large groups of mainly young men and teenagers responded to a call on TikTok to join an 'Oxford Circus JD robbery'. But the biggest issue in recent months has become phone snatching after 80,000 smartphones were reported stolen in London last year at a cost of £50million. In all, the Met has deployed 170 officers in areas of the capital worst for crime, including up to 80 in the West End, where shoplifters, phone thieves and so–called 'Rolex rippers' regularly target the rich and tourists. The crisis is illustrated by sickening CCTV revealing thieves casually walking out of stores with armfuls of high-value goods. Footage from a Waitrose store in London 's Notting Hill earlier this month showed two men leaving with a stash of steak and salmon while staff watched on - forbidden from doing anything due to company policy. While, a Boots store on Baker Street was targeted by a man, who did not attempt to cover his face as he emptied shelves' worth of goods into an M&S Food bag. This happens two or three times a week, according to staff. Many of the shoplifters appear to have no fear of the staff, or of the cameras. In January, a gang of at least of eight hooded youths raided an Apple store in north London in a shocking daytime heist one Sunday afternoon. A sea of shoppers, including parents with young children, could be seen dramatically fleeing the store as the mob ripped out expensive devices around them in a raid that took just 24 seconds. Last year another pair of thieves were filmed calmly clearing the shelves in a north London Boots store just 200 yards from Chingford Police Station. The men carried on impassively as a woman dialled 999 within earshot and pleaded for a police response, before both sauntered out. And in May last year a suspected shoplifter was dragged into the storeroom at a Sainsbury's in east London where staff appeared to give him a kicking. But elsewhere, shops have been fighting back, with two brave security guards seen grappling with a shoplifter trying to steal bottles of fizzy drink from a Greggs in nearby Hammersmith. As part of the Met's clampdown, another 90 officers will be based in Brixton, Kingston, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Southwark and Spitalfields. And the legendary Flying Squad – the elite unit specialising in tackling armed robbery and other serious violent crime – is being supplied with another 50 officers with extra cash from City Hall and the Home Office. The Met's move has been welcomed by Ros Morgan, chief executive of the Heart of London Business Alliance representing central London traders, and the boss of Boots. 'With over 200 million visitors a year and a £50 billion contribution to the UK economy, keeping this district secure isn't optional – it's vital,' Ms Morgan said. Anthony Hemmerdinger, MD of the pharmacy chain – a regular target of shoplifters – added: 'Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support.' Riot squads will also be expanded, the Met says, to better police large–scale protests – coming after months of near–ceaseless protests by pro–Palestine and environmental activists. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: 'The Met is getting smaller but more capable. 'We have a laser–like focus on ensuring our officers and staff are in roles where they can drive down crime on issues that matter the most to Londoners. 'This is what the public expects of the police, which is why we are putting neighbourhood policing first, tackling the crimes that we know are impacting the public in the busiest areas, and making the capital's streets safer.' He added: 'While our budget has decreased in real terms, we are using this additional funding from City Hall and Home Office productively to support our mission to take a targeted approach to tackling volume crime and bolster our specialist tactics to disrupt the criminal gangs who fuel anti–social behaviour, robbery and theft.' The Met says neighbourhood crime is down 15 per cent in a matter of weeks compared to last year, with knife crime, burglary and robbery down, and more shoplifting cases being solved. In the West End, violent crimes resulting in injury are down a quarter, the force says, and it is arresting 1,000 more criminals every month. But the Met is trying to solve a rising number of crimes with an ever-dwindling resource. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (pictured), blamed previous governments for the Met's dwindling budget – despite the fact the most recent budget allocation was decided under Sir Keir Starmer It is losing 1,700 number of officers and staff and its budget is smaller in real terms than in previous years. Dedicated Royal Parks and schools policing roles have been scrapped, with officers being absorbed into local policing teams. But it says this means it can put more officers on the beat. The Met also says it will use more live facial recognition to recognise individuals with existing warrants for arrest – a move that will likely prompt an outcry from civil liberties groups who are already opposed to what they say is an encroachment on human rights, including the right privacy. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, blamed previous governments for the Met's dwindling budget – despite the fact the most recent budget allocation was decided under Sir Keir Starmer. He said: 'Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and I prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on our pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust.'
