Overview
- The ban was issued after a disagreement earlier this month at the Hook, Hampshire store when Rita Seymour tried to buy a EuroMillions ticket and admits she pushed a staff member's body-worn camera.
- When Seymour returned the next day she was handed a letter stating her invitation to enter any Sainsbury’s or Argos site, including adjoining land and petrol stations, had been permanently withdrawn.
- Sainsbury's told reporters it based the action on ‘‘a number of incidents over time’’ and said it takes abusive or inappropriate behaviour seriously, while Seymour rejects any prior misconduct and is appealing to have the ban lifted.
- The prohibition affects Seymour's weekly shopping routine — she typically spent about £80–£100 per visit and now faces a much longer walk to alternative supermarkets with practical consequences for her and her disabled husband.
- Lawyers and reporters note supermarkets may lawfully bar customers so long as bans do not breach discrimination law, and Sainsbury's says it will not reverse the ban while it stands by its staff's account.