Wtaf, there was someone walking around Sainsbury’s smoking a joint!

[goldfishbowl2025]

This is in a very naice area!! Literally this fella doing his shopping smoking a bloody joint, stinking the store out!! Skeleton staff.

i really wanted to say something but had the feeling he’d tell me to fuck off.

Does this happen in other areas?! Or this a first (am I being naive here?!).

I’ve seen plenty of grab and run shop lifters who literally take the train in - shop lift- then run back on to a train - it’s very close!

Was this in Warwick or Leamington spa on the priors? It’s a regular occurrence

Yes, the smell really is vile.

Marginally better than the skunk that seems to be everywhere now though. 🤮

Whilst travelling by tram at night in Bergen, Norway recently a man got on and proceeded to “chase the dragon” on the tram!! Everyone looked shocked …but nobody said anything. Think this is not just a problem in UK.

Do Sainsbury’s staff get paid to tell people to stop smoking in the shop?
If you think it's dangerous for you to say something, why isn't it dangerous for them?
I thought they were paid to do a different job.

By the way, years ago I worked at Sainsbury’s, and some teenagers were throwing tomatoes at each other. Stupidly, I told them off.
Guess who got in trouble? Me — for saying something. As punishment, I had to clean the floor in case someone slipped.
Fuck it.
It’s not safe for staff to deal with idiots like that.

Smoking anything inside a shop is banned for loads reasons. The joint is irrelevant really he shouldn't have been smoking at all.

The security staff are normally responsible for stopping anti social behavior or smoking in shops, but they probably lit it up the back. Retail staff are probably fed up dealing with other things the public get up to or dealing with abuse on a daily basis :(
It has become a tricky job these days keeping order and many are also threatened outside as well.

It's not uncommon to see (and smell) an arsehole smoking a joint upstairs on the bus in certain parts of London, and I once encountered a group of aggressive men doing it in Tesco Express around 10 PM (the one by the ExCel Centre, if anyone cares). In most of these cases, both the people in authority (skeleton staff at the Tesco, and lone bus drivers) and all of the other shoppers/passengers seemed afraid to say anything. The staff at the Tesco called the police (the dudes were also actively harassing and insulting patrons) but the offenders left before they arrived. I have seen random passengers point out that it's not allowed on the buses, but they just get ignored.

I also saw it a few times in larger shops when visiting the USA, but that was in a place where cannabis itself is at least legal, and people were just told politely by staff that "smoking" was prohibited in the shop and asked to go outside. I'm not sure if it's the extra element of the illegality in the UK that makes people afraid to speak up, even staff that really have a responsibility to stop it.

I don’t blame the staff for not confronting people though!

A shop assistant on minimum wage isn’t responsible for stopping antisocial behaviour.
In fact, it’s the opposite — if a shop assistant gets hurt and needs hospital treatment, the shop assistant will get in trouble with the supermarket
.

man with loose dog in Sainsbo local in Thame,
Sainsbo, such a liberal instore experience
no smoking inthe store sir! -
and yes Thame is ‘naice’ well it used to be

OMG the Midlands?!?!

Who knew they can cannabis users there.

And your poor mum having to live in a northern town.

Back to the spliff, I would have stopped at security on the way past if it bothered that much.They probably wouldn't have seen it.

Ah, this idea that weed smokers are all peace loving folk who are only interested in satisfying their munchies. Tell that to the families of the Nottingham stabbings victims.

I probably phrased that last bit badly; I mean it is the responsibility of the business or service provider (and not that of individual patrons) to raise an alarm, escalate, call security or the police, or otherwise make an appropriate attempt to address the issue. If they have no way to do that safely or don't know what to do, that is not the individual staff member's personal fault but it is a management issue.

Weed smoking is "normal" these days people smoke it outside like its a cigarette so normal looking people.it is depressing and entitled though back to Sainsbury's the staff probably didn't want any hassle he was maybe a regular so its easier for them to let him get in and out asap!

@Shittyhouse There should be security in all shops, if the staff are afraid of some of their customers.What about other customers safety, it’s not ok for staff, to put their head down and ignore what’s going on in the store.If staff reported this to head office, maybe something would be done about it, eg security guard employed there.At least then a customer could speak to a security guard, then that’s the security guard’s responsibility to tell the person smoking illegal cannabis to leave.It really shouldn’t be that difficult.

I don’t see what it being a “naice area” has to do with it?!?!
Also, why on earth did you not tell a member of staff?!

There were barely any staff about!! They were stacking shelves. It was 8pm or just around that point, store closing within the hour, he was heading to the till so if there was staff hanging about they would have seen him, he stopped just before the tills to take a proper drag.

What? On what grounds did you get into trouble for this

The police really wouldn't have been interested in a bloke smoking a splif in a shop.

"I don’t see what it being a “naice area” has to do with it?!?!"

You don't? I don't believe you

I agree it's dangerous. As are regular cigarettes, vapes and alcohol - all of which ironically are sold in Sainsbury's.

As ‘punishment’ you had to clean the floor.Isn’t that just health and safety, someone would have needed to clean the floor.Sounds like you just wanted to do the bare minimum.

Im not a fan, but i probably would have continued with my shopping as normal. It is their life if they want to get caught, and unlikely apprehended.

I think you did the right thing ignoring it OP. You never know what could happen with people these days, and I wouldn’t expect the minimum wage staff to deal with it either.

All I could think when I saw the title was at least it wasn't a dog ...