Recently I visited Marks and Spencer at one of the railway stations. Because I have difficulty with digestion of some food items eg garlic, onion, heavy doses of herbs and spices etc... I tend to read labels before purchasing. This could mean that I might put the item back and move to another part of the area where fridges are to look for an alternative. Not finding any there is a chance that I might return to the first point and get something with the lesser of all the evils. Be warned. This is enough to have a security guard who is either over zealous or lacking in training to be viewing you as a suspect and potential thief. Having that nasty feeling I was being watched I moved to the end of the fridges and stood around the corner out of view and waited. Sure enough, as if with feet of lightening he arrives. Amused but a tad annoyed as it had been a very long day at work and I was tired - hence the quick cook tea - I moved around to the main part of the fridge and he was right behind me. So turned on him and said I had difficulty with certain foods and need to read the labels. I then added "But you are right there, aren't you." He backed off a little. The end result is that I didn't get the things I needed.

I don't argue the fact that shops lose much from shoplifters or indeed internal theft, however, there are some standards when observing a suspect and a criteria to follow. Stores need to protect their interests and there are many means available for them to do so. Scaring off the real suspect is one thing. Making a genuine customer feel harassed is quite another.