Gross Misconduct In The Bagging Area

The Employment Tribunal (ET) has ruled that a Sainsbury's employee, who had worked for the company for almost 20 years, was fairly dismissed for gross misconduct, after they were found to have taken bags for life, without paying.

The ruling in Doffou v Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of employee misconduct, no matter how minor the infraction might appear.

Background

The Claimant, Mr Doffou, worked at the Romford Sainsbury's superstore as a night shift assistant. Following a shift in August 2022, Mr Doffou did some personal shopping but, at the self-service till, clicked the 'zero bags used' option, despite him taking multiple carrier bags to use to carry his shopping. Mr Doffou was caught on the shop's CCTV taking the bags and selecting the 'zero bags used' option on the screen, which led to him being called to a disciplinary hearing with Sainsbury's.