Edinburgh duo 'hurl abuse' at Scotmid staff as they 'shoplift in plain sight'


An Edinburgh duo were captured "hurling abuse" at a Scotmid employee before making off with a bag of Wotsits.

The incident happened at around 8pm on Friday night, at the store on Leith Walk. A shocked resident told Edinburgh Live a man was "threatening" the staff while a woman picked up a share bag of crisps and left.

A clip from the incident shows the man picking items out of the fridge and throwing them, while gesturing and shouting. Another staff member is heard over the tannoy politely asking the pair to leave.

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Local resident Amy Roberts told us: "An incident that happened last night around 8pm at the Scotmid on Leith Walk.

"A man started throwing items at the shopkeeper and threatening and abusing him while the women picked up a big bag of Wotsits to steal."

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This comes just days after an employee at the nearby Tesco Superstore was "assaulted" by a customer. It's understood that a security guard at the shop was injured, with a local resident suggesting they had a "broken arm".

They also said they were "scared to shop there now", after the incident on Thursday, August 12. A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our colleagues work hard to serve our customers every day, and every member of our team deserves to feel safe at work.

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"Any abusive, threatening or violent behaviour is completely unacceptable. We are assisting the police with their inquiries following the incident at our Leith Superstore on Wednesday, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep colleagues and customers safe."

Police Scotland and Scotmid have been approached for comment.