Stressed Mum Praises Waitrose For Letting Her Take Home Shopping For FREE

A mother who was struggling with a poorly baby was reduced to tears when she was told by Waitrose she could take her shopping home for free after she forgot her purse.

Joanna Johnson had headed out to the supermarket in Milton Keynes after her 16-month-old son Flynn had been crying all day, suffering from a cold and teething pain.

During her shop, she had opened up a packet of cakes to stop Flynn from screaming but having got to the queue, she realised she had left her purse at home.

Worried about what the store would say, she was left shocked when the manager told her to take the cakes - and the shopping - home without paying.

Joanna wrote a post on the Waitress Facebook page, praising the store for helping her out when she was “totally at my wit’s end”.

She wrote: “In a fluster, I went to Waitrose to get him some treat dinner to tempt him as there was no way he was letting me cook and he would have thrown it on the floor anyway.

“Got a few bits and bobs, had to open some cakes on the way around to stop the little one from screaming, got to the queue and realised I’d left my purse at home (half an hour round trip away)…either had to leave all the shopping, taking the cake he was eating and risk getting caught for shoplifting or confess to the manager.

“Went to confess and one of the managers, whose name was Steve Bushell, and another lady whose name I didn’t catch, straight away said, ‘no problem, these things happen, we’ve all been there - just take them’.”

Joanna said that the manager then got a bag and packed up her shopping for dinner, insisting that she take it, telling her that he would “just have to go and put it all back anyway”.

The administrator at University College London said the act of kindness “sent her over the edge” and she burst out crying in the shop.

Her post soon went viral, with over 14,000 people liking it and praising the store manager for his actions.

Deborah Aungiers wrote: “There are good people out there. Hope your little boy is better.”

Hazel Layzell added: “Hurrah for shops that employ humans! Hope your boy is better.”

Joanna paid for her £16 shopping the next morning, along with a ‘Thank You’ card for the staff.

Pics: Joanna Johnson/Facebook/Rex