Wikimedia Commons
A 79-year-old great-grandmother says she’s been left feeling like a “criminal” after receiving a lifetime ban from every Sainsbury’s and Argos store in the UK following a dispute with staff.
The incident began while Rita Seymour, from Hook, Hampshire, was trying to buy a Euromillions ticket from her local Sainsbury’s during her weekly shop. She repeatedly asked a staff member for the ticket before hearing them say over a headset that “this customer is being rude to me,” reports The Mirror.
The situation quickly escalated, with store managers “shouting” and “flailing their arms” before attempting to use a body-worn camera to record what was happening. Seymour admitted knocking the camera from a manager’s hand but insists she had done nothing wrong.
“I am not the guilty party, I wasn’t nasty to her. I’m [nearly] 80 years of age, I wouldn’t start trouble with anybody,” she said. “I’ve been in customer service all my life and I’ve never been spoken to like this.”
Seymour also claims staff accused her of stealing her shopping before she produced her receipt and was escorted out of the store.
Great-grandma hit with lifetime ban from her local store
When she returned the following day, she says she was handed a letter informing her that she had been banned from all Sainsbury’s or Argos stores in the UK, including any gas stations or car parks owned by the chain.
“I have been so dumbfounded. I was shaking when I left there; I could have cried,” Seymour said.
Ice Cream shop owners arrested for harassment after confronting customer over bad review
Woman dies after clashing with Tim Hortons staff over incorrect order
A 79-year-old great-grandmother has received a lifetime ban from every Sainsbury’s store across the country.
Rita Seymour of Hook, Hampshire, faced the restriction following an incident at her local Sainsbury’s store in June.
A Staff accused her of rude behaviour while she… pic.twitter.com/T22uS88SXh
— RELISH WIRE NEWS (@relishwirenews) June 27, 2026
The 79-year-old, who says she has shopped at the Hook branch for years, also denied Sainsbury’s claim that the decision followed “a number of incidents over time.”
“I would never tell lies. I have lived here 45 years, and I haven’t got a blemish on my character,” she said. “I am not a troublemaker, but to be treated like that, I won’t give in.”
Sainsbury’s defended the decision in a statement, saying that it takes “any form of abusive and inappropriate behaviour seriously,” and that the decision “was not taken lightly” but “the safety and wellbeing of colleagues and customers always come first.”
Seymour says she now has to walk around 30 minutes to her nearest Tesco instead of visiting the Sainsbury’s just eight minutes from her home, and is hoping to have the lifetime ban overturned.
This isn’t the first run-in a member of the public has had with a company, as an influencer claimed she was prevented from boarding a flight because she looked “naked.”
