Thief's seven words to Greggs workers while brazenly stealing from shop (2025)

A man casually began taking items from the fridge at a Greggs branch in Upminster, putting them into his bag in front of stunned staff as he told them it would just go to waste anyway

A thief gave a simple seven-word reason for his actions to staff at a Greggs while he snatched items from the popular bakery chain. Staff could do nothing but watch on helplessly as the man casually stole food from the shelves after strolling into store.

Wearing a grey jumper, black cap and black bottoms, the thief stuff his bag with food while making his case for stealing the items. He even told one worker who was mopping the floors at the time that the food will just go to waste. He's said to have told the workers: "You're going to chuck it away anyway" during his theft.

The staff member informed the thief that any food left over from the day is given straight to charity, not 'chucked away'. The brazen theft took place at a Greggs in Upminster, London, on Saturday.

The man gave his succinct seven-word reason for the theft before exiting the bakery, snatching a final handful of sugar strips as he went. In response to the incident on Saturday, a Greggs spokesperson said: "Shoplifting is an industry-wide issue and we take it extremely seriously.

"The safety of our colleagues and local customers remains our absolute priority, which is why we're continuing to invest in a range of enhanced security measures across our shops. We are working closely with the police and wider industry bodies to tackle this issue to ensure that offenders face consequences."

It comes just a month after a similar incident occurred at another Greggs branch in London. On March 14, a man was spotted filling a carrier bag with baked goods from Greggs. That incident took place at a branch on High Street in Lewisham, south London.

Shocking footage emerged from that incident that showed the brazen thief stealing a bag of treats in front of stunned staff. The man was seen strolling into the branch and straight toward the fridge, grabbing what he wanted and putting the goods in a plastic bag.

He did not appear phased by workers at the till, appearing to empty the majority of the sandwich section, taking his time to fully ransack the shelves. He filled his shopping bag with drinks, sandwiches and crisps before nodding at a worker.

He slowly walked out of the store, with the bag filled completely to the brim. Shocked locals were baffled by his attitude. One said online: "He was so casual." Another added: "This is why the prices go up 5p every other month."

A third commented: "This is why Greggs never has anything." And someone else wrote: "At what point are Greggs going to start putting the food behind the counter."

The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.