I worked at JD Sports – I’ve dealt with thieves & scammers & there’s a reason why staff always greet you at the entrance

HAVE you ever wondered why shops employ staff simply to welcome you to the store?

It may seem like something of a pointless job, but one former JD Sports employee has revealed it has a very important purpose.

An insider has lifted the lid on the sportswear giant, revealing what goes on below the shop floor.

As part of Fabulous’ new series, Talking Shop, we’re finding out what it’s really like to work in your favourite high-street stores.

This week we meet Arriminta Hardwicke, 22, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, who worked at JD Sports for seven years.

Here Arriminta who now works in a dog creche and lives in Ipswich with her boyfriend Cameron, 20, reveals her least-favourite kind of shopper and the biggest perks of working there.

She says: "Heading straight for the most expensive Nike Tech tracksuits, the brazen shoplifter grabbed two, calmly walked through the store, chucked them over the barrier then ran down the street.

"Quick - that guy just ran off with a load of Nike tech fleece!", I screamed at my colleagues.

"Four of them ran down the street, tackled the man and managed to get the £400 haul of tracksuits back." 

But most days we weren't so lucky.

"We would get so many dodgy customers in there - stealing was a daily occurrence and often it would be bulk thefts," she said.

"If we did suspect someone, we would usually go over and ask them if they were OK. It was to let them know you are watching them but in a subtle way. 

"I worked at JD for just under three years while at university and while I loved the flexible hours I hated dealing with thieves every day.

"The person who stood at the front of the store at all time was there to greet customers but - they were also there to check for stealing and whatnot.