Millburn-Union Whole Foods Apologizes After Banning Senior Accused Of Shoplifting Cheese

It can take only a few wedges of cheese to earn you a lifetime ban from Whole Foods.

Maplewood resident Marge Dooley discovered this the hard way on Oct. 4, when store security at the Millburn-Union Whole Foods in Vauxhall accused the 70-year-old of trying to walk out of the supermarket with a two, unpaid-for hunks of cheeses lying under a purse in her shopping cart.

After security personnel escorted Dooley to the back of the store, questioned her and took her photo, they informed her that she would be charged with trespassing if she set foot in any Whole Foods in the Tri-State Area, The Village Green reported.

She was served with a notice of exclusion and trespass on Monday, Oct. 5.

Dooley told TAPInto SOMA that she had paid for about $60 of groceries which she packed herself, and was on her way out of the store when she was stopped.

Dooley, who has no criminal record, then asked if she could purchase the cheese and was told that she could not, TAP Into reported.

After news of the incident got out via social media, Whole Foods issued an official statement on the Millburn-Union store’s Facebook page on Oct. 8:

“Loss prevention is an unfortunate necessity in retail. At Whole Foods Market, we strive to achieve the right balance between loss prevention and fostering a welcoming, friendly environment in all our stores. This is an unfortunate incident and we have reached out to the shopper directly to make things right. We are also having discussions with the loss prevention company at this store to ensure they clearly understand our expectations when it comes to our customers.”

The comment did little to assuage the anger of several shoppers, who stated that they planned to boycott the store.

“Shame on you for your policy,” one person wrote. “I will no longer be shopping at your store until this no tolerance policy is changed.”

“Add my voice to the chorus of formerly loyal shoppers who will be taking their business elsewhere after hearing about the appalling treatment of a woman who inadvertently failed to pay for cheese,” another shopper wrote. “Like many people in our community, I have done most of the grocery shopping for my family here ever since you opened but I am done. This is disgraceful. I’ve seen the canned response you’ve offered to the other commenters and I’m not impressed.”

“I will never go back to this store, or any [Whole Foods] store, again after the way you treated a beloved grandmother in our community,” one woman wrote. “We don’t shake down elderly folks in this community. It is out of line with our values.”