Waitrose workers brand their shoppers as ‘pikeys’

Staff at a London branch of Waitrose have been caught insulting customers on Facebook.

Supermarket bosses have launched an investigation after workers at the Finchley Waitrose store were caught posting offensive and suggestive comments about customers.

One employee called a female customer a "dirty old loon" and said on the site: "You know, the one who you can smell in Fruit & Veg when she is on the drinks aisle." Another employee publicised his lust for a regular female shopper and wrote: "All the lads know who I mean. The 6ft tall stunner with the massive natural b ristols and a boyfriend who looks like he might kill you for looking at her."

The posts appeared on a Facebook page called "Waitrose Isn't a Supermarket, It's a State of Mind". Staff were asked to list what annoys them most about the supermarket.

Workers all over the country added their own abusive comments, with some branding shoppers "pikeys", "ugly" and "mad".

One Manchester employee wrote: "Pikey skanks wait till the last minute, gathered around the reduced-stuff bin, or the cake shelves etc, to get the cheapest possible stuff."

A Waitrose spokesman said: "This is completely unacceptable behaviour. It goes against our codes of conduct." The spokesman said it would be difficult to get the insults removed from the site, but added: "We will be conducting an immediate investigation."