Supermarket customer fined for shopping without a basket

A 32-year-old man from The Netherlands who refused to use a shopping basket in his local supermarket was convicted for his "crime" today.

Carst Kijlstra was carrying two pieces of veal in his hands when arriving at the check-out in the local Edah supermarket in Assen. The lady at the check-out refused to serve him because he didn't have a basket.

"Kijlstra knew he was a guest in the shop and that means he has to act according to the house rules." said the prosecutor during the trail.

Mr. Kijlstra said he told the girl he didn't want one because he was in a hurry and the shop was almost closing. "She wouldn't listen but came back with the shop owner who told me it was the rules."

"I said: "Don't be ridiculous", left the money at the counter and went home. I was preparing dinner when a police car came to take me to the police station. They put me in jail like a criminal, for half an hour."

The judge fined Mr. Kijlstra $185 and ruled Kijlstra had been "trespassing" by ignoring Edah's mandatory basket policy. Mr. Kijlstra said he will appeal to this ruling.

There was a good reason for these rules and they had to be maintained said a spokeswoman for the Edah supermarket chain.

She said: "When the goods are all in a shopping basket, employees can clearly see what it contains. It's to prevent shoplifting,"

Posted in Crime & Law Business & Politics by Paul van der Maas