Supercheap Auto responds to public outcry after employee stood down

Supercheap Auto has responded to a public outcry after an employee was stood down over a viral video outside one of its stores.

Supercheap Auto has responded to a public outcry after an employee was stood down for confronting a shopper suspected of concealing stolen goods in a pram.

The man, who has yet to be identified, was filmed trying to grab the woman’s pram covered with a blanket outside a Gold Coast store in a video that quickly went viral.

After they both struggled to take control of the pram, a box was knocked to the ground from under the blanket and the woman said: “You can have the f***ing rotor mate.”

The pram was understood to have been filled with stolen goods, and didn’t contain a baby at the time.

While the worker was hailed a hero online for his firm approach, it was revealed last week he had been stood down while management conducted a review into the incident.

A spokesperson for Supercheap Auto’s parent company, Super Retail Group, stressed the worker had not been fired and was on full pay while the incident was investigated.

“We are reviewing an incident from last week at one of our stores on the Gold Coast which is standard practice after an event of this nature,” the spokesperson said via Channel 7.

“At all times, we remain focused on the health, safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers.”

The incident reportedly occurred outside the Supercheap Auto store in Ashmore.

As the story took hold around the area, other companies rushed to put in a good word with the worker in the hope of poaching him for themselves.

Rival store Autobarn in Burleigh Heads was one of the first to offer him a new job, with owner Michael Farrar saying he was just the type of employee he was looking for.

“His actions showed to me that he is a loyal person and someone we would want on our team,” he told Gold Coast Bulletin, adding his store had about $15,000 worth of items stolen in the last two years.

Employers also called 2GB radio host Ben Fordham’s program wanting to offer the man a job.

Fordham argued there was “no way in the world” he should have been stood down.

A spokesperson for Supercheap Auto’s parent company, Super Retail Group, said the company hopes to have a resolution soon, with the matter still under ‘active consideration’.

“This guy was doing his job by saying you’re not going to pinch that from the store,” he said on Today Extra.

“I’ve had people calling in on my radio show saying they’d offer him a job. They would give him a pay rise or a promotion,” he added.

The video on TikTok alone has been viewed more than 5.5 million times since it was uploaded a week ago.