Coronavirus: Cafe owner takes a swipe at ‘despicable’ person who stole their hand sanitiser

A Brisbane cafe owner had the last laugh against someone who took a hand sanitiser bottle for customers - shaming them brutally.

A Brisbane cafe owner has come up with an ingenious way for dealing with someone who recently stole a bottle of communal hand sanitiser.

Ian Henderson, the owner of The Total Picture Framing Co and Cafe in Brisbane, revealed the bottle of hand sanitiser had been taken by a customer from his business last Thursday.

Rather than spend time and energy bringing the thief to justice, the savvy business owner decided a sign calling their actions out was perfect for the job.

“To the creep who STOLE the hand sanitiser we made available for our customers (sic) use,” the message declared.

“You are a despicable, selfish person. We hope Karma bites you on the a*se!”

A cafe owner has called out the ‘despicable’ actions of a person who stole hand sanitiser meant for communal use. Picture: Supplied/The Total Picture Framing Cafe

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Mr Henderson told news.com.au he had absolutely no qualms whatsoever about posting the message as he was gobsmacked by the person’s “foolishness”.

“I am the type that will call out foolishness when it appears in front of me,” he said. “It’s incredibly selfish to take something that I’ve made available to everyone who comes past.”

While security footage has been reviewed and can confirm it was a woman Mr Henderson had been speaking to, he doesn’t plan on taking the matter further.

However, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t want her to feel guilty should she happen to walk past the sign and its strongly-worded missive.

Owner of The Total Picture Framing Cafe Ian Henderson said he has no time for foolish acts Picture: Supplied/The Total Picture Framing Cafe

According to Mr Henderson, the sign has struck a chord with many who’ve seen it stopping to have a bit of a chuckle or to take selfies.

“The response people walking past has been great. Hundreds have stopped at the sign to take a photo.”

He said while his sign is taking a dig at the person who swiped his hand sanitiser, he hoped the humour might lighten up a very serious situation.

“This is a good opportunity to be a bit more mindful of those around us.”

While health experts recommend washing your hands for at least 20 seconds to keep them germ-free, hand-sanitiser is also a must.

A recent run on hand sanitiser means supermarket shelves across Australia have been stripped bare. Picture: Facebook

The Centre for Disease Control recommends using hand sanitiser when you can’t get access to soap and water to clean your hands.

According to the Department of Health, a hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol is most effective.

Research from the University of Toronto has found that hand sanitisers which contain 70 per cent alcohol is the ideal amount.

“That’s the concentration of rubbing alcohol that is most effective in killing germs — it’s even more effective than 100 per cent. Because it has a little bit of water in it, it improves penetration,” Professor James Scott said in 2012.

A shortage of hand sanitiser is being witnessed in multiple retailers across the country as people rush to stock up in a bid to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus sweeping the globe.