Pret never allowed staff to receive tips and even stopped the tip devices in their USA shops where tipping is very common in America. Pret turned the tip boxes into “charity” boxes in the late 2000s. When I visited the States in 2008 they still took tips, but on my next visit in 2013, Pret already turned USA tip boxes into charity boxes.
And now, since the pandemic and all the money grabs, Pret has electronic tip devices claiming all the tips go to staff. I worked in a wine bar in the city years ago where we were allowed to keep all the cash tips. But the credit card tips, the company kept 15% of it. And knowing Pret and their lies, they will keep ALL of it!
I say boldy and loudly that I don’t believe that Pret pass foward ALL the tips to staff because Pret have been stealing from customers and staff since years and are chronic liars. I detail this below.
Pret don’t suddenly become generous by allowing tips. They will grab the tips like they grab everything else.
NEW: Tip devices
Pret claim that ALL tips godirectly to staff. I don’t think so.
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UPDATE March 2025 – It’s confrmed, the tips do NOT go to the staff. I write about this here:
“A Pret Fan trying to hold me for an Idiot“.
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Donation devices
Donation Devices placed right NEXT to Payment Devices
Customers in the rush, noise and distraction accidently tap the donation device donating £5 instead of paying, and are then prompted again by staff to pay. And Pret KNOW the psychology of how customers feel embarrassed to request a refund from “charity”.
Not only that, but a refund isn’t even issued by Pret, but by the company (GoodBox) who facilitate the donations for Pret. Customers have to find out via a long process HOW to get their money back, and therefore many just give up. Katchink! 🤑🤑🤑 Win-win for Pret. Tax breaks via “charity” and other ways how they grab money.
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What customers don’t understand is that staff who are equally appalled and EMBARRASSED at Pret’s conduct is they are NOT allowed to move the donation devices. I KNOW how Pret always instruct staff to do or don’t do certain things, no matter how much customers complain. They do this very strategically, these donation devices aren’t next to the payment devices by accident.
74% of customers on Trustpilot (1 and 2-star reviews combined – update June 2024) turn their backs on Pret. And Pret might say that these are “biased” or anonymous customer reviews (like Pret RE-founder Julian Metcalfe said to me about staff reviews on him and itsu). Nopes! Many write WITH their names and have multiple reviews on various companies with mixed (positive and negative) ratings.
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>>> Trustpilot reviews.
And of course, Pret have a whopping 122% increase in donations but fail to mention HOW Pret grab the donations via the devices too close to the payment devices.
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My calling it out when my Twitter handle was still @LateNightGirlMe before I changed it to expretDOTorg:
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Last quote from above Tweet: “Agreed. Most people will be too embarrassed to demand a refund but I did. It was painful though. Had to call them.”
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Not to mention how customers complain they struggle to use their coffee subscription, apps, can’t log in etc. etc. etc.
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The pandemic emboldened Pret to steal in broad daylight and be unashamed about it.
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Stealing Bonus / Cash Rewards by withholding “Outstanding Card” Rewards from Low-wage Staff
I received a contact with the following info that Pret steal mystery shopper “outstanding card” rewards.
Please note, an “outstanding card” is NOT a literal card, it’s just the name of the CASH reward for an INDIVIDUAL staff member. Weekly bonus is for all, but the outstanding card reward is for one person who love-bombs extra hard! I explain this in detail throughout my blog regarding Pret’s micromanaging mystery shopper scheme.
Quote of the person who contacted me who says they know Pret staff who receive the mystery shopper reports and manipulate the results in favour of Pret’s pockets AND who also knows Pret workers in shops, quote:
“I know people who conduct mystery shopper reports and individuals working at shops whose reports have been affected. In some cases, when someone is nominated for an “outstanding performance” by the mystery shopper, they should receive an extra £100 that week. Unfortunately, there have been instances where the “outstanding performance” line in the reports received later by the Pret shop has been left empty, with comments deleted, preventing anyone from receiving the extra £100”
End of quote.
When I worked at Pret from 2008 to almost 2018 we staff often had discussions where we noticed that STRAIGHT AFTER a big summer and winter party where Pret spent thousands of pounds, that many shops didn’t get team bonus EVEN though we KNEW we did well as we often remembered the incidence the mystery shopper described.
Team bonus is now £1.25 per hour extra for that week (used to be £1 per hour for that week and 50p during the pandemic, and Pret even tried to scrap the bonus but then a strike was announce and I tagged the Guardian in again). I remember talking with colleagues who became suspicious that we always failed to get bonus straight after a big summer or winter party.
Knowing Pret and how they cheat and steal, I NOW believe this. And the contact by above person saying that Pret also steal outstanding card rewards, I believe that.
An example of the £100 mystery shopper outstanding card reward via YouTube for one team member who gave a free drink to the mystery shopper (I call them “misery” shopper for a reason):
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Letting Low-Wage Staff Pay for PR Stunts
(In this case the NHS freebies)
Pret took from staff just before the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 when Pret made a big PR announcement giving free coffees and 50% rebate on food to NHS workers. The very next day after Pret made that announcement, CEO Pano Christou sent a mass email to all shops and head office departments that Pret will do cuts to staff. Pret as usual stole from staff to pay for the PR stunt of the NHS freebies. Needless to say the executives didn’t have a cut to their contracts and wages, not to mention bonuses.
I was contacted as usual by Pret staff who sent me CEO Pano Christou’s email to all shops announcing cuts to staff the very next day after announcing NHS freebies.
18. March 2020 Pret PR stunt announcement for the NHS:
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The very next morning 19. March 2020, announcing cuts to staff:
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Unfortunately most NHS workers took the free coffees and 50% food rebate with joy, spreading Covid further. I went on a blitz informing the press and as many people as possible abut the staff cuts. Only very few, in particular 1 NHS staff was appalled:
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Needless to say, the “temporary” hour cuts, and with it pay cuts were made permanent later. ONE former staff went to Tribunal and sued Pret, but the judge didn’t grant the staff a win BECAUSE 99.9% of all the other staff accepted the cuts!!! Not sure why this is lawful, but this is why people NEED to join a union!!!
I wrote about this in 99.9% accepted exploitation, so 0.01% lost in court.
And later during the pandemic after Pret cut wages and hours, CEO Pano Christou did what he does best, putting himself forward as this great guy with his bloated ego and had the audacity to ask staff for donations for his half marathon. He wanted to raise money for the Pret Foundation to “alleviate poverty”! This guy has NO shame, nor a conscience. Pano Christou lives in his own bubble while bragging he came from the bottom. What a clown! Scroll down further to the Guardian piece where he received a payrise and a juicy bonus during the pandemic AFTER he cut wages, plus getting millions pumped into Pret from the government. Get your tissue, these are eye-watering numbers, and since then, now his bonus is topped up with another million pounds.
This is not merely hypocricy, this is blatant money grabbing from the lowest paid into his pockets. Fncking grifter!
For-Profit companies start foundations/trusts/charities for tax-breaks, for brownie points with the public and even for money laundering. And since the pandemic especially, Pret have been grabbing money at every turn under the “alleviate poverty” umbrella while impoverishing staff who, some have to claim benefits on top of working.
The Pret Foundation Trust as far as I know exists since the 1990s, but don’t quote me on that, I haven’t done my home work on this yet. And on a little side note, when I became bereaved and was bullied I asked Pret in writing if I can be put under someone from the Pret Foundation. Even an OPs manager suggested that in writing in one of the grievances I raised. But Pret never responded. And for a company in business sine 40 years to only have about 400+ “rising stars” come through says everything. These “rising stars” just serve as window dressing for Pret’s “ethical” facade.
I recommend this short piece about trusts and how they are used to grab and wash money.
Pano Christou’s self-absorbed and audacious mail to shops:
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Pretending to have Payroll Errors, Delaying to Pay Workers
Pret TWICE delayed paying staff in 2022 under dodgy excuses that there was a payroll error. And I remember in around 2012 that this already happened then, but I assumed this was a genuine mistake. Pret in around 2012 supposedly had a payroll error where the payroll staff “forgot” to pay everyone, and we got paid a few days later. I remember not thinking anything of it and even went around as a team leader offering to lend my colleagues money if they struggled. I assumed this was a one-off genuine mistake or mishap. But NOW I KNOW this wasn’t a mistake. This was DONE under former CEO Clive Schlee, and current CEO Pano Christou “learnt” from this and does the same.
Someone on Twitter who worked in payroll is appalled, quote: “This is appalling. As someone who bore ultimate responsibility for payroll in my organisation, I know this is inexcusable.” Link
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BUT, this is basically the THIRD time that Pret delayed paying staff under payroll error or mistake that I personally know of. And Pret often don’t pay the last week wages when staff leave who then have issues getting the pay. And CEO Pano Christou does what Pret always did, he sweet-talks his way through the press who bow to his bullsh!t.
End of May, beginning of June 2022 DM:
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Some staff announced on Instagram to be sabotaging Pret after not getting paid on time:
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Pret as usual used an event to cover up their nasty acts. Pret did that at the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday weekend when the public is distracted. So, when the news does come out, people are too distracted to notice. I emailed Pano Christou OPENLY copying in journalists and BLIND carbon copying some Pret staff in to protect their emails.
Sarah Butler from the Guardian picked it up and wrote her report on it. But of course, there was hardly any outcry on social media like it usually is, because people were busy with street parties for the Jubilee. Pret got away with that one!
And also, Monday was bank holiday where transfers are not done and people can’t arrange an overdraft. Pret DELIBERATELY chose THAT weekend, I believe that with everything in me.
I always tell people when Pret announce some charity, to take a closer look WHY!
I explain a few ones Pret did to either cover over or distract form things they’ve been up to: Pret A Manger’s “Charity” Projects.
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Loose Women presenter Nadia Sawalha’s STERN rebuke
to Pret on behalf of staff.
When Pret made the “temporary” paycuts permanent and the public got wind of it, “Loose Women” presenter Nadia Sawalha with an Instagram following of half a million and on Twitter close to 200,000 gave Pret a STERN rebuke and called on her followers to boycott!!! Although Nadia got the numbers wrong, she kept saying that staff (at the time) earn £8.91 which at the time was the minimum wage, and that Pret want to cut 11%. She made mistake, Pret always pay a littler over minimum wage, but at that time then cut down TO THE £8.91 minimum wage, as they legally can’t go below minimum wage (therefore they force staff to work overtime without pay and steal wages indirectly – on a side note!).
So, Nadia just mistook the number, but the core of the message was spot on. And that was also the time where we didn’t know yet if the “big cats” also do a cut on their own pay, even though I suspected they did NOT cut their own pay. And later see that the CEO got a £100,000 pyrise and almost £4 million in bonus AFTER he cut wages and year-on-year payrise and bonus rise.
But Nadia was the ONLY powerful, known, public voice to speak out.
I still have tears rolling down my face when I re-watch her rant from time to time! This was SO needed for Pret staff from a known voice! I went all over Twitter and Instagram and THANKED her a million times!
People FINALLY see the TRUE face of Pret where in May 2018 when I started publicly to expose Pret, hardly anyone believed me, except the unions and those who work in hospitality or toxic companies. Pret had everyone fooled, ESPECIALLY journalists!
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And we all know by now how Pret have REPEAT issues. Just a few of countless examples:
TWO customer deaths and multiple injuries IGNORED until it became public. Pret love to claim to be “doing the right thing naturally”.
Ongoing neglect on safety issues yet again, this time with staff. In 2023 getting fined £800,000 (down from £1.6 million) after ignoring 19 months of complaints with a faulty walk-in freezer door. A 2. staff got trapped inside the freezer, this time for 2.5 hours fighting for her life. Pret staff told me they got stuck in walk-in fridges and freezers and Pret did nothing. This time it was too much.
Two wage-theft lawsuits settled in the USA within 4 years (Pret steal wages and hours in the UK as well, but the legal system is not as helpful for employees than it is in the USA).
5000+ complaints on the ice drinks issue with the coffee subscription. I worked with the BBC on that one and the one that followed two years later.
74% of unhappy customers on Trustpilot and many also on Google, Tripadviser … Truspilot is just centralised as in an overview.
etc. etc. etc. etc.
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Again, staff contacted me and I emailed Pano Christou while OPENLY copying in journalists including Sarah Butler from the Guardian who then reported on the pay delay.
I put the DM tip-off and Butler’s article in the following YouTube slide:
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The second pay delay in 2022 happened at the beginning of June 2022 at the Queen’s Jubilee weekend because Pret knew that the public would be distracted with the Jubilee celebrations AND banks would be closed on bank holiday Monday.
Pret executives do exactly what shop managers do, which shop managers learn from higher ups. Shop managers regularly “forget” to pay the correct hours that staff worked to save money and accumulate profit for the next quarterly bonus. I had to chase my hours for years! If a manager has 20 – 30 staff in their shop and “forget” to pay each staff the odd hour here and there, do the math, it accumulates. 120 hours a month and katchink!
June is the last month of the second quarter. Again, I was contacted by devastated staff and passed it on to the Guardian. But the Guardian article didn’t make much of a rounds because the public was distracted.
As a rule of thumb: When Pret make an announcement of any kind, an announcement of charity, of a deal, of an offer, an announcement of any kind that looks great, PAY ATTENTION in the next day(s) on what else is happening that Pret are trying to cover up by distracting with “charity” announcements.
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CEO Pano Christou and the “change / coins in cabbies” 😉
It seems like CEO Pano Christou stole as a kid while cleaning cars. In an interview with the Mirror where Christou does his “rags to riches” story to try and lure low-wage workers in, he shares that he used to wash the cars for pocket money of the cabs that his father brought home. He says that there was more change under the seats than what his dad paid him. Mr. Chrsitou, did you STEAL coins from cabs?
I also washed my dads cabs, but I never took any coins, money, items from cars.
Quote from the Mirror, I added bold to the text:
“Mr Christou said: “My first job, at 14/15, was delivering mini-cabs cards through doors. I washed my father’s car every Sunday. “He would pay me a pound or two, but I would probably find more change under the seats then he paid me.”
End of quote.
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Link to Mirror article.
Once a thief, always a thief?
Since the pandemic especially, Pano Christou likes to stage himself in the press as this “rags to riches” great CEO who cares so much. And because Christou knows how it is to be poor, he makes sure that Pret staff give him more money than he needs. Cut wages and pocket the money:
“Pret CEO handed near-£4m bonus in year staff pay was cut. Pano Christou also given 27% salary rise in 2021 as chain took more than £50m in government support”
Christou’s resume that he posts online is to brainwash potential workers in to Pret to work for low pay and work overtime for free.
What Shop Managers, Area Manger and HQ Staff say about Pano and Pret in general
–> Link to reviews.
And a recent shop manager review on Glassdoor, and it doesn’t matter how many people Pret “employ” to leave fake reviews, the truth will continue to come out:
Part of recent General Manager Glassdoor review about how manager cheat to reach impossible targets set by Pret execs and how most food is thrown away (please note that Ptet also lie about having a “fleet” of cars distributing food to people in need. Pret rely on unpaid volunteers to pick up food, otherwise it gets wasted):
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UPDATE Dec. 2023
Pret now changed their “fleet of cars” claim to “Every evening we donate as much as we can to those in need”. 😀
Oops, where’s them “fleet” of cars now!? Hey Pret, you’re reading too much expret.org and are learning or getting paranoid! How about allowing a UNION for your exploited, overworked, underpaid workers, hm?!
And Pret use T-Shirts and walls now to brainwash customers. They don’t use as much social media anymore as they’re called out there too often and know I have an eye on their lies and COLLECT the RECEIPTS (screenshots)! Pret’s Twitter / X account even has NOT had any original post since 2023, except just replies to customer complaints and queries. Most journalists read and are active on Twitter, not on Facebook or Instagram so much. Pret know, they lost the social media battle! I already chased former CEO Clive Schlee, current CEO Pano Chirstou and itsu founder / Pret RE-founder Julian Metcalfe off Twitter.
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Shop Manager review from mid November 2023:
“Toxic and draining
Toxic, mental health is seen as a joke. … They expect you to perform 125% since the first day. The kitchen environment is super heavy, from deliveries to producing an absurd amount of food that at the end of the day is going to the bin. The excuse is always that “we are giving away to charity” but 90% of the time charity never shows up, or can’t commit to being there at a certain time. So hundreds of pounds worth of food is going to the bin. Managers and Assistant Managers manipulate stock, temperatures, and a lot more to have the perfect shop when in reality most of those targets are close to impossible to achieve. (unless you have no life and want to work 80+ hours a week). … customers are completely overwhelmed by the insane amount of products sold … treat General Managers and Assistant Managers like people. Team members and the rest of the Key Roles are the heart of the company and are also treated very poorly and many times disrespectfully …”
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Full review via Link.
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Pret … among almost 200 firms “named and shamed” by the government for not paying workers the minimum wage
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Link to BBC article.
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Pret’s Lawsuits and Settlement on Wage Theft
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Link to post.
And don’t believe the PR stunt about Pret baristas getting £14.10 (incl. bonus in 2023). If that happens than it is extremely rare and only happens at airports and busy railway stations where the pay is a little higher and products for customers also cost more.
Pret are tasked to aggressively speed-open shops worldwide and double in size by 2026. They do this via franchises to save money and also avoid giving deals, offers to customers and take from staff.
I could go on and on, but I think that’s enough to fill a book!
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I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Please also see the MEDIA page for more.
NEW LinkTree
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Thank you for reading/listening.
©2017 – Present: expret.org
Interview:
(Please be aware that the player shows 0:00 as WordPress sometimes “messes” with my blog. Just press play or go straight to the interview on Adam’s page).
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©2017 – Present: expret.org unless otherwise stated. All Rights reserved. Disclaimer.
Bullied during bereavement in Pret A Manger 