A cashier in western Iceland’s supermarket was caught adding extra cigarettes to customers’ receipts; the employee was a Polish writer named Jarosław Czechowicz, who apologized and ended his Icelandic life.
Cashier caught manipulating receipts
A cashier in the western Icelandic town of Wisafjörður was discovered adding packs of cigarettes to customers’ receipts.
Investigations suggest he used barcode stickers on cigarette packages and scanned them manually, fraudting customers from early June to mid‑October.
Company issues apology and compensation
The store chain, Netto, issued a statement apologising to affected customers and urged anyone noticing irregularities in their receipts to bring them to the Wisafjörður location for review.
The company also pledged to compensate customers for any losses incurred due to the cashier’s actions.
Polish writer identity revealed
The cashier was identified as Jarosław Czechowicz, a Polish writer and literary critic who had moved to Iceland two years earlier.
Czechowicz admitted that his conduct had damaged the trust of both Icelanders and Poles living in Iceland, and that it tarnished the reputation of Poles on the island.
Sincere apology and resignation
Czechowicz wrote that nothing excuses his behaviour, apologised for his actions, and announced his decision to end his Icelandic life without any remaining commitments.
He stated that he had imposed a sentence on himself and would no longer remain in Iceland.
