'Trying to spread a bit of joy': supermarket staffer serenades long queue of Waitrose shoppers

Louise Crawford, who is also a professional singer, works at an outlet in Berkshire

Louise Crawford works behind the Welcome Desk at her local Waitrose, but she is also a professional singer.

Louise Crawford, 29, works behind the welcome desk at her local Waitrose in the UK. But she happens to be a professional singer as well.

So when a lengthy queue started forming outside her supermarket in Berkshire in the UK, she knew exactly what to do.

Crawford has spent the past few years working at holiday parks and hotels as a singer. Since this winter, she has been back home with her family, working part-time at the Waitrose store in Bracknell town.

Last week, she was at work when her manager at the supermarket suggested it would be "fun" if she sang to the queue forming outside.

"I honestly thought she was joking," Crawford tells The National.

"It turns out, she was not joking. There were probably around 100 people, including staff, who were watching."

In the UK, supermarkets are asking shoppers to adhere to social distancing guidelines and stay two metres apart from other customers at all times. Many shops across the country have also put queuing rules in place, to ensure a controlled flow of customers in-store.

A video of Crawford putting on the spontaneous outdoor concert was streamed live on Facebook by one of her friends, and it quickly went viral. While, for now, it was a one-off performance, Crawford is not ruling out another.

Her dream is, after all, to become a singer full time, and she hopes her newfound popularity could provide the opportunity to achieve that.

So "something good comes of this pandemic", Crawford says. "I’ve received such wonderful, uplifting comments from total strangers, it really has been an amazing experience.

"I feel very fortunate to still be able to go to work, and am so grateful that they [Waitrose] have given me the opportunity to sing to the queues, and try to spread a bit of joy in this difficult time."