The guy was only buying fags; what proof is there they were for him and not his girlfriend/wife etc?
I'm reminded of an occurrence in nearby Woking a few years ago.
Serviceman goes to check in to a pre-booked room in the Holiday Inn (yes I'm naming it, nasty aren't I) and is refused a room by the new Asian owners as he was in military uniform.
Didn't get too many headlines at the time (during a Labour government) I wonder why?
PS. I knew a guy (over 65) who worked there a couple of days per week for a bit of extra money to supplement his pension. He said the new owners wanted to charge him and his workmates £8 per day to park his car there whilst at work and this was a substantial portion of the wages they gave him.
Another guy I knew was a bus driver operating one man buses out of Uxbridge. If anyone in uniform got on his bus, whether regular forces or cadets, he would refuse to take a fare off them saying 'your money's no good on this bus mate, now go and sit down'. I even encountered this when I was an ATC Cadet, the conductress saying she had no change for a pound note for a 20p fare.