Bailey had worked at the Newnham IGA casually for about a year and a half alongside attending school at St Patrick's College.

He was working at the store with three others on Sunday, March 10 when a 17-year-old boy wearing black entered the store armed with a butcher's knife about 5.40pm.

"He came from around the corner near the service station," Bailey said.

"I didn't notice he'd come in until I turned around and he obviously had a knife.

"I just did what I had to do to keep others safe and to keep myself safe.

"I just did what I had to to get him out of the store."

He said he wasn't scared, just running on adrenaline.

"I was just trying to do my best to follow procedure, try and be as professional as possible, and just call the police and let them handle it rather than being a hero," he said.

"I wasn't particularly shaken up at the time, but two of the other staff that were on were quite shaken and some of the customers, too."

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What had transpired didn't hit him until days later.

"It was terrible. I just didn't understand how big of a situation it was until it started coming out in the media and things like that," he said.

"It started to hit me that I was a victim of an armed robbery, and it's not a normal thing to go through."

He said the incident had taken a toll on him.

"It plays in my mind a bit. Like, if someone raises their voice or something it sort of reminds me," he said.

"In the meantime, it's all right, it's controllable, but it definitely takes a toll when you get flashbacks.

"It's hard to understand. When you go through something like this you understand it's not as easy as you think. It does take a bigger toll than a lot of people expect."

His advice to anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation was "don't be a hero".

"It's unpredictable and you don't know what's going to happen or how to deal with a situation," he said.

"If it does happen to you, go to your work, go to your family - they're the best ones to help you get through it.

"It's OK not to be OK in that situation because it's definitely not good to go through."

A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to the armed robbery charge.

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