A female member of staff at The Local said she was threatened by a man with a hypodermic needle, demanding she handed takings to him on Tuesday at about 6.30pm.
The man, who was wearing a hood and a scarf covering his face, left empty-handed when the cashier – the only member of staff present at the time – refused to hand over money.
The incident was witnessed by a member of the public who, after seeing the male leave the store, followed him whilst contacting police.
The witness kept officers informed where he was and as a result a suspect was quickly located.
A Willingdon Trees man has been charged with attempted robbery and was due to appear before Eastbourne Magistrates Court
yesterday.
Eastbourne District Commander Chief Inspector Dick Coates said, "This arrest was due to the vigilance of a member of the public.
"I always say that we need the help of the public if we are to make Eastbourne more safe and secure. This member of the public put himself out to help my staff and I would just like to publicly thank him for all he did."