Customer loses discrimination claim over checkout operator refusing to help her lift heavy items

Seán McCárthaigh

A woman who claimed a supermarket checkout operator spoke rudely to her after she could not lift a tray of water bottles onto a checkout belt has lost a claim that she was discriminated against because of her disability.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Aldi Stores (Ireland) Limited has not breached the Equal Status Act 2000 over its dealings with Christine Reilly when she visited one of its branches on September 6th, 2024.

The customer had claimed the German supermarket group had discriminated against her on grounds of her disability as she had been unable to lift the water bottles out of her trolley at the checkout as she had recently undergone spinal surgery.

Ms Reilly claimed the checkout assistant stated that it was company policy for shoppers to place their items onto the checkout belt.

The complaint said the assistant had begrudgingly helped her unload her trolley after a long exchange.

Ms Reilly also maintained that the store manager told her during a subsequent conversation that she did not have to shop at the store.

Aldi denied the allegations and claimed the opposite had occurred with reasonable accommodation being provided to the complainant by the store assistant lifting the tray of water bottles onto the belt.

The WRC heard that Ms Reilly’s solicitor had written to Aldi six days after the incident in the store seeking compensation and an apology for the alleged discrimination.

In his ruling, WRC adjudication officer, Brian Dalton, said the evidence of the cashier and CCTV footage of the incident wholly corroborated Aldi’s account of events that Ms Reilly was reasonably accommodated and that her tray was lifted onto the checkout belt by the till operator.

“There is no merit in the claim,” said Mr Dalton.

He also claimed there was no evidence to support the allegation that the complainant was spoken rudely to by the checkout assistant and the store manager.

“What is clear is that within seconds her tray was placed on the belt by the cashier/shop assistant and she was reasonably accommodated,” said Mr Dalton.