Disabled woman hits out at 'bigots' at Newport Aldi opening
A disabled woman says she was horrified by the treatment she received from other shoppers when she attended the opening of a new supermarket.
Wheelchair user Gail Forrester said she was shouted at, accused of queue jumping and then found her car hemmed in at the opening of the new Aldi supermarket in Newport last Thursday.
Mrs Forrester, disabled for 23 years, said despite the wonderful treatment from Aldi staff, the way other shoppers treated her left her feeling vulnerable.
"The Aldi staff were wonderful, very thoughtful, understanding and compassionate," said Mrs Forrester. "Which is more than I can say about the people of Newport."
A regular customer at the Aldi store in Donnington, Mrs Forrester, of Norbury Junction, usually does her weekly shopping using a wheelchair, as she cannot walk far using her crutches.
She said: "I decided to go to the opening, against my family's advice."
Mrs Forrester said a security man directed her to a disabled parking bay and asked if she needed further assistance.
She said: "I asked if it was OK for me stand at the side of the existing queue, not far from the store entrance. He replied yes, and offered to fetch me a chair, which I declined, as it was only now 25 minutes to the store opening.
"I stood for around 10 minutes enjoying the atmosphere and the music, then another security guard came over to me and said a lot of people had been complaining I had queue jumped and they were not happy. I explained my dilemma to him, telling him I was not physically able to walk to the end of the very very long queue."
Mrs Forrester claimed a woman then accused her of trying to get a "golden ticket" – a prize voucher for the store's first 100 customers.
She said: "She was very offensive. I was close to tears and thought of returning home. But with so many people around, reversing out of my spot would have been very hazardous. So I stayed put.
"I had no intention of receiving a golden ticket. This was not the point of my visit. I just wanted to join in the festivities and enjoy myself."
"I waited for the opening, did a bit of shopping and returned home traumatised. I did not think the people of Newport could be so bigoted."
No one from Aldi was available for comment yesterday.
