Shocking treatment: Coles cashier's demand left cancer patient feeling ‘violated’ at checkout
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Tony Jones, a 39-year-old Queensland resident and cancer patient, was left feeling 'violated' and 'like a criminal' after a distressing incident at his local Coles supermarket.
Mr Jones, who has been battling bowel cancer, was asked to lift his shirt at the self-serve checkout by a staff member who suspected him of shoplifting.
Mr Jones' battle with bowel cancer has left him with a large hernia and a stoma, a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows bowel movements.
To hide his hernia, Jones wears shirts that are three to four sizes larger than his usual size.
However, during a recent shopping trip to Coles, a staff member mistook his hernia for concealed stolen goods and asked him to lift his shirt in front of other customers.
Mr Jones described the incident as leaving him feeling violated.
'I have a stoma from bowel cancer a few years ago, had my entire bowel removed and then in late 2022 had a blockage so had to have emergency surgery, after that, I developed a very large hernia,' he explained.
‘Going through Coles self-checkout and as I go to pay, the worker says from across the self-checkout section, “And what about what’s under your shirt?” as she walks up to me—very accusatory tone like she was happy that she had caught me, loud enough that anyone at self-checkout knew,’ he recalled.
'I was shocked but wanted out of there, so just lifted my shirt to show my stoma bag and the hernia,’ Mr Jones admitted.
‘I suppose I could have argued, but I already hate my body, I hate the stoma and stoma bag (I find it disgusting), and the hernia causes a lot of pain, and I detest how I look so just wanted out,’ he confessed.
The Coles worker immediately apologised upon realising her mistake, but the damage was done.
Mr Jones, who worked in retail for over 14 years before his illness, was left feeling humiliated and distressed by the incident. He also expressed his disappointment at the accusatory tone of the staff member and the assumption of guilt.
‘It was quick, but it’s really left me shocked that they can take such an accusatory tone and sound so proud of themselves for it like they were waiting to catch a thief,’ Mr Jones shared.
‘The size of the bulge is very big, you’d have to be a complete moron if you were stealing something and showing something this big under your shirt,’ he added.
‘But having my hernia and, more so, my stoma bag on display for everyone who was looking as she hadn’t said it quietly was embarrassing and, yeah, I feel very weird right now, I guess,’ Mr Jones said.
In response to the incident, Coles offered Mr Jones a $100 gift voucher and an apology from the store manager.
However, he felt that the gesture was insufficient, stating, 'It’s a bit weird of a feeling to have a dollar value put on emotional distress.'
‘Honestly, I wish it would go higher than the store level as even reading the replies (online) to my experience, it seems like Coles themselves seem to have an issue at its core with people speaking about the new (security) gates and such as well,’ Mr Jones continued.
‘Coles seems to be fostering the idea that we are criminals who are guilty until proven innocent.’
When Mr Jones was asked, he said he didn't think the Coles team member in question should be let go. He just hopes other retail workers can learn from what happened.
A Coles spokesperson addressed the incident in a statement, saying, ‘We are disappointed to hear about this customer’s experience and earlier today, we spoke directly to our customer and apologised for this incident.’
‘Coles is committed to creating an inclusive environment for our customers and team members, and apologise again that this didn’t occur on this occasion,’ they added.
What are your thoughts on this incident, members? Have you or someone you know experienced similar treatment in a retail store? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
Mr Jones, who has been battling bowel cancer, was asked to lift his shirt at the self-serve checkout by a staff member who suspected him of shoplifting.
Mr Jones' battle with bowel cancer has left him with a large hernia and a stoma, a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows bowel movements.
To hide his hernia, Jones wears shirts that are three to four sizes larger than his usual size.
However, during a recent shopping trip to Coles, a staff member mistook his hernia for concealed stolen goods and asked him to lift his shirt in front of other customers.
Tony Jones was suspected of theft in a Coles store. Image source: Shutterstock
Mr Jones described the incident as leaving him feeling violated.
'I have a stoma from bowel cancer a few years ago, had my entire bowel removed and then in late 2022 had a blockage so had to have emergency surgery, after that, I developed a very large hernia,' he explained.
‘Going through Coles self-checkout and as I go to pay, the worker says from across the self-checkout section, “And what about what’s under your shirt?” as she walks up to me—very accusatory tone like she was happy that she had caught me, loud enough that anyone at self-checkout knew,’ he recalled.
'I was shocked but wanted out of there, so just lifted my shirt to show my stoma bag and the hernia,’ Mr Jones admitted.
‘I suppose I could have argued, but I already hate my body, I hate the stoma and stoma bag (I find it disgusting), and the hernia causes a lot of pain, and I detest how I look so just wanted out,’ he confessed.
The Coles worker immediately apologised upon realising her mistake, but the damage was done.
Mr Jones, who worked in retail for over 14 years before his illness, was left feeling humiliated and distressed by the incident. He also expressed his disappointment at the accusatory tone of the staff member and the assumption of guilt.
‘It was quick, but it’s really left me shocked that they can take such an accusatory tone and sound so proud of themselves for it like they were waiting to catch a thief,’ Mr Jones shared.
‘The size of the bulge is very big, you’d have to be a complete moron if you were stealing something and showing something this big under your shirt,’ he added.
‘But having my hernia and, more so, my stoma bag on display for everyone who was looking as she hadn’t said it quietly was embarrassing and, yeah, I feel very weird right now, I guess,’ Mr Jones said.
In response to the incident, Coles offered Mr Jones a $100 gift voucher and an apology from the store manager.
However, he felt that the gesture was insufficient, stating, 'It’s a bit weird of a feeling to have a dollar value put on emotional distress.'
‘Honestly, I wish it would go higher than the store level as even reading the replies (online) to my experience, it seems like Coles themselves seem to have an issue at its core with people speaking about the new (security) gates and such as well,’ Mr Jones continued.
‘Coles seems to be fostering the idea that we are criminals who are guilty until proven innocent.’
When Mr Jones was asked, he said he didn't think the Coles team member in question should be let go. He just hopes other retail workers can learn from what happened.
A Coles spokesperson addressed the incident in a statement, saying, ‘We are disappointed to hear about this customer’s experience and earlier today, we spoke directly to our customer and apologised for this incident.’
‘Coles is committed to creating an inclusive environment for our customers and team members, and apologise again that this didn’t occur on this occasion,’ they added.
What are your thoughts on this incident, members? Have you or someone you know experienced similar treatment in a retail store? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
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