This photo of an elderly woman at Coles has outraged thousands of Aussies

UPDATE: Only hours after this story was published, new details about the story were released. We would NEVER want to mislead anyone, so we believe it's necessary to include this unexpected twist. The SDC understands that the woman in the photo was pretending to be an elderly shopper and was found with a questionable amount of groceries. The authorities later confirmed that the 32-year-old woman was shoplifting.

In a society that prides itself on mateship and a fair go, it's no wonder that a recent image circulating on social media has struck a chord with Australians nationwide.

The photograph in question shows a distressing scene outside a Coles supermarket, where police officers are seen digging into the contents of an elderly woman's grocery shopping.


The photograph, taken in Melbourne, was shared online with the caption: ‘I just saw a poor old lady get forcibly arrested by police and Coles staff for shoplifting food.’

The poster, who witnessed the event, said, ‘I told the police that I'll pay for her food and let her go and then I got threatened with being arrested for "obstructing police." Boycott Coles and Woolworths.’

‘This lady also had a speech disability which makes it 1000000x worse that the police and Coles staff did this!’ notes the original poster.


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According to Professor Nicholas Biddle of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, Almost 25 per cent of Aussies do not have trust in the police. Image Source: X / @Sonny_1NC


This incident sparked a heated online debate, with commenters divided.

Some argue that the law must be upheld, regardless of the circumstances.

One user even replied, ‘There are a lot of reasons to boycott a store. Stopping thieves isn’t one of them.’


Most of the comments, however, were calling for compassion, pointing out the broader issue of pensioners struggling to afford basic necessities.

One user commented, ‘This is so messed up. If people are forced to steal food, we need a better alternative.'

Another user added, ‘Terrible in this country, but elderly do not have enough to live on, pension rises are not covering food & utility price rises & [governments] couldn't care less.’

While another user said, ‘A decent police officer would have paid for the groceries and driven her home.’

The Victoria Police has yet to comment on the matter.


The image and the story behind it have become a symbol of a larger societal problem—the financial pressures faced by the elderly in Australia.

With pension increases failing to keep pace with the rising costs of food and utilities, many seniors find themselves in dire straits.

This incident also comes at a time when the profits and practices of major supermarkets are under intense scrutiny.

Woolworths, for example, reported a staggering $1.7 billion profit in the last financial year.


Source: YouTube/ABC News (Australia)


Yet, when Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci was questioned at a Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing, he faced a potential six-month jail sentence and a $5,000 fine for failing to disclose the company's return on equity—a key profitability measure.

The inquiry, chaired by Greens senator Nick McKim, was temporarily suspended due to Mr Banducci's non-disclosure, highlighting the tension between corporate accountability and the public's expected financial transparency.

Key Takeaways

  • A photograph shared on social media showing police officers inspecting an elderly woman's groceries in Melbourne sparked public outrage.
  • The social media post alleges the woman was accused of shoplifting and the poster claims they were threatened with arrest when offering to pay for the woman's groceries.
  • Woolworths and Coles come under scrutiny, especially in light of soaring profits and accusations of price gouging. At the same time, Woolworths' CEO faces potential legal consequences for failing to disclose financial details during a Senate inquiry.

Amidst this backdrop, the plight of the elderly woman at Coles has become emblematic of the broader cost-of-living crisis affecting many Australians.

The International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook doesn't offer much hope for immediate relief, with projections indicating that Australia's inflation rates will remain at the higher end of the Reserve Bank's target band through 2025.

We encourage our community to not only be vigilant about their rights as consumers but also to lend a helping hand to those in need whenever possible.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this incident and the broader issues it raises. Have you or someone you know faced similar challenges? Let us know in the comments below.
 
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Sir/Madam..A comment on the lady arrested shoplifting..Yes, it's a real dilemma : my 1st thought.."She's broken the law "! It's a slippery slope to let that slide (How absurd..: someone suggesting the POLICEMAN pays for the goods and drives her home !! He'd be disciplined ,at best ! And who's to know, she's not an eccentric millionaire (ess)!!? ) but when Woolworths profits are displayed...! Therefore ,after forensically analysing the issue, for one and a half minutes.. I say...: " All the best to her and good luck " ..I'm certain a decent Public Defender will see her whistling down the street ,after a Magistrate throws out all / any charges, to the wind ! Regards ...: Chris Murray. (Thanks for your really great/informative "Newsletter "...hugely appreciated.
 
This is a hard one. She did shoplift and where do you draw the line.
What if it was an elderly man or a mother stealing food to feed her children.

Shoplifting is a crime and I think the courts would be more lenient on those who did it for food.
There is help for those who are hungry through the likes of the Salvo's or Vinnies.

I don't think it needed so many police officers , that would have been a little daunting.
 
On another note re aged pension. In March, we received a $20 a fortnight. Living in Social Housing, my rent went up as did the water, leaving a miserable $3.90 ($1.80 pw) extra. This amount won't buy anything. I sympathise with that poor pensioner for sure.
 
I saw a "People Greeter" checking dockets and who was detained by an elderly man, who was trying to
turn the staff member around slightly so is attention was distracted , and an elderly lady with a trolly
full, ducked past him and took off. The "people greeter" couldn't stop her as the elderly man kept asking
him what ever. This was planned. There was no security guard .
 
THINK YOU NEED A FACT CHECKER SDC. The original article when it was reported on stated, all was not as it seemed. This woman is a 30ty something person dressed as an elderly woman, well known to these stores for doing exactly what she is doing, STEALING. The police were called in and are searching her bag, removing goods she has taken from the store and not paid for them. The woman who posted said video was stating lies, and Police asked her to move on. She then posted to web for sensationalism. Try Fact Checking PLEASE.
 
I bet the store has had this lady in their sight previously. There are stooges who steal for a cafe or in some cases market stall holders. They may look like poor little old ladies but this is for show. She is not stealing from a rich company, shop lifters are stealing from you and me, even other pensioners who have
To pay extra to cover the loss as the shareholder expects a certain return on their investment. Compassion is all well and great, but as we all know there are charlatans out there who would sell their soul. Just got the record - my pensioner friends find going to Oz Harvest or similar allow them to have nourishing meals for a week for $10.
 
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On another note re aged pension. In March, we received a $20 a fortnight. Living in Social Housing, my rent went up as did the water, leaving a miserable $3.90 ($1.80 pw) extra. This amount won't buy anything. I sympathise with that poor pensioner for sure.
 
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I agree and it also never mention the of good she was supposed to have not paid for and it is a lesson well learnt never buy from coles and as you say albabanese incorperated has over a trillion half dollars to spend on yank weapons of war But when it comes to assisting pensioners and others a mere pittance And any rise the vulters swoop on it I am in south australia
 
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I sympathise with the elderly who must go to any length to survive but I volunteered at the Salvos for a number of years and you wouldn't believe the amount of shop lifting done by the elderly. They come in with their bags empty and leave full of various things from baby clothes to knick knacks and one lady even tried to steal a chair telling one of the staff she just bought the chair and can they carry it out to the car for her. They usually pay for one very cheap item then leave and we were not allowed to do anything about it. There are the elderly who need to resort to theft to survive but there are many that thieve because they can.
 
I usually find that even on a pension I am unusually well off as I always shop at Aldi & can get all we need for under $300 a fortnight. Pluss there is enough for my share of the rent & a trip to the doctor & enough for electric every 3 months it also lets me buy from Temu for the bits I consider essential for my cards, I like to keep a good selection of cards to give to worthy recipients.
 
I do appreciate how the Police put their lives on the line for as, as do our Defence forces. So far I haven't had a bad incident with them, but in every basket there's the odd bad apple.
 
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over the top sensationalist report, ACA can take lessons from this. Wasn't an elder person, was a young person dressed as an elderly woman. Maybe check the story before copy and paste is put into action. Good example of how much social media fuels these bull$#!t stories that eventually become urban myths and in many actual fact, because they read it on FB.
 
I have no time for thieves we all have to pay for things we get and she is no different, scammers like her look for sympathy but they won't get it from me, I have always paid my way and would rather go without than steal, people like her are putting the prices up in supermarkets so instead of crucifying Woolworths and Coles start with these thieves.
 
New details have emerged after an "elderly" woman was photographed after allegedly being targeted by police for shoplifting.



The original photo, which was shared to X, showed an older woman standing outside a Coles supermarket, while two officers sifted through her groceries to check she wasn't stealing.






The post garnered widespread outrage, with many people leaping to the woman's defence and calling for people to "boycott Woolies and Coles".



Now, it turns out that the shopper wasn't an old woman at all, but a 32-year-old woman dressing to appear older.



According to reports from 7News, the woman was impersonating an elderly shopper during the trip to Coles and was discovered with a significant amount of groceries.



Victoria Police confirmed they were called to the supermarket, and issued the woman with a caution for shoplifting.



“Police responded to reports of shoplifting at a centre in Richmond about 3.30pm on 17 April,” police said.



“Officers arrived to discover a woman had been detained on the ground by a loss prevention officer employed by the store. Police separated the parties and spoke with a 32-year-old woman from Glenroy who was cautioned for shoplifting.”



In the initial post to social media, the bystander took aim at Coles and Victoria Police for targeting the shopper, who they believed was elderly, describing her apprehension as “forcible”.

@sdc we need to hear the full story. It's disappointing when you feel bad wgen reading the post then find out it wasn't the full story or true.

I told my daughter the story and she told me it was a 32 year old dressed as an old lady. She had read the story a couple of days ago

When paying to be on here you want the closest thing to being accurate.
I know you are only human but this one's a big boo boo 👎
 
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