We here at the SDC believe that everyone should have the same rights and be given the same amount of respect.

That's why, when we heard about one shopper's recent experience at her local Woolworths store, we were appalled.

Perth resident Brooke Doherty, who is confined to a wheelchair, was out shopping with her husband at the Woolworths store in Butler, Western Australia when she needed to use the toilet facilities.

However, when she arrived at the disabled toilet, she was shocked to find the entrance had been completely blocked off by large boxes of stock.

The experience prompted her to write a post on Facebook, urging Woolworths and other Australian businesses to provide more disability access and inclusion education to their employees.

The customer was upset to discover that the disabled toilet was entirely blocked with boxes. Credit: Facebook.

‘What do you see wrong with this picture?’ Brooke wrote along with a photo of the incident.

‘Where is the access and inclusion? Why should I have to hold it in until I got home? I am absolutely shocked that I should have to cut my shopping trip short just because you have blocked access to the disabled toilet.’

‘Please change this ASAP. Everyone deserves a pleasant shopping experience. How disappointing. This shouldn’t be happening.’

While the boxes were moved shortly afterwards, Brooke was left shaken by this 'completely unacceptable' incident.

'The signs were supposed to indicate access and inclusion, but it was just blocked by boxes,' she continued.

'It’s a very frustrating thing being in a wheelchair and not being able to go to many places. This just highlights the lack of education and awareness.'

It's believed the boxes were wrongly placed there after the store received a large delivery of stock from interstate, resulting in restricted space for the boxes.

However, this excuse was not enough for Brooke as she pointed out that the situation got even worse.

Her husband, Martin, returned to the Woolworths store a few hours after the incident to check if the boxes had been moved from the area – and after discovering that they had been cleared, he was met with an even more absurd sign.

Scheduled for customer use, the sign had been replaced with another that declared the public toilet was for 'staff use only', directing customers to the shopping centre’s facilities.

When the customer's husband returned a few hours later, he discovered that a sign indicating that the toilet was for 'staff use only' was placed on the door. Credit: Facebook.

'WTF, Woolies?' the shopper wrote in her updated post.

Woolworths has issued an apology to the woman.

'We appreciate customers would expect that the disabled toilet would be available for use given its location in a public area of the store and this remains the case,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.

'We’ve been in touch with Brooke to say sorry and we look forward to welcoming her in-store again.'

Brooke, who works in the disability sector, expressed optimism that Woolworths will learn from the incident and educate its employees about inclusion.

She said: 'So many businesses need disability access and inclusion training and staff need to be educated on acceptable work areas spaces.'

'I need to be a voice for people in wheelchairs and have mobility issues who face this every day. It needs to be highlighted, and changes need to be made.'

Key Takeaways

• A Woolworths customer in Perth had a 'disappointing' experience when attempting to access the disabled toilets.
• The area was blocked by a large number of boxes making it impossible to reach the amenities in a wheelchair.
• The customer has called on Woolworths to offer more education to staff about disability access and inclusion and encourages other businesses to do the same.
• Woolworths apologised for the poor customer experience, and have since said that the toilet is available for customers with a disability to use.

This incident highlights the need for more awareness of disability access and inclusion. Not only do businesses need to educate their staff better on this issue, but it's also important that we, as consumers, keep an eye out for these and other issues when we're shopping either in-store or online.

Members, if you ever come across this sort of thing when you're out shopping, don't be afraid to raise your voice and turn it into a teaching moment. This is an important issue that the world needs to learn and act on, and we all have the power to make a difference.

What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I've never known of any woolworths, cokes or Aldi that actually have toilets .

If these toilets were out in public view then they would be for the public to use.

If they are at the back of the store then maybe they are for staff only.

what I find strange is that both toilets are for disabled people , I'm even surprised that they catered for the disabled!

I'm thinking these are at the back of the store which is why there are those boxes in front of them , maybe from the previous store they had disable toilets and woolies never removed the signs.

This would be the very first supermarket I've seen with toilets.

 

[Tipsy]

We here at the SDC believe that everyone should have the same rights and be given the same amount of respect.

That's why, when we heard about one shopper's recent experience at her local Woolworths store, we were appalled.

Perth resident Brooke Doherty, who is confined to a wheelchair, was out shopping with her husband at the Woolworths store in Butler, Western Australia when she needed to use the toilet facilities.

However, when she arrived at the disabled toilet, she was shocked to find the entrance had been completely blocked off by large boxes of stock.

The experience prompted her to write a post on Facebook, urging Woolworths and other Australian businesses to provide more disability access and inclusion education to their employees.

The customer was upset to discover that the disabled toilet was entirely blocked with boxes. Credit: Facebook.

‘What do you see wrong with this picture?’ Brooke wrote along with a photo of the incident.

‘Where is the access and inclusion? Why should I have to hold it in until I got home? I am absolutely shocked that I should have to cut my shopping trip short just because you have blocked access to the disabled toilet.’

‘Please change this ASAP. Everyone deserves a pleasant shopping experience. How disappointing. This shouldn’t be happening.’

While the boxes were moved shortly afterwards, Brooke was left shaken by this 'completely unacceptable' incident.

'The signs were supposed to indicate access and inclusion, but it was just blocked by boxes,' she continued.

'It’s a very frustrating thing being in a wheelchair and not being able to go to many places. This just highlights the lack of education and awareness.'

It's believed the boxes were wrongly placed there after the store received a large delivery of stock from interstate, resulting in restricted space for the boxes.

However, this excuse was not enough for Brooke as she pointed out that the situation got even worse.

Her husband, Martin, returned to the Woolworths store a few hours after the incident to check if the boxes had been moved from the area – and after discovering that they had been cleared, he was met with an even more absurd sign.

Scheduled for customer use, the sign had been replaced with another that declared the public toilet was for 'staff use only', directing customers to the shopping centre’s facilities.

When the customer's husband returned a few hours later, he discovered that a sign indicating that the toilet was for 'staff use only' was placed on the door. Credit: Facebook.

'WTF, Woolies?' the shopper wrote in her updated post.

Woolworths has issued an apology to the woman.

'We appreciate customers would expect that the disabled toilet would be available for use given its location in a public area of the store and this remains the case,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.

'We’ve been in touch with Brooke to say sorry and we look forward to welcoming her in-store again.'

Brooke, who works in the disability sector, expressed optimism that Woolworths will learn from the incident and educate its employees about inclusion.

She said: 'So many businesses need disability access and inclusion training and staff need to be educated on acceptable work areas spaces.'

'I need to be a voice for people in wheelchairs and have mobility issues who face this every day. It needs to be highlighted, and changes need to be made.'

Key Takeaways

• A Woolworths customer in Perth had a 'disappointing' experience when attempting to access the disabled toilets.
• The area was blocked by a large number of boxes making it impossible to reach the amenities in a wheelchair.
• The customer has called on Woolworths to offer more education to staff about disability access and inclusion and encourages other businesses to do the same.
• Woolworths apologised for the poor customer experience, and have since said that the toilet is available for customers with a disability to use.

This incident highlights the need for more awareness of disability access and inclusion. Not only do businesses need to educate their staff better on this issue, but it's also important that we, as consumers, keep an eye out for these and other issues when we're shopping either in-store or online.

Members, if you ever come across this sort of thing when you're out shopping, don't be afraid to raise your voice and turn it into a teaching moment. This is an important issue that the world needs to learn and act on, and we all have the power to make a difference.

What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments below.

why dont they just cover the emergency exits as well, or people could move the boxes and crap behind them

 

[AnnetteHawkes]

I've never known of any woolworths, cokes or Aldi that actually have toilets .

If these toilets were out in public view then they would be for the public to use.

If they are at the back of the store then maybe they are for staff only.

what I find strange is that both toilets are for disabled people , I'm even surprised that they catered for the disabled!

I'm thinking these are at the back of the store which is why there are those boxes in front of them , maybe from the previous store they had disable toilets and woolies never removed the signs.

This would be the very first supermarket I've seen with toilets.

Here in WA we have many stand alone supermarkets with public toilets. Not just for staff. We have a Coles near us with 2 such toilets. Both suitable for wheelchair users. I am always on the lookout for accessible toilets as I have a daughter in a wheelchair.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Here in WA we have many stand alone supermarkets with public toilets. Not just for staff. We have a Coles near us with 2 such toilets. Both suitable for wheelchair users. I am always on the lookout for accessible toilets as I have a daughter in a wheelchair.

Nothing like this in NSW not even in stand alone supermarkets and the ones in shopping centre the restrooms are usually at the other end of the shopping centre

 

[LeslieD]

We here at the SDC believe that everyone should have the same rights and be given the same amount of respect.

That's why, when we heard about one shopper's recent experience at her local Woolworths store, we were appalled.

Perth resident Brooke Doherty, who is confined to a wheelchair, was out shopping with her husband at the Woolworths store in Butler, Western Australia when she needed to use the toilet facilities.

However, when she arrived at the disabled toilet, she was shocked to find the entrance had been completely blocked off by large boxes of stock.

The experience prompted her to write a post on Facebook, urging Woolworths and other Australian businesses to provide more disability access and inclusion education to their employees.

The customer was upset to discover that the disabled toilet was entirely blocked with boxes. Credit: Facebook.

‘What do you see wrong with this picture?’ Brooke wrote along with a photo of the incident.

‘Where is the access and inclusion? Why should I have to hold it in until I got home? I am absolutely shocked that I should have to cut my shopping trip short just because you have blocked access to the disabled toilet.’

‘Please change this ASAP. Everyone deserves a pleasant shopping experience. How disappointing. This shouldn’t be happening.’

While the boxes were moved shortly afterwards, Brooke was left shaken by this 'completely unacceptable' incident.

'The signs were supposed to indicate access and inclusion, but it was just blocked by boxes,' she continued.

'It’s a very frustrating thing being in a wheelchair and not being able to go to many places. This just highlights the lack of education and awareness.'

It's believed the boxes were wrongly placed there after the store received a large delivery of stock from interstate, resulting in restricted space for the boxes.

However, this excuse was not enough for Brooke as she pointed out that the situation got even worse.

Her husband, Martin, returned to the Woolworths store a few hours after the incident to check if the boxes had been moved from the area – and after discovering that they had been cleared, he was met with an even more absurd sign.

Scheduled for customer use, the sign had been replaced with another that declared the public toilet was for 'staff use only', directing customers to the shopping centre’s facilities.

When the customer's husband returned a few hours later, he discovered that a sign indicating that the toilet was for 'staff use only' was placed on the door. Credit: Facebook.

'WTF, Woolies?' the shopper wrote in her updated post.

Woolworths has issued an apology to the woman.

'We appreciate customers would expect that the disabled toilet would be available for use given its location in a public area of the store and this remains the case,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.

'We’ve been in touch with Brooke to say sorry and we look forward to welcoming her in-store again.'

Brooke, who works in the disability sector, expressed optimism that Woolworths will learn from the incident and educate its employees about inclusion.

She said: 'So many businesses need disability access and inclusion training and staff need to be educated on acceptable work areas spaces.'

'I need to be a voice for people in wheelchairs and have mobility issues who face this every day. It needs to be highlighted, and changes need to be made.'

Key Takeaways

• A Woolworths customer in Perth had a 'disappointing' experience when attempting to access the disabled toilets.
• The area was blocked by a large number of boxes making it impossible to reach the amenities in a wheelchair.
• The customer has called on Woolworths to offer more education to staff about disability access and inclusion and encourages other businesses to do the same.
• Woolworths apologised for the poor customer experience, and have since said that the toilet is available for customers with a disability to use.

This incident highlights the need for more awareness of disability access and inclusion. Not only do businesses need to educate their staff better on this issue, but it's also important that we, as consumers, keep an eye out for these and other issues when we're shopping either in-store or online.

Members, if you ever come across this sort of thing when you're out shopping, don't be afraid to raise your voice and turn it into a teaching moment. This is an important issue that the world needs to learn and act on, and we all have the power to make a difference.

What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments below.

Wtf what is wrong with one of the biggest supermarkets doing. They all need a lesson on respect and inclusion!!! And that starts with the hot shot pen pushers, all they are concerned about is friggen profit. It’s definitely not about their customers. I’m so sorry Brooke that you had to experience that.

 

[Macarj]

That is just so hard to believe how stupid are they

 

[JayKay]

My mobility is dependent on using 2 elbow crutches.
I need to use "disabled toilets" because of the rails.
Frequently, at a large Shopping Centre, the clearly marked disability toilet are used by freely ambulant people.
Recently, I was left standing waiting for 10 minutes, which is awkward when you have no pelvic floor sensation, and difficulty standing.
A perfectly mobile young adult came out.
His young daughter was holding their parcels outside.
I said to him, "I'm sorry you have a disability,"
He said, "I don't, and nor do you, you arrogant b*t*h!"
I just glared at him, and started to make my way into the toilet.
The daughter gave the parcels to her father, and indicated she needed to go.
I just said, "Oh, is she disabled?
Otherwise she can use the children's and parents toilet in there."
They walked off, with the father saying,
"F*C*I*G WH*RE".
It did upset me for a few minutes, then wondered what is he teaching his about 10 year-old daughter?

 

[Sockjoan]

The shopping centre where my local Woolworths is located has public toilets - men’s, women’s, and “Mothers’ Room”. Recently I went to the women‘s toilet - a tiny space, two cubicles and a washbasin with very little space round it - and saw that a woman using a walker was using one of the cubicles. She had to leave her walker outside, and the door open. So I went to have a look at the (vacant) Mothers’ Room, and found that it would do absolutely fine for the disabled, including having a handrail. I advised the woman to use that one next time, and contact the Centre Management to ask them to change the signage on the facility. Nothing has changed

 

[Zemo]

My mobility is dependent on using 2 elbow crutches.
I need to use "disabled toilets" because of the rails.
Frequently, at a large Shopping Centre, the clearly marked disability toilet are used by freely ambulant people.
Recently, I was left standing waiting for 10 minutes, which is awkward when you have no pelvic floor sensation, and difficulty standing.
A perfectly mobile young adult came out.
His young daughter was holding their parcels outside.
I said to him, "I'm sorry you have a disability,"
He said, "I don't, and nor do you, you arrogant b*t*h!"
I just glared at him, and started to make my way into the toilet.
The daughter gave the parcels to her father, and indicated she needed to go.
I just said, "Oh, is she disabled?
Otherwise she can use the children's and parents toilet in there."
They walked off, with the father saying,
"F*C*I*G WH*RE".
It did upset me for a few minutes, then wondered what is he teaching his about 10 year-old daughter?

Not to worry ... that's just the norm these days for so many of the bogans out there. Who cares about you? They're probably charter members of the UJack society. And the ones who take a roll of toilet paper and put the whole thing in the toilet have just learnt from their peers or parents or antisocial media. They probably boast about it when they all get together to plan their nightly break-in parties or hooning activities. Respect? Caring? Responsibility? They're just words they might have glanced at once and never looked up in a dictionary. Dictionary? What's that?

 

[Suzanne rose]

My mobility is dependent on using 2 elbow crutches.
I need to use "disabled toilets" because of the rails.
Frequently, at a large Shopping Centre, the clearly marked disability toilet are used by freely ambulant people.
Recently, I was left standing waiting for 10 minutes, which is awkward when you have no pelvic floor sensation, and difficulty standing.
A perfectly mobile young adult came out.
His young daughter was holding their parcels outside.
I said to him, "I'm sorry you have a disability,"
He said, "I don't, and nor do you, you arrogant b*t*h!"
I just glared at him, and started to make my way into the toilet.
The daughter gave the parcels to her father, and indicated she needed to go.
I just said, "Oh, is she disabled?
Otherwise she can use the children's and parents toilet in there."
They walked off, with the father saying,
"F*C*I*G WH*RE".
It did upset me for a few minutes, then wondered what is he teaching his about 10 year-old daughter?

 

[Suzanne rose]

My mobility is dependent on using 2 elbow crutches.
I need to use "disabled toilets" because of the rails.
Frequently, at a large Shopping Centre, the clearly marked disability toilet are used by freely ambulant people.
Recently, I was left standing waiting for 10 minutes, which is awkward when you have no pelvic floor sensation, and difficulty standing.
A perfectly mobile young adult came out.
His young daughter was holding their parcels outside.
I said to him, "I'm sorry you have a disability,"
He said, "I don't, and nor do you, you arrogant b*t*h!"
I just glared at him, and started to make my way into the toilet.
The daughter gave the parcels to her father, and indicated she needed to go.
I just said, "Oh, is she disabled?
Otherwise she can use the children's and parents toilet in there."
They walked off, with the father saying,
"F*C*I*G WH*RE".
It did upset me for a few minutes, then wondered what is he teaching his about 10 year-old daughter?

What a horrible and arrogant man. I would be angry then when I calmed down would then feel sorry for him wondering what made him like this. Very bad example for his daughter

 

[gordon1940]

Not to worry ... that's just the norm these days for so many of the bogans out there. Who cares about you? They're probably charter members of the UJack society. And the ones who take a roll of toilet paper and put the whole thing in the toilet have just learnt from their peers or parents or antisocial media. They probably boast about it when they all get together to plan their nightly break-in parties or hooning activities. Respect? Caring? Responsibility? They're just words they might have glanced at once and never looked up in a dictionary. Dictionary? What's that?

Respect,Caring and Responsibility are all character traits that should be taught to growing Children. Where have we, as a Society, gone so horribly wrong?

 

[JayKay]

Respect,Caring and Responsibility are all character traits that should be taught to growing Children. Where have we, as a Society, gone so horribly wrong?

Teaching occurs by the adults setting the examples...adults should say what they mean, and mean what they say.
Babies and tiny tots pick up everything so quickly.
The little girl in my related experience above will be learning that it's OK for men to be disrespectful to women.
She should be learning from her father the complete opposite....to treat EVERYONE with respect.
If that man thinks so lowly of women, how is he going to treat his daughter down the track?

 

[brendanvp]

We here at the SDC believe that everyone should have the same rights and be given the same amount of respect.

That's why, when we heard about one shopper's recent experience at her local Woolworths store, we were appalled.

Perth resident Brooke Doherty, who is confined to a wheelchair, was out shopping with her husband at the Woolworths store in Butler, Western Australia when she needed to use the toilet facilities.

However, when she arrived at the disabled toilet, she was shocked to find the entrance had been completely blocked off by large boxes of stock.

The experience prompted her to write a post on Facebook, urging Woolworths and other Australian businesses to provide more disability access and inclusion education to their employees.

The customer was upset to discover that the disabled toilet was entirely blocked with boxes. Credit: Facebook.

‘What do you see wrong with this picture?’ Brooke wrote along with a photo of the incident.

‘Where is the access and inclusion? Why should I have to hold it in until I got home? I am absolutely shocked that I should have to cut my shopping trip short just because you have blocked access to the disabled toilet.’

‘Please change this ASAP. Everyone deserves a pleasant shopping experience. How disappointing. This shouldn’t be happening.’

While the boxes were moved shortly afterwards, Brooke was left shaken by this 'completely unacceptable' incident.

'The signs were supposed to indicate access and inclusion, but it was just blocked by boxes,' she continued.

'It’s a very frustrating thing being in a wheelchair and not being able to go to many places. This just highlights the lack of education and awareness.'

It's believed the boxes were wrongly placed there after the store received a large delivery of stock from interstate, resulting in restricted space for the boxes.

However, this excuse was not enough for Brooke as she pointed out that the situation got even worse.

Her husband, Martin, returned to the Woolworths store a few hours after the incident to check if the boxes had been moved from the area – and after discovering that they had been cleared, he was met with an even more absurd sign.

Scheduled for customer use, the sign had been replaced with another that declared the public toilet was for 'staff use only', directing customers to the shopping centre’s facilities.

When the customer's husband returned a few hours later, he discovered that a sign indicating that the toilet was for 'staff use only' was placed on the door. Credit: Facebook.

'WTF, Woolies?' the shopper wrote in her updated post.

Woolworths has issued an apology to the woman.

'We appreciate customers would expect that the disabled toilet would be available for use given its location in a public area of the store and this remains the case,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.

'We’ve been in touch with Brooke to say sorry and we look forward to welcoming her in-store again.'

Brooke, who works in the disability sector, expressed optimism that Woolworths will learn from the incident and educate its employees about inclusion.

She said: 'So many businesses need disability access and inclusion training and staff need to be educated on acceptable work areas spaces.'

'I need to be a voice for people in wheelchairs and have mobility issues who face this every day. It needs to be highlighted, and changes need to be made.'

Key Takeaways

• A Woolworths customer in Perth had a 'disappointing' experience when attempting to access the disabled toilets.
• The area was blocked by a large number of boxes making it impossible to reach the amenities in a wheelchair.
• The customer has called on Woolworths to offer more education to staff about disability access and inclusion and encourages other businesses to do the same.
• Woolworths apologised for the poor customer experience, and have since said that the toilet is available for customers with a disability to use.

This incident highlights the need for more awareness of disability access and inclusion. Not only do businesses need to educate their staff better on this issue, but it's also important that we, as consumers, keep an eye out for these and other issues when we're shopping either in-store or online.

Members, if you ever come across this sort of thing when you're out shopping, don't be afraid to raise your voice and turn it into a teaching moment. This is an important issue that the world needs to learn and act on, and we all have the power to make a difference.

What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[brendanvp]

Our woolies does not have public toilets.We have to go to the public toilets which we believe everyone should go to. I believe you are over the top and should go to public toilets

 

[Liz]

There are no public toilets near either Woolies, Coles or Aldi in my local shopping centre, they are quite a long way away from them all. Very hard when you are disabled or infirm.

 

[Yvonne Margaretha]

It's happening everywhere. Càre factor - nil. .the large majority of people doñt give a fig for anyone but themselves
As fór that disgusting swearing, we wonder why young kids are doing and saying such horrible things. PARENTS ARE NOT TÉACHING THEIR CHILDREÑ ANY MANNERS OR COMPASSION LET.ALONE CARE FOR OTHERS.
I love in a nursing home and see it with some of the doctors and a lot of the staff that the CARE FACTOR is zero.
I'm really sorry you were subjeçted to this. It's not OK under any circumstances. I'm really glad you made your situation known, well done!!

 

[ElleJay]

My local Coles is a stand-alone store, there are no customer toilets and no public toilets nearby. Many years ago when my daughter was a toddler, we were shopping and she needed to go to the toilet NOW! I asked a staff member, who said the toilets were only for staff. I said, "Well, my daughter needs to use those toilets or she is going to have an accident on your floor!" We were shown to the staff toilets, but the staff member insisted on waiting outside the door. I'm not sure what they thought I was going to do! Steal the toilet paper?

 

[JayKay]

My local Coles is a stand-alone store, there are no customer toilets and no public toilets nearby. Many years ago when my daughter was a toddler, we were shopping and she needed to go to the toilet NOW! I asked a staff member, who said the toilets were only for staff. I said, "Well, my daughter needs to use those toilets or she is going to have an accident on your floor!" We were shown to the staff toilets, but the staff member insisted on waiting outside the door. I'm not sure what they thought I was going to do! Steal the toilet paper?

Not the toilet paper, perhaps the toilet?