The supermarket said they were banned for abusive language towards staff members
Anthony Taylor outside Aldi on Washington Parade in Bootle(Image: Liverpool Echo)
People’s opinions are split after a pensioner and his wife were banned from their local Aldi last month. Anthony and Regina Taylor, 75 and 65 years old respectively, went to do their monthly stock-up at Aldi on October 4 when they got to the checkout area.
The couple, who have been shopping at the store on Washington Parade in Bootle since it opened around a decade ago, claim they regularly bulk buy and when doing so they only unload one item of anything they are buying in bulk and tell the employee at the checkout how many of each they have.
However, when they were told to unpack their entire trolley, Anthony, who told the ECHO he has osteoarthritis, refused.
A disagreement ensued between the couple and the member of staff before the manager of the store approached the couple. This is when the couple were asked to leave the store. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain explained that the normal policy for the company is that all items need to be scanned at the till for accuracy which is common practice for most supermarkets.
The spokesperson admitted store staff were not aware of Anthony’s back problem but said Aldi will support customers where they can with additional assistance.
Aldi on Washington Parade in Bootle(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The spokesperson told the ECHO: “Our colleagues work hard to provide great customer service, and we don’t tolerate any form of abusive behaviour in our stores.
“In line with our policy, all products must be scanned through the till at point of sale, however, our colleagues are always happy to assist customers who may need a little extra help.”
Anthony said: “I am very old school. I’m old enough to have been brought up in a very different era, an era where you do not swear in front of women.”
He admitted when security stepped in during the heated exchange in the Bootle store, he said “get your f*****g hands off me” as he claims he was concerned about losing his balance.
The couple said: “We just want an apology and to be able to do our shopping at our local Aldi.”
However, the ECHO understands the couple remain barred from the store.
Anthony Taylor outside Aldi on Washington Parade in Bootle(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Since the ECHO covered the story, hundreds of people have had their say on the situation, with readers split in their opinions. Heather Husler said: “It was a perfectly reasonable request by the staff member. If he couldn’t lift the items, he should’ve asked for help. This is where scan and go is a god send.”
Peter Needham commented: “If you ask the shop assistant if you need to lift everything out, they usually comply and ask how many you have. A little bit of politeness goes a long way, and by the way I can be as sarcastic as the next person.”
However, some people could relate to the situation as they often look to do the same as Anthony and Regina. Pat Cheeseman said: “I buy eight-nine four litre bottles of milk a week and only put one on the conveyor [belt] in Lidl for the past two years and don’t have any problems.”
Zoe Derrick commented: “I often do this when buying six Pepsi Max. I just say have six, [I have] never had a problem.”
Karen Spencer said: “I work at checkout and it’s common place for people to just put one of bulk items on belt and tell me how many they have a quick check in the trolley and I can usually see how many they have.
“It makes sense if the items are very heavy, some people struggle to lift them.”