Linda Rolston is fighting back after being told not to come to a popular grocery store, No Frills, because she couldn’t bag her groceries fast enough.
The Alberta woman had her voice box removed due to cancer. The surgery left her with limited mobility in her arms, making packing up groceries difficult. She had to beg staff for help packing groceries, but was often told they were too busy.
Feeling like she shouldn’t have to beg for help, Linda contacted the franchise owner, who promised to do something. When she came back a few weeks later, nothing had changed. As she worked to bag her items as quickly as possible, a line formed behind her. That’s when the owner came over and told Linda if she can’t bring someone to bag her groceries for her, she shouldn’t come back to the store.
When she reached out to head office of the company and told them what happened, they offered her $100 to remain silent about the incidents and to not take action against the company. Prominent advocates for people with disabilities, are calling the company’s compensation offer offensive. Linda decided to decline the meager payoff and to share the story.
‘No Frills’ grocery stores are part of the Loblaw group of companies. The store has customers pack their own grocery bags so the company can pay fewer people to work.
Photo: “No Frills” by Jeff Hitchcock is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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