Elderly woman with mobility issues asks mini-mart staff for help, allegedly told 'You can walk. Take it yourself.'

An elderly woman with mobility issues was allegedly asked to leave a neighbourhood supermarket along North Bridge Road after requesting assistance on Feb. 9.

In a Facebook post on the same day, the woman's daughter, Salwah Baharudin, said the incident occurred at about 7:30am at ACE Marketplace in Block 465 North Bridge Road.

She claimed that her mother, who is a personal mobility device (PMD) user, was refused help after asking a staff member for assistance to retrieve a pack of sugar.

Woman's leg was swollen, told to "take it yourself"

According to the post, the elderly woman is a regular customer at the mart, which is located below her home.

Salwah said that her mother typically parks her PMD outside before slowly walking in to purchase groceries, as the aisles are too narrow to accommodate her device.

On the morning of the incident, however, her leg was reportedly swollen and she was unable to manage the usual walk into the store.

"She politely asked a staff member to help take one packet of sugar. Just one item," Salwah wrote.

The staff member allegedly replied: "You can walk. I know you can walk. Take it yourself."

Despite explaining that she was unable to walk that day, the situation escalated, according to Salwah.

A supervisor was said to have intervened, stating that staff cannot be forced to assist and reportedly "spoke harshly" to the elderly woman.

Salwah claimed her mother was subsequently "chased out" of the store while trying to explain her condition.

Daughter calls on business to "train staff"

In her post, Salwah reiterated that the issue was "not about forcing anyone" or seeking "special treatment", but about "basic human empathy".

"When did helping a mobility-limited elderly customer pick up one item become too much?" She wrote.

She added that customer service should extend beyond transactional duties to include compassion, especially toward the elderly and less able.

Salwah also urged the supermarket to review its closed-circuit television footage of the incident.

"Train your staff not only to stock shelves but to recognise dignity," she added.

Netizens react, mart has bad reviews about customer service

The post drew attention online, with commenters debating service standards and the responsibility of businesses to assist elderly or mobility-limited customers.

One user remarked that it is "not about service standard", but also the "human factor".

Another user lamented the incident, adding that ACE Marketplace "need to train their staff".

One person also commented that the staff at the outlet are "rude" and "not helpful", and that she had stopped patronising the mart.

Checks by Mothership on the outlet's Google reviews revealed that several customer had similar complaints about the mart's customer service from 2025.

One customer said that she was "rushed" by a cashier who reportedly "rude", "spoke very loudly", and "had no empathy at all" even though the customer had a visible medical condition.

Another customer claimed that she was told by a cashier that she was "troublesome" and "if we feel her service not good then next time don't come".

Others also commented on a specific cashier's "very bad" service and lack of manners.

Mothership has reached out to ACE Mart for comment.

Top photos via Google Maps & Canva