A disabled man who was accused of shoplifting at his local Aldi says he was told he could face a lifetime ban after he put bread in his trolley.
Robert Marsh, 63, from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, felt "shocked" and "humiliated" by the experience at the store in Vulcan Park Way on Saturday January 11, the Echo reports.
He wanted to buy a loaf, but the shelf was too low down for him to reach as he suffers from arthritis and other conditions which affect his knees and back.
When he encountered a tray of bread waiting to be stacked on the shelves, he says he then reached for one and popped it into his trolley.
At this moment, he claims the manager came over and accused him of shoplifting.
The supermarket chain has since apologised and is investigating as "a matter of urgency".
"A manager came running over and screamed at me," he said. "He said: 'do you realise that's shoplifting? If you do that again you'll be banned and you'll never get back in this store again.
"All I did was take a loaf of bread and put it into my trolley.
"I've never been so embarrassed in my life. Everyone was looked at me - they thought I was a shoplifter.
"It's a terrible thing to say to someone."
He told a woman at the till what had happened and when he got home, he phoned head office to complain.
"I was shaking," he added.
"The store manager phoned and said it was to do with health and safety at first. I said the other manager accused me of shoplifting and said he could ban me from the store."
He was invited to go to the store so the team could apologise but said he was too embarrassed and upset by what had happened so declined the offer.
A spokesperson for Aldi said: "We have apologised to Mr Marsh and are investigating what happened as a matter of urgency."
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