A mum whose youngest child vomited during a supermarket trip was astonished to learn that staff expected her to clean up the mess herself.
The woman had nipped out to pick up some school lunch items on Sunday, and had brought along her five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.
Unfortunately, her little boy suddenly became unwell, and was sick all over himself, as well as the floor, right near the doors to the exit.
Although she apologised profusely to supermarket staff, she couldn't believe it when they "insisted" she clean it up, all while trying to care for her poorly son.
The Mail Online reports that the baffled woman shared her experiences in a popular social media group, where she asked others whether or not she should make a complaint to the supermarket chain.
The incident in question allegedly happened at a branch of Woolworths, an Australian chain of grocery stores and supermarkets, that is completely separate from the now-defunct FW Woolworth Brits will be more familiar with.
The fed-up mum recalled: "Then I started to get really frustrated and flustered (I wasn't rude or anything like that), after I settled my son I apologised to staff for having to get someone to clean up, and the worker turned to me and said 'no, you have to clean it up'."
As she felt so anxious about the situation, she didn't feel she could argue back, so just began cleaning up as instructed, despite this being far from an ideal situation.
The mum-of-two, who later had to scan her groceries while her son was still covered with his own sick, continued: "My son was being a real handful the whole time, and we were so close to the front entrance that opened up to a busy road.
"I started to clean, and the employee told a worker to stand over me to make sure I cleaned it up, meanwhile my son was trying so hard to run out to see cars."
Responses to the mum's nightmare scenario were mixed. Although some were sympathetic, others felt she shouldn't have expected staff to clean up for them.
One person commented: "I've worked in retail for over 20 years and seen so many sick kids/grandparents. Never have I seen someone clean up their mess."
Another argued: "If it were my child, I would clean up the vomit myself. Also, I wouldn't have worried about getting groceries, I'd have simply wanted to get them home quicker because if they're throwing up, diarrhoea might follow."
Do you have a story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
