An Auckland man with cerebral palsy has spoken of his disappointment after he was accused by staff of being drunk while buying alcohol at Countdown.
Additional reporting by Devin Pike
Mark Wilson, 28, says he was buying wine and beer at the store in Ponsonby on March 13 when two checkout staff mistreated him.
He approached 1News after reading about an incident on Friday where another customer was allegedly mistreated by Countdown staff.
“As soon as I saw that story I realised there was something wrong with the culture at Countdown."
But a senior executive at the supermarket chain has now asked Wilson to participate in a new training module for staff on the sale of alcohol.
Wilson recounted his experience at the store last month, expressing disappointment at the lack of awareness from staff.
"The first checkout operator didn't say anything to me, she hardly looked at me and just got someone else over," he said.
"The second staff member took one look at me and he told me that they can't sell me alcohol and I needed to leave the store."
Wilson, who is a financial analyst, said he explained to the cashier that he had cerebral palsy, but was told "no, you're drunk. You need to leave now" and that he was holding up the queue.
“I didn’t get annoyed at his first line of questioning. I would far rather be drunk than have cerebral palsy," Wilson said.
But staff just didn't believe him.
"I asked why they wouldn't serve me, and he just said 'well, you are the way you are'," Wilson said, adding staff also asked him: “What have you been doing today for you to be in this state?”
Wilson said a customer in line offered support to him and wanted to pay for his purchases but was allegedly told by the cashier to "stay out of this, mind your own business".
Wilson said he was eventually served when the cashier tried to move his trolley out of the queue and the duty manager intervened.
"The whole thing was embarrassing for me... buying alcohol is something I do every week without a hitch," he said.
Upon returning home and telling his partner Elyse what had happened, Wilson said the two quickly returned to the store to demand an apology.
The duty manager and second cashier apologised to them, the former allegedly adding that the staff involved were new, which Wilson doesn't think is an excuse.
The cashier allegedly claimed that Wilson was refused the purchase of alcohol for not having ID with him - Wilson said he was never asked for it.
Soon after the incident, Elyse wrote a formal complaint to Countdown on Wilson's behalf. The company sent them a $50 voucher as well as providing a "genuine" response from a representative.
Though the gesture was appreciated, Wilson told 1News better staff education on disabilities would have been a preferable response.
"I don't appreciate being told that I'm not disabled and I am just drunk. I'd love to not be disabled, you know? But that's who I am, I do my best to get by and nine times out of 10 I get by quite fine without any extra support."
Senior exec gets involved
It wasn't until today, when Countdown's National Alcohol Responsibility Manager contacted Wilson, that things started to turn around.
"He was appalled at my experience," Wilson said.
So appalled in fact, that he asked Wilson to be a part of Countdown's staff training.
"We made a verbal agreement over the phone which he said will be sent in writing as soon as possible," Wilson said.
He said the agreement involved Wilson participating in a new training module for the sale of alcohol to minors, intoxicated people and people with a physical impairment. Wilson was also told Countdown would make a donation going to a Trust of his choice.
“I think if they do what they say, this is a great outcome for the disabled community. It shows that Countdown is actually inclusive," Wilson said.
He said it sounded like the company is taking his complaint "quite seriously".
"I didn’t want any money to go away and shut up – I wanted action to make sure this won’t happen to anyone again. I get to influence the training video and give Countdown employees insight into my condition and how it affects my life.
“I live my life like I don’t have cerebral palsy. When it’s pointed out, I am made to have to explain or draw attention to it. That’s probably what I hate the most. I just want to live my life. It would be easier if people were a bit more aware of what this condition involves," he said.
Wilson says he has been asked a few times if he’s drunk, for instance out at a bar where the bouncers have tried to ascertain if he was intoxicated.
“Then I tell them I have cerebral palsy and they say ‘oh shit, sorry mate’”.
"And once I’ve been back to the same bar, they recognise me and I don’t get asked the same question again."
A Countdown spokesperson said in a statement to 1News: "We expect all of our team to behave respectfully and professionally when dealing with customers, and we have comprehensive training in place that covers these expectations."
The supermarket giant said it's in the process of investigating Wilson's complaint and is sorry for the experience he had.
"We take any feedback like this seriously, and we’re investigating what happened in this particular incident and whether any changes need to be made going forward. We apologise to the customer for any inconvenience and distress caused.
"Our responsibilities as an alcohol retailer are of the utmost importance to us, and our support office team has now made contact with this customer to discuss their concerns more fully."
Not an uncommon question
A spokesperson for the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand said it's not uncommon for people with the condition to be asked if they are drunk.
"Members of the Cerebral Palsy Society have personally experienced interactions where people have assumed they are significantly intoxicated.
"The Society does acknowledge that if someone hasn’t come across a person with cerebral palsy before and isn’t aware of the various ways the condition can affect them, it can be easy for misunderstandings to occur, particularly when it comes to communication."
The society agrees training around disability awareness and acceptance is something that all companies who interact with the public should consider.
"It is important to realise that disabilities come in many forms, therefore, more opportunity for the retail sector to learn about different types of disability would be welcomed by the Cerebral Palsy Society."
Cerebral palsy affects people in different ways and can affect body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture, and balance.
Although it is a permanent life-long condition, some of the signs of cerebral palsy can improve or worsen over time.
Wilson says his condition stemmed from oxygen deprivation at birth and his parents were told he would never walk or talk.
"Despite having cerebral palsy I have a pretty full life - I have completed a Bachelor of Management at Waikato University, majoring in finance and my grades were in the top 15% for that degree.
"Probably my proudest achievement to date is an award I was given last year for outstanding commitment to good conduct in the finance industry.
"No one in the company I work for has ever achieved that. I won that on merit - it had nothing to do with my disability and it put me on a level playing field with everyone else.
"I'm just your average Kiwi bloke, I like fishing, cars, barbequing. I try and keep active, I have my full licence and go to the gym."
He says he even enjoys going to the "odd rock concert".
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