Harassing disabled people is never okay.

It often happens because someone assumes the person is faking their disability, but there are other causes, too – like someone just being downright awful.

See how this disabled person handled an especially irrational culprit.

A woman in a supermarket tried to eject me from and take my wheelchair

I was in a rural Shaws.

For those not in an area with a Shaws, it’s a standard supermarket with a “club” that makes things “cheaper,” which is their way of hiding their markup.

Stuff is just cheaper a few miles down the road.

Unfortunately there were a few things I could only get there like my flavor of lifeblood caffeine and food for the dogs.

In comes sheer audacity.

I was using my power chair, which back then I needed more often.

It’s an Eagle HD foldable deal, and it works great.

I had been hit pretty hard by post-covid and was very sedentary at that time in my life, along with a preexisting joint problem.

So I’m leaning forward to get a flat of Monster and stick it under my seat on the rack when a woman pushes on my back and says, “I need that, you don’t, you’re younger.”

As I was belted in, nothing happened.

It was only luck that I was belted in, usually I would’ve undone it to pick up something heavy.

I sat up and pushed her hands off of me saying, “Really?!” And she shakes the back of my chair like it’s a dinner chair or something, and goes.

“You can use the scooter, the chair is better and I’m old” and she points at the bad supermarket scooter she’s using.

I stare at her in total shock for a moment and say, “This is my wheelchair. Get away from me.”

“You can’t use personal stuff in supermarkets! Give. Me. The chair!”

She started like, shaking it with each statement.

So at that point I just hit the maximum speed on my power chair and took off, ripping it out of her hands.

It was either let go or be dragged on her face because she clearly wasn’t super steady and needed a scooter herself.

And we’re off on the dumbest chase in creation mostly because supermarket scooters go slower than any other mobility device.

I buzzed over to the service desk and cut the line and said, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry but there’s a woman following me trying to push me out of my chair and take it.”

From behind me they can hear, “GIIIIIT BAAAACK HEEEEEERRE” and the most wheezy buzzzzzz of the slow scooter.

Here is where it gets even more absurd.

In the moment it was really enraging that she was being so entitled and frustrating and I just wanted to get my dog food and leave.

But in memory it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

They let me in to the little back office area, and they and the whole line of people waiting just sort of watched as she came over.

And it took SO LONG.

The scooter was SO SLOW and she’s yelling about how I don’t need the chair and how she should get it because she’s older and more disabled.

It takes like a full 20 seconds for her to get from one end of the store to the other and everyone is just staring as she rides full of glory at .00001 mi per hour with her face red and her glasses hanging off one ear.

So she finally gets to the desk, and they calmly explain that the wheelchair isn’t store property and if she tries to steal from another customer they’ll have to call the police.

She starts shouting at the employees that she knows full well you can’t bring personal equipment into the supermarket, so they’re lying.

And the other woman behind the counter says with a bit more attitude, “Lady, why do you think we care if you bring a wheelchair into the supermarket?”

Then a lightbulb finally went off.

Something either clicked, or she just realized that an entire line of people were staring at her, and not kindly.

She suddenly asked where to find the artichokes. I almost coughed on my own spit.

The worker just stared back and pointed back where the woman had come and said, “…produce?”

And the woman left. I admit that for the rest of my visit I avoided any aisle she was in because I didn’t want her close enough to grab me again.

Now I can laugh about it. In retrospect I feel there’s a reason here – like her husband told her they shouldn’t buy a thing like I had because they’re not allowed to be in the supermarket.

That’s the best answer I can possibly come up with for that wild nonsense.

Wherever you are, crazy lady, I hope you bought your own Eagle HD.

Here is what folks are saying.

Sadly disabled people encounter folks like this a lot.

Grandma needs help!

It totally does!

No, that would prompt more Karen behavior.

This requires logical thinking.

That shopper should be banned from the store.

What an absolute nightmare of a person.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.