Aldi shopper sues supermarket after breaking hip in Special Buys sale frenzy
A woman from Victoria has taken supermarket Aldi to court after she suffered a fractured hip during a Special Buys sale last year.
The 73-year-old shopper, who asked to remain anonymous, injured her hip when she was knocked to the ground by another shopper's trolley during the rush of a television buying frenzy at the supermarket's Corio branch in Geelong, Victoria, in August 2021.
The incident resulted in the woman requiring surgery.
Duty of care
In a statement of claim filed in Victoria's County Court earlier this month by the woman's legal representatives, Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers, Aldi had allegedly failed to control the crowd by inciting "intense emotions and competition" among its customers.
The injured woman's lawyer, Jodie Harris, said a business such as Aldi has the duty of care to ensure the safety of people who navigate its store if it advertises heavily to attract customers.
"When business promote 'sale' days and create intense competition for their goods, this needs to be balanced with appropriate systems and process to control the crowds and on the day," she said. "At all relevant times, Aldi owed a duty of care to our client, to prevent a foreseeable risk of injury.
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"We allege that Aldi's promotions generated increased patronage and customer traffic and that they did not provide adequate controls to manage the influx of shoppers".
The court documents also allege that the discount supermarket had failed to properly train its staff and provide any adequate means for people to safely collect and transport TVs at the premises.
The injured woman, who is seeking damages, interest and costs, says she faces ongoing restrictions to her mobility as a result of the injury and also suffers from anxiety and depression.
Aldi has yet to file a defence and has yet to comment about the matter.
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