Woolworths responds to confronting photo of struggling elderly shopper

A Woolworths customer's frustration with a persistently broken travelator has boiled over after he witnessed an elderly woman struggle to enter the store.

The man shared a confronting image on Twitter, which shows the woman making her way up a steep incline with a walking stick to access the Woolworths Hampton store in Melbourne.

Numerous signs can be seen in the picture which warn shoppers that the travelator is out of service.

The outraged shopper demanded the travelator be fixed immediately, claiming it had been out-of-action for four weeks and needed repairs on a regular basis.

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"This escalator at Woolworths Hampton has been out of order for a month and today this poor lady struggled up the ramp with her walking stick. Fix it!!” he wrote alongside the photo.

Woolies promptly replied to the tweet, writing, "Hi Stuart, thanks for getting in touch. We appreciate you sharing your feedback in regard to the escalator. Please know we've shared this with our Hampton management team for their awareness and review. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Have a great day."

The customer then added in the comments: "I'd like to think management are already aware of this. It's been like this for a month and before that out of order for a day or 2 every other month."

Woolworths issues statement about broken travelator

Yahoo News understands a team has since attended to fix the problem and repairs were delayed because parts had to be shipped from overseas.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Woolworths said the retailer is "aware of an issue" affecting one of the travelators at the Hampton store and assured shoppers that there are alternative ways to access the store for those with mobility issues.

"Customers can access the store via a lift from the carpark downstairs in the interim. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and are working to fix it as quickly as possible," the statement read.

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