A Blenheim man who has a limp because of back surgery says he was discriminated against when Countdown staff refused to sell him alcohol because they believed he was drunk.
Progressive Enterprises, which owns Countdown, says staff were only doing their job and took the responsible selling of alcohol seriously.
John Fast returned to Blenheim from Christchurch by bus on Tuesday night. He and his wife went to Countdown in Seymour St just before it closed so Mr Fast could buy some beer to help him relax after the trip.
Mrs Fast stayed in the car while he went inside without his walking stick, which made him walk with a limp.
He says supermarket staff refused to sell him the beer because they thought he was drunk.
"I've had a few close calls before, but I've never been refused service."
He had not had any alcohol to drink that day, he said. "What I'm trying to say is I'm not a bloody idiot, but I got treated like that.
"I could have argued, but she [the staff member] humiliated me and totally embarrassed me in front of a bunch of other people."
Mr Fast usually buys his beer at Countdown in Springlands, where the staff know him.
A Progressive Enterprises spokesman confirmed Mr Fast had been refused service because the supervisor believed he was drunk.
"From a retailer's point of view we take responsible selling of alcohol very seriously. While we may not always get it right, we always err on the side of caution."
Deciding whether to sell someone alcohol was a tough process for staff members and they had just been doing their job when they dealt with Mr Fast, he said.
Staff always ask for identification if a customer looked under 25 and would also refuse service if a customer seemed intoxicated or if they believed the alcohol might be supplied to minors.
"Sometimes it can be a challenging situation and customers may not be happy when they are refused service, but it is much better to refuse than for a staff member to be fined."
The Seymour St Countdown had its liquor licence suspended for eight days in February after it sold alcohol to a minor on a police sting.
A spokeswoman from the Human Rights Commission said the staff behaviour seemed to illustrate that "making an assumption based upon a particular characteristic can be misleading or incorrect".
If Mr Fast made a complaint, the commission would assess the situation to decide whether mediation was necessary.
- The Marlborough Express SIMON WONG
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