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Oct 31, 2023

I was forced to clean up my son’s vomit as supermarket staff watched

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A mother has sparked debate by spilling her guts online — after her son did so at a supermarket.

In a post shared on a popular social media group, an anonymous Australian woman said that she was forced to clean up her son's vomit while trying to care for him after he got sick in line at the supermarket, according to a Daily Mail report.

The woman from Sydney claimed that she was at the checkout counter on Sunday with her two young children at a Woolworths grocery store when her two-year-old son got sick and vomited all over himself and the floor.

"Then I started to get really frustrated and flustered (I wasn't rude or anything like that), after I settled my son I apologized to staff for having to get someone to clean up, and the worker turned to me and said ‘no, you have to clean it up,'" she said in the post.

She explained that she became overwhelmed by the situation and didn't want to argue, so she began cleaning up the gross mess, but struggled to comfort and control her sick toddler.

"My son was being a real handful the whole time, and we were so close to the front entrance that opened up to a busy road," she explained.

"I started to clean, and the employee told a worker to stand over me to make sure I cleaned it up, meanwhile my son was trying so hard to run out to see cars."

Being in the self-checkout lane, the stressed mother then had to finish scanning groceries as her toddler and five-year-old daughter became even more agitated.

The ashamed shopper shared the incident online to get people's opinions on the situation and advice on whether or not she should complain to the store.

One commenter, who claimed to be a retail worker, shared: "I’ve worked in retail for over 20 years and seen so many sick kids/grandparents. Never have I seen someone clean up their mess."

Another wrote, "As someone who worked in retail, they should have assisted her by at least scanning her groceries while she tended to the kids. Or offered to watch them while she was cleaning up so that the kid didn't run out."

"It's so heartbreaking to see someone struggle so much without a helping hand," another woman replied. "Kindness goes a long way."

But others insisted that parents should be responsible for their children and any mess caused by them — especially one including bodily fluids.

"If it were my child, I would clean up the vomit myself," a viewer responded. "Also, I wouldn't have worried about getting groceries, I’d have simply wanted to get them home quicker because if they’re throwing up, diarrhea might follow."

Another added, "It would be lovely if the shop staff offered, however, they’re not obliged to and it's 100 percent your responsibility to clean up bodily fluids."

Said one critic, "That's so gross, you should never expect workers to do your job for you."