Asda Huntly worker praised for going above and beyond to help unwell customer
A supermarket worker has been praised for going above and beyond when she drove an unwell customer from the store straight to hospital.
Huntly Asda Service Team Leader Diane Ritchie was on shift when a man approached her and colleague, saying he felt unwell.
After sitting him down in the store café, she offered to take him directly to hospital to make sure he was safe.
Diane, who has worked at the store for 17 years, said: “From what I could tell, the man was just visiting the area, and wasn’t very familiar with Huntly.
“He was quite clearly feeling unwell, and said he’d called the hospital to ask for an appointment.
“As he waited for a call back, we stayed with him to make sure he was alright and got him a drink and something to eat.”
When the hospital called, Diane offered to drive the customer straight there.
She said: “I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to him, and of course that he didn’t get lost.
“I popped out of work to drive him there and stayed with him until doctors came to see him. I said I could wait and drive him back to the store, where he’d parked his car, but he was absolutely lovely and said I’d helped enough.”
Luckily, the customer was soon well enough to leave the hospital, and returned to the store that afternoon to let Diane and her colleagues know he was OK.
“It was a relief to see him looking much better,” she added.
“But that wasn’t the end of it, because the next day he came back to let the managers know how much he’d appreciated it.
“That was really kind of him, and I’m glad I was able to help. It’s not nice when you’re feeling under the weather, especially if you’re not in familiar surroundings.
“I’d like to think other people would help me if I found myself in that situation.”
Steve Hulse, GSM at Asda Huntly, said: “Diane did a great job in helping this customer at a tricky moment.
“It’s moments like these that show the true spirit of our team here at Asda Huntly.
“Well done, Diane!”