SAULNIERVILLE, N.S. -- Witnesses say a car smashed through the front entrance of a small-town grocery store and barrelled through to the back wall on Friday, scattering wares and leaving customers shocked but uninjured.

"We didn't sleep much last night because we thought of what could have happened," said Aline Comeau, the owner of the Sobeys-owned Foodland store in Saulnierville, N.S, on Saturday.

"It could have been a lot worse."

Comeau said the incident happened at around 3 p.m. Friday, when dozens of people were in the store.

The vehicle was occupied by an elderly couple, she said, noting that the car was initially stopped in a pedestrian area at the front of the store before it took off and crashed through the entrance.

"He just pressed on the gas and went through two sets of doors, and right through to the end of the store," said Comeau. "He was still pressing on the gas when a cooler stopped him."

An electrician who happened to be shopping there at the time helped staff disconnect equipment to prevent further damage, and a carpenter helped install temporary wooden doors to hold the store over until the glass ones can be replaced.

There's no information about how much it'll cost to repair the damage, but Comeau the store is insured and she's just grateful that nobody was hurt.

She added that crews were in the store Friday and Saturday to help with the cleanup process, and she hopes to open back up on Sunday -- though they may be short on some groceries.

"Thank God everybody's okay," Comeau said. "That's what we want right now."

RCMP spokesman Chad Morrison said the elderly couple was treated on scene by paramedics, but were not taken to hospital. He said police believed there was a "medical situation" involved in the accident, and there have been no charges as a result.

"No injuries, no charges. Just an unfortunate incident," he said.

Jean Guy Ford, a Foodland employee, said he was outside the store putting shopping carts away as he watched the scene unfold.

"I had a sandwich, and I guess I threw it on the ground and took off running after the car," he said.

"It hit an aisle of groceries and slammed it tight against another aisle. It took two coolers out of the way, smashed all the displays, and then smashed against the back of the store."

Ford estimated there were about 60 people in the store at the time.

"That's quite a bit for our store, it's not very big ... somehow it drove across the store and it didn't hit nobody," he said.

"It (used to be) my grandfather's store, and everyone says he was up above watching it happen and somehow made it that nobody got hurt."

-- By Alex Cooke in Halifax