Unfiltered Story #295477

(I used to be a manager at a fast food restaurant. During the time of this story, employees of my chain were only required to wear masks, meaning gloves were optional at this point. Note: I am white, and the customer in this story is black. I’m not racist, but in general I don’t use terms like reverse racism since the official definition of racism does not specify whites hating on blacks and vice versa. On the day this story took place, the customer pulls up to the window as I am ready to hand him his food)

Customer: “Why don’t you have gloves on? We have a pandemic going on. You are putting me at risk.”

(Note: this man is not wearing a mask, and never does when he comes to our store.)

Me: “It’s not required by our chain for us to wear them. We are only required wear masks and wash our hands every half hour, and I am very strict about us following this policy. If it makes you more comfortable, I can put some on.”

(the customer says yes, so I wash my hands and put on a clean pair. As I turn to make another drink, my black coworker-a senior employee comes up to me.)

Coworker: “Did he just tell you to put gloves on?”

Me: “Yeah, why?”

Coworker: “I was in the window the other day without gloves on, and he didn’t say anything to me. He’s a bit of a racist, and has been taking advantage of the pandemic to make the white employees wear gloves.”

(This particular employee is known for her bluntness and honesty, and has been with the company for years. Because of this, I decide to see if there is any truth to her words. The next time he comes in, a dark skinned employee is working the order taking booth without gloves, and I am again working the window. He says nothing to the order taker, but has me put on gloves. On another occasion, a white employee is working the booth, and he makes her put on gloves. A few weeks go by without him coming by, and I think that this is the end of his presence here. Silly little me. On his final day, we are short staffed, so I am running the front of the store-drive thru only- by myself like a jackrabbit. I am about to hand out another order when:)

Customer: “What did I tell you about those gloves?!”

(After many occasions of seeing the truth in the senior employees words, combined with being short staffed and overworked, I snap)

Me: “You know what?! I don’t care! You come in claiming that you are at risk with us not wearing gloves, but I never see you wearing a mask when you come through. You are putting ME at risk!! You CHOSE to leave your house during a pandemic, knowing that we have contact with many people every day. You could have stayed home. Also, I know for a FACT that you only make the WHITE employees put on gloves, as I have WATCHED you take food from the darker employees with nothing but a thank you coming out of your mouth. If you have such a problem with white people handing you your food at any time, pandemic or no pandemic, you can take your racist ass out of my drive through and never come back!!”

(The customer immediately shut up, and slunk out of the drive thru with his food. He ended up listening and never came back.)