Ah, Parents, Part 4

I work at a large retail store chain. A regular customer comes in.

Customer: “You guys always help me with what I need!”

Me: “We try!”

Customer: “I know, and I thank you for that. But I need you to watch my kid while I shop at [Rival Store].”

Me: “Um, no, sorry, that’s not something we can do.”

Customer: “Oh, is it because I’m not shopping here today?”

Me: “No, even if you were shopping here today, we still couldn’t watch your son for you.”

Customer: *Turning red* “I need a babysitter while I shop, and my last one just quit on me!”

Me: “I’m sorry about that, but we could get in trouble because we aren’t a licensed daycare. You have to take him with you.”

Customer: “I don’t care! I’m leaving him here. I’ll only be gone for two hours at the most. Just watch him and feed him if you need to! He likes breast milk, and it looks like you have plenty. Now, goodbye!”

She stormed off. I called my manager and told her the situation. She didn’t believe me at first, but I told her to go watch the cameras. She did, and when she came back, she was on the phone with the police. Meanwhile, the kid was starting to realize that his mom had just left him, and he was starting to get upset. We called over a couple of employees to watch him until the police arrived.

They arrived quickly, and they watched the cameras, too. I told them the regular customer’s name and where she told me she’d be, along with the name of his father, who is also a regular. They managed to reach him on his cell phone and tell him the situation. He came to pick the child up, and I later learned the mother was arrested for abandonment and child endangerment. She’s been banned from our store, but we sometimes go to the same gas station, and she gives me the finger every time!

Related:
Ah, Parents, Part 3
Ah, Parents, Part 2
Ah, Parents