An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 10

I manage a coffee shop that is part of a larger company — and thus subject to corporate customer service rules — and is currently open for takeout only. We are very strict about mask-wearing: no mask, no service, and it must be worn correctly over the mouth and nose for the entire time you’re in the café. Most of our customers are good about following policy. Others… less so.

A male customer comes in with his mask tucked under his nose. It’s a quiet afternoon, so he’s the only customer at the moment. My male coworker starts to take his order and I step in.

Me: “Could you pull your mask up a little, please?”

I mime covering my nose.

Customer: “Oh, sure.”

He rolls his eyes a little but does pull his mask up. It’s not quite covering his nose properly, but it’s much better than it was, and we have a plexiglass barrier between us and him, so I consider letting it go, until he opens his mouth again to my male coworker.

Customer: “So, what did you study in college? Microbiology, some other science?”

I know where this is going already and am preparing to defend the mask policy and refuse service if I have to. He’s obviously angling to get us to agree that masks are unnecessary so he can pull it down again.

Coworker: “I mean, I took some biology classes in college and high school. But my focus was psychology.”

Customer: “Oh, so you took some science. You know how this works. You have to keep your mind sharp.”

He turns to me, sounding condescending.

Customer: “And what did you study, performance art? Marketing, liberal arts?”

Being female and/or asking him to wear his mask properly must mean I’m not capable of understanding science, apparently. I am immediately furious and don’t bother to keep my customer service voice up.

Me: “Why do you ask?”

Customer: “I’m just curious.”

I bite back the many things I would love to say if I thought I could get away with it and keep my job.

Me: “Yeah. Pull your mask up, please.”

He did. My coworker handed him his order and he left. It infuriates me that he probably walked out thinking he was right.

Related:
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 9
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 8
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 7
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 6
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 5