Customers Break Due To A Lunch Break

I’m at the registers. I’ve just been told to take my lunch, so I finish with my customer and sign off my register. I take two steps away when a customer starts unloading a cart FULL of stuff.

Customer: “Where are you going?!”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I have to go to lunch.”

Customer: “No, you’re going to serve me!”

Me: “I can’t, unfortunately, but it looks like [Coworker] can ring you out one register down!”

Customer: “No! I want you to ring me out!”

Me: “I have to go clock out, ma’am.”

My coworker tells me to just go clock out for lunch. I have to pass the customer to do so. When I go to pass her, she GRABS my arm and refuses to let go.

Customer: “YOU WILL SERVE ME NOW!”

Coworker: “[Manager] to the front!”

I try pulling away, but the customer has a death grip on my arm. My manager comes up.

Manager: “Ma’am, let go of my employee!”

Customer: “SHE’S REFUSING TO SERVE ME!”

Manager: “If you don’t let go, I will call the police.”

The customer refuses. There’s a line behind her, and they all look stunned at the situation. My manager pulls out her phone and dials the police.

Manager: “Yeah, we’ve got a customer assaulting an employee—”

Customer: “NO! I’M MAKING SURE SHE DOES HER JOB AND SERVES ME!”

I am stuck there, arm in a death grip, until a couple of cops come by. They end up arresting her. As she’s being walked out…

Customer: “SHE’S SUPPOSED TO SERVE ME!”

Manager: “You wanna go home early?”

Me: “I don’t get paid enough for s*** like that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I ended up getting the next day off.