Doesn’t Register Their Lack Of Professionalism

(Usually, my wife and I go shopping together. She’s been picking up extra shifts so I decide to shop at the grocery store where she works. Usually, I don’t shop there, because they’re a bit more expensive than other places, certain members of staff are very rude, and the employee discount system isn’t worth the hassle. I complete the shopping just fine and get into the ONLY AVAILABLE LINE for the registers. My wife is cashiering. When I get to the front of the line, her coworker suddenly runs over, grabs my wife by the shoulders, and forces her away from the register. My wife, who has complained bitterly about this coworker’s behavior every time they have a shift together, leaves to report this new behavior to the manager. The coworker starts running the barcodes for my groceries.)

Coworker: *hurriedly and in a hushed tone* “It’s against company policy for employees to check out their family members.”

Me: *acting casual but pretty annoyed with how she manhandled my wife* “Oh, we didn’t know that. [Wife] only recently got training for the registers; I think it just hasn’t come up yet.”

Coworker: *slightly louder and exasperated* “It’s because people try to steal that way.”

Me: “Well, if I wanted to steal, which I absolutely do not want to do, I’d just have walked out of the doors while no one is looking. Why walk up to a register to steal?” *forced laugh* “Last I checked, approaching a register with a wallet out means I intend to pay.”

Coworker: *suddenly louder and now getting shrill, louder with each sentence* “[Wife] is going to get fired! And it’s all your fault for trying to steal from [GroceryStore]! You should be ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!”

(Customers behind me are staring, and I’m on the verge of a panic attack because of the attention and fear of my wife losing her job. Her job is the only way we’ve been paying the bills lately.)

Me: “I wasn’t trying to steal anything! I just wanted to pick up some things and didn’t want to drive across town to do so.”

Coworker: *accusatory and loud* “Then why did you go to [Wife]’s register?!”

Me: “Because it was the only one open!”

(In my frustration, I forgot to pay with the employee discount and forgot to use our gift card, too. I basically ran out of the store. As soon as I got home, I called the manager and explained to him that it was an accident, that I didn’t steal anything, that I don’t appreciate being treated like a criminal for trying to pay for my groceries, and that [Coworker] is why I don’t usually shop there because she’s creepy and rude. I found out a few days later that [Coworker] got written up for it. It’s her second customer complaint in three days. My wife and I have no idea how [Coworker] keeps her job, since she’s specifically starting fights with other employees all the time and treats customers like garbage.)