No Christmas Eve Reprieve

I work mornings in the produce section of a grocery store. It’s the day before Christmas, so it’s packed. We’re just trying to keep our high-demand products filled, which still is a hard task. A woman stops me while I’m putting bags of cranberries out.

Customer: “Excuse me, when do you guys close tonight?”

Me: “We close at six tonight, ma’am.”

Customer: “Okay, and when do you open tomorrow?”

Me: “We’re actually closed tomorrow—”

Customer: “What, why?! I might need something!”

Me: “It’s the only day out of the year we close. Corporate wants us to spend time with our families.”

Customer: “That’s bulls***! You guys don’t have families! You work here!”

She storms off. I stand there for a minute, trying to process what she just said. Another customer who was nearby comes over.

Customer #2: “Wow, I didn’t think people like that actually existed. Are you okay?”

Me: “Yeah, I’ve dealt with worse people. Anything I can help you find?”

Customer #2: “Oh, I’m quite all right! But is your manager around?”

The second customer told my department head what happened and complimented me on staying professional. Even he was shocked.