Not An Essential Argument

I am a manager at a combined grocery and restaurant location; it is very well known and popular in my part of the country.

This is well into a “shelter in place” and “essential business only” situation.

This lady pulls up through the drive-thru, driving past other customers, and pulls up to the window. A secondary manager and an employee greet her at the window. She speaks demandingly.

Customer: “Go get my items from the grocery section.”

Coworker: “I am sorry, ma’am, but it is company policy that the drive-thru is for restaurant food only.”

She throws a few F-bombs and calls them a few names out of the book.

Coworker: “Again, ma’am, drive-thru is for restaurant food only, and handicapped people only have the option of calling in an order.”

She drives around to the front of the store, parks in a handicapped spot, and starts to motion the cashier out to her. The cashier walks out, points out that she does not have a handicap placard or sticker, and walks back in. At this point, she has dropped multiple more F-bombs and called the employees multiple names.

I have been doing inventory and have not seen or heard any of this until after this is all over. I come walking onto the line as this lady comes into the store, screaming and dropping still more F-bombs.

She motions to a lady with three kids at the front register, and then to another lady with three kids ordering ice cream, finally spinning around, almost hitting them as she flails her arms around.

Customer: “This is f****** why I didn’t f****** want to f****** come in here!”

I walk over as she storms into the grocery section.

Me: “Ma’am, I need you to stop yelling and cursing; there are children around—”

She screams and curses some more, moaning about how she is a caregiver and shouldn’t have to step foot in our store. I give her a second warning about cursing and walk away. The next thing I know, she is screaming at me over the shelves from the next aisle over.

Customer: “I’m not causing a scene; it’s your f****** problem!”

She’s trying to stand in line at the cashier at this point, about four customers back from the register. I walk around the shelves to her and take the half-gallon of milk she has in her hand.

Me: “You need to leave.”

She grabs her ID badge on her lanyard and literally hits me in the face with it, screaming.

Customer: “Do you see this? That means I’m essential!”

I look down at the apron I am wearing. I grab it up and fluff it in her face.

Me: “You see this apron?! This means I’m essential, too! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here!”

The guy standing in front of her laughs, and the customer at the checkout hollers out:

Other Customer: “Thank you; she needed to hear that!”

She dropped her shopping and left.