Sorry, This Store Doesn’t Have A Bigot Lane

I have an Asian coworker who is working at the cashier lane next to mine. Her line of customers is currently shorter than mine. I spot a couple approaching our lines, and they’re about to join the shorter line when the woman speaks up.

Female Customer: “Oh, not that line.”

Male Customer: “It’s the shorter line.”

Female Customer: “Yeah, but that line has a [slur for Asian people] on it. Let’s take this lane.”

I hear them, and I know my coworker hears them, too. Once I get to scanning the items of the racist couple, both lines have died down, and my coworker isn’t currently serving any customers.

Me: “Sorry, I am having trouble scanning this item. Let me call my manager.”

Female Customer: “Ugh. Fine, but hurry!”

To their surprise, I call over my Asian coworker. To add to their surprise, I call her over in Spanish. To their extreme surprise, my Asian coworker responds in Spanish.

Me: *In Spanish* “Can you help me? But… slowly?”

Coworker: *In Spanish* “Sure. Is the item really not scanning, or are you just screwing with them?”

Me: *In Spanish* “Just screwing.”

She comes over, and while we have no other customers other than these bigots to delay, we have a casual conversation about non-work-related topics while we pretend to look at the screen.

Female Customer: “What’s wrong?! Why is this taking so long?!”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, my manager is trying to resolve your issue.”

Female Customer: *To my Asian coworker* “Are we sure you’re the manager? You just look like a regular checkout clerk to me.”

My coworker ignores her and pretends to press some more buttons on my screen.

Female Customer: *To me* “Does she even speak English?”

Me: “She speaks five languages, actually, including English. She just doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Female Customer: “You think you can talk to customers that way, huh? Call for the store manager; I will be talking to him about you both!”

Me: “The store manager is out to lunch, but the owner of the whole store, Mr. Sok, just got back from visiting his family in Cambodia, and I’m sure he’d love to talk to you!”

I can see her pause as her bigoted brain cells try to process that the owner of the store is an immigrant. She overcomes the disconnect of weighing up her racism against wanting to get us into trouble and has us call over the owner.

Mr. Sok (name changed) heads on over and hears the customer’s complaint. It is then that my multilingual Asian coworker finally speaks English.

Coworker: “Please note that this was after she said she didn’t want to use my checkout lane because of the [Asian slur] working it.”

Owner: “Is this true?”

Female Customer: “She’s lying!”

Owner: “Ah, then you won’t mind me pulling the camera footage to confirm?”

Female Customer: *Pauses* “Ugh! You filthy immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to buy up American companies!”

With that, she storms out, dragging her embarrassed-looking husband behind her, leaving behind their groceries. 

Owner: “American company? The store literally has my name on it!”