Saturday morning, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and I was busy working the register at my retail job. The customers were actively buying both “Back To School” items and the last of the summer fun equipment, boogie boards, floats, etc. I only had a short shift that morning so I was happy and smiling.
A middle-aged woman walked across the store to reach the refrigerated drinks, as she passed by the register, she complained to me that the music in the store is so loud she can’t stand to shop here for one more minute! I saw the look on her face and tried to defuse the situation agreeing with her that the music is a bit loud at times. (Although it wasn’t loud that morning because I put it on lower than the rest of management) I smiled and said it was company policy to keep things upbeat creating a fun atmosphere. I even did a little silly dance to illustrate “happy”!
The customer was not willing to let it go. She walked up to me, put her drink on the counter, looked me in the eyes and said, “It’s Socialism”! I honestly thought she was kidding; her comment was so ludicrous! I couldn’t believe any grown woman could possibly be so misinformed, so ignorant. I responded by joking that it was just company policy to play the music happily through the day and I followed by asking if she was ready to check out. (Trying to change the subject.)
It was then that I realized this woman was not joking. She was actually a bit unhinged. She looked me in the eyes and said, “If you don’t see the socialism that it being thrust on all of us now, I refuse to shop here!” With that, she picked up the items she was going to buy and threw them at my face! Luckily, she was not very strong and the counter is bigger across than she expected. The items fell short of hitting me, but her freaked out look is one I will never forget. Her two children who looked to be around 7 and 8 years old started crying. They wanted their toys!! They cried as they ran after the woman! She hurriedly left the store without looking back.
My co-worker looked at me and we both just stood there, shell shocked!
The experience shook me for many reasons. First of all, obviously, the woman is a bit nutty, aside from brainwashed. She is not only clueless on what “socialism” is but is clearly using it as a buzzword for all her built in hatred, anger and fear. But, will she come back? Will she come back with a gun? These are the people you hear about who shoot those who don’t think as they do.
The experience bothered me all through the day. Hatred is ugly. Ignorance and anger is frightening.
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