I was in the big box store, just trying to grab a few things. The place was pretty busy for a Tuesday afternoon, people everywhere, carts clanging. I was looking at some electronics, trying to decide on a new cable for my TV. I always get a little lost in that section, there are so many options these days. My brain was feeling a bit fuzzy from trying to understand all the different numbers and ports.
Then, out of nowhere, this person stepped right in front of me. They just blocked my view of the wall of cables. My concentration was totally broken. I felt a little wave of irritation already, because I was really in the middle of thinking. They were holding a box, and they shoved it sort of close to my face. Not touching, but definitely too close.
“Excuse me!” they said, their voice sharp. “Where are these kept? I can’t find them anywhere in the back. You need to take me to them.”
I blinked, genuinely confused. I looked at their hand, still holding the box. It was a gadget for making coffee, I think. I slowly lowered my own hand, which had been reaching for a package on the shelf. My thoughts scrambled for a second. I didn’t know what to say at first because it was so sudden.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say. “I don’t actually work here. I’m just trying to find a cable.”
The person stared at me. Their eyes got a bit wide, and then they narrowed. “What do you mean you don’t work here? Don’t be silly. You’re right here in the store. You’re supposed to help me. I saw you looking at those things, so you must know where everything is.”
A little bit of a headache started to throb behind my eyes. I shook my head gently. “No, really. I don’t. I don’t have a uniform or a name tag. I’m just shopping. You need to find someone with a vest or an apron.” I gestured vaguely towards the front of the store, where I remembered seeing actual employees with the store’s colors on their outfits.
They scoffed loudly. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say! I’ve been looking for twenty minutes! You are just being lazy! You should know where these are. It’s your job to know where the products are for customers.” They pushed the coffee machine box forward a little more, expecting me to take it or something. My muscles started to tense up. I didn’t like being accused of being lazy, especially when I was telling the truth.
“I am not an employee,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. It was getting harder, though. “I’m a customer. I have my own shopping cart. See?” I pointed to my cart, which had a few items already in it, nothing that looked like it belonged to an employee. I hoped that would convince them.
But they just looked at my cart, then back at me, as if I had said nothing at all. “That doesn’t matter! You are standing right here, and you are clearly avoiding your duties! I need this! It’s for a gift! And you are being absolutely no help at all! This is terrible service.”
My jaw tightened. I felt that flush of heat that means I’m getting truly annoyed. I decided I had to get away from this person. They clearly weren’t listening. I tried to sidestep them, to just continue down the aisle and leave the electronics section altogether. I just wanted to find my cable and get out of the store.
But they moved right with me, blocking my way again. “Oh no, you don’t! You’re not just going to walk away from me! I demand you help me find these. Where is the stockroom? Or the customer service desk? You take me there right now!” Their voice had risen significantly, and I could feel a few other shoppers glancing over. That made me feel even more uncomfortable.
“I am leaving,” I stated, my voice coming out a little sharper than I intended. “I do not work here. I don’t have to help you.” I tried to push past them, not touching them, but just trying to move through the space they were occupying.
They put their hand on my arm, not hard, but enough to stop me. My head snapped back to them. I absolutely hate being touched by strangers, especially when I’m feeling stressed. “Don’t you dare walk away from me! I am a paying customer! I will have you fired for this! What’s your name? What’s your manager’s name? I’m going to report you to corporate for your insolence!”
A vein started to pulse in my neck. I felt my hands ball up into fists. The idea of being “fired” from a job I didn’t even have was so absurd, but their anger was so real, it was making my blood boil. I wanted to yell, to just shout that they were being an idiot. But I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from really seeing red. I pulled my arm away from their grip. It wasn’t worth the argument. I just needed to escape.
I spun around and tried to quickly walk away, practically power-walking through the aisle. But they followed right behind me, their voice growing louder. “Oh, you think you can just run away? This is unbelievable! I’m going to make sure you never work in customer service again! You will regret treating a customer like this! You are a disgrace to this store!” Their insults were like a buzzing mosquito right behind my ear, annoying and persistent.
I kept walking, not looking back, trying to ignore the angry voice. I could feel my face getting hot. I just wanted to disappear into the crowd of shoppers, maybe find another aisle where I could collect myself. I could still hear them, though, going on and on about how rude I was and how they were going to get me fired, how I was being completely unhelpful.
Then, a calmer voice cut through the noise. “Honey! What is all this commotion about?”
I slowed down just a little, hearing the new voice. It was a man. He must have been with the person who was bothering me. The angry voice stopped its rant for a moment, switching gears. “This person! This employee! They refuse to help me! They are so rude, they just tried to run away from me when I asked for a simple question about that coffee maker!”
I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. The man was now beside the angry person, looking at me, then at their partner. He looked tired. He also noticed my shopping cart, and the fact I wasn’t wearing anything resembling a uniform. He rubbed his temples.
“Dear,” the man said, his voice quiet but firm. “They don’t work here. Look at them. They’re dressed like everyone else. They don’t have an apron or a badge.” He gently took the angry person’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go find someone who actually works here to help us. Leave this person alone.”
The angry person huffed, but their voice lost some of its steam. “But they were so unhelpful! And they wouldn’t tell me their name! They should be fired!”
“I know, I know,” the man soothed, guiding them away from me. “We’ll find someone proper. Let’s just go to the front. We can ask at the service desk.” He kept walking, slowly pulling the angry person further down the aisle, away from me. The angry person still muttered something under their breath about rude employees, but their voice faded as they moved away.
I stood there for a second, my chest heaving a little. My entire body felt like it had been run over by a truck. The headache was full-blown now. I let out a long, shaky breath, and the tension started to drain from my shoulders. I still needed that cable. But for a few minutes, I just leaned against a shelf, trying to feel normal again.
