Unbelievable

Last night I went to Wal-Mart to get some fabric for a project I'm working on. As I was deliberating over ribbon options I was just 2 feet away from the fabric cutting area. At the counter was an Asian woman who was unfamiliar with sewing but needed fabric cut. The employee was getting the fabric ready to cut and the customer noticed that the fabric had a cut in it, so she asked if she could receive a discount on it. The employee says no. The customer asks why she can't have the discount and doesn't understand why she would have to pay full price. The employee says, "That's not how we do it here in America." WHAT?

I whip my head around to see if my ears were working right. I locked eyes with the customer and shook my head. I am in complete shock wondering how it is possible that this employee said something so insulting to the customer. The customer asked her why she would say that and the employee responded, "Well, that might be how they do things in other countries, but we don't here." WHAT? Did she just insult her all over again? The customer told her that she can't say things like that and that it really upset her. The employee says she didn't mean anything by it. WHAT? And then... wait for it... Instead of apologizing, she says: "It's in the Lord's hands now." WHAT???

The customer stomps off and the employee turns to me and gives me the look that says -- That lady was crazy. I couldn't handle it. I told her that her comment was completely inappropriate, offensive and uncalled for. I said a few other things as well. But this woman just didn't get it. She was trying to convince me that it was the appropriate answer to the customer's question. I cut her off and said that I didn't care how she meant it she should have acknowledged the way it made the customer feel. At least one other customer witnessed the interaction and we all had our chins on the floor.

As soon as my fabric was cut I found a manager and explained what I had seen. The manager was mortified and disgusted and assured me that she would be addressing it within the next 5 minutes. I was glad that the employee would be reprimanded... but I felt bad that I hadn't spoken up and supported the customer while she was still at the counter. I really beat myself up about it for awhile last evening. She probably felt alone in the experience and I could have come to her defense. I had really planned on doing it -- I was just so shocked and it happened so fast that I didn't react in time. And there was never a great time to insert myself in the conversation. I know she knew how I felt because of the non-verbal communication we shared. But still... hindsight --I would have marched over to that counter and spoken up right away.

Unbelievable.