‘Hero’ Costco Worker Hailed After Showdown With Irate Shopper Over Mask Policy
A worker at a Costco store is being praised on social media for calmly deescalating a battle with an angry customer who refused to wear a mask while shopping in the store.
Costco requires all employees and customers to wear a face covering while inside its retail locations. But the customer filmed himself waiting in the checkout line without a mask and berating a worker named Tison who asked him to put one on.
“I’m not doing it because I woke up in a free country,” the customer said after threatening to put the Costco worker on his “3,000-follower Instagram feed.” Tison greeted the man’s Instagram followers, politely told him to have a great day and walked away ― taking the customer’s shopping cart of goods with him.
“You’re no longer welcome here in our warehouse,” Tison said. “You need to leave, thank you very much.”
Realizing his error, the customer quickly suggested that his partner ― who was wearing a mask ― take his card to pay for the goods while he leaves the store. But was too late. Tison was gone and so was the shopping cart full of toilet paper, detergent and other items.
“He’s a pussy little bitch,” the customer ranted. “I’m not a fucking sheep.”
Kevin and Karen get shopping cart taken away at #Costco || ✌🏼 #wearethepeople #COVID19 #coronavirusuk #COVIDIDIOTS pic.twitter.com/LDeB1hDz9L
— ONLY iN LVNV ➐ (@OnlyInLVNV) May 18, 2020
TMZ found the customer’s feed, which featured another rant he posted after leaving the store. The booted customer said he was “not the fucking sheep” and boasted that he was one of the only people in the store without a mask.
Tison, on the other hand, won acclaim on social media for how he handled the situation:
Tison. You're a hero.👏👏👏 https://t.co/Xp3eoabyoa
— Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) May 20, 2020
.@Costco please give Tison a raise. pic.twitter.com/WSNURPxtDg
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) May 19, 2020
Just bought a Costco membership thanks to Tison
— Dana Piccoli (@DanaPiccoli) May 20, 2020
I love it when the good guy wins. pic.twitter.com/kqksl96Izb
— Kim MacDonald (@KMacTWN) May 20, 2020
Slow. Effing. Clap.
I’m signing up for a #Costco membership. That’s how you do it.
pic.twitter.com/mn5ar2b2m5— The Brooklyn Archer, Allegedly (@elonjames) May 19, 2020
Tison from Costco deserves a raise and a promotion and this is the hill I am willing to die on. #TeamTison https://t.co/mdlixNKqn6
— Kathleen Smith (@KikkiPlanet) May 20, 2020
Tison replied from his own Twitter account.
“People of Twitter thank you for all of the support,” he wrote. “I was just trying to protect our employees and our members.”
And he shared an image:
— Thoff82 (@Thoff821) May 19, 2020
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