Rude encounter with a store associate today and I cried in the store

Hey everyone, I(28f) was going about doing errands today so this kinda was out of nowhere for me. I won't name the store but it's a hardware supply type place.

I had place an order online and was picking it up and the interaction kinda went like that

Store associate: Hello welcome i- (sees me and stops talking) Me: Hello :) SA: ... raise eyebrows Me: Hi, erm, I have an order for pick up (Im a little socially awkward so I was thrown off by not being asked what I needed, since they start off with "How can I help you?" Sa: raised eyebrows again Me: Oh! uh last name ***** Sa: ... talks to other employee Its at the back, product A. Sa: Passes me product, still not saying anything Me: Thank you :) Sa: That will be a $29 charge Me: misunderstood the Q Oh, um I already paid online! Sa: πŸ™„ I know.. I'm saying it will be a charge on your credit card me: Oh okay, (still not sure if that means I dont need to present my card again) Sa: So that will be $29?

(at this point I wasnt sure why he would tell me that again so i was a little confused)

me: you were saying you already have my card on file and it will be charged automatically after I collect my stuff, is that right? Just to confirm you dont need anything else from me? 😊 (I know, asking stupid question, so I tried to be friendlier with it) Sa: πŸ™„πŸ™„ Yes.. Like I said already, we already have your card so no, I dont need anything else from you(he keeps rolling his eyes, not a single smile nothing) me: okay, got it. thank you.

I then grabbed something else from the store after browsing and went to the second cashier to buy it instead. Saw the first guy, he rolled his eyes at me and continued scrolling on his phone. I walked out of the store but ultimately decided to go back to talk to him

Me: Hello, so I never do this. But I thought I needed to comment on your behaviour earlier. So I dont know if you notice or were doing it on purpose but you were a little condescending when speaking to me earlier and I hope you dont usually talk to your other customers like that.

Him: very shock face Me?? rude??

Me: Yes, I have never done this before but I really feel like you need to know how you are coming off to people. I mean you dont have to be all smiles or whatnot but there's no need to talk down to anyone.

Him: Me?? talk down to YOU? I'm sorry you feel this way, I'm not here to make anyone feel bad.

Me: Well you did, and it was uncalled for. ( i admit it didnt come out smoothly like that. I was stuttering)

him: Me??? I was just trying to let you know the details of your order and that whole conversation was just a snag. I'm sorry if you thought I was "condescending"

Me: feeling really embarrassed it's fine if you are sorry but please do this to someone else again. Nobody needs to come in to a supply store and leave feeling bad. I'm sorry I put a snag on your day and I don't usually talk to people while crying so that is on me

Me: Because of me???? ME??(Idk why he kept repeating this)

The entire time he kept staring at me and backing away like I was a crazy lady accusing him of a crime or smt. There was zero empathy on his face and his entire body language was just dramatic shockness and backing away from me which I didn't know why? I was about 6 feet away from him carrying nothing on my hands. It just felt so wrong that he was giving off body language that he was threatened by me somehow. The whole conversation felt weird, and at that moment I just can't explain it but I went from feeling like the smallest person alive to... the wrongest one.

There was another female employee in the store who was clearly scared of him and she kept looking my way sympathetically and mouthing "I'm sorry".

Anyways, I felt like that conversation was going nowhere and I was tearing up and getting close to an outburst type cry because I'm very bad with confrontations(which I'm working on) so I muttered "alright thats all I have to say" and left.

I talked to my friend right after and she seems to think its racially motivated and that I had to report him. I think he's just rude. But I'm now the crazy crying lady so I'm afraid to. Can some one please tell me what they think about this confrontation? I don't even know what to think right now.

Posted May 2, 2025, 11:00 PM UTC

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