Decided to wait until after 5:00 p.m. to enter, as this was a busier time. Spotted JS at one of the registers. She smiled and made small talk with every customer in her line. When she had no customers, she cleaned her workstation and helped bag for the other cashiers.
After a half hour inside, I decided to check out with a few things. I debated waiting in JS’s line to interact with her, but before I could, a man in her line raised his voice.
He said: “What do you mean they’re not on sale?”
Everybody within earshot paused to look over at JS. The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties, about ten years younger than her.
JS tried to explain something to the man, but he only became angrier.
He said: “I don’t give a shit if it’s not ringing up. There was a sign there that said they’re on sale.”
JS glanced past the man toward a manager. The manager hurried over to speak to the man. Before I could hear the man’s reply, another cashier nearby called to me.
She was young, maybe twenty-five years old. She had just turned the light on at her register.
She said: “Sir, I can take you here if you’re ready to check out.”
I unloaded my cart and watched JS as the cashier rang up the items.
The man was now arguing with the manager: “The sign said they’re on sale, but this bitch keeps saying they’re not.”
The manager had previously asked the man to lower his voice, but now she said: “Sir, I am going to ask you not to use that kind of language in here.”
This made the man even more irate, and he stormed out of the store.
The manager stepped close to JS, who had started gathering the items the man left behind and setting them aside. The manager asked JS if she wanted to take a break, but she shook her head and said that she was fine. Once the manager stepped away, JS forced a smile at the next customer.
My cashier said: “Is there anything else?”
I paid for my items and returned to my car. I drove across the street and parked at a McDonald’s to surveil the grocery store, which closed at 11:00 p.m. JS left the store along with several other employees. JS walked to the nearest bus stop and waited ten minutes until a bus arrived. I followed the bus to the trailer park, where she walked down the lane and back to home.
Will observe her again tomorrow.