Today around 12:15pm (est) I entered the Exxon gas station store located at 16450 Harbour Way, Bowie, MD 20716. I grabbed several items from the store and proceed to the cashier. At the cashier station it appeared the cashier was short tempered (at least with me), along with holding a conversation with another colleague. After paying for my items the cashier walked away and NEVER asked if I needed a bag. Again, I purchased several items and needed a bag to carry my items to the car. After the cashier walked away I waited in hopes that the young lady would offer / ask if I needed a bag.instead, she walked away from me to get sanitizer all while STILL holding a non-work related conversation with the other cashier. After waiting for several seconds, I asked the young lady for a bag for my items - without acknowledgement (eye contact) she answered “you’re going to have to wait”. At this point I was completely blown away with the young lady’s inability or desire to help a paying customer. Finally, after she tossed a plastic bag to me, I suggested that she should have asked me if I required a bag. She answered in a rude tone “What did you say”? Again, I repeated my suggestion in an attempt to give her a little advice when dealing with customers. She answered “I didn’t think you needed a bag”? I replied, exactly, you should have ask given I had multiple items. She replied, don’t me ignorant! Excuse me! In all 28 years of my life I’ve never been called ignorant. After being frustrated and disappointed with the level of customer service, at this point I was livid with being called ignorant.
My question is why am I considered ignorant for making a suggestion to better serve customers? Honestly I felt like I was a victim of racial profiling - an African American, young, educated male being called ignorant for expecting a certain level of customer service from a Caucasian female cashier.in fact, the other cashier (Caucasian male) was extremely pleasant to the white customer prior to me, but once I asked him for the manager’s name along with the young lady’s name he was all-of-a-sudden he became abrupt and rude.
I plan to contact the manager in the morning and inform her of my experience on Sunday in hopes of obtaining an apology. I plan to also follow-up with Exxon Corporation to inform their corporate office of this incident.
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