Kroger faces backlash after police, officer’s wife say employees refused to serve them
Would these employees’ actions be considered “creating a hostile work environment” ? I would bet that Kroger’s employees’ policy and procedure manual has at least a paragraph about how it is against Kroger’s policy for an employee to create a “hostile work environment” and is probably cause for being FIRED … If Kroger does follow their own policies and procedures.. it would create a HR NIGHTMARE ….
A Houston-area woman says a teenage cashier at a Kroger supermarket in Spring, Texas, stepped away from the cash register and refused to check out her groceries last week because she was offended by the message on the customer’s T-shirt. It read: “Police Lives Matter / All Lives Matter.”
The incident occurred just a week after a similar situation in Alexandria, La., when a police officer in uniform said a cashier declined to check out her groceries.
In Texas, the woman, who says her husband is a police officer and gave only her first name — Meredith — told KTRK Eyewitness News:
“She was stating that the shirt I had on was basically a slap in the face to her and she was doing everything she could not to cry. She made me feel ashamed to have the shirt on, and I don’t appreciate that.”
The incident has led the Blue Bow foundation, which works to support police officers and their families, to sever ties with the grocery chain.
“She’s trying to go about her daily life and when she got turned away just to simply buy groceries, I knew we had to do something immediately,” said Blue Bow’s executive director Kimberly Colley, who, like Meredith, is the wife of a police officer.
“Our husbands risk their lives every single time they put on those uniforms. They’re walking targets and this is the least we can do to show there is support out there….
“We don’t want to do business with them if that’s how our citizens are going to be treated.”
Meredith said another cashier stepped in to ring up her groceries and that she doesn’t want the first cashier to lose her job, but she would like to hear back from Kroger’s about the multiple complaints she’s made.
In Alexandria, Police Department Pfc. Sabrina Farace said a checkout clerk at a Kroger’s refused to check out her items last month because she was wearing a police shirt, Blue Lives Matter reported.
Farace, who was shopping with her daughter, alleged that a female cashier refused to check out her items and said it was because “she had problems with the police.”
“I have been a customer there for more than 15 years but this is unacceptable to be treated that way no matter what your profession may be nor should it be acceptable to be asked what you do based on their opinions of that profession,” Farace recounted to Blue Lives Matter.
As news of the incident broke, several people have posted on Blue Lives Matter’s official Facebook page, calling on the chain to fire the employees.
Filed under: General Problems
Once again who you refuse service to is what matters. If it had been certain other groups being supported the cashier would have been fired on the spot!
The ideology behind blue lives matter,is just as valid and true as that of black lives matter.I see no conflict at all in supporting both.The sad thing is,that officer that was treated so direspectfully would not think twice about saving that ignorant clerks life in an emergency.
Law enforcement deserves respect.The vast majority of police interactions with the public,of any race,do not result in arrests or violence,and the vast majority of people of color are not violent or deserving of being treated unfairly.
To stereotype any group is foolish and not justifiable in the real world,but sadly it occurs far too often.
Wow, when did employees find it OK to discriminate someone because they do not like a t-shirt, or someone hair color ,tattoo and other personal choice items people choose to wear. What next, should we just wear plain white t-shirts. Even if you did that someone would probably view that as racist. These companies need to be very clear what is acceptable behavior from there employees and if they don’t like helping all customers they can find a job somewhere else. If I was a employer I would check everyone’s social media site for rude behavior before I hired them. Kroger needs to apologize and the employee needs a stern warning that if something like that happened again they can work someplace else. I am amazed how people are being so thin skinned but at the same time have no problem being so critical of others. People are just so entitled and rude with no thoughts of others these day. You want to act like that at home fine. In a place of business it is unacceptable. If you have a problem serving everyone in the same courteous manner then find a different line of work.