A Kohl’s employee working the Amazon return center went viral after posting a story about dealing with an aggressive customer.
TikToker SergioSays (@sergivandiaz) filmed the video shortly after a customer berated him for attempting to help an elderly customer before her. The video was viewed over 39,000 times as of Wednesday.
@sergivandiaz #retailcustomers #keepcalm ♬ original sound – SergioSays
Sergio began his story while standing behind the Amazon return counter at Kohl’s.
“You know that when working in retail, even though you may work part-time or full-time … it’s always gonna be a full-time job to sometimes bite your tongue, or bite your lips, and not respond to a lot the things that these customers come say to you that are just mindblowing.”
“I’m currently working at the Amazon return department,” he continued. “This customer has approximately 8 items and a lady walks in after her, an older woman probably near her 80s, and she’s carrying this one box.”
“I’m looking at her,” the Kohl’s worker explained of the first customer. “She has a big box with all her items, but she’s going through each item and she’s waiting for the code to pull up on the first. She hasn’t even gone to the codes yet.”
Since Sergio’s counter had two stations and both were active, he decided to help the next customer since he’d most likely finish with her one box before the original customer was ready with her codes.
What Sergio didn’t expect was the response his simple gesture would trigger. When he explained that he was going to help the elderly customer at the second station, the first customer exploded into a rage.
“When I said that, it triggered her. She went on a rant,” Sergio said.
The Kohl’s worker tried to remain calm, but the customer’s accusations went from rude to inflammatory. “She was saying it doesn’t matter if it is 10 items, 1 item, or five items. I was here first so you should just help me first. She goes so far as to say you’re discriminating against me because I’m Hispanic and she’s white.”
Sergio paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m like what? Ma’am, hello? I’m DACA, I was born in Mexico, I’m Latino. How am I discriminating against my own people? I don’t understand.”
Users were quick to jump to Sergio’s defense and assure him that the customer going crazy at the Kohl’s Amazon Return center wasn’t his fault in any way.
“Worked retail for years the holding the line people get items put to the side … I gotta keep the line going. You’re gonna have to get [back] in line again,” one user said, supporting Sergio’s decision to assist the lady with the single package.
“That part there and then they think it’s rude but it’s more inconsiderate from their part,” the creator replied.
One former Kohl’s employee recalled their hatred of working the Amazon returns center. “Hated doing Amazon returns at kohl’s because it’s never ending. People would process their returns when they reached the counter.”
A second user added, “‘They moved our amazon to customer service and they get so mad im doing 1000000 things.”
“Literally on my phone right now on my khols shift at amazon LOL yea the ppl i get at amazon can be so rude, have to bite my tongue so much,” another Kohl’s employee posted.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sergio via TikTok comment and Kohl’s via email.
