Stop Harassing Store Employees

Everyone was disgusted at the behavior of a customer at the Costco in Manahawkin after he was caught on video berating a cashier. Earlier this summer we had the story of a man being arrested for threatening Wawa employees with a metal pipe because they wanted him to wear a mask. Just a week ago, a Zumiez employee was attacked and spat at by a couple.

The latest sign that humanity is doomed comes from a QuickChek in North Jersey.

According to NJ.com, a man came into QuickChek wearing a mask that covered only his mouth, leaving his nose exposed. The cashier asked him to wear the mask properly, and he refused. The cashier cancelled the transaction and ask him to leave the store. So far, these are all reasonable actions. Then, it turned crazy when the man threw his food on the ground and threw a cup of hot coffee at the cashier before storming out.

The cashier was able to get the guy's license plate, and police sent him a complaint summons for simple assault, endangering another person and violating an executive order.

Look. I know masks suck. No one likes them, no one wants to wear them. But the fact is that they are required. Stores have signs that require you to wear a shirt or shoes or not smoke inside, so stores have the exact same right to say you need to wear a mask. The whole point of a mask is to keep you from inhaling or exhaling anything that is potentially harmful, so for those people who like to leave their nostrils exposed, you're missing the point. If you've already been in the store long enough to get some food, make a cup of coffee, then head to the register, it really shouldn't enrage you when the cashier says "hey man, can you just cover up for the twenty seconds it will take for you to pay?"

There is a bill being proposed by the State that would hit people who don't wear a mask with up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. While I don't agree with the jail aspect, maybe hitting someone in their wallet is what it will take to get them to wear a mask.