Problem with racist worker at the UPS store....

[Octo2005]

So I am wondering what I should do about an incident that happened yesterday morning at a local UPS store. I had an Amazon return and my package was a prepaid drop-off. I would normally stop at the UPS store by my son's school, but I forgot to bring it with me on Friday. So, while we were out running errands on Saturday, we stopped at another location to drop off the rather large box.

As I walked into the store carrying the large box with my son, the woman behind the counter said to put it on the counter. I placed the box there and got in line for a receipt. There was one other customer in the store when I arrived (a muslim woman and her tween aged son) and they were finishing up as I got in line. When she turned around she did not seem friendly. At the time, I didn't think much of it her son was at the counter smiling and fidgeting with some items on the counter and there didn't seem to be a problem. The clerk handed her a receipt and they left. No-one was speaking when I arrived or during the time that I was present.

As the woman exited the store the clerk was labeling the package that the previous customer had left and asked me if I wanted a receipt. As I was waiting for the receipt she said "She needs to go back to her own country" I was completely and utterly dumbfounded. I stood there in shock, questioning myself whether I had really just heard that. I am ashamed to admit that I did not confront her or say anything to her at the time, but as soon as we left the store I spoke with my son about how terrible this was and that I had better never hear something like that from him. He said that he too was shocked and was going to say something, but when I didn't say anything he assumed that maybe he misunderstood what she had said/meant. We had a good talk about it and it made me even more upset with myself that I didn't call her out for her comment and set the right example.

I told my son that on Monday morning I would call the store and tell the manager what transpired. The more I think about it, I am not sure that is the best coarse of action. For all I know she could be the manager or it could just get brushed under the rug, so I feel like I need to contact someone higher up the food chain. Short of just calling the general customer service number and hoping it makes it's way to the correct person, anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed?

 

[Matata]

Did you catch the employee's name? If so and you can find contact information for the regional Human Resources office, you can call or write about the incident.

 

[Octo2005]

Did you catch the employee's name? If so and you can find contact information for the regional Human Resources office, you can call or write about the incident.

Yes, I did and I have my receipt so I am sure that they can look her up that way.

Thank you, that's a great idea.

 

[tinatark]

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

 

[Octo2005]

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

She made the comment to me, so it most definitely is my business!

Furthermore, making derogatory comments while at your place of employment and in uniform while working her shift, is representing her employer and they deserve to know how there employees are treating their customers.

I guess we can assume that you have no problem with her comment, since you feel like it is nothing to concern myself about. Your response comes across as though you probably agree that only people who are like you, i.e same race/religion deserve to be treated with basic dignity and common courtesy.......just saying

 

[Starfacet]

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

This is how racism persists. Just saying.

 

[PintoBean]

Regardless of that UPS rep's personal beliefs, she was clearly lacking in professionalism.

Email corporate.

Call the store and find out if there is a way to give them a review based on your experience there. Pretend it was favorable lol.

Check the receipt to see if it provides additional info for submitting a review.

 

[Bron357]

It is not alright and it is your business.
By saying nothing you are condoning such behavior. By saying nothing you are in effect agreeing with the statement, you are supporting this persons view, you are allowing them to feel comfortable enough to say such derogatory comments.
The lady was, by her dress, a Muslim, and that’s just her religion. Like some people are Christians, or Jewish, or Mormons or Atheists or what have you. It has absolutely nothing to do with where she should “live” or “go”.
And unless that person is a native Indian American, guess what, they too are an “immigrant” to America and so should pull their head in!

 

[missy]

Wow. I would 100% report this incident. Remaining quiet is being a (big) part of the problem.

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.”

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

 

[D&T]

I’ve had this remark said to me several times at a very young age and about friends of mine that were 3rd generation US born. I’ve heard this in several retail places all throughout my life. My husband although Caucasian and fair skin, his family’s lineage stems from Italy so yeah US is not his ancestral land either. My husbands own grandmother made a similar comment at one point.

I once couldn’t take it anymore especially those that were ignorant about their lineage and now a days the very young with parents who didn’t teach them well enough to know better, confronted a person and asked do you know where you are from? Go home and learn about your ancestor, and made an “Excuse me, did I just heard you say!?!? ...” comment They turned around and apologized, but no doubt that when I left, I’m sure they said the same thing behind my back...
As darker skin refugee ethnic person that have heard and been through it many times over, I’ve had to rise above ignorance, and grow a thicker skin. Those types of comments made me work harder to obtain what I have now and take whatever opportunities the US affords me to, and those who are ignorant are too lazy to better themselves and waste all that the US has to offer.

Depending on which UPS store they can be a franchise owned or corporate owned, in any case I would bring it to the attention of the Corporations PR group and HR person for said employee. As I get older, I’m a bit less tolerant of such comments, if I hear it I will speak up (if I feel safe to do so, if your out in public and a street brawl is about to happen perhaps not and get the authorities involved) and if I have kids with me even if they aren’t mine it’s a learning opportunity which will have a discussion on.

 

[redwood66]

The absolute best thing to do is to say something immediately and with incredulity. It will be more effective than calling corporate later to make someone realize that others don't think it's acceptable, especially if it's done in person. I do not subscribe to getting someone fired for something like this, or the rage mob mentality of backlash online. It doesn't teach them, it makes them angrier. And in the case of rage mobs, it makes them unemployable, which might feel good to some but isn't helpful in the long run.

 

[Tekate]

I'd tweet UPS itself, believe me it will catch their eye. We cannot stand for these kinds of things, I assume you are white and she was too so therefore she thinks whites are stuck in this horrible muslim world.. Management (top line) should know about this. It's terrible.

 

[Tekate]

It's OUR business to stop racism. ALL of us.

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

 

[Tekate]

Rage mobs? I do subscribe to her being fired. Because of twits like Trump we are allowed to speak this crap out loud and clear Red, if she isn't fired when will people learn, she is a rep of UPS and I am SURE there are guidelines that she must follow. We must see that anyone here is an American and illegals should be rounded up and sent home, legally, kindly and then we should ensure people who want to be Americans are really her due to safety of their lives.

If we don't become angry, there isn't a backlash then nothing changes.

this is a conservative opinion piece but it fits either side. When we see Cruz why shouldn't we mob him? Even Graham said if you killed him on the senate floor no one convict you. We feel rage when we see something we think is wrong. Good manners should come back but good manners also made sure racism was alive and well underground, well thank you Donnie, it's out.


https://nypost.com/2018/10/14/rage-when-you-disagree-how-safe-spaces-led-to-todays-political-mobs/

The absolute best thing to do is to say something immediately and with incredulity. It will be more effective than calling corporate later to make someone realize that others don't think it's acceptable, especially if it's done in person. I do not subscribe to getting someone fired for something like this, or the rage mob mentality of backlash online. It doesn't teach them, it makes them angrier. And in the case of rage mobs, it makes them unemployable, which might feel good to some but isn't helpful in the long run.

 

[Dancing Fire]

The absolute best thing to do is to say something immediately and with incredulity.

 

[redwood66]

Rage mobs? I do subscribe to her being fired. Because of twits like Trump we are allowed to speak this crap out loud and clear Red, if she isn't fired when will people learn, she is a rep of UPS and I am SURE there are guidelines that she must follow. We must see that anyone here is an American and illegals should be rounded up and sent home, legally, kindly and then we should ensure people who want to be Americans are really her due to safety of their lives.

If we don't become angry, there isn't a backlash then nothing changes.

this is a conservative opinion piece but it fits either side. When we see Cruz why shouldn't we mob him? Even Graham said if you killed him on the senate floor no one convict you. We feel rage when we see something we think is wrong. Good manners should come back but good manners also made sure racism was alive and well underground, well thank you Donnie, it's out.


https://nypost.com/2018/10/14/rage-when-you-disagree-how-safe-spaces-led-to-todays-political-mobs/

Since when does talking about violence equal what this UPS worker said? Should it be all rage all the time then with no thought put into the appropriate reaction for the occasion? Do you want everyone who ever said anything like the OP encountered to be fired and unemployable? Is that the world you want? Because policing thinking doesn't work and will make this country a less habitable place. It won't create the Utopia you desire. If revenge is what you want then I feel sorry for you because that is a terrible feeling to have 24/7.

Had someone filmed the worker saying it, that would have been viral online and a rage mob would ensue. I do not believe that that crap at all, no matter who does it or what was said.

I edited to remove my not nice comment. Good morning lady.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I would definitely say something. No such thing as kindness anymore, it seems. People have been fired for comments less than this and that person should be too.

 

[redwood66]

I don't see how getting someone fired for saying this helps anything. She is probably making not much more than minimum wage and maybe has a family to support. Do we really want this person to be on public assistance because they can't get a job in order to exact some kind of revenge or punishment?

This in no way condones what was said either.

 

[Tekate]

[QUOTE="redwood66, post: 4599791, member: 62411"]Since when does talking about violence equal what this UPS worker said? Should it be all rage all the time then with no thought put into the appropriate reaction for the occasion? Do you want everyone who ever said anything like the OP encountered to be fired and unemployable? Is that the world you want? Because policing thinking doesn't work and will make this country a less habitable place. It won't create the Utopia you desire. If revenge is what you want then I feel sorry for you because that is a terrible feeling to have 24/7.

Had someone filmed the worker saying it, that would have been viral online and a rage mob would ensue. I do not believe that that crap at all, no matter who does it or what was said.

I edited to remove my not nice comment. Good morning lady.[/QUOTE]

Morning!

Once you mentioned rage mob if this worker were outed. (answer to red part)


YES I want everyone who says racist remarks that reflect on their employer fired yup.. how will people learn to keep their free speech at home, with friends etc.. Fire them.

No need to feel sorry - it's not revenge - it's positive, it's to change people behavior and THINK before spouting racist remarks. I don't want revenge I want change.

I'm not sure a rage mob would have happened or not, since these kinds of situations happen all the time, since our fearless leader spouts it. If we don't speak out loud we are complicit. There are plenty of jobs a person can get and WHY would a person not be able to get another job if they are fired for violating company rules? they did it, they should be fired.

 

[redwood66]

Morning!

Once you mentioned rage mob if this worker were outed.


YES I want everyone who says racist remarks that reflect on their employer fired yup.. how will people learn to keep their free speech at home, with friends etc.. Fire them, it's to be a racist.

No need to feel sorry - it's not revenge - it's positive, it's to change people behavior and THINK before spouting racist remarks. I don't want revenge I want change.

I'm not sure a rage mob would have happened or not, since these kinds of situations happen all the time, since our fearless leader spouts it. If we don't speak out loud we are complicit. There are plenty of jobs a person can get and WHY would a person not be able to get another job if they are fired for violating company rules? they did it, they should be fired.

And I said speak out. To her in person at the time. What she said does not equal someone inciting violence with speech. There has to be an appropriate response to what is said and this does not rise to the level of getting her fired IMO.

 

[Tekate]

I don't see how getting someone fired for saying this helps anything. She is probably making not much more than minimum wage and maybe has a family to support. Do we really want this person to be on public assistance because they can't get a job in order to exact some kind of revenge or punishment?

This in no way condones what was said either.

Yes I want her on public assistance if that is the way it must go. No one says she can't get another job, maybe under Trump there will be signs: we only hire racist. My mom always said 'there are some things better left unsaid' and she should have kept her legal thoughts to herself.

 

[redwood66]

Yes I want her on public assistance if that is the way it must go. No one says she can't get another job, maybe under Trump there will be signs: we only hire racist. My mom always said 'there are some things better left unsaid' and she should have kept her legal thoughts to herself.

Sorry. I can't condone someone who is perfectly capable of working being on public assistance.

 

[telephone89]

I absolutely think the best thing to do is to say something in the moment. I agree that makes the BEST impact, and really calls them out.

But that moment is gone. So now, I agree with emailing corporate or the customer service line. Having worked for a big box retailer, we received our feedback from our customer service line. Immediately if it was serious, other comments would come bunched together weekly or monthly. And they were absolutely dealt with. So I would think UPS would be similar.

 

[House Cat]

The lady is garbage. I’m not sure we can change her mentality by making her lose her job. She will just be unemployed garbage who blames “that Muslim lady” for making her lose her job. Garbage like that never sees the error of their ways.

Edit...that isn’t to say we shouldn’t call her out, but don’t expect her to see your point of view

 

[Dancing Fire]

Sorry. I can't condone someone who is perfectly capable of working being on public assistance.

The left wants the whole country to be on public assistance. they are now praying for a recession so that they can get rid of Trump in 2020, without a recession there's zero chance of any Dems beating Trump in 2020.

 

[OreoRosies86]

The comments that come after conversations like this are SO predictable. Don’t want to lose your job? Don’t say or do racist things! It’s pretty simple. Don’t want to work with the PUBLIC, full of people who might not look like you? Get a different job!

 

[Arcadian]

so um... I'm going to skip some of the extraneous conversations in this thread and focus on the OP.

OP, you should have told her that she could also go back to her own and how detestable that type of attitude is. She felt safe with you because you're "her kind" KWIM? People forget that some muslims are also born in the US and/or might be naturalized and guess what, some of them are white as snow. Not all of them wear head coverings either.

UPS Stores are sometimes franchise stores, so, if it were a corporate store, then you'd have more leeway. As a franchise, not as much but, you could also send a message to the UPS store's facebook page, letting everybody and their mother know what transpired.

Being black I've not only heard that and then some. The ignorance of those who say that crap is pretty astounding but I've heard it A LOT in my lifetime in pretty much any state I've lived in. Yes, including Massachusetts! (they're not immune its just hidden more)

 

[Octo2005]

I’ve had this remark said to me several times at a very young age and about friends of mine that were 3rd generation US born. I’ve heard this in several retail places all throughout my life. My husband although Caucasian and fair skin, his family’s lineage stems from Italy so yeah US is not his ancestral land either. My husbands own grandmother made a similar comment at one point.

I once couldn’t take it anymore especially those that were ignorant about their lineage and now a days the very young with parents who didn’t teach them well enough to know better, confronted a person and asked do you know where you are from? Go home and learn about your ancestor, and made an “Excuse me, did I just heard you say!?!? ...” comment They turned around and apologized, but no doubt that when I left, I’m sure they said the same thing behind my back...
As darker skin refugee ethnic person that have heard and been through it many times over, I’ve had to rise above ignorance, and grow a thicker skin. Those types of comments made me work harder to obtain what I have now and take whatever opportunities the US affords me to, and those who are ignorant are too lazy to better themselves and waste all that the US has to offer.

Depending on which UPS store they can be a franchise owned or corporate owned, in any case I would bring it to the attention of the Corporations PR group and HR person for said employee. As I get older, I’m a bit less tolerant of such comments, if I hear it I will speak up (if I feel safe to do so, if your out in public and a street brawl is about to happen perhaps not and get the authorities involved) and if I have kids with me even if they aren’t mine it’s a learning opportunity which will have a discussion on.

I am so sorry that you have had to deal with this type of behavior.

 

[Arcadian]

You could always MYOB. Just saying.

girl.......

You can only get a pass on this if you're not in the US and don't understand the full extent of how under reported this Civil Rights issue is.

Or if you do, then you just 'kinda don't care'. Just sayin.

 

[Bonfire]

@Octo2005 I know you are kicking yourself for not saying something to this woman at the time. I would encourage you to contact corporate and report it. You did use this situation to have a conversation and teaching moment with your son. I commend you for that. Some would let it go and say nothing more. Speak up now.