A man tried to shame a Costco employee who wouldn’t let him continue shopping because he didn’t have a mask on, according to a viral video posted on Twitter.
The shopper appeared to begin filming mid-argument with the Costco employee, whose name tag reads Tison, over wearing a mask. Tison told the man, who has been dubbed “Costco Kevin” according to Fox News, that the company’s policy requires everyone to wear a face mask in the store because of the novel coronavirus.
The shopper threatened the employee with his Instagram following. “Costco Kevin” alleged that he has a “3,000-follower Instagram feed” made up of “mostly locals” and that he would post the video there.
“Hi everyone. I work for Costco and I’m asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy,” Tison responded directly to the camera.
The shopper then turned the camera to face himself and said he “woke up in a free country” and therefore will not wear a mask. Tison doubled down on the policy and then took the shopping cart away from “Costco Kevin,” adding that he is “no longer welcome” at the store.
“He’s gonna take the cart away ‘cuz he’s a pussy ass bitch,” the shopper said as the employee walked away with his cart. “There he is, walking away with all my stuff. There he goes. ‘Cuz I’m not a fucking sheep.”
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Pro tip: if you’re in the middle of a pandemic and need to buy paper/home supplies, wear the fucking mask.
And don’t piss off Costco staff.pic.twitter.com/R6qtIfymHE— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) May 20, 2020
Tison was praised for his response to “Costco Kevin” after the post went viral. The shopper first uploaded the video to Reddit but later removed it, according to Fox News. One Reddit user speculated that he removed it after the video was “downvoted into oblivion,” the network added.
Still, the video was reposted onto Twitter and soon went viral. (RELATED: Study Shows Men Are Less Likely To Wear A Face Mask Because It’s A ‘Sign Of Weakness’)
Journalist Elon James wrote “Slow. Effing. Clap.” and added that he plans to sign up for a Costco membership. James added in a subsequent tweet that a man appearing to be the Costco shopper posted another video ranting about how everyone who is wearing a mask is “a sheep.”
In this video, the man says he is “your favorite Reddit public freak out fuckin’ villain” and continues on claim that it “isn’t about wearing a mask” but rather “is about control.”
“I was one of the only people in that store not wearing a mask, which means you’re protected from me and I’m protected from you,” the man said.
“I was the only one not wearing a mask in that thing, I’m saying that again, okay? The only fucking one. So everybody else is the sheep, and all the people in the comments, you guys, you guys are the fucking sheep. Look at your comment. I’m the only one who sticks out from all of you fucking liberals. And yes, this is a partisan issue,” the man claimed.
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Clearly Mr. 3K is very much concerned about his social media standing. How do y’all think he feels about being a laughing stock while Tison, the guy he was trying to shame is now a gatdamb rockstar?
Life comes at you fast ????
— The Brooklyn Archer, Allegedly (@elonjames) May 19, 2020
“#CostCo has the right to require that customers wear a mask,” Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted. “Businesses have the right to prevent people from spewing saliva droplets in their stores. Because we live in a free country. And because there’s a frickin’ life-threatening virus that’s spread through saliva droplets.”
“Proud to be a Costco member!” Vox blogger and co-founder Matthew Yglesias tweeted.
Costco began requiring all members to wear masks while shopping in its warehouses on May 4, according to Business Insider. This requirement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations regarding the use of face coverings to help prevent the spread of the virus.