No wonder why God sent so many prophets to guide people who persist in showing racism, bias, and aggression.
Let me explain. I visited Baiz Fresh Food Market in Mesa one day with $100 on my card. My groceries totaled about $110. I politely told the cashier we could leave out a few items. Instead of calmly assisting, she grew angry and insulted me in Arabic, assuming I didn’t understand the language. But I do. When I confronted her, she snapped, shouting that she wasn’t there to return items and that I shouldn’t pick what I can’t pay for. I explained how other stores, like Walmart and Fry’s, let customers return items without trouble, but she only got more hostile—bagging items aggressively and embarrassing me in front of others.
I wasn’t aware Baiz had a rule about customers returning items themselves. Even if that’s true, the right approach would’ve been a polite explanation, not insults. I wanted to talk to her manager, but I had to rush out after a call from a friend.
3 weeks later, I returned to the store and noticed the same cashier laughing and mocking me with colleagues. I approached an older man who appeared to be a supervisor. Instead of listening, he cut me off and defended her—likely because they shared the same ethnic background. She laughed louder as he backed her up. When I asked for the store manager, he soon returned with the manager, and the pattern repeated. The manager dismissed my complaint and criticized me for taking more groceries than I could pay for, telling me to use my phone to calculate totals next time to prevent the cashier from “getting angry.”
Then came a false accusation. The manager claimed he’d seen me throw a product on camera. I asked to see the footage—he couldn't back up his claim. I swear to Allah I never mistreated the cashier, he was lying. In Islam, people who falsely accuse others are called Munafiq, hypoooocrites. Some manipulate the truth to protect their own wrongdoing.
The sad truth is that I was ganged up on by three of them(cashier, supervisor and manager) because I wasn’t Arab. That cashier laughed as the manager scolded me, and he ignored my requests. I told him this wasn’t a country where you can disrespect customers, you should learn customer service. I reminded him we were in the U.S.—a diverse where everyone deserves respect, no matter their race or background. It seems that they don’t like their jobs, they should still treat people with dignity.
Not only was that one cashier rude, but another woman at the store, older and similarly aggressive, seemed hostile toward others as well. Their shared background made them quick to protect each other rather than take responsibility or show compassion. Perhaps their upbringing lacked the values that foster empathy, fairness, and humility.
If people like them move elsewhere, how will they cope in a truly inclusive community? You don’t have to take my word for it—visit the store and feel the negativity yourself. Their rude behavior suggests deep dissatisfaction and entitlement, as if customers owe them something. But in truth, customers pay—and they deserve respect. We don’t receive items for free. When I politely suggested they improve customer service, the manager doubled down, saying I had no right to tell him how to train his staff. That moment made it clear: professionalism and basic decency were missing. What kind of manager allows bullying and public arguments with customers, especially with me as a young woman? There respect towards women is this.
Sadly, I feel some of these individuals still follow the mindset of figures like Abu Jahl—knowing what’s right but siding with the wrong out of pride and prejudice. Maybe they do need more prophets, after all.
If war in Middle Eastern countries makes you to support each other, you are wrong. You should support the right person in an argument. I am really sorry for the owner of the market by recruiting such rude, naaaaasty and unprofessional people.
I hope by living in a diverse country you learn respect, humanity and...
Read more
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
