OfficerBlueAlexandria, Louisiana – An employee at the Alexandria Kroger store refused to serve a police officer because they were a cop, and the company’s response has been less than stellar.
Pineville Police Department Pfc. Sabrina Farace advised us that she was wearing a police shirt when she was grocery shopping with her daughter at the Alexandria Kroger store. The checkout clerk saw her shirt, asked her if she was police officer, and then refused to check her out.
Pfc. Farace provided us with her account of events:
On 09-27-16 at approximately 4:00 PM I was in Kroger’s shopping with my 6-year-old daughter. I walked up to the checkout line and placed my items on the counter for the cashier to scan my items. She sat there for a few moments and kept looking at me odd.
When she refused to speak or pick any of my items up, I asked her if I could help her. She replied, “Do you have your Kroger card?” At which I responded, “Yes, I do.”
I handed her my Kroger member card and she reluctantly took it from my hands. After she took [the card] I was waiting for her to continue checking me out. She looked at me and with a rude tone she asked “Are you on the force?” I stated, “Come again?” She asked again, rudely, “Are you on the force, are you a cop?” I stated “Yes, maam I am a cop.” She then looked at me and stated, “I can’t check you out, I have to go get my supervisor.”
I stated, “OK” because I did not know what her reason was for stating that she could not continue to check me out. I assumed maybe it was time for her to get off or some other reason. When she came back to the counter she stated, “My supervisor is tied up right now.” I asked, “What’s the deal?” She replied, “I can not check you out because you are police officer and I can’t check you out because you are a cop and I have issues with the police right now.” At which I replied, “You have to be kidding me right?” She stated “No, I am not.” I then stated “If this is the case I would like to speak to your supervisor myself because this is unacceptable to treat a customer this way.”
She then walked off and shortly later she came back with a white male that I assumed was her supervisor. I told him that the employee (AJ written on her name tag) had refused to check me out because after she asked me if I was on the force, and when I told her I was a cop, she refused to check me out. He looked at her and said “You have to check out all customers.”
I began to tell him I didn’t appreciate being asked what I do for a living period no matter what kind of shirt I was wearing, because it is not her business. I told him that this kind of behavior is unacceptable for any customer to be treated in this manner. I asked him if he would continue to allow her to treat customers like that as she stood there smirking as if nothing would be done. I said, if you condone this kind of behavior and discrimination I’m sure the media would love to know how you allow employees to treat customers this way for wearing a police supporting shirt and being a police officer.
He replied, well that’s not nice to threaten me to call the media and I guess I’ll just call Cooper. I told him that he could call whoever he wanted because I did not work for Cooper. He began telling me that she explained to him that she had problems with the police. I stated to him that apparently I would not be the only person wearing a shirt supporting police or a police officer that came into the store. I stated that she was an embarrassment to the store treat people that way. I also told him that he, as a manager, should be embarrassed for the poor job at making not making an attempt to correct the situation that he, himself, was an embarrassment to Kroger’s. I told him that I refused to come back to the store and left my groceries where they laid after she stated she could not check me out. I then left, and will refuse to ever shop at the store from this point on account of this incident.
I have been a customer there for more than 15 years but this is unacceptable to be treated that way no matter what your profession may be nor should it be acceptable to be asked what you do based on their opinions of that profession.
At Blue Lives Matter, it’s our general policy to wait for the company to response before publishing stories about an officer being refused service. Unfortunately, it appears that a response may not be forthcoming. After complaining, Pfc. Sabrina Farace advised that she did receive a phone call from a Kroger corporate manager who asked her what had happened. After being told the story, the manger said that he would call her back in a day or so. It has now been almost two weeks since this incident occurred and she still has not received a response.
Kroger appears to be ignoring the situation, or at least not being responsive. Be sure to share this story and get the word out and maybe Kroger will finally respond to this situation.
UPDATE: Another Kroger employee has now refused service over a Police Lives Matter shirt.
UPDATE: Kroger has now responded.
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