Target shopper wearing '$40,000 Rolex' destroys face mask display, while Costco shopper protests mask policy
Add two more videos to the growing bunch of shopper tirades about face masks.
The founder of an Arizona public relations firm recorded herself destroying a face mask display at a Target store Sunday.
In the video Sunday, a woman identified as Melissa Rein Lively, who also is the CEO of The Brand Consortium PR, pulled the masks off the display, of a Scottsdale store, in an expletive-filled rant. She did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
“Finally, we meet the end of the road,” she said in the video as she starts pulling masks off the display.
The video of the woman pulling masks down shared by Twitter user @RexChapman has been viewed more than 8.5 million views as of Monday afternoon and a second post sharing Lively's now-removed Instagram post of the police talking with her has over 3.5 million views.
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The woman in the Target video claims that she's wearing a "$40,000 Rolex" watch.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Target said over the weekend "a guest ransacked" the mask display in one of its Scottsdale stores.
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"Immediately, store leaders attempted to de-escalate the situation, but given the guest’s continued behavior, the store team called the Salt River Police Department for additional support," Target's statement said. "We provided local law enforcement with video footage and will continue to provide any information that can be helpful to their investigation."
Conflicts at businesses and viral videos of shoppers' tirades have erupted in recent weeks as coronavirus cases surge in 40 states and at least 21 states pause reopening plans.
In late June, a woman without a mask at a California Trader Joe's called employees and shoppers "Democratic pigs" and screamed profanities because she said she felt threatened when a fellow customer cursed her out for not wearing a mask.
In Fort Worth, Texas, a woman was recorded spitting on a 7-Eleven counter last week after the cashier refused to ring up her purchase because she was not wearing a mask.
Many of the comments on social media posts about Lively's videos are similar to other viral posts including a recent Facebook post where a a maskless consumer tried to shame a Starbucks barista for asking her to wear a mask. The GoFundMe campaign created June 22 for a virtual tip for the barista Lenin Gutierrez was up to $105,000 Monday.
Costco shopper sits down, refuses to wear mask
A senior shopper in what is believed to be a Hillsboro, Oregon Costco caused a scene after being asked to wear a mask. She has a mask dangling on her ear but not covering her mouth and nose.
The Twitter account @OnlyInLVNV tweeted a 2-minute-plus video of a woman refusing to wear a mask when asked to do so by store employees, noting it was from the Oregon Costco location.
“I just need you to put that on for now while you’re in the building. That’s all,” an employee tells the woman on the video. “Just temporarily while you’re in here, and then you can take it right back off.”
The woman, who asked to speak to the manager, sat on the ground in protest despite an employee offering to get her a chair outside.
“I am an American,” she said. “I have constitutional rights.”
Costco stores returned to regular hours May 4 with a new requirement: Masks for shoppers. The move, which excludes children under 2, sparked outrage among on social media with some threatening to not renew their memberships.
In May, a video at a Costco in Arvada, Colorado, went viral after a Costco employee with a badge name "Tison" asked a shopper who refused to wear a face covering to leave.
"There are a few people who don't like it but most people do," Costco chief financial officer Richard Galenti said in late May about the mask requirement.
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Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mask tirades: A shopper destroyed a mask display at Target in video
Put a bounty on those Trumptards!
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be a purge. Spay and neuter them!
Delete