It sounds like a praiseworthy act of kindness: A teen employee at the Great American Cookie Company takes the order of a police officer inside the local mall, then offers to buy the cop’s cookie with his own money!
Like, what teen thinks to do that? And yet, that’s just what Tami Randolph’s son did.
Tami Kurtz Randolph
The unfortunate thing is that rather than praising the teen for his selflessness and honorable maturity, the person in line behind the officer walked up to the register and said, “Are you going to buy mine too?”
A funny joke, for those who like to get a “deer-in-the-headlights” reaction from their humor, but the sad thing is, this customer was NOT joking around.
As Tami details in a Facebook post about the encounter, her son responded to the customer by saying that he’d offered to pay for the police man’s cookie because he was wearing a badge—one that identifies him as a person who sacrifices himself to serve and protect others.
“Then this customer started verbally attacking him, calling my son a racist, & threatened to beat him up. His wife threatened to go back there and slap him. The middle-aged man sat down his little daughter and tried to come behind the counter to attack him. Thankfully his coworker defused the situation. The man then said, ‘I will get you fired.’”
As soon as the man began berating Tami’s son, the teen shut down. He didn’t say hardly anything back, and he simply felt attacked for doing something kind.
Unfortunately the officer had already left, and the only one there to defend her son was his co-worker.
Shaken up, the teen finished his shift and went home.
On Monday his manager texted him and requested he bring all of his “stuff”—hat, T-shirt, things that could be considered property of the company—and prepare for a meeting on Tuesday with both the manager and upper manager.
The following day, he entered the meeting to learn that the upper manager wanted him fired.
Luckily the manager came to his defense, saying he was an excellent worker, and agreed that he’d done nothing wrong. It helps too that the day before the incident, Tami’s son had been offered a $2/hour raise and a management position.
After working his three-hour shift, the teen was called to the back where his manager—who’d previously backed him up, was now writing him up for his behavior with the irate customer.
According to Tami, the report says “he bought a cookie for a police officer and a customer wanted to physically fight him.” Later in the document it states “if this happens again he will be terminated.”
As if that wasn’t enough of a blow, the manager then told the teen that after Tuesday’s shift, he’d be on a one-week suspension.
Understandably upset, Tami gives her two cents on the matter:
“Since when does buying a police officer a cookie give anyone else a reason to attack someone. And when did a Corporation want to FIRE someone for being KIND, taking what a customer said or did, regardless of how hateful they are.”
It’s a shame that we live in a society today where people are so easily offended. It’s impossible to please everyone, but if you don’t, your head—or in this case your job—is on the chopping block.
There’s no doubt that Tami’s son is wise beyond his years. It takes a special teen—and one who was raised well—to acknowledge a person of authority, and also offer to buy them a snack.
Though his company may not have had his back, this teen knows what’s important.
When asked if he’d do it again, he said “in a heartbeat.”
Tell us what you think about this teen’s random act of kindness in the comments below. Let’s lift him up in support together.
