Arabian Plights
AUSTRALIA, BIGOTRY, GROCERY STORE, NEW SOUTH WALES, PHYSICAL, SYDNEY, WILD & UNRULY | RIGHT | JANUARY 2, 2013
(I have a rather unusual name that leads people into thinking I’m from overseas. Not helping matters is that I have a slight accent because my mother is from New Zealand.)
Me: “Hi, how are you today?”
Customer: “Fine, thanks.”
(She looks at me and reads my name tag.)
Customer: *slowly, while giving me the thumbs up* “I am very good, a-okay.”
Me: *confused* “Well, okay, then.”
Customer: “Where are you from?”
Me: “I live in [Nearby Neighbourhood].”
Customer: “Where. Were. You. Born?”
Me: “I was born in Australia, ma’am. I’ve lived here my whole life.”
Customer: “Don’t lie to me! That is not an Australian name; that’s a foreigner name!”
Me: “It is a bit unusual, isn’t it? My parents found it in a baby book. Customers have told me it means ‘brunette’ in Arabic.”
Customer: “Ah-hah! That’s where you’re from. That’s why you have that ridiculous voice! First, you blow up our soldiers, and now you’re working in our stores!”
(She suddenly snatches a bag of biscuits from the counter and throws it at me. I’m too surprised to do anything, but thankfully my manager sees the whole thing and comes over.)
Manager: *to me* “Go take a nice, long break, and let me finish up here.”
Customer: “Yeah, get lost, girlie! This nice Australian man is going to help me.”
Manager: *smiles* “Ma’am, I was born in Iran and immigrated to Australia when I was three.”
(The customer proceeded to scream in anger and threw something at my manager. She was thrown out of the store!)
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