Yesterday I went to AutoZone with my grandson Steven. He’s 13 years old and he had just taken the battery out of my pickup so that we could go down and get a new one. He’s very capable for his age, but he had a good coat on and was unaware of the problems battery acid would do to his clothes. I prompted him to quickly go wash his hands after he had put the battery in the other truck.
When we got to AutoZone, he quickly reached for it in front of me, but I stopped him, I carefully picked it up myself with my fingertips, and I set it on my scooter floor, (I’m disabled) and used a napkin I had in my pocket to wipe my fingers off. He was eager to help, possibly too eager. The battery had some obvious signs of battery acid.
The entrance was set up very odd, when I went up the handicap ramp and Steven was holding the door open for me, but I would have had to go around him and the opened door to get in, and that wasn’t possible because of the curb. He then opened the Out door, and I got in that way. Three people were in the store, all three could see my struggle, however no one came to assist.
Once in, I went up to the counter and stated that I needed a new battery. The check out girl reached down to grab it without noticing the acid. I stopped her and told her I didn’t want her to get battery acid on herself. There was a younger guy standing in the hallway apparently idol and I asked him if he could come grab this battery for me. He didn’t acknowledge me but he went up to the checkout girl and whispered something to her. I again asked him if he would grab the battery, thinking he could get a tool to do so. However, he completely ignored me. I said why are you ignoring me and he said that he wasn’t. I said I asked you twice if you would grab this battery and then he admitted he was ignoring me by saying that she can get the battery. I assumed that she would look up and find the new battery for my truck and get him to carry it out to the truck for me. Boy was I wrong.
The manager came out of nowhere, I had not noticed him, he approached me and, in an attempt, to intimidate me, he yelled don’t talk to my employee that way. He said, “he was doing something I told him to do”. He continued by saying that the girl at the checkout was capable of taking care of the battery and that my old-fashioned ways we’re not welcome in this store. Yes indeed, I got kicked out of AutoZone while trying to purchase a battery for trying to make sure that the checkout girl did not get battery acid on her.
I calmly and quietly told to check out girl that I was sorry, and that it was not my intent to cause any trouble. The manager hurried back and told me to just leave the store.
I sarcastically told him, I wonder where I’m going to be able to get a battery tonight now, oh maybe across the street at Napa. And we left. As my grandson and I walked across the street, I couldn’t help but tell him how unusual I thought that whole episode was. I said I just got us kicked out of AutoZone; do you know what I said that got them so upset? My 13-year-old grandson stopped looked at me and said, I’m pretty sure it was your Trump hat.
I had forgotten I had that on. However, at Napa there was American flag above the door, and the letters Napa we’re in red white and blue with the Stars and stripes. I got a warm welcome there.
They can't stop the signal.