I had a weird experience in Autoparts in Stornoway yesterday. I was there for a window wiper. Whilst I was buying the wiper I saw a man I've known for many years, a keen mask-wearer. I acknowledged him, which turned out to be a mistake. He turned on me, angrily asking, 'where's your mask?' Saying things like, 'the whole world is doing it'; and, 'people with bigger brains than you have decided.' As if they were reasons. There was no need for this, as we had been over this very point before, quite recently, in Tesco - a shop where you can argue in peace.
We argued. Not a big deal. Then some bloke in a wild-west-bank-robber style face mask marched up to us. He demanded to know what we were talking about.
At this my original opponent slipped off to hide amongst the shelves.
I said to the guy, 'It's not your business, and who are you?' He said he was the shop manager. He told me I was barred from the shop and to give him the wiper blade I was holding and leave. I told him I had just bought it. Again he told me I had to leave the shop and I was barred.
Talk about an over-reaction. Talk about power-crazy.
I felt rather annoyed by this irrational and disrespectful behaviour so I said to him, 'what'll you do if I don't?' He said he would call the police and motioned to the staff members who were standing behind the tills, staring, stony faced, indicating to them to call the cops. None of them moved. Interesting.
Now call me weird if you want, but I find it strangely troubling when someone in a mask gets in your face. These mad eyes. I asked him to show me his face. He didn't.
I felt it was only reasonable that if he was going to banish me and get the cops on me - for nothing - the least he could do was show me his face while he was abusing me.
Such was his behaviour I was compelled to inform him that he was 'a very unpleasant individual who needed to learn manners.'
I decided I'd spent long enough there and headed for the door. When I reached the door I noticed that Mr Crazy-Shop-Manager had followed me. I complained to him that I had no need of him escorting me out of the building. He told me that he was going to take his mask off, but outside.
Outside he stood about a metre and a half away from me and demanded that I move two metres from him before he would remove his mask. I was well and truly fed up of him by this time and so refused. He really seemed to lose it at that point and kept demanding I moved back, shaking with rage, which was quite funny really because he could have just taken a step back himself quite easily.
Anyway, that was more or less it.
Great customer relations Autoparts - very impressive.
