I have a friend who had a strange thing happen to her. How would you have handled this?

Question

My friend works in a Mcdonald's that is in a Wal-mart. An 8 year old girl walks into the Mcdonald's from the store and asks for a water cup. Susan, who is in the lobby, gives her a water and follows the child to the drink fountain where she fills the cup with soda right in front of her. Susan tells her she can't have the soda because she didn't pay for it. She can only have water because that's what she asked for. So the child pours out the soda and gets water and leaves. Five minutes later the child's grandmother comes to her and is very angry that she corrected her grand daughter herself and didn't come to her. She told her that she should have let her grand daughter have the soda then told her but she, the grand mother was in the store and really wasn't planning on going to the Mcdonald's only until her grand daughter came to her and told her that a white woman told her that, they were black, she couldn't have a soda. 
Susan said she was sorry that she didn't tell her but that she wasn't around when the girl got the soda and didn't pay for it but she could not let her get a soda without paying for it and leave the restaurant with it. She wasn't doing this because she was black but because she hadn't paid for what she took. She would have done the same thing if the child was white.
Some of the customers in the restaurant actually thought Susan should have let the child have the soda. I don't think she should have without making her or the grandmother pay for it. I don't think this is racial I think this is just you have to do what is right. I think that Susan couldn't help that the grandmother didn't teach her grand daughter right from wrong but she would have gotten in trouble if she had let her away with stealing soda.
What would you have done?  Susan is not a prejudice person.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

She absolutely did the correct thing! 
She has an obligation as an employee to make sure that people pay for what they take. She had every right to say something to the child, especially since the Grand Mother wasn't there. I would have said something even with the Parent standing right there. It's not my fault that the children aren't taught what is right and what is wrong, but it is my job to make sure people aren't taking freebies. 
Your friend could have put her own job at jeopardy if her boss had witnessed her just give away a free soda. 
Kudos to her for doing the moral thing even though it caused her some grief!

Anonymous · Answer

What a great way to get something for nothing - wonder how many times - the little kid tried this. Pulling the race card was unfair - that child is watching and learning. Too bad. Sarah was correct - she is following "company policy". Could you see what would happen - if word go out - and all the kids would "hit" on this?  Free Soda Stampede ! â¥

Bobbi Sue · Answer

I totally agree with you. You do not get anything for free and i think that the grandmother is a piece of **** if she thought it was right for her granddaughter to steal. **** being prejudice they were just trying to justify being thieves. You can't try to steal something and then get pissed because you got caught and say oh its because i am black! That is probably why she stole in the first place she was raised to!

♥ severelynormal · Answer

I would have handled it the same way.  Sometimes when people don't get what they want they throw the weirdest accusations at you.  We have to stand firm in our ethics.  Some restaurants will not even give out a cup for water, she was being kind.

Heather S · Answer

I would have handled it the same way... in situations like that, I find that the ethnic people are the ones prejudice. They always claim race as an issue... all the while they are raciest against white and other colors themselves... I myself am not. I dated a wonderful black man, and am still great friends with him.

curiousgirl · Answer

At 8 she should have been taught that you can't walk into a store and just take something without paying.  Grandma should have been grateful.

cecstar · Answer

children have to learn young..not by race.
she did the right thing.

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I have a friend who had a strange thing happen to her. How would you have handled this?

7 Answers