A man depicted shouting at a woman for asking him to wear a mask in a Florida Costco has lost his job after video of the incident went viral.
The man can be seen shouting “I feel threatened!” and “Back the f– up and put your f—ing phone down” at the person filming the episode as he advances on them before backing up and glaring at them.
Ted Todd Insurance, a Florida firm with offices in Estero, Sarasota, Boca Raton and Melbourne, announced in a statement on its website that the man has been fired over the video.
“Thank you to everyone for their comments and messages raising awareness about a former employee at Ted Todd Insurance,” the statement reads. “Their behavior in the video is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated. Threatening behavior and intimidation go against our core mission to be trusted advisors in our community.”
Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti told USA Today that customers have mostly worn masks without incident at the bulk retailer’s 547 U.S. stores.
“Overall, the mask requirement has been well received,” he said. “There have been some who have chosen not to shop here. But overall, the majority of the people have been supportive of it. We believe it’s to help slow the spread of the virus. If we’re right, we’re right. If we’re not right, it’s a relatively small inconvenience. We’re not trying to challenge anybody’s constitutional rights.”
While polling indicates the public is broadly supportive of masks and are wearing them in public, several incidents of people reacting angrily or violently to being asked to wear them have made headlines, including one at another CostCo in which a customer berated a worker who asked him to wear one and called the worker a “p—– little bitch.”