Grocery store worker dances while woman complains about mask policy for customers

A video of a woman trying to shop at the Dana Point, CA Gelson's grocery store has gone viral. In the video, she complains about the policy that shoppers must wear a mask.

The woman filming identifies herself as Shelley Lewis in the video. She clearly thinks she's catching Gelson's in some violation of her human rights, but instead, she ends up seeming extremely entitled and difficult.

In the video, a grocery store worker approaches Shelley as she is about to enter the store to tell her she unfortunately cannot shop unless she's wearing a mask. It's just what we gotta do these days, folks!  

She asks for a manager, and then explains that she has a medical condition that means she doesn't have to wear a mask. The manager gives her several options. They can give her a mask if she doesn't have her own, or, if she really can't wear one, they can do the shopping for her while she remains outside of the store.

This, she refuses. She claims that there are "private" items she doesn't want anyone to see her purchase, and she makes a huge fuss about handing over her personal credit card to someone, apparently forgetting that mere years ago, before self-serve pin pads, we all did that when shopping for groceries.

The manager and store employee are supremely patient with this woman, who's arguing for her right to potentially spread a deadly virus to those around her. Ultimately, she is not let in the store.

While she waits for the manager to return with a business card so she can call corporate to complain and waste yet another person's time, the grocery store worker standing outside begins to dance while wiping down carts. 

"You're pretty chipper," she says to the dancing employee as she films him. He tells her he's happy and explains that he used to be a bartender. If he didn't have this job, he'd be out of work.

"Well good, I'm glad," Shelley responds. "I'm glad you guys think it's OK to infringe on people's rights here. You're infringing on people's rights." At that moment, the manager returns and sends her on her way, and the dancing employee, aka our new hero, calmly says, "Thank you for your patience," as she strolls away.

While Shelley filmed this video to show her "rights" being "infringed" upon, what it really displays is a masterclass in how to de-escalate a situation with a confrontational customer.

The video went viral across several platforms and prompted reactions from many. "She clearly never had any intention of shopping," one Reddit user commented. "She just wanted to go out and be an a--hole."

"I'm sure she was disappointed it didn't escalate more," another person wrote. "As a healthcare person, I am struggling to figure out what 'medical condition' she could have that prevents her from wearing a mask."

Others did a little digging into Shelley Lewis and found that she is a passionate flat-earther (surprise, surprise), according to Daily Dot. She clearly came to Gelson's looking for a fight. The reluctance to wear masks is totally bizarre to me.

Americans have this wildly inaccurate notion that they have and must preserve total freedom. Freedom doesn't mean the freedom from social responsibility. Freedom doesn't mean the freedom to be awful to others. This behavior is beyond embarrassing.