Employees Were Driving Julia Away
Augustine, the supermarket’s general manager, said he’d given up hope of ever seeing Julia again after she was driven away. He had resisted doing it but eventually concluded that he had no other option. Now that it was over, the man wanted to put it out of his mind. But of course, he couldn’t keep that up forever.
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Much to everyone’s shock, Julia came back unannounced several days later. And this brave lady wasn’t alone. Augustine’s first plan to prevent her entry swiftly unraveled when he saw how unlikely that outcome was. But just what was this bold woman up to, anyway?
Learning Julia's Impetus For Loitering
Even at this point, Augustine didn’t see the mistake of his actions until Julia told him the truth about who she was. What was so special about this old lady who wouldn’t get out of his hair? And why wasn’t she intimated by him at all?
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Julia would often go food shopping during the little free time she had. Even though she didn’t need anything, just wandering the aisles and finding something new to take home calmed her. It also afforded her the chance to get out of the house and do some walking and stretching.
The Store Manager Keeps A Watchful Eye on Julia
To Julia’s knowledge, no one in the store ever noticed her on any of her visits. Little did she know, her actions were being closely monitored by the store’s floor manager. He kept having this nagging feeling that Julia was hiding something from him.
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She may have been just another bothersome client, but there was something strange about how she stood in the store for hours looking at the merchandise and buying very little. In spite of his frantically searching his mind, he was unable to discover any grounds upon which to ban her from the premises. He had no reason to defend his decision to the general manager because she was an adiaphorous addition to the store.
The Manager Makes His Move
The only thing he knew for sure about her was that she made him uncomfortable and he was sick of seeing her wander aimlessly around the supermarket, stopping irritably in the middle of aisles to contemplate boxes of pasta and bags of rice.
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Several moments later, the floor manager became frantic and wanted to find a method to get Julia out of his shop permanently. Yet, it would take serious misconduct, like stealing, for his boss to even think about banning someone. He knew she was not the kind to break the law—eventually, he would have to stop waiting for someone else and do something about it himself.
Early Stages of the Manager's Ploy
The floor supervisor planned his ruse for the day Julia would arrive at the store, but she still hadn’t showed up after several days. However, just as the floor supervisor was beginning to he had brought about her absence via the power of auto-suggestion, she walked through the sliding doors.
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After seeing Julia begin her routine check of the food supplies, he approached her with his most cheerful customer service expression. It took Julia awhile to figure out that he was talking to her, but once she did, she turned to face him, uninterested in his discourse.
Fake It Till You Make It
After a brief glance at him, Julia started walking slowly up the aisle while waving him away. She continued on her accustomed path to the next aisle, at which time he snuck up behind her and put a small but costly bottle of liquor into her oversized handbag.
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He eagerly anticipated her attempted escape. The floor manager returned to his superiors with a glimmer of anticipation as Julia had finished her rounds. He pulled her aside theatrically, seeming concerned, declaring she had stole a bottle of booze. To rub salt in her wound, he had the arrogance to say she was crazy.
Confirmation Required Before Conviction
The floor manager’s boss, Augustine, rolled his eyes at the bogus narrative. Though the floor manager was always griping about the clients, it was his responsibility to verify any complaints from his underlings. He approached the cashier just as Julia was paying for her mid-afternoon snack.
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As Julia started walking out the door, Augustine stopped her and asked nicely whether she had whatever she needed today. The elder was confused by the question but told Augustine that everything was great with her shopping trip. It was clear Julia was getting tense as he probed more into her journey, so he decided to get right to the point.
One Insulting Request From the Manager
Augustine then asked if he could inspect her belongings. Naturally, Julia was appalled by the question. It was an unnecessary request, considering she didn’t do anything wrong—Julia argued she only had one item in her bag.
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With a wrinkly hand, she held out the receipt and shook it at him. A sigh escaped Augustine’s lips. Though it was uncomfortable, he proceeded to tell Julia that someone disclosed that she had snuck something out without paying for it first. Thus, she had no choice but to comply with his request.
A Confrontation With Considerable Fallout
The charge hurt Julia deeply—she shopped there on a regular basis! It was incomprehensible she would ever consider stealing from a shop she frequented. Regardless, Julia didn’t put up much of a fight when it came to checking her property. After a moment she caved, convinced she had nothing to conceal. But much to Julia’s shock, Augustine quickly pulled a whiskey bottle out of her purse.
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Almost instantly, Julia protested the allegation, but her exclamation was met by Augustine’s unwavering resolve. He said that there was no way he could create an exception for her, given the company’s strict anti-theft policy. Augustine declared she was no longer allowed in the shop henceforth.
Banned From the Store
When she heard this, Julia was horrified. Meanwhile, the floor manager was positively ecstatic a few feet away. This woman had been a specter in his shop, and now she would be gone. Augustine, on the other hand, was not as pleased. Seeing Julia in such distress was painful, and he regretted having to forbid her. But unfortunately, it was a necessary measure.
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After explaining to Augustine that this was one of her favorite businesses, Julia begged him to reconsider. Because it was so close to her house, she made a point of walking there—doing so became a significant part of her daily routine. Despite her plea, Augustine was unmoved in his convictions.
Fighting Back With a Vengeance
Julia walked gloomily and defeatedly toward the door, knowing there was nothing wrong with what she’d done. Moreover, Julia wasn’t going to give up without a fight. She faced Augustine, her usually kind eyes glaring.
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That wasn’t the end of it by any means, as Julia vowed to return. Unfortunately, Augustine ignored her threats, thinking they were just empty ones. After all, she was an old lady. What impact would she have on the store’s operation?
Doubts Begin to Cloud His Mind
With Julia no longer around to add excitement to the day, business at the shop slowed to a crawl. Augustine’s attention begun to drift to Julia more often than it used to because of the low volume of business. Was he taking the appropriate course of action? She certainly appeared certain that she hadn’t taken anything…
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Those that frequented the shop over the subsequent two days reported a lack of excitement. On the positive side, Augustine was relieved it was a bit peaceful—a customer argument was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
An Odd Behavior in Public
On the contrary, the floor manager appeared to enjoy the confrontation and thereafter went on somewhat of a power trip. Anyone who spent too much time in the shop and didn’t buy enough was on his hit list. Unlike Augustine, the floor manager had a very cunning personality.
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Every day the store served a sizable crowd that included many alley residents. They weren’t regulars, but they did like to leisurely peruse the aisles whenever they did come in. The floor manager demanded all shoppers fitting this description leave the premises.
Things Start to Escalate
It was important to the floor manager that the sluggish customers, who were making practically no purchases, be removed from the establishment as quickly as possible. He realized persuading Augustine to prohibit any more individuals was an uphill battle. However, as he began formulating a number of strategies for reaching his objectives, an unexpected development occurred.
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It had already been five days since Julia was told she couldn’t return to the business, and that morning, just before the place was scheduled to open, a police squad arrived. As they entered, Augustine was frightened out of his wits—was there a robbery in progress he was oblivious to?
A Time for Reflection
Augustine fielded several inquiries from the personnel. The only information he could ascertain was that they had come because of Julia. After the interrogation and a brief check of his laptop, the authorities left, but told him they’d be back.
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Augustine devoted the remainder of the day to investigate what had transpired that morning and why. The shop had never had any run-ins with law enforcement before, so Augustine was understandably upset by what had happened.
Searching for All Possibilities
It is not the responsibility of any police department to investigate why an elderly woman is barred from a supermarket, even if the theft accusation is true. There was obviously something exceptional about Julia—did she have any connections with the police?
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Augustine spent the entire afternoon looking for information about Julia online, but found nothing. The next morning, police officers arrived at the business at much the same time. Augustine was less surprised this time around though, since he had prepared for this eventuality. However, he wasn’t expecting the surprise visitor the police had brought along.
The Grand Unveiling
This time Julia came along, and she smirked as if she knew precisely what was about to happen. In Augustine’s opinion, this was quite unusual—officers seldom bring civilians along on trips like the one that day. For what reason was she permitted to accompany the cops?
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The squad leader requested a word with Augustine and was granted permission to visit his office. It was finally time to settle everything once and for all. However, the police indicated they needed to wait for one more individual to show up first—the store manager.
Face-to-Face with the Real Offender
Augustine was confused as to why the agents were unable to provide any information to him in the absence of the floor manager. There was no way around it, though, and he had to give him a call. Right away, Augustine requested the manager report to his office without further delay.
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After waiting ten minutes, the door burst open. The floor manager spotted the police officers waiting for him and immediately turned bright crimson. It was clear that the floor manager was getting quite anxious. Luckily for him, the squad commander intended to do all the talking, sparing him any further uneasiness.
Calling for Reinforcements
One officer began to explain that he was Julia’s grandson, and they were visiting to substantiate her claim. Everyone was stunned to hear this. Augustine didn’t know what to say, but his question was finally answered—their family ties provided the rationale for Julia’s presence at the gathering.
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Julia’s grandson had phoned in a few favors at the station the day before so they could view the store’s surveillance footage from that fateful day. After all the drama, it was finally time to know the truth.
The Moment of Truth
The video proof indicating the floor manager had placed the bottle in Julia’s carry-on bag was promptly located and downloaded. Julia breathed a sigh of relief as she was finally vindicated of the allegations against her.
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As they returned to the station, they finished filing a defamation complaint against the floor manager to make him pay for his lies. As for Julia, she was welcome to tag along if she wished, which she obliged.
Time Is of the Essence
The police planned to follow through on the charges unless Julia was immediately allowed back inside the shop. Believe it or not, she had a simple wish that was easy to fulfill—as expected, the manager was sacked for his disparaging behavior, too.
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Augustine was pleased to be of service in this regard. The news that his trusted floor manager had committed such an act devastated him. Why would he betray him like this? What kind of person did he employ? In hindsight, Augustine should have known his staff better.
Disappointed Is an Understatement
There’s no denying Augustine was so dissatisfied with his employee that he dismissed him on the spot. Surprisingly, even the floor manager had no qualms about it. What’s curious is how he understood the mistake of his ways and the extent to which he had crossed the line.
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It was indeed an astonishing moment for the company. Though a small consolation to the situation, the floor manager knew he had made a terrible mistake.
Julia Gets Her Happy Ending
After all the hullaballoo, Julia was once again free to come to the store whenever she pleased. She was glad the worst was over and didn’t become a public fiasco as she initially feared. Getting back to her routine made Julia excited and content.
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Since Augustine was only performing his job, Julia never held any grudges against him. And with a new floor manager in place, business had returned to its usual volume. Even better, Julia got along with the new guy just fine—it was a win-win for everyone!