Woman schools Menards employee for not smiling for her, points out her ‘special effort’ to make him learn. But he allegedly gets fired

A Menards employee who filmed a customer berating him for his attitude and demeanour claims they were fired after the interaction. The video, posted to TikTok, shows the customer apparently chastising the employee for not greeting her with a “smile” and for not making eye contact.

The viral video was posted by TikTok user “@notyeison1011,” although the caption tags another account named “Efrain,” which appears to be the name of the employee in the video. In the clip, an older customer addresses Efrain, telling him to “be more proactive.” She tells him that she won’t tell his manager but promises to come back into the Menards store another time, “and hopefully, you’ll greet me with a smile and eye contact.”

While it’s not clear what prompted this interaction, it seems the woman had taken issue with Efrain’s customer service. Her complaint comes across more like her berating him for not treating her the way she believes a customer ought to be treated.

When the customer asks the Menards employee if he has anything to say, Efrain appears to shake his head, prompting her to tell him, “Response could be ‘thank you,’ because I’m hoping you’re learning.” Before leaving, she doubles down on her promise to return, telling him, “I will come to your station specifically next time,” before telling him to appreciate the “special effort” she’s making to come back.

Efrain claims Menards fired him

Most commenters on TikTok agreed that the customer was acting entitled, with plenty of comments mocking her and labeling her a “Karen.” Others noted her “patronizing tone,” claiming they would have been a lot less polite in response to the customer’s behavior: “I would have walked away… then I woulda told my manager she’s planning to harass me in the future.” Another commenter predicted that Efrain was about to be fired.

Sure enough, Efrain would later claim to have lost his job in a comment underneath the video, although he didn’t explain why or whether it was anything to do with the lady in the video. Some commenters claimed that him positing the footage of a customer in the store may have been the reason for his losing his job. It’s also unclear when exactly this interaction occurred and how long after it he got fired.

Regardless of the reason for Efrain’s alleged firing, most agreed that the customer was behaving in an entitled way that only served to make the employee’s life more difficult. Many questioned why certain customers have such high expectations when they walk into stores such as Menards.