The shop accused her of taking advantage of an elderly customer with dementia.
An ice cream shop worker in Minnesota is claiming she was fired after a customer left a generous $100 tip. The worker, Emily Swenson, says she tried to refuse the tip but the customer insisted on leaving it in the jar, according to The New York Post.
According to Emily’s parents, who posted about the incident on Facebook, she had just finished serving a customer when they offered the large tip. Emily reportedly declined, but the customer placed the money in the tip jar and left.
Later, at the end of her shift, Emily’s parents allege that management at The Freez confronted her about the tip. They accused her of taking advantage of an elderly customer with dementia, despite Emily’s explanation of the situation, as per the news report.
Emily, who had been employed at The Freez for five seasons, was then reportedly fired.
On April 24, the business submitted an “Employee Warning Notice Form” to Emily for “corrective action.”
“Emily needs to understand that some of our customers are elderly and could be dealing with dementia or other illnesses that make it hard for them to understand their actions,” the shop said in the notice.
“No one in their right frame of mind tips $100 at a place where every menu item is under $12,” the notice shared by the Swensons continued.
“As an employee of The Freez, it is your responsibility to protect the reputation of the establishment. If the customer is dealing with issues and the family finds out that she was allowed to put $100 in the tip jar, The Freez will be looked down on as a place that takes advantage of the elderly. Looking out for our customers should take priority over the opportunity to get a tip.”
