TANTRUM
‘Costco Karen’ screams ‘I’m an American and I have rights’ then sits on the floor after being told to wear a COVID mask
A SHOPPER has been dubbed 'Costco Karen' after she staged a one-woman sit-in protest when she was told to put on a coronavirus mask.
The woman justified her defiance by saying: “I’m an American. I have constitutional rights!”
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She was recorded on at a Costco in Hillsboro, , on June 30 and the clips have since gone viral.
“Costco Karen” first appears at the merchandise returns counter, where an employee tells her to wear her mask, which is the store’s policy during the pandemic.
“I need you to put that on for now while you’re in the building, that’s all,” the employee says.
"Just temporarily while you’re in here. Then you can take it right back off.”
The woman, who has a mask hanging from her ear, responds: “I will not".
Then the employee asks the woman to “come back another time, OK?” but she does not comply.
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The woman requests to speak with the manager.
“He’s going to require the same,” the employee says, and asks the woman to step outside and that the manager will meet her there.
The woman replies: “No, I’m staying right here.”
In another clip, “Costco Karen” she has a medical condition that interferes with her ability to wear a mask.
She eventually sits down in the middle of the store in protest.
The employee offers to get the woman a chair to sit outside, but she refuses to comply.
“Costco Karen” eventually gets up, only to sit down on the floor again away from the main path for shoppers.
Later on, the manager approaches the woman and asks: “What can I do for you?”
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The woman seems to throw a tantrum and insists that she does not intend to leave.
"Do you want to carry me?” she says.
“Costco Karen” is then heard saying, “I’m an American. I have constitutional rights!”
The video ends without revealing what ultimately happens to her.
A Costco spokesperson declined to comment to The Sun US on Monday.
The woman’s identity has not been revealed.
“Karen” refers to a middle-aged white woman who acts entitled and inappropriately in social situations.
As states reopen and the number of Covid-19 cases surges, some Americans are refusing to wear masks, and claiming that policies enforcing masks violate their constitutional rights.
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Costco began enforcing a policy for its employees and customers to wear masks covering their mouth and nose at all times beginning on May 4.
“We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstanced we believe the added safety is worthy any inconvenience,” the policy states.
“This is not simply a matter of personal choice, a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.”
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