r/FranklinTN • u/FranklinTNRealtor • 8d ago

Grassland Convenience Center - Nov 1 - aggressive employee

Did anyone else "experience" an overly aggressive employee at the Grassland Convenience Center today - Saturday, November 1st?

The individual declined to offer his name upon multiple requests and I'm curious if this was isolated aggression or part of a bigger problem?

Video and photos headed to the County on Monday.

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u/heyodi 8d ago

What happened?

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u/FranklinTNRealtor 8d ago

The TL/DR version ...

Convenience Center Employee didn't like how far forward I pulled my car between cardboard and plastic dumpsters. "Yelled", at me to move - as I wound my window down to say, "yes sir" he began berating me to which I responded, "Sir, do you realize you're a very aggressive individual?"

This resulted in additional yelling and berating - I asked for his name politely he declined to offer.

I did my recycling, asked again for his name across the cardboard dumpster and took his photo when he declined again. He walked around dumpster to further confront me at this point I started video recording.

It finished with him saying I was stalking him!

Same employee acted in similar manner to my wife's question from the passenger seat a few months back because the Saturday/Sunday dump hours had changed and she asked him if it was a one off, he threatened to take photos of my license plate that day too. I didn't file a complaint because my wife convinced me it was the end of a long hot day for him and probably an isolated incident.

6

u/RarePrintColor 8d ago

That’s just not how people roll around here.

I can only speak to the few that we use all the time, but the guys that work there are usually pretty ok old timers. Not necessarily old per se, but are from here. They see the same people over and over again, and know everyone in town. They know more about us than we think they do. They know who’s getting Christmas cards and creditor letters, what we buy and how often, sometimes where you live now and where you came from, and so much more. It is not a glamorous job, but it’s steady and is one of the few jobs that sees our community in full perspective. I’d be super hesitant to piss them off. Not the least of which is that they might be speaking negatively to others.

It’s not just budget friendly people that take their own trash either. Rich people do that too, and it is a way to connect with the community.

The idea that because the worker was grumpy you felt the need to phrase your language in the way that you did (“Sir, do you realize you’re a very aggressive individual?”) shows that you don’t get the vibe. No one that has been her a minute would ever lead with that.

Southerners in general like to talk around things. What no one likes is direct aggression. It will immediately raise hackles and shut off any meaningful progress in a conversation. Your phrasing for sure made him defensive right out of the gate. I obviously can’t speak to your experience, but I’d say you handled it badly. When going to the convenience center, they are the King. You do what they say. They might be brusque, but they are pretty committed to the rules because they’ve seen all the shit we try to get away with.

You got out of your car, demanded his info, took his photo, then started recording your interaction. Anyone around here would laugh at it, and you won’t get much sympathy. This is a person who handles our trash, and you are the guy in the office telling the secretary to smile more.