I had a very concerning experience at the Maverik located on E North Street in Rapid City that I believe deserves corporate review.
I entered the store with my sister-in-law to get fountain drinks. I originally had two drinks and went to the self-checkout to pay using tap pay. While I was completing the transaction, my boyfriend messaged me asking me to grab him a drink as well. I scanned another fountain drink barcode so I paid for three drinks total.
After paying, I sent my sister-in-law outside with two drinks and stayed behind to fill the third one. As I was leaving through the side exit, an employee who had been standing near the self-checkout area stopped me and began questioning me about the drink I had.
I explained that I had already paid for it, but he continued questioning me and claimed he did not see me purchase it. The employee appeared to be a short blonde Caucasian male in his 50s and his tone was immediately accusatory.
Despite explaining multiple times that I had paid, I felt singled out, closely watched, and treated as if I had stolen something. The situation escalated and the employee continued confronting me outside the store in a way that felt intimidating.
After this incident, my boyfriend went inside the store to speak with staff and request the receipt. The manager Michelle confirmed that I had paid for all three drinks, yet the employee still did not apologize. When my boyfriend asked the employee for his name, he covered his name tag.
Being falsely accused in public was embarrassing enough, but what concerns me most is that even after the store confirmed that I paid, the employee’s behavior was never corrected.
Because of how closely I was watched and immediately confronted despite paying, the entire situation left me feeling that I may have been unfairly singled out and racially profiled.
I strongly encourage Maverik corporate to review the security footage and self-checkout records from around 3:51 PM and evaluate whether this employee’s conduct aligns with Maverik’s policies regarding customer treatment and discrimination.
No customer should be treated like a criminal after paying for their items.