A Menards cashier who recently went viral online after sharing a video of a customer criticizing him for not greeting her warmly says he has now lost his job over the incident. The employee, who worked at the store’s Columbus, Nebraska, location, posted a follow-up TikTok claiming the viral video reached corporate management and resulted in his termination.
“I got fired because I posted a TikTok of a lady trying to tell me how to do my job… I managed to record on my glasses. And, yeah, I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I decided to post it online and [it] went viral,” the former employee said. In that video, the customer was upset because he did not greet her first and criticized him for not being more “proactive.” She even said she would return to his checkout lane another time to see whether he had improved.
The next day, when he came into work, the former employee said he was called into a meeting with the store’s general manager about an hour into his shift. He claimed the manager showed him screenshots of his TikTok profile, the viral video, and its comments before informing him that Menards did not tolerate that type of behavior.
The former employee said he was shocked when he learned he was being terminated. “I don’t know what behavior he’s talking about, cause I didn’t even do anything to the customer,” he said. “She’s the one that was harassing me. I didn’t even answer back or nothing. I just stayed quiet.”
Realizing there was nothing he could do to change the outcome, he accepted the decision and is now unemployed.
Viewers React to the Nebraska Cashier’s Firing
The update prompted many viewers to criticize the company. Several people said it was unfair that the man was fired when the customer had deliberately tried to provoke him.
“She was definitely a Karen too. That’s so unfair you got fired,” one person wrote. “It was obvious what this woman was doing. She was antagonizing you unprovoked. Shame on your employer for allowing you to be treated like this,” someone else said.
A third netizen remarked, “This is why these people act this way! Corporate greed cares more about making money than the people who come to work every day.” Another encouraged him to see his termination as a positive thing, writing, “Bottom line! She did you a favor though because this is part of your journey. Onward and upward.”
A few also suggested he explore legal action. “Could this be wrongful termination? If so, hire a lawyer that would charge you after you win,” one commenter advised.
However, some believed the former employee was responsible for losing his job. “You got fired because you posted the video on social media. I don’t think it had anything to do with the actual incident,” one comment read. Another added, “Sorry dude, two wrongs don’t make a right. She was rude, but filming people without their knowledge is creepy.”
The cashier has continued to maintain that he was not in the wrong and that the company fired him “for no reason.”
Although the company has not publicly commented on this specific case, Menards’ workplace policies reportedly prohibit employees from taking unauthorized photos, videos, or other recordings on company property and sharing them on social media. Those policies may help explain why the company reportedly took disciplinary action after the video went viral.
