Most people were happy to comply, and the store gave masks to shoppers who didn’t have one, he said.
“People who didn’t want to wear a mask really didn’t want to wear a mask and they wanted to argue about it and just tell me it didn’t work or that it was stupid,” he said.
Bingham said she was tired of arguing, so on Monday she posted a forceful new sign.
“If you choose not to wear a mask, we respectfully ask that you postpone your visit,” says the sign. “We will be delighted to discuss the effectiveness of the masks when this is all over and you come to sell your dead grandmother’s clothes.”
It concluded with the message “TL; DR masks required”.
Bingham said the store has been inundated with calls, emails and social media messages.
Most have supported, he said, but some included angry comments from people who say the sign is alleviating the pandemic, which has particularly affected older people and people with health problems.
“I am a little disappointed that people think that we are being insensitive when I feel that it is exactly the opposite,” she said. “As if he felt that we are doing our best to protect the vulnerable, we are not benefiting from anyone’s dead grandmother.”
The store receives much of its inventory from sales of goods, so the sign is just being honest, he said.
Bingham said that grandmothers around the world have called and left voicemails thanking the store for defending them.
The social media uproar has drawn new customers to Antique Sugar, but Bingham said the store has halted its online sales on Instagram due to the volume of messages.
The store has received some threats, so Bingham hired a security guard from the next bar to guard against any possible drama.
Bingham said that if someone in the store were to get the virus, the store would probably have to close for about two weeks. She said she is primarily concerned about her parents, loved ones on her staff, and everyone else they come into contact with.
“If I get it at work and end up passing it on to someone who can’t recover, that’s the most horrible thing in the world and we have to think about other people, not ourselves,” he said.
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