H-E-B Manager Says Employees Are Harassed By Anti-Mask Customers

Texas grocery store chain H-E-B has been on the forefront of the pandemic and has made its employees wear masks since April. While the stores require customers to also wear masks, the rule is difficult to enforce.

A manager at a Houston H-E-B location anonymously told Vice that face mask enforcement at stores has dropped off because employees are being harassed by customers.

In an email, the manager wrote:

“Many [customers] have become verbally and even physically abusive in some stores. I have been personally told by customers that HEB does not honor the rights they fought for in the war, told they have medical concerns with masks, and I was violating their rights and HIPAA laws. We offer masks and inform customers of the [county] ordinance in place. However, when it comes to making them leave, due to the way many have reacted, we have stopped doing so. Our safety is priority, we do not want our leaders at risk for the abuse we have all taken the last several months.” 

An H-E-B spokesperson told Vice that the store's face mask policy is still in place.

Most major grocery stores have some kind of face covering and social distancing requirements, but enforcement comes down to store employees. Since the start of the pandemic, grocery store employees across the country have expressed similar issues.

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