Costco Customer Posts Video Of Himself Refusing To Wear Mask

ARVADA, CO — A confrontation in Costco between a man who refused to wear a mask and an employee was captured on video and posted on social media. The Arvada Costco employee asked the customer to wear a mask; instead, however, the customer began recording the encounter and told the employee that he would post the video on Instagram.

The employee then looked into the camera and said, "Hi, everyone. I work for Costco, and I'm asking this member to put on a mask because that's our company policy."

The video, which was posted on Twitter Monday, shows the customer replying, "I'm not doing it because I woke up in a free country."

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The employee warns the customer that he won't be allowed to continue shopping, tells the customer to "have a great day" multiple times and ends up taking the customer's cart away while obscenities fly.

"Sir have a great day. You are no longer welcome here in our warehouse," the employee says.

After calling the employee names, the customer says, "I'm not a **** sheep."

As of Thursday morning, the video had more than 9 million views and hundreds of comments, most of which were in support of the Costco employee. The video shows the employee's nametag, "Tison," so commenters were using his first name to applaud his actions.

U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) reposted the video with the caption, "CostCo has the right to require that customers wear a mask. Businesses have the right to prevent people from spewing saliva droplets in their stores. Because we live in a free country. And because there’s a frickin’ life-threatening virus that’s spread through saliva droplets."

Colorado remains under a safer-at-home order, which requires everyone to wear a face covering when entering a store. The outbreak has spread rapidly in Denver's metro area, but health orders are helping to "flatten the curve" and save thousands of lives in Colorado, public health officials said.

In a statement issued previously to members, Costco President and CEO Craig Jelinek said that face coverings need to be worn to protect employees and members.

"We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the

circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience," Jelinek said. "This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer but others, too."

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