A black mom at an Albertsons grocery store in Gresham, Oregon, did not have enough money to pay her bill after using her WIC benefits, so Jackie Carroll offered to pay the $12 difference.

But, her generosity was interrupted by a cashier with an agenda.

"[I] said, 'I will pay,' and she said, 'No!' Very abruptly," Carroll said to KATU. "Literally, she raised her voice and said, 'No, you don’t need to do that.'"

Carroll, who is white, pressed the issue, but the cashier stood firm, citing the woman’s use of government benefits.

"I go, 'Well I don’t mind, just let her have her stuff,'" Carroll continued. "'No! You’re not going to do that. She has WIC. She gets her free stuff.'" 

The woman left with what she could afford, and when it was Carroll’s turn at the register, the cashier, described as a white woman in her sixties, didn’t let up.

"'That’s why they have babies, so they can keep on getting all of the free stuff,'" the cashier allegedly told her.

Carroll says she recommended the cashier be more compassionate and left. When she got home, she called the store’s manager to report the incident. Carroll’s daughter, Amanda Arlund, made a Facebook post that went viral.

Carroll believes the store should find the woman, apologize and offer her a store credit. Albertsons issued a statement apologizing for the incident and confirmed there is an active investigation:

“We sincerely apologize that, in this incident, it appears we did not deliver the customer service that we pride ourselves on," the company wrote. "While this isolated situation is still under investigation, we are taking this opportunity to remind all of our employees that each and every customer is a welcomed guest in our stores."
Albertsons also said the employee has not been disciplined due to the status of the investigation.

Albertsons Grocery Store