My husband and I frequently visit a small local brewery. We have been going there for years, we know the owners well. We know their kids. We’ve made tons of friends there and have constantly supported and promoted their business to others.
On Friday, we go in as usual. My husband makes a 6 pack to take home later on, he holds it up to the owner at cash and says “hey, I have 6 beers in here for later.” We get our drinks and head out to the patio.
Our home and this business share parking so as we were sitting there noticed the sunroof on my car was open. As I was leaving to get my car keys my husband asked me to take his 6 pack home. So I went inside to get it.
When I came back the owner came outside and said he needed to have an awkward conversation with us. Weird but ok. He then looks at me and asks “why did you steal two beers out of my fridge?” I said “I didn’t, I took the 6 pack.” He says “no you didn’t. The 6 pack was long gone. You came in with your little thing in your hand and stole from me!” Again, I say it was the 6 pack. His wife, the co-owner had come out at this point. He proceeds to tell me he has me on camera and that we’ll watch the footage together because he knows I’m lying. We watch it. I’m saying that’s the 6 pack. My husband is furious and says this is very accusatory and unacceptable. I offer to take the owner up to my apartment so he can see the 6 pack in my fridge. “No. I know you stole it! I can’t believe you’d do this to me.” I keep repeating that I didn’t take anything we didn’t already pay for and he keeps saying I did. He had a few other words for my husband.
I don’t know when he came around but he did for some reason. He said “wow I feel like such a fool.” I’m sitting there in tears blocked in the patio by him and his wife while they’re “apologizing” to me. “I feel like a fool. Please forgive me. I’m only acting like this because I’m so stressed out and depressed. The business isn’t doing well and we don’t know what we’re going wrong.” I’m literally sitting there in tears staring at my husband like we need to leave now but we can’t. His wife is crying about how they’ve been hurting and things haven’t been good for them lately. He keeps going on about “please forgive me. I’m at your mercy.” The best non apology I’ve ever heard in my life. Blaming everyone around them for their failures. The owner says to me that this isn’t the first time this has happened to him and he’s just “so jaded that he can’t trust anyone and that’s why I accused you.” He said he’s “so stressed and there have been times where I’ve been hurt before but haven’t said anything. I don’t like to confront people and I wasn’t going to but I had to. I couldn’t not say something. I’m jaded, so jaded. I’ve been hurt by people I love before. That’s why I had to confront you.”
They tried to buy us off by saying they’d cover our tab but my husband had already paid. They said they’d reimburse him (but haven’t). They also tried to invite us to their house so they could make us dinner as if that makes up for accusing me for stealing from a business we loved and supported for 5 years.
I was sitting there silently crying while they’re nothing ranting on and on about how this accusation isn’t really their fault. Eventually their go back inside. My husband and I left and we will never go back.
Today we heard from one of the staff there that after this event they owners “felt bad” but obviously not bad enough to apologize.
So to these small business owners: you want to know why you’re business isn’t doing well? Take a long hard look in the mirror.