Well, I think part of the reason you're getting pushback is that you still have a gripe with it. It was a one time occurrence, and despite the employee yelling, they were still correct and you were wrong and breaking the rules if you will.
For a little context, Costco recently started cracking down on the membership 'sharing' and a lot of employees are now being forced to turn away customers, of whom many turn very irate, because just like you they've been doing this for a long time. That employee that yelled at you might have very well been at the end of a shift where they themselves had been yelled at and berated multiple times. As much as we'd like to say that they should be better and not respond in kind, we both know that if you abuse someone enough, they will lash out.
Stop having a gripe with it. Chalk it up as a slightly unpleasant experience and move on.
Frustrated, sure. I wouldn't be griping about it though, I'd move on.
(I also wouldn't stop shopping somewhere just because one employee had an outburst about something that they're being forced to do and is causing negative interactions with customers. Sure, I won't feel good about it, I might complain to management, but at the end of the day that one short interaction has so little bearing on my life that it's not worth constantly remembering and bringing it up.)
Ehh, a gripe online years later isn't the same as it living rent free in your head. I think that's our contrast here. I doubt that commenter's history is full of commenting about Costco. You have random events happen and certain topics can remind you, even decades later if you've otherwise forgotten.
> I might complain to management, but at the end of the day that one short interaction has so little bearing on my life that it's not worth constantly remembering and bringing it up.
Might not have much bearing, but it would be memorable. Experience varies but people simply don't yell at me. If the town is small enough you may simply want to avoid that interaction ever again and not bother stepping on eggshells.
> Ehh, a gripe online years later isn't the same as it living rent free in your head.
I was misunderstanding the OP's usage of gripe, and with my understanding being corrected, I largely agree.
> Might not have much bearing, but it would be memorable. Experience varies but
people simply don't yell at me. If the town is small enough you may simply want to avoid that interaction ever again and not bother stepping on eggshells.
From my experience living in a small town, unless it was a constant occurrence it would still be pretty quickly forgotten; As you said, experience varies -- I grew up in a place where cordiality and hospitality from retail workers was not the expectation, and having a worker be mildly rude or sarcastic to you would be a common occurrence. So I've kind of internalized being able to just brush that kind of stuff aside...mostly.
Thanks for pointing that out. I don't recall the last time I used it as a noun and the completely opposite meaning from the verb and it had slipped my mind. The potentially ambiguous sentence structure combines with that to have me treat it as the verb definition.
So if you take what I said the GP comment there, then I think it's fair, if maybe a little harsh. Of course, assuming the OP meant a minor complaint as they probably did, then your response is warranted.
So perhaps let me restate then -- having a gripe about that kind of treatment is warranted. Griping about it, probably best to just move on and forget about it, less stress.
For a little context, Costco recently started cracking down on the membership 'sharing' and a lot of employees are now being forced to turn away customers, of whom many turn very irate, because just like you they've been doing this for a long time. That employee that yelled at you might have very well been at the end of a shift where they themselves had been yelled at and berated multiple times. As much as we'd like to say that they should be better and not respond in kind, we both know that if you abuse someone enough, they will lash out.
Stop having a gripe with it. Chalk it up as a slightly unpleasant experience and move on.