Workplace safety should always come before convenience.

This woman was working as a merchandiser on clearance.

A customer came in and made an unreasonable request.

She explained that what he wanted was unsafe, but he still dismissed her explanation.

Read the full story below to find out more.

I won’t break safety protocol just because you’re in a hurry.

I work as a merchandiser in a big box store.

I delegate sales/product knowledge questions to whatever department I’m working in that day.

If it’s an inventory-related thing, I can usually help.

A customer approached me while I was working on clearance.

He asked if I could get something down for him.

A customer wanted to get an item from a higher shelf by himself.

When I asked him to point it out, he was rather brief and impatient.

Even offering to get on the ladder and get it himself.

Definitely a safety violation.

What he was requesting was not only high, but also had a ton of other merchandise stacked on top.

Even if I was 10 feet tall, it would’ve been nearly impossible to get it down from the top rung.

Without pulling it out directly and having all these other boxes go flying everywhere.

So, this woman explained to them that a machine was necessary to reach it.

I turned to him and told him that it wasn’t happening without a machine.

We use power lifts for things that are too high, big, or bulky to get down with a ladder.

He complained to his friend that it was ridiculous that I needed power equipment for something “so simple.”

I didn’t care. I’ve fallen off a ladder before at a past job.

And I was surely not risking it happening for someone this rude.

Her supervisor said she made a good call.

A couple minutes later, I returned to the aisle driving the machine.

Unsurprisingly, they were gone, probably to go to a competitor.

I decided that since I was there, I’d downstock the item anyway.

If they returned, it would be there. If not, someone nicer could buy it.

My supervisor said I made a good call and thanked me for keeping myself and others safe.

Let’s find out what others have to say about this.

People like that are so annoying, says this user.

This one gives their personal thoughts.

Here’s a different but valid point.

Finally, this one makes sense, too.

Safety is never optional, no matter how impatient someone may be.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.