Southlake Mall Santa photo set employee kicked out after not-so-jolly incident
HOBART Ind December 24 2020 — Southlake Mall removed an employee at its Santa photo set from the premises after she charged and screamed at a customer in what a witness described as a “meltdown.”
A customer at the super-regional mall at U.S. 30 and Mississippi Street posted a widely shared video of the incident Sunday night, saying that a manager “flipped out” after “a lady brought her children to get their picture with Santa and questioned the manager as to why they show $50 as the price online and $60 when you got to the mall.”
The video starts with a mall security guard interviewing the employee behind the counter and a customer. The person shooting the video circles around to get a better view of the proceedings, saying “I just want to see your face because you’re a disgusting … “
At that point the Santa booth employee contorts her face in rage and charges at customer taking the video, shoving through the fencing that marks off the Santa photo set and screaming, “Get the hell away from me now.”
The video — which has been viewed tens of thousands of times on social media — does not show what initially happened that led to the confrontation. Witnesses said the Santa photo set employee lost her temper and screamed and cursed at a mom and two young children who had come to see Santa.
It appears the video was removed later by the person who posted it.
Southlake Mall said it took swift action.
“Our priority at Southlake Mall is to maintain an enjoyable shopping and Santa experience for all guests,” the mall posted in a statement on its website Monday. “The actions that took place at the Santa photo set last night is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The employee in question has been removed from the property. We require all employees and retailers, as well as guests, to adhere to our code of conduct. We are actively working with our photo vendor to ensure a positive customer experience for all throughout the rest of the holiday season.”
A PR firm the mall directed questions to did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
nwi.com
