The Red Baron employee, identified by The Detroit News as Walt Z., a Michigan man, was stocking Red Baron pizzas inside a grocery store when a camera-wielding influencer approached him and asked him for the time.
As the Red Baron employee pulled out his phone to check the time, the influencer reached out and tapped the employee’s phone with his own phone.
As their phones touched, the influencer’s phone made a sound that, according to The Detroit News, mimicked the sound an Apple Pay transaction makes.
An Apple Pay transaction occurs when someone uses their Apple product (like an iPhone) to buy something without pulling out their credit card. This is possible because the person’s credit card data is already stored on their phone.
“I just took $10,” the influencer told the Red Baron employee after their phones touched and his made a sound. “I need it real quick.”
The Red Baron employee was not amused.
WARNING: The following video contains language that some may find offensive.
“I’m not dealing with this crap right now,” he fired back at the influencer. “Dude, you hear me? You think this is funny, don’t you?”
The video cut to a scene at the front of the store. “Thank you for the $20, man,” the influencer told the man.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t need this,” the employee responded.
The influencer then admitted that he was just playing a prank.
“It’s not that deep, man,” he said. “This is a joke.”
“You’re just a little punk,” the annoyed Red Baron employee pushed back.
“It was just a joke,” the influencer insisted. “It was just a joke. This is a joke.”
The Red Baron employee was outright irate at this point.
“No, it’s not a joke to me, OK?” he responded, his voice rising. “I don’t have time for this crap in my life! My life is hard enough as it is, OK? I don’t need this crap!”
“I got kids at home,” he continued as he became emotional and teary-eyed. “They went to bed without me right now. I was supposed to be at home an hour ago, and I’m still out here working, and I got to get up at five in the morning and do 10 more stores. So this is not a joke to me!”
“And now I’m probably gonna get kicked out of the store because of you,” the employee added. “Not funny.”
The influencer started apologizing, but the employee remained unconvinced.
“No, you’re not [sorry],” he said. “You got a smug look on your face. You’re probably making money off this. I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage, and I got four kids at home, OK? So not funny.”
The altercation ended with the influencer leaving and then evidently posting his camera footage of the incident to social media.
The footage went massively viral, inspiring a flood of support for the Red Baron employee.
As of Friday morning, over $497,000 had been raised for him via a GoFundMe fundraiser.
In addition to launching a fundraiser for Walter, his supporters also pressured Red Baron to take action on his behalf.
The company did exactly that by naming him their “employee of the month” in a social media post.
As of Friday morning, Red Baron’s post boasted 6.2 million views and over 190,000 likes.
In a statement made to the organizer of his GoFundMe, Walter reportedly said he was “blown away” by the response he’s received.
“Walt Z out of Michigan sends a heartfelt thank you, and is absolutely blown away by how much people have cared over this,” the organizer, Luke Oakenshield, wrote in the fundraiser.
“They are requesting privacy, and GoFundMe is taking the lead in transferring all of this to him,” he added.
Red Baron’s parent company, Schwan’s Company, has also recognized Walter.
“We are aware of the video circulating on social media involving one of our Direct Store Delivery employees during an incident that occurred in August,” a spokesperson told the New York Post.
“Following the incident, we connected directly with our team member to check on his well-being, and we continue to offer our support,” the spokesperson added. “We are pleased to share that he is doing well and remains a valued member of our team.”
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