I work at a popular chain convenience store in a pretty shitty city, there's much worse for sure but lately we've been getting a lot of drugged out weirdos moving up from the worst part of town. We have to kick people out all of the time and even ban people when it gets too much. My boss banned someone on the spot for asking a female employee for a blowjob as an example.
There's this one customer who just doesn't like me, I have no idea why he just doesn't. I'm friendly and am a fast and knowledgeable clerk. One day he called me “fucking stupid” for not seeing something when I was below the counter grabbing something for him and my coworker was paying attention and witnessed some light theft. I let it pass and continued to serve him under the assumption he was having a bad day or whatever. A week or two later he comes in and starts making fun of my tattoo to my coworker at the next register, being loud and ridiculous and super condescending. As he leaves he calls me a faggot just barely loud enough for me to hear him, I reflexively asked “what?” then immediately realized what he said. He stood out in the parking lot running his mouth and gesturing for me to come out and do something about it for a good minute then left when I ignored him. Thing is, he's kind of a scary looking dude. I can definitely hold my own but I don't fuck with people who look like they've done hard time and have a bunch of tattoos on their fingers and throat.
So I tell my boss and he says “Okay, he can get his cigarettes somewhere else.” I think , great I don't have to deal with him anymore. Well I see him again today and my coworker is serving him, tells me that the boss meant I just don't have to serve him but not that he's banned. He goes on the tell me that I'm overreacting and that I can just ignore him, it's not as bad as sexual harassment. He claims that the boss said that if that's the worse this guy has done then he's not concerned.
He makes me feel unsafe. Am I overreacting? Is it because I'm a man, that it doesn't matter as much as a sexual proposition?