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Video shows ‘UPS Karen’ freaking out over the—you guessed it—mask policy

She said she already had COVID-19 before asking for the manager.

Photo of Samira Sadeque

Samira Sadeque

Karen yelling at UPS workers

A video has surfaced showing a white woman refusing to follow store policy and then yelling at workers and security personnel at a UPS package pick-up station. 

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TikTok user @asapvick uploaded a series of videos on Tuesday showing the woman fighting United Parcel Service (UPS) workers for her package, while the workers repeatedly ask her to step outside so they can serve her. No details were available about the location of the incident.

https://www.tiktok.com/@asapvick/video/6911802197315538182

“The store had a 3 person limit at a time and there was a line outside. The store’s policy was also for all individuals to wear mask,” @asapvick wrote in the description of one of the videos. 

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The first video begins with the woman reading off of some paper in her hand.

When the person behind the camera says she is holding up other customers, the woman turns and dismissively says the mailroom attendant is to blame for that. 

In the background, a worker is heard repeatedly saying politely that he can’t help her unless she steps out of the store. 

The woman then turns to the camera and says she is “restricting your recording and so, therefore, you’re not allowed to do this” because they were in a “private residence.” 

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When asked about her mask, she responds smugly: “I am not a conformer. Why are you wearing one?”

She goes on to say she’s already had COVID-19, before yelling out for the manager. 

In a follow-up video, the woman refuses to listen to the manager who continues to ask her politely to step outside the store. 

“Where are my packages?” she keeps yelling, claiming that her packages were delivered five days ago.

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“I will come out and help you if you just step outside,” the manager says again. 

UPS manager politely asking 'Karen' to maintain store's social distancing policy
@asapvick / TikTok

She then says the workers should “go ahead” and help the people in the queue, such as the person recording the incident. She still refuses to leave the premises. 

“You will not be helped until you step outside,” the manager says. The woman continues to stand there, her hand on her hips. 

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When the manager points out she is not maintaining their social distancing rules, she extends her hand toward the camera, claiming she’s maintaining six feet from the camera. 

It’s not clear from the video how far she is but both the manager and the person recording say that is incorrect. She even claims she is wearing a mask, which she is not.

In a third video, she’s heard screaming at security personnel while being surrounded by at least five security officers. One of them calmly tries to explain to her that as a business, the store has the right to decide how it will conduct. 

'Karen' yelling at security personnel over UPS mask dispute
@asapvick / TikTok
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The video was allegedly deleted at first from TikTok, the user claimed, owing to “bullying and harassment.” The Daily Dot could not independently verify this information. The user did not respond to the Daily Dot’s request for further clarification. 

Notably, the UPS workers are Black and the unmasked woman is white; this is especially important given the disparity in how COVID-19 disproportionately affects Black communities, and that many Black people are dismissed by health professionals when they complain about their symptoms.


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The Daily Dot