A bikini-wearing barista has left people divided after she shared security camera footage of how she dealt with a difficult customer.
Working in the service industry can be pretty tough, from relying on tips to top up your salary to dealing with difficult customers, there are many hurdles that a person can face in each shift.
One woman revealed she took to smashing a customer's car windscreen with a hammer after he threw the coffee he'd just bought at her during an argument.
According to Emma Lee, 23, the pair's altercation had begun after the male customer complained about the price of his order, which came to $22.
Emma shared the clip on her social media account, in which she and the unidentified male were seen arguing at a drive-thru window at her coffee shop, A Taste of Heaven Espresso, in South Seattle.
The barista is heard threatening to throw the coffee on the man if he doesn't leave, telling him to take his order and go.
After she closed the hatch, the man was seen popping the top off what appeared to be a cup of water and a coffee, before throwing the contents of both in her direction.
As the man got back into his car, the footage showed Emma's upper half leaning through the hatch before smashing his windscreen with a hammer, creating a large crack in the glass.
Watch the footage below:
Emma told local news outlets, as cited by New York Post, that she'd only damaged the customer's car after feeling "in danger" by their exchange.
She claimed that the man threatened her by saying: "Nobody is going to miss you."
Emma told FOX 13: "It was a threat after screaming, spitting, and trying to pry open the window. I felt in danger."
She told the outlet that the man, who she says is a repeat customer, had ordered a 32-ounce coffee and a 24-ounce water, totaling around $22.
The barista claimed that the man had previously complained about the high price of his order, and she said she told him: "No one is forcing you to come here."
She claimed: "The argument that he didn’t know or was scammed doesn’t hold up. The prices are listed."
After the incident, Emma phoned the police and filed misdemeanor assault charges against the customer, but the outlet reports that the man could actually take her to small claims court for the cost of his windshield.
However, Emma responded that she is not worried about this possibility and just wants to be treated with the same respect as other servers, and not differently just because she does her job wearing a bikini.
She explained: "Why should this kind of interaction be expected because of the environment? It’s disgusting.
"It’s okay for him to be outraged, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond?"
Emma shared the footage on Instagram, telling her followers: "Due to the unforeseen amount of attention this video has received, I want to take a moment to address the real issue here. The safety of women, more specifically those that are disproportionately less protected.
"We work alone in this industry, wearing nearly nothing and interacting with men (most of which we don’t know) all day.
"The majority of people we meet throughout our shifts are kind, respectful, overall amazing humans! However, on occasion we see the ones that think it is appropriate to get violent both verbally and physically.
"It’s 2024 and the women in this industry know, these interaction happen on way too regular basis if not to us personally, to someone we know or love. At what point during an assault does a woman have the right to protect herself? What is the appropriate response?"
She claimed: "I know this man. This wasn’t his first time being aggressive but it is the first time he’s ever gotten physically violent with me.
"He had gotten what he had paid for and was mad about the price. The fact that the first thing people want to know is what I did to deserve him throwing two drinks at me is disgusting.
"We need to change the narrative of these conversations. What is deserving of that? This is no longer the time of women that will smile and apologize, having our only acceptable response be the art of deescalation - this time, we will fight back! There is a famous quote 'it is better to die on your feet, than live on your knees' - Emiliano Zapata."
The man has yet to comment publicly on the alleged incident.