John of Lockport IL (11/13/03):
My wife had car trouble, she pulled in to the Shell station at 6358 W. 111th, Chicago Ridge IL, and went in to ask for a phone book and to use the phone. Due to the extreme cold outside she did not want to use the payphone outside because she had our 2-year-old daughter with her and she is six months pregnant. The two Middle Eastern gentlemen behind the counter told her that the only reason the were letting her use the phone was because she was with child -- their exact words! They had a very condescending tone of voice as well.
She got one phone call - that was it. When she could not reach me at work she had to take our daughter outside in the 29-degree weather and use the payphone to leave a message for another family member to come and pick her up. She waited outside in a non-running car for an hour and a half due to the fact she was treated so badly inside she did not feel comfortable in the building with those two men.
They were rude and made sexist remarks toward my wife. I am absolutely livid with the way she was treated. The Shell website has a lengthy section dedicated to diversity and racial tolerance. The two men behind the counter obviously weren't as well educated as Shell promotes their employees to be.
My six month pregnant wife and two year old daughter were out in the cold for an hour and a half in very cold conditions because they were not welcome in a public place. It took every shred of self control I had not to confront these two individuals when I got there.
