It was another hectic Saturday at the Washington Square Mall, where the air was thick with the smell of cinnamon pretzels and the constant buzz of shoppers. Sarah Mitchell had been standing behind the counter of Luxury and More for nearly six hours, her feet aching in worn-out shoes. With just five minutes until her break, she muttered to herself, glancing at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time.
The store was unusually busy, filled with tourists and locals browsing designer clothes. As Sarah processed a return for an elderly customer, her mind wandered to her mounting bills. Rent was due in three days, and she was still short $200. Her younger sister Kate’s college textbooks had drained her savings, but Sarah couldn’t bear to say no when Kate called, crying about her financial struggles.
Just then, Mark, the floor manager, rushed past her, looking flustered. “Heads up! Caitlin Clark is in the mall,” he announced, gathering the staff. A buzz of excitement rippled through the store. Sarah felt a knot in her stomach; she had dealt with celebrities before, but something about this made her uneasy.
As the hour dragged on, Sarah helped a stream of customers, her feet going from aching to numb. She was in the middle of ringing up a couple when Jenny, her co-worker, suddenly grabbed her arm. “Sarah! She’s coming this way!” Jenny whispered excitedly. Sarah turned to see Caitlin Clark walking into the store, flanked by two assistants. The atmosphere shifted instantly; everyone was watching.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Clark,” Sarah managed to say, her voice surprisingly steady. Caitlin barely acknowledged her, focusing instead on her phone. As Sarah scanned the luxury items being placed on the counter, the store fell oddly quiet. The total came to $894, a sum that felt astronomical compared to her own paycheck.
When Sarah swiped Caitlin’s shiny black American Express card, the machine declined it. In that moment, Sarah let out a small, nervous laugh before she could catch herself. The silence in the store felt deafening. “I’m sorry, let me try that again,” she said quickly, but the card was declined again.
Caitlin’s demeanor shifted from disinterest to irritation. “Is there a problem?” she asked, her accent sharp. Sarah’s heart raced as she explained the situation, but Caitlin’s eyes were cold. “Your cashier laughed at me. She found this amusing.”
Panic surged through Sarah. “I would never intentionally humiliate anyone, Ms. Clark. It was a nervous reaction,” she stammered. The tension in the air thickened as the crowd grew, phones recording every moment.
“Do you know who we are?” Don Jr. interjected, stepping forward. “You think this is funny?”
“No, I don’t,” Sarah replied, her voice steadying. “But I’m a person who works two jobs to support my family. I’m human.”
The crowd murmured in support, and Sarah felt a surge of courage. “I treat every customer with respect, regardless of who they are. One nervous laugh doesn’t change that.”
As the confrontation escalated, Caitlin’s expression softened slightly. “Perhaps we all showed disrespect,” she admitted, surprising everyone in the room.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the store. Protesters had gathered, chanting “Stand with Sarah!” The atmosphere shifted again, and Sarah realized that her moment of standing up for herself had sparked something much larger.
In the days that followed, Sarah became a symbol of retail workers standing up against entitlement. Videos of the incident went viral, and a GoFundMe campaign raised over $150,000 to support retail workers. Even Caitlin Clark offered a donation to help create a foundation for workers in need.
As Sarah walked into work a few days later, she was met with cheers from supporters outside. She had never wanted to be a symbol, but sometimes the smallest actions, even a nervous laugh, can lead to the biggest changes. In that moment, Sarah Mitchell stood tall, not just for herself, but for all those who had ever felt invisible in the retail world.
Caitlin Clark reveals her unexpectedly funny childhood fear
WNBA’s Caitlin Clark, 2024 Rookie of the Year, revealed her biggest fear due to a childhood encounter.
Attending the LPGA Women’s Leadership Summit, Caitlin Clark humorously clarified her dislike for felines and shared her anxieties about playing golf, proving her relatable side beyond basketball. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)
Caitlin Clark, the WNBA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year, while attending the Annika LPGA’s Women’s Leadership Summit, surprised fans by revealing a rather funny and unexpected fear. She confessed, “I really don’t like cats,” as reported by Sports Illustrated.
When asked if her dislike stemmed from an allergy, the Indiana Fever star responded, “No,” and explained, “There was this black cat on my street growing up, and it was so mean. I’m scarred. So, I’m really scared of cats.”
“So, I’m sorry if any of you have a cat, I just don’t. I like dogs a lot, but no cats,” she told Sports Illustrated.
Caitlin Clark explores her new ‘pro golfer’ status
Clark also shared some anxieties about her participation in the LPGA event. Although she’s a dominant figure on the basketball court, stepping onto the golf course had her feeling a bit out of her element. Before teeing off on Wednesday, November 13, she expressed, “I’m going to hit some good, I’m going to hit some bad.”
“Just going to try not to hit anyone standing outside of the ropes. But it’ll be fun.” (Per Yahoo! Sports).
“I’ve tried to take as much time as I can to practice, but there is only so much hope,” she joked. “You just cross your fingers, pray.”
Notably, just after Indiana’s playoff run, the newfound “pro golfer” had discussed her future plans: “No, I’ve practiced a little bit, and I just had the quote about becoming a professional golfer. Everybody thought I was serious. I was not serious,” she explained with a smile, as per Yahoo! Sports.
“I love it. I love being outside and making it competitive with my friends.”
