FAITH RESTORED Walmart employee steps in to give disabled woman a manicure after salon refused to do so
Who does not like getting a manicure? While for many it is a relaxing experience, unfortunately for Angela Peters it turned out to be a heartbreaking incident as a salon refused to give her a manicure because they believed 'she moves too much.'
Angela, who has cerebral palsy, was shopping at Walmart Supercenter when she decided to have a nice manicure to make her day. The store in Burton, Michigan has an independent nail salon inside called Da-Vi Nails. Angela went inside the store with the hopes that she would be treated like any other customer, but the technicians were not the most patient. Due to her condition, Angela has a hard time keeping her hands still. Tremors or involuntary movements are symptoms of cerebral palsy.
Even though the salon did not allow Angela to get her manicure, luckily for her, Ebony Harris, an employee with Walmart was there to be her hero for the day. Looking at the situation, Ebony knew that she could not let a beautiful woman like Angela walk out without getting her manicure. So, she decided to skip her lunch and treat Angela with what she really desired. “I just wanted to make her day special. I didn’t really want her day to be ruined. That’s why I did it,” Ebony said, as reported by Yahoo Lifestyle.
“And plus she’s a sweetie,” she added. Angela is a regular at Walmart, so she and Ebony knew each other from before. The duo did not waste any time as Angela picked up the color she wanted. The pair then set up an informal salon kiosk in the Subway sandwich shop within Walmart.
When a Subway staffer, Tasia Smith saw this act of kindness, she was quick to click a snap and share it with the rest of the world. Along with the picture she also shared a description of what really happened. "I just wanted to post it for awareness and appreciation because people needed to know what was going on with the business, and Ebony deserved all the appreciation she could get,” Tasia wrote.
The post has since received over 4,000 shares, 5,000 reactions, and 800 comments. Not only are people impressed with Ebony's act of kindness, but Walmart was also pretty impressed. “Our company was built on respect for the individual and serving our customers, and Ebony is a perfect example of these values,” Tara Aston, national media relations manager for Walmart, told the website. “She simply wanted to make sure our customer’s day was special, and that’s the kind of person she is – someone with a wonderful attitude who goes the extra mile each day to make those around her feel important. We’re not surprised at her act of kindness. Her service to customers defines the spirit of Walmart, and we couldn’t be more proud of her," Tara added.
Tara also clarified the Da-Vi Nails operates as an independent tenant and is not part of Walmart. Despite the incident, these women insisted that they don’t want to shame Da-Vi Nails. “We’re not trying to bash the nail salon; we’re not trying to make them lose customers, make them look bad,” Ebony said. “But maybe, spread awareness that no matter the person, who they are, what color they are, disability, whatever, they’re people too. She’s a girly girl. She’s just like you, me, Tasia, my daughter, anybody. She wants to look pretty, you know, and so why can’t she?” Ebony said Angela's hands moved a little bit during the manicure, which she repeatedly apologized for. “And I told her don’t say that. I said ‘you’re fine,'” Ebony said. Angela is also grateful for Ebony and her kindness. “I’m like, wow, these are amazing!" she said.