In a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom discussed with mayors of major cities, but the conversation unexpectedly turned to a personal experience. Governor Newsom spoke of an unusual shopping experience at Target that left him feeling anger and misunderstanding.
Governor Newsom recounted that as he was checking out, he witnessed a man pick up an item and walk straight out of the store without paying. Noticing that the female employee didn't seem to react to this behavior, he asked, "But he didn't pay, why didn't you stop him?" The female employee's answer surprised him: "It's all the governor's fault."
Governor Newsom did not accept such accusations, retorting: "No, it's not true, and the governor is not responsible." He immediately called the manager, wanting to set the record straight, stressing that the clerk's responsibility is to ensure order in the store and not to shift the blame to the governor.
Only then did the clerk recognize that the customer in front of her was the governor himself, and she looked a little panicked. She excitedly called in the other staff, hoping to take a picture with the governor, but Governor Newsom refused. He insisted on clarifying with the female clerk whose fault it was.
Governor Newsom even half-jokingly said at the meeting that he was even wondering why he was paying $380 for something while others could just "buy it for zero dollars" and walk away. His remarks resonated with the participants and sparked deep reflection on the issue of social equity.
This experience made Governor Newsom deeply feel the hardship and helplessness of the people, and also made him understand the social problems behind the "zero yuan purchase" to a certain extent. Despite the accusations he faced from the clerk, he did not feel ashamed, but instead felt more determined that he had a responsibility to solve these problems and create a more equitable social environment for the people.