Ice cream shop owner tells customers to stop yelling at his teenage employees, then says, “NOBODY gives a s*** if you don’t come back”

A 20-cent mistake on an ice cream order led to a Massachusetts shop owner telling customers he would rather lose their business than have them yell at his teenage employees. David Forgit, co-owner of Coldstuff Ice-Cream in Blackstone, posted a warning on Facebook on October 4 after a customer reportedly berated a 16-year-old worker over the price of a sundae. He later told unhappy customers that the shop would prefer they didn’t return if they treated his staff that way.

In the Facebook post, Forgit explained that many of his employees were teenagers working their first jobs. They were still learning, he wrote, and customers needed to understand that mistakes would happen. He also reminded people that the workers weren’t responsible for every problem that occurred at the business.

The post reached far beyond Blackstone, attracting hundreds of thousands of reactions and drawing attention from people who had never heard of the shop. Forgit has since spoken publicly about the customer interaction, defended his choice of words, and created a fundraiser for his young employees after strangers began asking how they could help.

The customer was reportedly upset over just 20 cents

The incident started with a sundae that rang up about 20 cents more than expected. Speaking with NBC 10 WJAR, Forgit explained that he had made an error in the computer system, but it was the 16-year-old employee taking the order who had to deal with the customer’s frustration. He said the customer became increasingly disrespectful, criticizing the teenager and complaining about the business.

Forgit’s brother and co-owner, Kevin Miller, later told WHDH that the customer called the employee a ‘scumbag’ and threatened never to return. Miller said it wasn’t the first time customers had raised their voices at the shop’s young workers. The most recent encounter pushed Forgit to address the issue publicly.

In his October 4 Facebook post, Forgit reminded customers that most of his employees were teenagers working their first jobs. ‘They are going to make mistakes. They aren’t in charge of anything,’ he wrote. He urged customers to handle problems politely, adding, ‘It’s ice cream for crying out loud. Grow up and act your age.’

Forgit went further in the comments, telling customers who treated his employees poorly that nobody at the shop cared if they never returned. He added that the business would prefer it that way.

His choice of words drew criticism from some Facebook users, who argued that a business owner should respond more professionally. Forgit wasn’t persuaded. When NBC 10 asked about his language, he pointed out that people could choose whether to read the post and repeated his request for customers to stop yelling at the teenagers.

The reaction also prompted Forgit to clear up another point. As commenters began discussing older customers, he explained that he hadn’t intended to criticize an entire generation. He said most of the elderly people who visited Coldstuff were pleasant and that his complaint was directed at customers who became aggressive over mistakes.

‘It’s a mistake not an insult,’ he wrote. ‘There’s no need. It’s ice cream.’

The owner is now raising money for the same teenagers he defended

Coldstuff Ice-Cream had only been open since August 1 when Forgit’s Facebook post attracted national attention. He and his brother, Kevin Miller, also own Goodstuff Smokehouse and Brewery nearby. Their ice cream shop employs five teenagers, some working their first jobs and others preparing for college.

As the post spread, people from across the country began asking how they could support the employees. On October 7, Forgit announced a GoFundMe campaign called Support Our Young Employees, explaining that he and his brother didn’t need donations for themselves.

‘It would be foolish to waste the opportunity. These kids work hard,’ he wrote.

Forgit said 100% of donations would go to employees, divided according to their hours worked since opening. By October 9, the fundraiser had collected more than $3,000. Forgit said he created it because people wanted to help, not because the business was seeking donations.

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