Albertsons

On November 18th, 2021,
I went to the grocery store with my partner. He wanted to buy something else and went to a different self-checkout not far from mine. I was scanning my items when this woman walked up behind me (mind you that I did not request help in any capacity and was more or less minding my own business, thus she had no reason to come over to where I was and engage in the exchange that followed. I was having zero issues in my shopping experience prior to this encounter. I also have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it can be triggered by people walking up to me/ standing behind me. I am 4'7 and a survivor of Domestic Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual Assault). I know that she was an employee at Albertsons because since my partner was buying alcohol, she has to confirm DOB for the purchase (mind you, I was not present to that, as I was scanning my own groceries). She said, "you're such a good helper!/ you're such a big helper!"
I repeatedly told her that I am 28 years old, and she kept saying "I understand that". I informed her of the fact that I am in fact a 28-year-old person and that being told that I am a "good helper" when I am a grown adult trying to go grocery shopping is demeaning and that she was basically treating me like a child. She pedaled back and said that she "had never thought of it that way" and thanked me for explaining that to her, but this in no way corrected her behavior as she tried to justify what she said by saying that there are a lot of people who have problems with their groceries and I was "so good" at it. She then leaned on my grocery cart (effectively trapping me in the conversation) and started telling some story about how her daughter was 27 and pregnant and the dirty looks and confrontations she would get from strangers, which she felt somehow justified what she said to me. As soon as she stopped leaning on my cart, she said "Have a good day, you sweet girl."

I am non-binary and do not tolerate being called by feminine pet names or terms of endearment, especially not from a complete stranger who just infantilized me. I have agoraphobia and severe social anxiety, the fact that I felt endangered in that conversation by the fact that it was completely and absolutely unsolicited and unacceptable behavior that I was subjected to by this person. If she had tried to continue this, I cannot guarantee that my stress levels wouldn't escalate, causing a PTSD episode, anxiety attack, or panic attack. This behavior was incredibly inappropriate and was an example of the day-to-day mistaken ageism that I experience due to looking young. This type of behavior should not be tolerated in any capacity.