It is in a crisis that peoples’ true character is revealed.

When there was a shortage in masks for nurses on the front lines against the Coronavirus, volunteers across the country made masks from patterns available online and donated them to health care facilities.

As a history buff, it reminded me of Knitting for Victory, where countless men and women knit socks, gloves, scarves, and other winter wear for American soldiers in WWI, who were critically short in cold weather gear.

The CEOs of Hilton, Columbia Sportswear, and Texas Roadhouse have given up their salaries to cover workers.  Mark Cuban is paying the salaries for the workers of the Dallas Mavericks – the team he owns – out of his own pocket.

Other people reveal themselves to be shit on the inside.

This group includes the owners of Hobby Lobby.

Darsee Lett is the daughter of the founder and CEO, David Green, and Creative Director for Hobby Lobby.

Green is worth $6.3 Billion.

It’s worth pointing out that Hobby Lobby states on its own website that Hobby Lobby is committed to:

Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.

Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families.

Providing a return on the family’s investment, sharing the Lord’s blessings with our employees, and investing in our community.

I don’t see how any of that jives with the above email.

I didn’t realize that when Jesus talked about how to treat the least of his brothers and sisters, be meant firing them without notice or severance.

My wife is a crafter and she’s decided that Hobby Lobby is no longer getting our business.

I’m fine with that.  I vote with my dollars.

I have a feeling that a lot of people are making lists right now of who has been magnanimous during this crisis and who has used it to be a selfish asshole, and when all this blows over those people will vote and spend their money depending on where a politician or business fell on that list.

I hope the Green family is happy with the mammon they have now because they just borrowed from the Dick’s playbook of how to piss off a customer base.

Update:

According to Business Insider, Hobby Lobby is engaging in both layoffs and salary cuts.

Hobby Lobby is laying off workers and slashing salaries of employees in states where it has been forced to temporarily shutter stores in response to state mandates issued to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In a memo sent to store managers on March 23, Randy Betts, Hobby Lobby’s vice president of store operations, wrote that the company “is going to make every effort to continue working the employees.”

Further, in a note to employees allegedly written by Hobby Lobby founder David Green last week, the CEO wrote that the employees “may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.”

“Guess this is the belt-tightening David Green was talking about in his letter,” one employee told Business Insider.

This was a followup to a previous article published by Business Insider on Hobby Lobby’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hobby Lobby has remained steadfast in staying open for business. On Saturday, digital strategist Kendall Brown tweeted a widely circulated photo of a note allegedly written by Hobby Lobby founder David Green, in which the openly conservative Christian businessman repeatedly mentions the power of God as part of his justification to leave stores open.

Green wrote that while the future remains unclear, the company can “rest in knowing that God is in control,” adding that the company may have to “tighten our belts” moving forward. 

So far there is nothing to indicate this letter is fraudulent or a hoax.

If it turns out to be, I will recant and publish a retraction.

However, as of this update, it appears to be true.