VIDEO: Costco employee tells off customer refusing to wear mask — and Twitter gushes over 'freaking rock star' worker

A Costco employee is getting a landslide of praise from Twitter users after he was caught on video telling off a customer who refused to wear a mask in the store.

What went down?

After the customer threatens to post cellphone video of the confrontation on Instagram, the employee — whose badge identifies him as "Tison" — welcomes the conflict and reads him the riot act.

"Hi everyone!" Tison says, waving at the camera. "I work for Costco, and I'm asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy."

The customer then turns the camera to his mask-free face and says, "And I'm not doing it 'cause I woke up in a free country."

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

With that Tison takes the customer's cart away: "Sir, have a great day. You are no longer welcome here in our warehouse. You need to leave. Thank you very much."

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

The customer finishes the clip by calling Tison a "pu**y little b***h" and saying, "There he is walking away with all my stuff. There he goes. 'Cuz I'm not a f***in' sheep."

The clip went viral after journalist Elon James White shared it Tuesday, Newsweek said.

Content warning: Language:

How are folks responding?

The clip James posted has been getting a ton of attention, and it appears comments are decidedly in favor of the Costco employee.

Outspoken far-left U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) commented that Costco "has the right to require that customers wear a mask. Businesses have the right to prevent people from spewing saliva droplets in their stores. Because we live in a free country. And because there's a frickin' life-threatening virus that's spread through saliva droplets."

Who is that masked man?

Tison revealed himself on Twitter in the aftermath, basking in the adoration:

The floodgates open

After Tison's post revealing his maskless face, he seemingly became an instant celebrity on Twitter.

"Thank you Tison & #costco! You won the 'who's balls are bigger' contest by a landslide," one user wrote. "You also potentially saved my life or anybody else's in there. We appreciate you. @Costco give this man a raise! And give the free country plump 'man' a big wet cough."

"You were BADA$ in how you handled the giant dou*hebag," another user wrote. "You never lost your cool while stating Costco's position. Thank you for protecting Costco guests and your co-workers with class & sass."

"You are a freaking rock star!" another user wrote. "Keep up the great work!"

"Fabulous and professional! You handled that man like a badass!" another user said. "Love #Costco!"

Vanquished customer responds

The man whose shopping cart taken created a video response to the Costco altercation, which Mediaite said was deleted from Reddit — but the clip lived on elsewhere.

"I've got every f***ing right to not wear a mask anywhere because this isn't about wearing a mask, this is about control, OK?" the shirtless man says on the clip. "And I'm not the f***in' sheep. Ya'll are the f***in' sheep, every single one of you, going along with what everybody else is saying. I was one of the only people in that store not wearing a mask, which means that you're protected from me, and I'm protected from you, OK? That dude was hoverin' over me, he was stalkin' me, he was f***in' with me. I just took out my camera at that moment so I could show people how this guy was acting toward one person, OK? So if everyone else is wearing a mask, then one person should be able to fly, if anything."

Content warning: Language: