Vintage store's sign about wearing masks goes viral: 'This is savage'

Owner says wearing mask is sign of 'compassion and intelligence'

A sign outside a vintage shop is going viral for its strong stance on mask requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Sarah Bingham, from Arizona, shared a photo of the sign she placed outside her vintage clothing store Antique Sugar after encountering customers who argued about having to wear masks inside.

“If you choose not to wear a mask, we respectfully ask that you postpone your visit,” the sign reads. “We’ll be happy to debate the efficacy of masks with you when this is all over and you come in to sell your dead grandmother's clothes.

“Masks required,” the notice concludes.

Bingham shared the photo of the sign on Facebook, where she wrote: “Too dark?”

Shortly after sharing the sign, it was reposted on other social media platforms, where it has since received thousands of responses.

“Awesome sign, good for the owners who are standing up and doing what they think is best for them and their employees!” one person tweeted.

Another said: “This makes me want to go buy something I don't need. Love it.”

While the sign is morbid, Bingham said the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with people reaching out to her from all over the world to share their support.

"People from across the country are calling to thank us," she told ABC15, adding that she has also received messages from people in Europe and Asia. “Somebody from Abu Dhabi even reached out to us yesterday and made a purchase from us.”

Not everyone agrees with Bingham’s tactic, however, as some have accused the store owner of being insensitive.

“Assume they want to go out of business. Just have a sign with store, local, state requirements,” one person wrote. “Did they consider the fact that a customer, complete with mask, might have just lost their grandmother?”

According to Bingham, she has been dealing with hate mail by adding the senders to mailing lists for the Human Rights Campaign, Black Lives Matters, Planned Parenthood and Joe Biden.

"Wearing a mask is literally the easiest and best preventative tool we have right now,” she told Today. “It’s a sign of intelligence and compassion. This isn’t about you; this is about the people who aren’t going to be able to recover if they get infected."