That is an excellent example because there is not a single person in retail or with the basic human decency to regard retail workers as actual people who DOESN'T think that they deserve to be able to tell certain customers to go fuck themselves.

Because many people (currently usually of a right wing persuasion, but that might change in time) treat things like boycotts, or criticism in response to something a person has said as "an attack on free speech" and "cancel culture". The reality about free speech (at least legally) is as you say though, that just because you have the right to say something without legal reprecussions doesn't mean others don't have the right to respond to it by calling you out or refusing to do business with you any more.