There's a lot of talk on the internet about the entitled Kens and Karens of the world—and these wild stories are hard evidence.
1. At The Tipping Point
My mom is quite the bargain hunter. Every time we dined out, her wallet full of restaurant coupons determined our destination. We weren't financially strapped or anything, she just loved a good deal.
When I was around 15, she snagged a buy-one-get-one-free deal for a Tex-Mex restaurant, and our meal totaled just about $11. She left a $1 tip—quite a low blow for the great service. Karma caught up to her though.
Our server chased us down in the parking lot, returning the single dollar, with a cheeky remark, "You must need this more than me".
2. All Yolked Up
One day, while I was working at this bustling cafe, an endearing older couple came in. I told them about our special dishes, and they chose the duck hash and simple poached eggs on toast. Things seemed fine until I delivered their meals. The man abruptly became irritated, and I was bewildered when I found out why.
Strangely, he was bothered by the fact that I didn't serve him a tablespoon with his eggs. Sure, he didn't request one, but he insisted it was common knowledge to serve a spoon with poached eggs. I've been waitressing for around ten years and have served countless poached eggs—this "rule" was entirely new to me.
Regardless, I sincerely apologized and offered to fetch him a spoon. I figured this would resolve the matter, but unfortunately, I was so wrong. He raised his voice, shouting "No! My breakfast is ruined!" Incredibly, he then hurled his plate of food towards me and exited in a huff. His wife followed him, offering me a pitying smile.
That day, I spent the rest of my eight-hour shift wearing egg yolk stains.
3. Clinging To The Vine
I used to work at a vineyard where we'd sometimes get a limo full of tipsy folks. We weren't a bar, so we didn't serve plastered guests. On occasion, the manager would step away from the door and these folks would try to sneak in. I had to kindly inform one party that they had consumed too many drinks and needed to leave.
This particular woman was the epitome of difficult. Her stubborn response, "I'm not going anywhere," had me gritting my teeth. I reassured her that my team wouldn't be serving her, so it was pointless to linger. I warned her that if she didn't depart within five minutes, authorities would guide her off the premises.
She blew me off, so I dialed up our standby officer right then and there. I told her, "He's on his way. Perhaps you'd like to leave to avoid embarrassment". As I was heading through the side door to jot down the limo's license plate number, she trailed after me into the back office. What she did next left me fuming.
She shoved me into a filing cabinet, declaring, "WE AREN’T LEAVING". Eventually, her companions returned, snatched her up, and they zoomed away in their limo. The officer showed up shortly after that. I handed over the plate number so he could give them a friendly reminder about their wronful actions.
It's surprising—the lengths some people will go to for a glass of wine. Mind you, we deal with this three to five times a year.
4. Border Brouhaha
My mom, who fully speaks Spanish and also has quite the fiery temper, joined me on a flight from Mexico City to Juarez. We were carrying a large box filled with dishes and various items she had bought on our trip. At the check-in counter, the attendant informed us that the box needed to be wrapped up. This didn't sit well with Mom.
She loudly protested, "I've NEVER had to do that before! I frequently bring stuff back from Mexico City, and this has NEVER happened!" Her outburst attracted attention from confused onlookers—a pretty fair-skinned woman fiercely arguing in spot-on Spanish definitely raised eyebrows.
The poor counter guy insisted again that the box had to be taped—which would cost an additional 200 pesos (roughly $10). Rather than comply, Mom stomped off in a fit, thoughtlessly leaving our unidentified big box behind—the exact thing airport warnings constantly advise against.
Meanwhile, my dad and I had already checked in and got through security. Still in a huff, she joined us at the gate, enthusiastically recounting her tale of disgrace. But just as she finished, it was payback time. Five security guards, armed with AR-15s, approached her asking for her name.
The moment she confirmed it, they swiftly grabbed her and began leading her away. My dad, who's a lawyer, was utterly stunned. We quickly pursued her. Thanks to Dad's quick maneuvering, she wasn't detained for causing a terror scare, and we miraculously made our flight. We even managed to get that infamous box of dishes home.
Now, whenever we use them, I never miss a chance to tease her about the whole ordeal.
5. Tossed Out Of Target
After I finished college, I took a job managing a Starbucks. One day, we accidentally messed up a woman's iced tea order. It was an easy fix that would've taken less than a minute. However, her reaction was simply shocking.
She chucked the tea across the counter, turned to her daughter, and in the most snobby, entitled voice said, "This is why we finish high school". As the manager, I decided to deny her further service. She seemed to think she had an upper hand when she went to fetch the Target store manager.
She was unaware that I used to work at the Target that housed the Starbucks I was now running. Thankfully, several other customers corroborated my story, which led to her being kicked out of the store.
6. She Was An Endless Stream Of Problems
While I was once working at a snow cone stand, a woman and her two kids approached the service window. We were swamped and there was a pretty lengthy line. After taking her daughter's order, her son announced he needed to use the restroom.
Instead of guiding him to a nearby tree, or our customer friendly restroom, she opted to have him relieve himself on the side of our shop. As she was preoccupied and the queue was spiraling out to the street, I decided to serve the next customer to keep things moving.
When she returned and cut in front of the new customer, I politely asked her to wait since I was almost done serving the person she'd just hustled. This triggered an outburst from her. She began shouting loudly, accusing me of being unprofessional and slammed my customer service skills.
I calmly explained that while she was away with her son, I thought it was best to keep the line moving. She denied her son's improper bathroom break and demanded to speak to my manager. I gave her my manager's contact and my name for reference, which seemed to further anger her.
She then waited for her order, continually yelling through the entire process, before storming off. The customers behind her each apologized for her behaviour and reassured me that I was doing just fine.
7. Film Freak Out
In the mid-90s, my mom picked up a copy of Clerks from the rental store inside our local Kroger's. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware of how crude the movie was. It upset her so much that the next day she stormed back to the store, determined to make things right.
She had a heated exchange with the store manager, expressing her disbelief that such a distasteful movie was available in a family-friendly rental store. After her rant, she insisted they permanently remove it from their stock. Here's the real shocker. They actually listened to her. They never stocked the movie Clerks in that store again.
8. All Work No Play
I'm a drama teacher, and I once met the most unreasonable parent I've ever come across. I was directing students from my school's middle school division in a performance of Treasure Island. One day, when our usual theater wasn't available, we held a practice at one of the girl's homes, kindly volunteered by her mother.
Initially, I had my reservations as the mom seemed slightly offbeat. She was always in a hurry to get her daughter home post rehearsals. But they had a massive house, and the thought of practicing there was too good to pass up. When we arrived, she greeted us warmly. But something felt weird from the get-go.
She mentioned that her daughter was holed up in her room. I asked if her daughter could join us, but she kept suggesting we start rehearsing without her. I made it clear that her daughter played a crucial role in the play, and we couldn't proceed without her. But she insisted that her daughter was busy and couldn't be disturbed.
Eventually, the girl joined us after about thirty minutes, but her peculiar mother limited her participation to 15 minutes before she had to return to her "work". The girl, confused, said she had no more homework, to which her mother replied in a strikingly passive-aggressive tone, "Yes, you do, darling".
I decided to not intervene and we began rehearsing with her. I was about to show the students a video on my laptop when her mother, passing by, abruptly shut my laptop saying, "No Media!" She then scooped up my laptop and disappeared with it.
As it was my laptop, I followed her clearly expressing my need for it. She explained they were a "media-free" family in order to prevent the girl's exposure. She reminded her daughter to return to her work, to which I requested five more minutes. Back with the kids, the girl candidly called her mom annoying.
I was taken aback, and then the shocking reality unveiled itself. Apparently, the girl wasn't allowed to watch TV, use a computer or even listen to music on an iPod. Her only permissible activities were school work and reading books that her parents had pre-approved. She was in the sixth grade, so the workload wasn't much.
However, her mother would make her review her daily notes and frequently have her redo her homework if it wasn't lengthy enough. Finally, I chose to intervene and told her mother that she was being too severe on her daughter. The reaction was dramatic; she asked me to leave her house right away.
9. Don’t Mind Me
Back in my college days, a certain incident left everyone in shock. One typical class day, a kid slouched in his chair portraying his usual carefree attitude. A middle-aged woman unexpectedly took the seat beside him. We thought nothing of it at first, since anyone can attend college regardless of age. However, things quickly took a strange turn.
Normally, roll call isn't something taken seriously, but as it was the first day of a beginner's course, the professor wanted to ensure everyone who should be present was indeed there. This woman had her notebook at the ready but wasn't listed either as a registered student or on the waitlist.
When the professor asked her if she'd missed the waitlist notification, she casually answered, "No, don't mind me". Puzzled, the professor enquired, "Why? What brings you here?" The woman, with a response that left us astonished, explained, "I am here to take notes for my son. Like I said, don't mind me".
The professor, taken aback, retorted, "He's in university, for goodness sake". She simply nodded, adding, "Yes, but note-taking is hard for him". The professor then asked, "Does he have an IEP? We actually have a support program for that". She dismissed him again insisting, "No need. Like I said, don’t mind me".
The professor, alarmed, declared, "Actually, I do mind. You must be enrolled and paid up to attend this class". She held her ground and stated, "I’m not here to learn. I'm merely here to take notes". The professor, utterly perplexed, directed her towards the exit.
He went on to say, "No, you need to leave. Your son isn't a child who can't take notes. Without paying tuition, you're not permitted here. Goodbye!" Incredibly, she had the audacity to threaten, "I will take this up with the head of your department". The professor, with the last word, flatly said, "I happen to be the head; now kindly leave".
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10. A Recipe For Disaster
When I was in high school, I had a part-time job as a busboy. There was this one family—a couple and their two little kids—that visited quite often. They might have looked like an average family, but trust me, they were champions at messing up tables. Every time they left, it looked like a tornado had swept through.
French fries were scattered everywhere and there were spills on the floor. I once even saw one of their kids dunk our salt and pepper shakers into a glass of milk. By the time the father flagged me down, I was already pretty frustrated. He says, "Hey, could we get a fresh milk for the little guy? He had a bit of mishap".
Add to that, the kids constantly screamed their heads off with their parents acting like it was the most normal thing in the world. Their visits were always an hour-long cyclone of chaos. I ended up cleaning up their messes more times than I care to count before the hostess finally asked them to refrain from coming back.
They didn't take it well, but thankfully, we never saw them again.
11. Enough, Mom
My mom was quite the perfectionist. Each time we'd dine out, it was like navigating a battle field. Anything and everything could set her off—she'd find her fork slightly misshapen, her meal a whisker less spicy than last time, she'd get upset if the waiter didn't speak to her before everyone else.
If her food wasn't piping hot or if the waiter hadn't popped over for a while, even if we didn't need anything, she'd totally explode. You get the gist. She would deliver her many complaints with pure arrogance towards the server, always finishing with, "I used to be a waitress, we didn't have these problems".
Keep in mind, she was a part-time server at a pizza place back in the early 90s. It's almost impossible for me to roll my eyes any harder.
12. Master Of None
At our school, I had a colleague who managed a student with the most overbearing parent I'd encountered in my eight-year education career. It was hard to believe anyone could be this overzealous.
The mother believed that each grade should appoint a "group leader"—a title she envisioned for her own child, who she was certain, would one day be President. She believed his early elementary schooling should mirror this expectation.
She wanted her child to be selected as the leader who would assign tasks to his classmates. Despite being only five and testing at the kindergarten level, the boy had already skipped kindergarten at his parent's insistence.
His mom made sure he presented monthly PowerPoint presentations on complex topics like photosynthesis and segregation, which were clearly the product of her work, not his.
On presentation days, she would show up to record her son's recitals. Three times a week, she would keep him after school to ensure his reading scores not only met but exceeded the set bar by tenfold.
Eventually, she left our district with her kids in search of a private school that would allow her second-grader to be christened as the “leader of all grades K-6” in preparation for his future leadership position.
13. Mint Moocher
I've been working in the biz for over 15 years, so I've seen a few things. One of my funniest memories is from my time as a manager at a steakhouse. One of our hosts, a cheeky 20-year-old with a great sense of humor, had an interesting run-in with a guest.
As the customer was heading out, he grabbed a whopping 50 mints. In response, the host jokingly wished him to "Enjoy the mints!" This comment made the customer fly off the handle, shouting and swearing. I could hear the commotion from the restaurant entrance.
As I approached the scene, I found a businessman, clutching armfuls of mints, and giving the young host an earful, who meanwhile was grinning ear to ear, insisting he wouldn't apologize. I stepped in to see if I could help, albeit a bit confused about what the fuss was about.
The man demanded an apology from the host. I asked the customer to tone down his anger while I figured out the situation with the host. His explanation? "I simply told him to 'Enjoy the mints'". The man's reaction was crazy.
His face was beet red, and he was shaking so much that the mints were on the brink of spilling out from his arms. I must admit, I had to stifle a laugh, and all I managed to say was, "Sir, please enjoy your mints". Well, needless to say, he stormed off, rang up corporate, and I had to relay this comical interaction to my boss.
Despite the chuckles, we did end up getting a written complaint, and provided a comped meal to the customer and his wife.
14. Paying The Price
I used to work at an upscale boutique, so it wasn't unusual to encounter patrons feeling rather self-important. Around Christmas, one customer was being outrageously disrespectful to me and my fellow associate. I'd already made it clear to him that there was an orderly queue and he'd need to wait his turn, like everyone else.
When he finally reached the counter, he insulted my manager, calling him a fool. This occurred after the customer insisted on a re-scan of an item, and nothing more. Little did he realize, payback was just around the corner.
Another shopper, who was considerably smaller, tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Could you possibly stay quiet and let these people do their work? You're genuinely annoying the rest of us". Just like that, I stumbled across a 50 percent off voucher for this new hero of mine.
15. She Was Whining For No Reason
A woman and her husband came in. Before settling in, they told us that she had a severe allergy to white wine, explaining, "If I consume white wine, I'll have a life-threatening reaction". So I quickly ensured our recipes avoided this ingredient and the kitchen staff was well-prepared to handle her order. Her husband chose the day's special.
I informed her not to taste his entreé, as it was prepared with a beurre blanc sauce made from white wine, and it was essential for her safety. Then, I served them their meals, and to my surprise, the first thing she did was snatch a hearty forkful from her husband's dish. As she popped it into her mouth, I gasped, horrified.
While savouring her stolen mouthful, she shrugged and stated, "Oh, a single bite won't be detrimental". Additionally, she monopolized the servers' time, sidetracking them with odd and unexpected conversations while they tried to manage their busy sections.
She even managed to corner another customer in the narrow hallway leading to the restrooms, belligerently telling him he was being excessively noisy.
16. Obey Your Commander
My friend and I were at a movie when a group of guys began discussing their recent basic training experience. Throughout the film, they continuously made negative comments, disturbing everyone around them. My friend asked them to quiet down. They responded with an offensive gesture but complied.
We happened to exit the movie ahead of these guys, who had been disrupting the show. My friend addressed them, saying, "Your behavior during the movie was unacceptable". The rowdiest of the group showed us his ID and retorted, "Well, I'm a Marine, and I fight for your freedoms".
With a smile, my friend revealed his own ID and replied, "I'm a Marine officer, and just because you have the privilege of wearing the uniform doesn't mean you can act poorly". My friend then told them to stand at the theater's exit and apologize to each patron as they left the venue.
17. She Was A Mutton For Punishment
Once when I was serving tables at a country club, a couple walked in. The moment they sat down—and I hadn't even introduced myself yet—the woman was already grumbling about having to wait for five minutes while their table was prepared.
She began by telling me how terrible the filet mignon was every time she ordered it, saying it was never cooked right. I suggested she might want to try something different, but she didn't take up my advice and ordred the filet mignon again.
To avoid issues, I quickly let the kitchen know to ensure her steak was cooked to perfection. When I served her the impeccably prepared steak, her face had a smirk that spelled trouble. She tapped on the steak with fork three times and before she even had a bite, she declared, "This is disgusting".
Immediately, I took the steak back to the kitchen and got her a new one. Although she ate half of the new steak and took the rest home, she wasn't done with her complaints. Before leaving, she insisted on speaking to the manager. In the end, her meal was comped, she got a free dessert, and she left me a pitiful tip.
18. No One Could Hold A Candle To Her
My aunt is the typical "Karen". I remember once when we were visiting her and needed to go to Walgreens. She had an old newspaper advertisement that said some candles were half-priced, so she decided to buy ten of them.
However, at checkout, she was billed at the regular price which was a dollar per candle—twice the discounted price. She lost her cool. Both the cashier and I tried explaining to her that the ad she held was outdated.
It clearly stated that the offer had ended a week before. But her response was—"You could have informed me in a gentler way," and she continued with her grumbling. My job was to remind her repeatedly that we should get going.
Once I managed to guide her to the car, I slipped back into the store under the pretense of needing to buy a pack of gum, just so I could say sorry to the bewildered cashier.
19. I Broke It Down For Her
I was working in the toy section of a shop once. The hot product back then was the new Leap Frog laptops, and they weren't cheap. As I was tidying the shelves, I saw a kid roughly playing with one of these pricey toys, looking like he might break it. The mom was nowhere in sight.
I approached the kid politely, "Do you treat your toys like this back at home?" The kid gave a sheepish "No" and put the toy back. I felt a little triumphant, but then his mother appeared out of nowhere. She snapped at me, saying I had “NO RIGHT” to talk to her child that way. Keeping calm, I responded to her straightly.
“Ma’am, your son was close to damaging a $150 toy. We run a 'if you break it, you pay for it' rule here. If you want him continue playing roughly with it, I can gladly tally up the cost for you at my register". She shot me a nasty glare, gathered her son, and stormed off.
20. Fired Up On The Home Front
I sat down during a parent-teacher conference. A concerned mom approached me, worried about her daughter's failing grades. I empathetically told her that while I believed her daughter could pass, she needed to put into the effort for homework outside of school. Apparently, she hadn't done much. That didn't go over too well.
The rest of the meeting was taken up by a lecture from her about my lack of right to imply how she should spend her home time. She insisted that I should dedicate more teaching time to her daughter during classes because she was having a hard time. I kindly explained that wouldn't be fair to the other students in the class.
Next thing I know, this mother was up on her feet, belting out in the middle of the hallway, "YOU ARE THE WORST TEACHER EVER! I'M TALKING TO THE PRINCIPAL, AND YOU'RE GOING TO GET FIRED". Spoiler alert: I didn't.
21. Fight Or Flight
I'm usually a chill guy who travels a lot for work, and I tend not to sweat the small stuff. But a few years back, I was on a delayed flight and I already knew that my connecting flight was going to be right down to the wire, possibly involving a quick sprint across the airport.
I was among the last to board the plane and due to a lack of space, I had to check in my baggage. The same happened to the four or five people boarding after me. As I made my way down the aisle, I saw a man trying to negotiate space for his oversized bag, which obviously could not fit. He called over for the flight attendant.
When she told him politely that they were out of space and he would need to check in his bag, he lost his mind. He started shouting, rattling off complaints about the airline, bragging about being a frequent flyer and demanding for her employee details. At that point, I snapped. I felt awful for the flight attendant.
She was only doing her job, while this man was wasting everyone's time and making a spectacle of himself. The entire plane was watching, hoping he would calm down. All I could do was shout, "QUIET DOWN, JUST STOP IT!" I was seething. Then I lost all restraint.
I yelled, "Take your bag to the front, check it, and quit the drama. You are the problem with flying. Your sense of privilege makes me nauseous. Being a frequent flyer, you should understand the flying rules. Act like you've been here before".
Looking taken aback and fumbling for words, he didn't say anything. And then the most awesome thing happened. Someone from the back of the plane started clapping. The applause spread, and the entire plane was hailing me. I sat down and let the clapping continue, while the man took a walk of humiliation to the front of the plane.
Everyone, including the flight attendant, thanked me. I didn't plan for it, but I just cannot tolerate folks like him. The icing on the cake? I had complimentary drinks for the flight, the attendant handed me a bunch of free beverages vouchers for my future travels, and a passenger gave me a free WiFi voucher he had. So satisfying.
22. Things Got Pretty Heated
A parent expressed her frustration to us for asking her child to leave school because he had a 101-degree fever and had thrown up in the middle of the cafeteria. She conveyed her dissatisfaction quite passionately.
She downright denied the stories of everyone present in the cafeteria at the time of the incident. Not only that, but she also had a theory that her child's fever spiked because he was wearing a sweater. But that wasn't the most infuriating part.
This particular mother didn't have to leave her job to attend to her sick child. In fact, she's a stay-at-home mom. She was quite literally at home when the school nurse rang on her home phone number.
23. She Had Me Tongue Tied
I used to work in a fast-food joint close to a convention location in Ottawa, Canada—a town with both French and English speakers. Though I'm originally from the prairies, where studying French isn't obligatory, so my French is non-existent. One day during my shift, a lady started to order in French.
I can usually understand a bit of French if I catch a few familiar words, but she was speaking too quickly for me. After several attempts to respond to her inquiries, I handed the situation over to a bilingual buddy at work, pleading for divine intervention. That's when the woman threw me for a loop.
She spoke in flawless English, her voice dripping with scorn, "This is Canada. We speak French AND English". My jaw hit the floor. Not only did she just sass me, she ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD ME THE WHOLE TIME AND DID NOTHING TO HELP. I was so perplexed by this I didn't know how to react.
So, I just looked at her for a moment, then walked off.
24. Missed Photo Op
As a teacher, I once had a parent upset because her child wasn't in a group photo from a field trip. She was under the impression that I intentionally excluded her child because I didn't like him. However, that wasn't the case at all.
Actually, her child wasn't even at school on the day of the trip. The parent was convinced her child had been there because he had a sticker from the site we visited. But here's the truth: I actually went the extra mile to get the sticker for the child since he missed out on the trip.
I even offered to show the parent my attendance records to verify that her preschooler wasn't at school on the day in question.
25. A Chili Reception
I spent about half a decade working at Chili's. Over that time, I dealt with more than my fair share of rude customers, but one event stood out as the worst. It was during graduation season and a group of 25 had called ahead, saying they'd be at the restaurant in half an hour. We arranged a table for them and awaited their arrival.
Instead, they arrived a whopping one and a half hours late. In the meantime, we had broken down the big table and seated other parties. Their delay resulted in confusion and disappointment, as the table wasn't ready. Our soft-spoken, polite hostess gently explained the situation, but things quickly escalated.
The lead lady, let's call her Karen, was none too pleased. She reproached our hostess, insisting that we should have known they were still on their way. Meanwhile, she voiced her opinion that dining at Chili's was a terrible idea, deeming us incompetent. Our hostess, taken aback but professional, quickly arranged another big table and let them know I'd be their waiter.
This group had a reputation for being consistently discourteous, bad tippers, and complaining to score free meals. Whenever I handled large groups, I'd start with serving water while taking drink orders, as it buys some time to organize. Even this was cause for them to complain about lack of options and accused me of being disrespectful.
Taken aback, I assured them I'd serve whatever they wanted, the water was just a placeholder. Unimpressed, they went so far as to call me an idiot, discarding the served water. Their drink of choice was strawberry lemonade. When served, they complained about its taste, claiming it was different.
I assured them of its consistency but offered to make a fresh batch. Despite this effort, they still complained about the taste and demanded a more competent waiter. They even brought our manager into the discussion, maintaining I had been dismissive. Their behavior deteriorated further during their meal.
They began purposefully spilling drinks, lobbing food at me and overtly insulting me. This spectacle was not only affecting me but other tables who complained about the noise. Upon requesting them to lower their volume, a young man provocatively responded by amplifying it, causing some patrons to leave. This was the last straw.
I firmly informed them they were no longer welcome. A young man retorted that I had no authority over them. I retorted that I could, especially if it caused our restaurant to lose customers and demanded they leave. They had the audacity to request take-away boxes for uneaten food. I dismissed their request and watched in satisfaction as they left.
A young woman blamed me for ruining her graduation party. I responded that her parties’ behavior was far from applaudable. A few lingered, pleading with my manager to allow them back, citing Chili's as their preferred haunt. My manager refused, noting that their visits cost the establishment money, and firmly banned them from the restaurant.
26. Diaper Duty
It's really a bummer when the demanding person is part of your own family. We were at this packed restaurant, and my mom decided to change my sister's diaper right there on the table. A waitress politely suggested using the restroom, but my mom completely lost her cool.
While she was busy arguing with everyone in the restaurant, she handed off the task to me. I was left to change my sister's diaper, still at the table.
27. Never-Ending Nightmare
I once worked at Olive Garden for a couple of years. On one particularly busy night during our "unlimited pasta bowl" promotion, I was serving a table with a family of five: mom, dad, two boys, and a little girl aged about two or three. The family was noticeably overweight, and the little girl was a bit unkempt, wearing a soiled shirt and simply, a diaper.
When I touched base with them, I couldn't help but notice a strong, unpleasant smell coming from their vicinity. I came back with their drink refills, and the smell still hadn't subsided. Going around the table distributing drinks, I walked by the toddler's high chair and saw her hand inside her diaper. What she did next almost made me retch.
She extracted her soiled diaper contents and tossed it onto the floor, adding to an already existing pile that was loosely concealed by a napkin. Shocked and repulsed, I managed to inform the parents, "Er, your daughter has a...problem over here". The mom seemed completely unfazed.
She simply responded, "Yeah, I know. Threw that napkin over it," and she continued with her third helping of the unlimited pasta bowl. I was taken aback. Not only were there now two toddler-sized turds on the floor, but the kid's hands were smeared with it, and none of the family members showed the slightest concern.
One of the sons even had the audacity to ask me for another Dr Pepper refresher amidst the chaos. I immediately filled in the manager about the disgusting predicament. The manager didn't believe me initially until she saw it for herself. She then kindly requested the mom to tidy up the mess, giving her disinfecting wipes. That's when things escalated.
The mom declared it wasn't her responsibility to clean up and claimed discrimination because we asked her to do so. She insisted all of their meals should be on the house. She begrudgingly picked up the mess, but never cleaned her hands or the messy toddler and proceeded to finish her meal.
As I naively thought they would pay and leave, I was thrown another curveball. As I was presenting the bill, the mom nonchalantly said, "Um, it's my son's birthday. Don't you guys do the whole singing and free dessert thing?"
28. I Swear She Was A Kook
Once, a parent approached me about their 16-year-old child overhearing rude words. I found it an unusual concern but still, if a teacher or student had used such language around him, it was a problem. So I asked the parent, "Was it a teacher or another school member?"
They said it wasn’t, so I suggested, "So it was another student possibly?" Once more, they said no. Grasping for understanding, I asked, "Someone else at the school then? Did this happen on school property?" They said it had not. Still puzzled, I pursued, "During school hours?" But they replied "No" again.
I said, "Let me get this straight. Your child overheard someone swearing, but it was off school grounds, after hours, and the person wasn’t associated with the school at all?" Their response was, “Correct, what action will you take?”
29. His Words Hit The Spot
My dad was out and about with his gravely sick friend. They had to stop by a drugstore and given my dad's friend's difficulty in breathing, they were on the lookout for a handicap parking spot. But no luck, all the spots were taken, forcing them to park at a distance. As they headed towards the entrance, a burly, stumpy man exited the drugstore.
The pharmacy customer was making his way towards his Ford F150, parked in a handicap spot, without a sticker. He obviously didn't require it. This sight left my dad's friend fuming. He raised his voice, catching the man just as he climbed into his truck, "Hey, is your disability physical or mental?"
The man turned as pale as a sheet, and hurriedly drove off.
30. The Baconator
Let me tell you about my time at Subway. We've had a memorable character visit our store—we call her "Crazy Bacon Lady" when we share the story.
One day, an elderly woman walked in and asked for the price of a six-inch BLT. We informed her that it was $4 plus tax, and her response was to loudly complain that the price was $2 the previous day—although she had never set foot in our store before.
In my three year tenure at Subway, the BLT's price never dropped to $2. As she ordered her sub, she ranted the whole time, claiming to be a good Christian woman who didn't deserve such treatment. She insisted that her bacon had better be fresh for $4. Frustratedly, she claimed the service was terrible and that she was never going to return.
However, the icing on the cake was when she got to my colleague at the cash register. Upon hearing that the total was more than $4 with tax, she exclaimed, "You people are workers of the DEVIL!" She hastily dropped the exact change, grabbed her order, and stormed out.
31. She Had Some Hang Up
One time, while I was teaching, a mom rang her daughter up just to touch base. I stepped in and ended their chat midway, reminding the mom about the essentiality of not disrupting her daughter's study time merely to exchange pleasantaries. I then held on to the phone till the class was dismissed.
The student was truly embarrassed and that phone never made another appearance in my class. Consequently, my principal appreciated my action with a handshake, while the mother, quite to my surprise, ignored all my attempts to discuss her child's progress throughout the rest of the term.
32. They Were In For A Rude Awakening
During my lunch break, I went to the grocery store and saw an older woman with clear emotional issues at the checkout line. As she tried to take out her salad, it tipped over, causing a mess. The woman began to cry and kept apologizing, stating she couldn't afford a replacement.
A sympathetic cashier and I rushed over to help, assuring her that accidents happen often and she won't be charged for the mishap. Despite our words, she remained distraught and continued to cry. Amidst all this, two lavishly-dressed, middle-aged women nearby began to snicker. I was taken aback by their actions.
They even went as far as openly mocking her. Noticing this, I put my shopping basket aside, walked over to them and respectfully said, "Please, stop it". Their laughter ceased and they turned red with rage. When one of them dared to question my identity, I calmly responded, "She's visibly upset and you're causing embarrassment to both her and yourselves".
This hit a nerve and they lashed out at me: "Who do you think you are? Don't ever talk to us like that". I retorted, "Considering that your husbands possibly cheat on you while you're unliked by your own children due to your bad attitudes, it's no excuse for you to mistreat strangers".
They were taken aback by this, which was satisfying to witness. Angrily, they declared, "We're not paying for this," and stormed off, leaving their groceries behind. The cashier and another customer laughed at this exchange. In hindsight, I might have been a little harsh, but their behavior really shocked me.
33. Not In Your Wildest Dreams Lady
I'm a teacher and was planning a graduation dinner. This one mother showed up insisting that her daughter grace us with her music. I told her that the graduate group had selected someone else. But there was a twist. The mother grew even more agitated and then clarified, she wasn't referring to her graduating daughter.
She wanted her other daughter, a past graduate now attempting to kick-start her music career, to perform. I found it quite amusing and professionally let her know that it was impossible. A few days later, she called the venue and tried to accommodate all sorts of requirements, like making the meals kosher among other things.
She sure was a character.
34. Looking For Trouble
I worked as a waiter for three years, and one instance still haunts me. I had these guests who seemed perfectly happy—I was quick, courteous, and they seemed content with their experience. When I asked if everything was fine, they enthusiastically said "Yes!" Yet, midway during their dinner, one customer left the table to find a manager to lodge a complaint against me.
She didn't just lodge a complaint, she specifically complained about me and demanded that I be sacked. Her gripes were baseless accusations, using her own stint in the hospitality industry as her defense. If the more understanding manager had not been on duty that night, I could have faced severe repercussions.
Despite getting her dinner for free, she didn't leave me a tip. To this day, the memory infuriates me. It's as if their sole aim that evening was to have a waiter lose his job.
35. Her Behavior Needed To Go
Once upon a time, I worked at Walmart. During quiet periods, we cashiers would assist other departments and keep the store in order. One day, I was aiding a buddy of mine in the children’s section when a woman walked in with her small kids, one a baby, the other around four or five years old.
The woman was engrossed in her shopping, brushing off her older daughter who kept trying to get her attention, repeatedly stating, "Mom, I need to use the bathroom". The mother simply told her to wait. Eventually, the little girl cried out “Mom! I! Have! To! GO!”, rousing the baby who began to wail.
Rather than addressing her daughter’s needs, the woman scolded her for being annoying. Hearing this, my friend and I exchanged disbelieving glances. Her reaction was beyond our comprehension—but the worst was yet to come. Then the woman shouted in frustration, "Would you be quiet!? I wish you had never been born"!
I was aghast. I couldn’t fathom someone speaking to their child like that. My friend, astounded, dropped what she was holding and fired back, "What did you just say?" The woman tried to dismiss us, but my friend launched into a passionate rebuttal.
She sharply criticised the woman for disregarding her daughter’s needs. She concluded her rant by decrying the woman’s failing as a parent, stating in no uncertain terms, "You're the reason birth control should exist. Take your kid to the bathroom". I was deeply impressed by her response. The woman departed in silence.
However, she later lodged a complaint against my friend, who got summoned to the manager's office. She defended her actions vigorously and expressed her readiness to repeat it if necessary. The manager, although issuing a warning, praised her efforts and acknowledged, “Good job”.
36. I Slammed Back
One day, I witnessed a woman recklessly bang her car door into the vehicle next to hers because "it was parked too close". Right then, I lost it. Ironically, the woman smacking her door was parked beyond the line, while the car she was damaging was perfectly situated in the middle of its parking spot.
I quickly noted her license plate number, walked into the store, tracked down the owner of the targeted car, and tipped them off.
37. The Shrill Of Defeat
I used to work at a local computer repair joint, a stone's throw from the school at the heart of my city. Occasionally, the school's tech guy would call us with a question beyond his depth, or something new for him. As we familiarized with them, my boss and I—who were the whole team—were occasionally asked to step in for their tech guy.
The school board knew us, the school administrators knew us, and I even became good buddies with the only janitor of this massive high school packed with over a thousand students. One day, while standing in for their tech, I got a call from a disgruntled mom. The principal walked in and, seeing my confusion, motioned me to end the call.
However, I kept listening. Her son had scored 79 in a test, and she demanded a retest. I knew this school was lenient, but this was a state exam—I'm a former student, so I'm well aware. But my explanation didn't soothe her. She exploded into a high-pitched wail, leaving me stunned.
I barely had my phone's volume on, yet the principal heard the shrieking from a distance. He stiffened against a wall, and we just waited for her to cool down. Eventually, her rant faded into panting and wheezing. At this point, she had engaged the wrong guy.
After a good ten-second break, I asked, "Would you like fries with that?" She swore. And then, there was this jarring, deafening screech, without any clear words—just a sonic blast breakdown. The phone's speaker never quite recovered from that incident. Click. Silence. The sounds of disbelief and laughter from the principal and me echoed in the room.
Looking at me, he said, "Thank goodness you're not on my payroll, else I'd have to sack you". All this drama because her son scored a 79 on a test.
38. O Holy Nightmare
I once had to handle a really challenging stage mom. A mother warned that she would pull her daughter out of the school if she wasn't offered the lead role to sing "O Holy Night" in the Christmas concert. The daughter was honest with me, the teachers, and her peers, admitting that she didn't feel capable or keen on taking that part.
And yet it was entirely her mom pushing for this, determined to see her daughter become the school's "shining star," regardless.
39. Stand Up And Deliver
I was in the middle of a purchase at a 7-Eleven when a frazzled woman interrupted my transaction. She complained to the cashier about her coffee not being hot enough. He apologized swiftly, offering to whip up a fresh pot right away. But she refused, exclaiming, "No, I just don't have the time to wait for that!"
The cashier then presented the option of a refund to her, but she replied, "No, I don't want a refund! I'm on a tight schedule, and I need a hot cup of coffee immediately". I felt a pang of sympathy for this cashier, who, from his accent, seemed to be relatively new to this country and taken aback by her impoliteness.
There and then, I lost my cool. I stated, "Hey, take it easy. What do you expect him to do? His only option to fulfill your demand would be to travel back in time and prepare another pot before your arrival". She froze on the spot, shivering. It was hard to tell if it was out of indignation or fear, but eventually, after a seemingly long pause, she sprinted out of the store.
The other customers in line applauded my intervention. The cashier was also surprised at my outburst, but he said, "It's reassuring to see that there are people who are ready to defend strangers in this country".
40. Crying Over Fried Rice
I used to be a server at this hybrid gas stop and diner. One day, a truck driver got mad because his rice pilaf was made with a type of rice that wasn't white. He totally lost his cool over this—he started shouting at me, my colleague, and the chef, creating a spectacle in front of a bustling crowd.
He went extra hard on my coworker because she didn't tolerate his childish tantrum. He'd ordered two bowls of rice and was upset with both. Honestly, this issue could have been simply resolved by offering him a fresh side of rice. But I think he just felt like rebuking the chef over the "unappetizing appearance" of the dish while we were trying to attend to other patrons.
I decided to just disregard him for the remainder of the evening, he could sulk and shoot daggers all he wanted. We gave him a discount and surprisingly, he left me a tip. Still, it was quite humiliating having to serve this grown man.
41. A Smile Was Worth A Thousand Words
I'm an educator who typically assigns homework as a form of additional practice, so as not to overwhelm my pupils. One day, I decided to assign a challenging task to one of my most intelligent students, Michael, just to see his performance.
I attached a sticky note with a smiley face and a note suggesting, "Michael might need some assistance with this one". The next day, to my shock, his father stormed into the principal's office, enraged.
He tossed the note onto the principal's desk, fuming over what he perceived as sarcasm in the form of a smiley face, implying that he failed to assist his son with homework. The principal was understandably taken aback. Later, the man's wife entered, rolling her eyes and apologizing for her husband's overreaction.
Thankfully, my principal gave me the chance to explain myself, which seemed to help the dad cool down. But really, who gets upset over a smiley face?
42. Her Entitlement Got Knocked Out Of The Park
As a nanny, I often took the baby I cared for to the park for some fun and socializing. There was a regular mom there that we often hung out with and her youngest child would play with us. One day, while we were playing, I suddenly realized that I was the only adult around, looking after two toddlers and her slightly older preschool-aged kid.
Frantically I called for her and searched in vain for 15 minutes, after which I alerted the authorities. Half an hour later, she was nowhere in sight, but the authorities and a social worker had showed up. They recorded my statement and took the children who were left behind.
As I was leaving the area, about a block away, the mom raced towards me demanding to know where her kids were. I explained what had transpired, which kicked off a heated argument. I was shocked as she berated me for not just sticking around at the park with her kids while she made a trip to the store, after all, I was a nanny.
According to her, I should've had no problem with adding more kids to my care, even though they weren't my responsibility. In reply, trying to keep my cool in front of the baby, I told her about her poor parenting and the risks she placed her children in. I also let her know my thoughts on her thoughtless, presumptuous, and reckless behavior.
A court hearing followed this incident, where she tried to claim I was babysitting her kids. But, when she failed to give the judge my contact details, I was deemed innocent. I never found out what happened to her and the kids in the end.
43. The Proof Was In The Puddin’
I worked as an assistant counselor at a high school. We got multiple calls from an angry parent accusing us of turning her son gay for one reason or another. There was just one issue: Her son was actually quite popular amongst the school's female students. And surprisingly, these calls stopped completely when he got a fellow student pregnant.
44. Trouble Was Brewing
I once worked at a super busy restaurant where weekends were like a bad dream, especially dinnertime when we'd have over 250 guests. The evening rush would keep us filled up until closing time. We operated on a system where each waiter had their own section to manage.
There was one area that was bigger than the rest and usually had two waiters, but one Saturday night we were short-staffed. My manager decided to put me in charge of the large area alone, as the others weren't up to it. Sure, it had happened before and normally wasn't a big issue.
The area included a couple of round tables—one that could fit six people and another that accommodated four. Both were occupied by families. As the place got busier throughout the night, my section did too. Consequently, my service got a little slower, causing a somewhat longer wait time for the food.
I apologized and explained the circumstances to all the tables. Everyone seemed pretty understanding, telling me not to fret...everyone except one dad at the round table. He'd had more than a few drinks and was clearly tipsy. His temper flared up every time I passed by his table.
At one point, while his table was waiting for dessert, he did something that pushed me over the edge. He stood up and doused me with his full pint while I was serving food to the family at the next table. I was so taken aback, I didn't even know how to react. Fortunately, one of the bartenders saw the incident.
They rushed over to the guy like lightning, practically booting him out of the place. The only silver lining to this incident was that all the other tables felt so sorry for me they stopped worrying about the wait times.
45. Toilet Trouble
Within the first few days of school, it became apparent that a particular student couldn't navigate the restroom on her own. This was a class of five to six-year-olds. A buddy of mine got in touch with this child's folks.
As it turned out, the child had only graduated from Pull-Ups a few weeks before, and her parents hadn't shown her how to use the bathroom yet because they didn't want to stress her out. They believed she'd let them know when she was ready to learn the ropes of toilet use.
They even proposed that we assign a female staff member to be consistently available to help their daughter in the bathroom and clean her up if she had an accident. The level of entitlement and sheer neglect shown by these parents was staggering.
He gave the parents an ultimatum—if their child wasn't potty trained, she couldn't continue at this school. Within a week, the child was managing the bathroom independently.
46. Do I Have To Paint A Picture? Your Kid’s Rude!
While my mom and I were attempting to enjoy a peaceful lunch at a restaurant, a child from the next table started throwing crayons at us. The mom, engrossed in her phone conversation, didn't seem to care. Even when I shot her a sharp look, she simply ignored me.
Eventually, I confronted her directly, but she just gave me the "just-a-minute" hand gesture. That was the final straw. I gathered all the crayons strewn about and dumped them in her lap before returning to my seat. I think she was so surprised, she just got up and left.
To our surprise, the restaurant manager gave us a free meal. Apparently, this lady was infamous for letting her child behave however they pleased.
47. I Tried To Put Her In Line
It was around 6 PM on a Friday and I found myself standing in a longer-than-usual line at the local grocery store. In front of me, there was a super impatient woman in her late 40s, probably a soccer mom, who was restlessly tapping her foot and clearly showing her agitation.
When we finally reached the cash register, she started ranting about the pace of the line and how absurd the waiting time had been. The visibly young cashier, obviously in a tough spot, held her peace. That's when I decided to step in.
I gently, yet firmly, addressed the woman: "Ma'am, please relax. You aren't the only one who's bothered by these long lines. Being harsh to this young lady won't make our purchases move any quicker through". Her expression showed obvious surprise, as if she had always been pandered to, her verbal outbursts given a free pass in her world.
She fell silent, her glare fixed on me as she quietly finished her purchase and left the store. I settled back, projecting an unfazed demeanor. The cashier, sporting a relieved smile, confessed that, in her position, she couldn't have done what I just did.
The following week, she informed me that the woman had returned, complained to the manager about her, for not pointing out how supposedly inappropriate my intervention was!
48. She Made A Mountain Out Of A Molehill
Once, my mom really lived up to the dreaded "Karen" stereotype during a visit after I had moved to Switzerland. We decided to go grocery shopping together and soon noticed how shockingly expensive everything was—costing at least twice as much as usual!
To my humiliation, my mom voiced her outrage about the high prices loud enough for the whole store to hear, commenting on each item I dropped into our cart. To top it off, despite usually drinking tap water back home, she insisted we buy bottled water because she was wary of the Swiss tap water.
Ironically, Switzerland is known for its top-quality water, so it actually seems safer to drink than what she's used to. Still, she had no complaints about paying $12 for four bottles of regular water. Safe to say, that was the last time I ever went grocery shopping with her.
49. Told Off In A Tiny Space
My family and I were on vacation together, with my dad arranging a fantastic dinner at an upscale eatery. The restaurant was uniquely nestled on the ground floor of a small house, making it quite intimate. Due to its size, all patrons were expected to maintain a low volume to respect others' dining experiences.
As soon as we settled into our dinner, a boisterous man at the neighboring table disrupted our peace. The man didn't just raise his voice; his conversation was filled with offensive and prejudiced remarks. It seemed he'd had one too many glasses, and his companions looked too intimidated to call him out on his behavior.
We tried to focus on our dinner in spite of his outbursts, but it was getting tough. My dad, who'd put in so much effort to organize this wonderful dinner, looked dejected. I've always had a protective streak when it comes to my family. When they're bothered, I don't hold back. So that's exactly what happened.
I swiveled around and said in a clear, firm voice, "Would you kindly lower your volume? Your conversation is drowning out everything else". The man was left dumbstruck, perhaps not expecting to be told what to do by an 18-year-old girl right in front of the whole restaurant.
50. This Parent Spelled Trouble
When I was younger, my mom worked as a teaching assistant. One of the student's mothers was furious because her child didn't pass his spelling test. He had got a grade of zero, which she could not believe since she had helped her son study with flashcards for an hour. She declared that my mom must have a bias against her son, resulting in his failure.
She was so upset that she came to the school to lodge a complaint against my mom with most of her written words spelled incorrectly. She forcefully placed his test on the desk, insisting that his responses were right. Unfortunately, this incident revealed a sad truth.
Apparently, the mother's spelling was not even up to a third grade level. So, inadvertently, she was passing on her spelling mistakes to her son every time she tutored him with the words to learn for his tests.
51. Read The Room—We’re Busy!
A lady in her 40s, a bit on the large side, took a seat at my station. She was by herself with a hefty book, which was the first thing I noticed. In no time, I walked up to her to take her drink order. She let me know she was expecting someone else, but she decided to choose her cocktail regardless.
I informed her the bar was pretty busy, so her drink might take a bit longer than usual. When her beverage was ready, I brought it over. No sign of her date yet. She then questioned why her drink took so long. I apologized and explained that the bar was swamped with orders. I excused myself to attend to my other patrons.
I returned to her in a couple of minutes to check if she was alright. But, things didn't feel right. She voiced her dissatisfaction with the drink and wanted a replacement. She picked another drink and specifically said, "Don't let this one take as long". Once again, I calmly explained that the bar was at full tilt.
Nevertheless, I assured her I'd get her drink as soon as possible. Her companion hadn't shown up yet. I got her the second drink, and growing tired of the wait, she placed her food order. Everything was delivered promptly and accurately; there wasn't any room for complaint. She then requested the check, which I promptly provided.
She put it on her card for payment and left. When I got to cleaning up, I saw she left no tip on the card. I glanced around the table hoping for cash but found none. Instead, I found her thick book. An idea lit up in my head. I sauntered into a quiet part of the kitchen with her book and ripped out its final chapter.
As she returned, looking for her book, I approached the host stand, a grin on my face. I handed her the book and wished her a pleasant evening.
52. She Was Off The Rails
When I first left for boarding school in the UK, my parents accompanied me. My mom had conveniently booked our train seats ahead of time. Once onboard, we found a young girl sitting at our designated table. Politely, we informed her about the reservation, to which she graciously responded by apologizing and joining her family across the aisle.
However, my mom was bent on confrontation and began heatedly arguing with the girl's family, waving our tickets around. Cringeing, my dad and I pleaded with her to settle down and stop making a scene. We were met with resistance and soon found ourselves caught in her line of fire.
She turned her frustration towards us, loudly admonishing us over dinner in the hotel restaurant for not supporting her. It was a rowdy spectacle with others in the restaurant watching. Honestly, I couldn't wait to escape the chaos and settle into my new dorm room.
53. A Waste Of Space
I once had a student who was not fully utilizing his potential. He seemed disinterested, cunning, and overconfident. His mother, a single mom, didn't make things any easier.
From our initial interaction, it seemed as though she would be challenging to deal with. And sure enough, within just the first quarter, I had a separate folder in my email just to contain all the emails from her. Despite her intense involvement, her son's performance remained inconsistent.
She'd often tell me, "We plan to prepare for the Tuesday test over the weekend". But then he'd show up on Tuesday, unaware of the test, and unsurprisingly, he wouldn't do well. As a result, he didn't pass the first quarter, and his mother was quite upset.
After that, not a single day went for the next six weeks without hearing from her via email or phone. Eventually, right before Thanksgiving, I called her in for a meeting. I presented a log I maintained documenting the daily behavior of students who repeatedly struggled. I showed her what her son had been up to.
However, she adamantly denied the reality of it which left me astonished. Following our meeting, she moved him to a different class, but his performance didn't improve. In his freshman year alone, he had four different English teachers.
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54. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Cheese
I once had a customer who requested a cheeseboard to pair with their drinks. The cheeseboard was quite large, filled with various types of cheese, some of which were quite pricey. Setting it in front of her, she promptly asked me to name them all. Although the names were listed on her menu card, she seemed to prefer a verbal rundown.
However, I could only remember some of the cheese names. She showed obvious annoyance at my incomplete knowledge and then questioned if I even knew where the cheeses originated from and how they were made, making it a point to mock my lack of knowledge. But it didn't stop there.
She also raised a complaint to the restaurant manager about my "unawareness of what I serve". I even checked with the rather irate cook in the kitchen, but he couldn't tell me either.
55. Dollar Dilemma
My father had a tendency to be somewhat persnickety, but thankfully, he never reached a level of being overly loud or grating. He tended to sweat the small stuff. One time, he called Walmart and gave them a piece of his mind because the strawberries were a dollar more expensive than their advertised price.
It was hard to believe that he would take it to that extreme over just one dollar.
56. They Got Served A Cup Of Courtesy
Back in the day, I was at a Panera Bread during the holiday shopping rush. Located near shopping malls, it was busy. An elderly couple ordered coffee, and with a shortage of clean mugs, the lady at the counter politely offered them a disposable cup to avoid any wait.
Regardless, the woman lost her cool, complaining about poor service and insisting on a sit-in cup. Despite the counter staff's repeated apologies and assurance that the mugs would be ready shortly, she continued to fuss. Meanwhile, another server came to take my order, and I saw an opportunity for a little mischief.
I ordered my drink and made sure to declare loudly that, "A to-go cup is PERFECTLY fine for me. Some of us can appreciate that the taste stays the same". The woman was taken aback by my audacity as I waited for my drink. The manager came out to thank me for my patience with a free loaf of their festive bread.
The disgruntled couple eventually left, still miffed.
57. Crowdsourcing Karen
My mom went through this phase where she acted like a difficult customer for a couple of years. She actually once told me, "You know, if I'm tough on people, they do stuff for me," like she'd stumbled upon a big secret. I remember this one time she scolded a cashier because she hadn't read the signs that were clearly visible everywhere.
The poor cashier had to get his manager to cancel her purchase. And then, she had the gall to claim she deserved free drinks because of the inconvenience he caused her. She was even trying to rally the people around her, hoping they would join her poorly conceived protest. I had to step in and set her straight.
I announced to everyone—quite loudly, too—that she needed to cool it since she was behaving rather childishly. I stated that no mature, well-adjusted adult would behave with such a lack of sense or as uncouth as she was. You simply can't create a problem and then get upset about it.
58. Pasta Prima Donna
I used to work in a local Italian family restaurant that was deeply rooted in the community. My debut shift without a mentor happened to fall on Mother's Day. A woman at one of the tables ordered gnocchi. I took note of her request, but when I went to enter it into the computer, gnocchi was nowhere to be found. That's when I realized we didn't actually serve gnocchi.
With a bit of dread, I returned to the woman's table to inform her we didn't have gnocchi on the menu. Her response was quite intense. She exploded, accusing me of sabotaging her Mother's Day, because of my unawareness about the non-existence of gnocchi on our menu.
Granted, I could see why she was a bit annoyed. I should've known our menu better. But a quick glance at the menu on her part could have prevented all this.
59. She Had A Long List Of Problems
It was Christmas, and one of my customers was giving me a hard time. She couldn't grasp that her three-minute-long order, filling one and a half sheets of paper, wouldn't be ready before the beverages and starters.
Barely 10 minutes had passed and every time I approached their table, she tugged on my apron, demanded to speak with my manager, or called me unskilled. Her family looked pretty embarrassed by it all. The situation just escalated when her meal was brought to the table.
She started finding faults in everything. As I took out the long order this lady put in for a surf and turf, I explained to her every item on the plate. She completely flipped out and started screaming for my manager, banging on the table and eventually tipped her plate off the table.
Her husband had to hold her back and practically drag her out of the restaurant as she kicked and screamed.
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60. The Daily Grind
I once taught a sixth-grader whose stepmom sent me an email every single day. He was a genuinely nice kid, carried an A in my class, and he never caused any disruptions. Despite all that, I received over 90 emails from her! Most of the time, these emails were incredibly unnecessary.
It made me want to quiz her, "Do you ever hold a conversation with your son?" It's clear he could have responded to 95% of her inquiries! But no, she'd keep firing off emails like, "Could you explain why my son arrived late to your class?" Or, "I noticed an entry in the gradebook, 0/0, labeled Extra Credit Bonus Points. Can you explain how this might impact his final grade?"
She also had a habit of continuously refreshing his grade records online. Her behavior was simply over the top.
61. Priority Seating Is Just That
I was commuting to work in a crowded train when I noticed a group of college kids standing in the vicinity of an elderly lady loaded with several bags. At one of the stops, a passenger vacated a seat designated for senior citizens. One of the college girls quickly claimed that empty spot and continued chatting with her pals. I didn't think this was fair.
So, I turned to her and bluntly told her, "No, you need to stand". She glared back at me, seemingly offended by my directness, but didn't react further. I suggested to her to give the seat to the elderly woman, yet she continued to ignore me. That's when I chose to raise my voice and state that her actions were selfish and she should feel embarrassed.
Prompted by my words, she finally got up. The senior lady took the empty seat and smiled at me in gratitude.
62. My Mom Got Schooled
My mom used to pester my elementary school over minor issues so much so that it became a huge issue. As a result, they chose not to let my niece back—who they were aware was my mom's granddaughter. They simply couldn't tolerate her anymore, to the extent that they asked her to leave the school.
Fortunately, my sister and I had already moved on and were in middle school. I feel for those teachers who definitely didn't earn enough to handle her.
63. Negative Nelly
A parent once griped to me about her child who was actually excelling in class. The kid was scoring above 90%, and consistently put effort into her assignments. Surprisingly, when I shared with the parent how diligent her daughter was, the mom asked, incredulously, "Is she buttering you up?"
I clarified, "No, actually she's striving to succeed. However, we'd like to polish up her grammar a bit". On hearing this, the mom totally lost it, saying, "I knew it. She's worthless. She's good for nothing. She's bound to fail". I quickly reassured her, insisting that wasn't true at all, and that her daughter just needed more focus on grammar.
The mom retorted, "She's nothing but a letdown". Occasionally, I'd have this same parent complaining to me about her child. It was quite unbelievable considering her daughter was an absolute delight. I always made it a point to commend her efforts and remind her that she was doing a wonderful job.
It didn't completely counteract her mother's negativity, but the other teachers and I persistently worked to ensure she didn't doubt her own capabilities.
64. One Degree Of Separation
Just recently, a customer at my store was not very pleasant with me, so I returned the favor. She wasn't thrilled about that. She told me rather gruffly: “You might want to be careful. I'm acquainted with your manager". Without skipping a beat, I responded: “Funny, I know him too. Your point being?”
She was left speechless and said nothing more on the matter.
65. Say Yes To The Dress, But No To The Karen
When I went shopping for my wedding dress, I asked my mom to come simply because I didn't want her feelings hurt. Even a decade later, my friends still talk about how rudely she behaved towards the unsuspecting shop staff.
My parents weren't contributing financially to the wedding, so it's not like she was footing the bill for the dress or had any real say. Every time a shop assistant would ask me something, she'd interrupt, offering wrong details.
She was consistently negative, complaining about everything from the dress sizes available to the minutiae of the designs and alterations. And she was loud about it too, never minding the staff or other customers in the store.
She even attempted to dictate which dresses they shouldn't show me, ones I'd specifically marked to try. My aunt had to step in to distract her just to ease the tense atmosphere, while my friends did their best to lighten things up.
When I finally chose my dress and was about to place the order, one of the staff asked if I wanted to open a store credit card. My mom instantly responded on my behalf, blurting out, "YES, she does".
Although I wanted one, I'd never discussed this with her, so she had no basis for assuming so. Eventually, I lost my temper with her and had to apologize to the staff later.
66. Request Denied!
There was a time when my mom turned into a classic difficult customer. She asked me to record her confronting a McDonald's cashier. I refused, which made her upset. She quickly apologized, but honestly, her demand really upset me. Retail and food industry workers aren't compensated enough to handle an angry customer lashing out over a simple error.
They definitely don't earn enough to be recorded and potentially humiliated on the internet.
67. Sue-Happy Hooligans
I used to teach in Korea. One day during a spelling test, a couple of kids wouldn't stop chatting. Since there were no extra desks, I sent them to sit in different corners and finish their test on the ground.
After the test, everything seemed normal and they returned to their seats. However, a few hours later, my boss informed me that one of the parents was upset and wanted to discuss the incident with me.
Even though I waited an hour after work, the parent didn't show up, so my boss told me it was okay to go. While I was out to dinner with a friend at 10 PM on a Friday, I was astounded to get a text from my supervisor. The message said the student's parents were suing me and I needed to call him right away.
I was picked up by my boss at 10:30 PM and driven to the parent's house where, without any chance to defend myself, I was made to apologize. It didn't end there. The parents decided to continue with the lawsuit. And to make matters more complicated, the next week I found out another student whose parents wanted to sue me.
The crazy thing was, he wasn't even involved in the original situation. It turned out that this student was best friends with the kid who was suing me. His parents decided to follow suit because their son was "upset" that his friend was reprimanded.
In the end, thankfully, nothing came out of all these lawsuit threats. The Department of Education looked at the CCTV footage from my class and also observed me teaching another class. They concluded that I had not done anything wrong.
The ironic cherry on top of this ordeal was learning that the initial child's parents who wanted to sue were both teachers themselves!
68. She Made Her Point
The very first class assignment was to have my policies signed and returned to me. It was worth four points. My approach was that late homework lost 20% each day it was late. A kid turned her sheet in late, so I put it in as one point off. I got an email the next day from the mom complaining that one point off was 25%, not 20%.
Technically she was right, but each grading period usually had over 2,000 total points. The kid apologized for their mom being crazy. I told them not to worry about it.
69. A Hair-Raising Tale
Back when I was in the restaurant business, we had a customer who would nearly finish her salad, then plant a hair in the bowl hoping to get her money back. Instead, we gave her a free bakery item to apologize. She began doing it every day.
Finally, the store manager had enough. He sat down at her table and told her that day was her last in our cafe. We wouldn't refund her money nor serve her in the future. When she started the "customer is always right" speech, he stopped her in her tracks.
He said, "Your daily antics cost us money. You’re not a customer; you're a liability. You're no longer welcome here". Sadly, it took us embarrassingly long to confront her. I worked in training support and found out about this during a customer service class.
The team had been tolerating her for weeks, hoping she would quit on her own. I’m not certain all the managers were aware of what was happening, but after the class, I called them. They addressed the issue by the end of that week.
70. Putting Two And Two Together
I'm employed at a neighborhood pub. One evening, a load of tipsy individuals were causing chaos, draining our energy, and bothering other customers. Eventually, I approached them and let them know there was a problem.
I said: "The manager has made up his mind that you all have to leave. We have the right to decline service to anyone and your actions justify this call". The most vocal guy at the table responded: "To heck with you. If you force us out, we'll never return to this joint".
I replied: "That's precisely the plan. Kindly exit".
71. It Was A Targeted Move
I was at Target when I saw a shopping cart blocking a parking spot. Since I was by myself, I stepped out of my car to move it to the cart storage area right across the way. As soon as I cleared the way, this rude lady just swings around my car and takes the spot I had just freed up.
Approaching her window, I politely mentioned that she's welcome for me moving the cart out of her way. In response, she started stammering, denying any knowledge of what I did. So, I discreetly placed thumbtacks behind her tires and then made my exit.
72. There Was No Bending The Rules
Once, during a back-to-school evening, a mother confronted me angrily about our basic classroom rules that her son found unsettling. These were simple rules such as raising a hand before speaking and the concept of personal space. When I stood my ground and didn't give in to her request, she removed her son from our school the following day.
Adding to that, my principal instructed me to refrain from asking the children to maintain silence in corridors, suggesting that such a concept was too advanced for first graders.
73. Patience Wasn’t My Strongest Suit
I decided to catch the Wolverine flick in a pretty big cinema. The theater had an aisle that ran right across the middle, connecting one side to the other. There was this clueless dad there with a very young child, allowing the kid to sprint up and down the aisle making a racket. I put up with this for around half an hour.
Eventually, I'd had enough. I made my way down to the dad and said, "Do you realize your kid's noise is audible to the whole cinema and is ruining the movie experience for the rest of us? Could you please keep him quiet". The dad looked at me, totally shocked, as if he hadn't ever thought of that.
He left the theater with his child right away. As I returned to my seat, a few people around me expressed their thanks.
74. An Arresting Development
My uncle spent 25 years teaching at a well-respected school where he worked with many grade levels, including sixth grade. In one of these classes was a boy who struggled significantly more than his peers to grasp the material.
During a particular history lesson, my uncle was giving out homework when this boy stood up and started loudly criticizing the subject and my uncle's ability to teach it. As a result, he was sent to the principal's office for his outburst. Once there, the boy began crying and made up a story about my uncle publicly calling him foolish.
In his version of events, the boy had responded saying, "No, I'm not an idiot," or something along those lines. He then requested to call his parents. Agreeing to this, the principal also called my uncle to the office to get his side of the story. Just as my uncle finished explaining, the boy’s parents, both powerful figures in the community, stormed into the office.
In an unbelievable twist, the boy's father—who was the town's chief—tried to take my uncle down to the local precinct, while his wife—a close associate of the mayor—yelled in my uncle's face. All the while, their son just sat, grinning and laughing as my uncle was escorted out of the room, making the whole situation incredibly bizarre.
Thanks to the class full of witnesses, the truth was quickly revealed. Rather than apologize, the boy's father began spinning another story about my uncle resisting arrest and acting violently. Both parents, in an egregious misuse of their power, then delivered an ultimatum to the school principal, threatening to create chaos unless she corroborated their story.
But the truth won't stay hidden—they ended up not only having to face the truth, but also the consequences. The father lost his job as the chief and the mother was demoted to a desk clerk after it came out that she had tried to twist her position to her advantage in this situation.
75. His Attitude Didn’t Cut The Mustard
My father absolutely despised mustard. There was this one instance when he became upset with a woman at McDonald's because his burger came with pickles, onions, and mustard—all the trimmings that he couldn't stand. He raised his voice, demanding that his order be corrected.
He continued by cautioning them to be precise with order-taking since some people suffer from mustard allergies, claiming he was one of them. In reality, he wasn't allergic to mustard. From the passenger seat, I silently mouthed "Sorry" to the woman, before we left with his freshly-made, unadorned burger.
76. Is The Cup Half Empty, Or Half Full?
I still chuckle when I remember witnessing a clever, silent takedown involving my friend. He was serving a table and gave an 8 or 10-year-old kid a regular glass for her apple juice. The dad quickly objected, saying he didn't want his daughter consuming too much sugar. He requested for the adult-sized glass to be replaced with a smaller, kid-sized one.
My friend explained that the glasses were all the same size, with adult ones appearing larger due to their thicker base. The father stubbornly insisted, stating, "Like I said, I don’t want her to have all that sugar". My friend, being a bit cheeky, gave him a very noticeable nod, didn't say a word, and walked off to our service alley behind the bar.
That's when he decided to make his point. After a few moments, he returned with a kiddie cup, placed it next to the adult glass. He then picked up the adult glass and ceremoniously poured its contents into the kiddie cup, raising it higher and higher until every last drop fit perfectly into the smaller glass.
With a dismissive flair, he rushed off to the kitchen without giving the father a second glance. I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
77. Staying Hydrated
So there I was, scheduled for Sunday brunch, in a high-end eatery, nursing a hangover. As the place opens, a throng sweeps in, promptly occupying my entire section. Unfazed and poised, I've been through this. I approach the large group of 10 and assure them that their water is on its way. I start taking their drink orders.
Suddenly, a woman interrupts, insisting she wants water. Her voice elevates with each reminder, barging into her companions' orders with water demands. I acknowledge her until about the fourth repetition. My patience wears thin. I finally tell her, “If you keep asking for water, I'll make sure everyone here gets water except you".
She retreats back in her chair, taken aback. I proceed to the bar, order in hand.
78. It Was The Same Old Story
Nearly every year of teaching English, regardless of the book or topic I chose to teach, there's always at least one parent who finds it objectionable for one reason or another. One year, I'd just finished teaching a comprehensive unit about the Holocaust.
I believe it's important not to shield students from the harsh realities, so we visited a museum, watched numerous documentaries, and read books and reports that provided candid insights into the event. I was really satisfied with how my students processed this information.
Our next unit was The Hunger Games. I knew some parents were apprehensive of modern literature, so I sent home an explanatory letter, justifying my reasons for teaching this book during Christmas break. I invited them to reach out to me with any concerns. Not hearing any objections, I began the unit in February.
About a week into the study, a parent came forward, claiming the book was too aggressive for his two sons, both in my class. I responded, "Interesting, considering we'd just studied the Holocaust, which depicted even more disturbing content," to which he replied, "That's acceptable because it was a real event".
Oddly enough, later in the year, I spotted one of his sons reading the sequels during independent reading time.
79. She Couldn’t Take The High Road
When I was a teen, my mom once collected my two best buddies and me from the mall. On the way home, someone suddenly cut her off as she was changing lanes. She flew off the handle and began hurling insults at the other driver. She let loose a bunch of words that could make even a sailor blush.
In her anger, she jerked the wheel so hard our station wagon smashed into the yellow concrete barriers on the side. The tires scraped against the barriers and almost climbed over. We all stayed quiet for the rest of the journey home, unsure whether we should be laughing or terrified.
The following day, my dad noticed the yellow marking on the tires as he was about to use the car. He asked, puzzled, “Hey, who colored the tires yellow?" Not wanting to betray my mom, I played dumb and said, “Wow, that's odd. I've got no clue”.
80. No Time For A Dip
One night, we went out for dinner at a hotel that featured a swimming pool. It was pretty clear, based on the numerous signs around, that the pool was only meant for hotel guests. Yet, my mom was unmoved by this.
She told my little brother and me we could use the pool, even encouraging us to wear our swimsuits underneath our clothes for a quick change after eating. What she didn't account for was the keen eyes of the hotel staff.
As soon as we dove into the pool, a security guard approached us and requested to see our hotel room keys. Given we weren't staying at the hotel, we had no keys to show. In our defense, my mom argued our case, stating that because we had dined there, we were entitled to use the pool.
A loud argument unfolded, drawing the attention of hundreds of onlookers. In the end, the head of security had to personally guide us off the premises to avoid calling the authorities.
81. In The Heat Of The Night
At our store, we sell delicious frosted biscuits. Each weekend, a certain lady comes in asking for them to be freshly baked with extra frosting. But it seems like every time, something is not quite right for her. Her usual complaint is that they're “too cold," which is likely due to the additional frosting.
Despite hearing this explanation many times, she remains unhappy. The last time she visited, we served her a biscuit hot from the oven, generously smothered in frosting, but she insisted it was still cold. Our manager explained the only way to heat it more could potentially melt the frosting in the microwave, which we won't do.
When the lady demanded an explanation, my manager, bless her heart, stated, “Because heated sugar turns dangerously hot, and as much as you might complain, I won’t risk giving you a reason to sue us".
82. I Went Karen Over A Hot Cake Craving
A few years back, I had a bit of a meltdown. Unfortunately, my boyfriend and my stepdaughter bore the brunt of my rage. We were setting off for a camping trip over the long weekend and our early start had my boyfriend suggesting breakfast on the go.
I declined, saying I was fine to wait until we reached a town an hour away where I planned to indulge in some hotcakes from McDonald's. As it was nearing 11 AM, breakfast hours at McDonald's were almost over, we hurriedly reached the place. All I could think about were those hot pancakes. It was my sole craving.
We entered the bustling restaurant, seeing ten people in line before me. I quickly checked with an employee if breakfast service was still ongoing, he reassured me, and all seemed well. I thought my breakfast dreams would come true. But when I was third in line, they flipped the breakfast sign to the regular menu and announced that breakfast was done. I just lost it.
I expressed my frustration out loud, not directed at anyone in particular, about the time spent in line. I stormed out, took it out on my boyfriend and brooded in annoyance for the next 90 minutes in the car. This was not my finest hour, and I was mortified by my tantrum.
I remained upset, even when we reached our camping site, where I proceeded to vigorously whip up lunch after unpacking. I'm fairly certain that if my stepdaughter had been with me in the restaurant, she'd have been red with embarrassment.
83. Driven Out
So, funny story: My dad was once kicked out of the only Ford dealership where his car insurance would cover a much-delayed oil change. All because of a silly reason. They had a vending machine offering Arizona tea for over a $1, but the can was labeled as 99¢.
And no, he didn't even want one, he was just upset about the price mismatch and gave the reception staff an earful. The kicker? The vending machine wasn't even owned by Ford, and they certainly had no say over the pricing. I honestly can't fathom what he thought he would achieve with his fuss.
84. Mega Burger Mayhem
My mom could definitely be a bit difficult. One day, we decided to grab a bite at a fast food joint. I ordered my jumbo burger without bacon. It wasn't due to an allergy or anything, I just prefer it that way. My mom took things to a whole new level.
She insisted they excessively clean the grill, and when they refused, she barged into the kitchen and created a scene.
85. Well-Done
I used to work as a server at Applebee's. One Friday evening, just after happy hour had begun, a father and daughter sat at one of my tables. Things rapidly went downhill. I served their beverages and began to take their meal orders. Both requested our Southwest steak salad—which is specifically listed on the menu as being served medium-rare.
The daughter asked for her steak to be cooked medium-well. I explained the restaurant policy restricted us to medium-rare, but offered to consult with my manager. She was fine with keeping it medium-rare, but her dad wasn't pleased. He lashed out at me, claiming all our food was pre-cooked and it was absurd we couldn't cook the steak more.
Remaining calm, I apologized and promised to discuss the matter with my manager. Thankfully, my manager gave the green light for a medium-well steak. Upon returning to deliver the good news, I was in for a shock. The father was in a heated confrontation with a regular patron sitting behind them.
It looked like a fight was imminent. In a rush, I tried to defuse the tension, as a restaurant brawl was the last thing we needed during peak hours. Apparently, the regular customer was offended by the father's treatment of his daughter and me, and voiced his disapproval.
The father took offense to this, leading to a verbal and then physical altercation. I made attempts to quash the situation and offer them different seats, all in vain. Rushing to get my manager, we returned to find them physically fighting. After breaking up the brawl and ejecting them, I spent the rest of my shift feeling shaken and off my game.
86. Lunchtime Loser
When I was seven months pregnant, I was working at McDonald's. Often, customers would request their orders be delivered to their tables—which was totally okay. Some were a bit physically challenged or had hefty orders and preferred to be looking after their kids than standing in line for their meals.
One day I was carrying a large tray of food. With my pregnant belly in addition to the tray, I was basically blind to my own feet. Unexpectedly, there was a tiny stool smack dab in the middle of the floor that I didn't spot. I tripped, tumbled, and fell, partially landing on my belly.
As I cautiously got up, still in shock, my co-workers quickly rushed over to check on me. However, the customer's reaction was shockingly different—she glared down at me, angrily complaining about her dropped meal and demanded that I personally bear the cost for a replacement.
87. Garlic Lovers Surprise
From time to time, this lady and her sister would swing by the pizzeria where I worked. They'd kick off our phone chats with a ton of compliments about our delicious food and outstanding service, but then steer towards the same grumble—we just didn't do enough with the garlic on the crust.
After five minutes of flattering preamble, they'd finally bring up their extra garlic request. I assured them we'd slather extra garlic on their crust. They came, picked up their pizza and headed out. But, in a flash, they were back, claiming the pizza was practically garlic-free.
When I checked it, I found it was actually drowning in more garlic than normal. Not only did they get a new, free pizza, they got to keep their original order too! This garlic saga repeated a few times, each round featuring a garlic-ier pizza. All in all, they nabbed about three freebies.
I'd remembered their name from their orders, so when I saw it pop up on the next call, I braced myself. After enduring another garlic lecture, I finished taking the order. By this point, my manager and I were thoroughly fed up.
Our garlic bottle, though in need of a refill, still had enough for about six pizzas. My manager then did something that simply left me speechless. He said, "Hey, watch this," and let loose a garlic shower on the entire pizza, not just the crust. It was a jaw-dropping garlic explosion.
Miniature lakes of garlic flooded the cheesy surface, the crust turned an alarming yellow-orange. The garlic even seeped through the box, staining the table below. The volume of garlic was worryingly unhealthy. Had I seen the pizza with no backstory, I'd have recommended against eating it.
But, when the woman arrived, she opened the box and seemed pleased. She paid, left, and I stood flabbergasted, somewhat concerned for her health. She hasn't returned since.
88. Old McDonald Had A Farm
My brother used to be a server and once had a challenging lady customer. She ordered the salmon and upon receiving her meal, she asked if it was "farm-raised". She wasn't too happy with him for not informing her that the salmon was farm-raised before she ordered it, although it's clearly written on the menu.
She decided to switch her order to chicken, and, keeping the earlier situation in mind, my brother cheekily warned her, "Just to let you know, the chicken is also farm-raised".
89. Just A Coke And A Smile
A man walked in solo. He appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s and his attitude was grating right off the bat. He abruptly caught my attention and quickly demanded, "Coke. With a lemon wedge," before I could even open my mouth.
We were a small, quaint cafe, lacking the resources for a drinks machine or any sort of sponsorship which meant we didn’t serve sodas. I informed him of that, and he retorted, "I don't think you understood, I want a Coke with a lemon wedge". I was baffled because I had clearly told him we didn't serve Coke.
Turns out, he wanted me to fetch him a Coke from the store next door, then serve it to him. In the politest tone I could muster, I told him this was definitely not happening. I was hoping that would be the end of it, but his reaction left me stunned.
He grabbed the delicate china tea cups set at each table and hurled them onto the ground, breaking them into pieces, and incidentally cutting my ankle a little. An eerie silence filled the cafe. I stood frozen, staring at the scattered fragments of the irreplaceable, precious china.
Being just 18, I was unsure how to respond to such a violent older man. But within moments of the cups hitting the floor, a man rose from his table across the café and strolled our way. He reached into his pocket and revealed his badge.
He was an off-duty officer. So the man didn’t get his Coke, nor any food, but he did get detained and was issued a fine for threatening behaviour and damage to public property. He didn't back down, bellowing, "I JUST WANTED A COKE! IF THIS YOUNG LADY KNEW HER JOB, I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO CORRECT HER".
90. Thinking Inside The Box
Just to let you know, I'm a young woman in my twenties working in a fancy restaurant. I had a hard time with this older man throughout the night. He was giving me a headache by ordering fancy veggie plates, referring to them as "rabbit food," and then returning them.
When his meal ended, he asked, "Where should I drop this feedback card?" I replied, "You see that black box over there? Right inside it!" Then, the guy, thinking he's being super funny but actually acting like a fool, remarked, "Are you asking me to fill your box?!"
I retorted, "No, sir. My box isn't black. I gotta go help other people now!" His buddies started laughing and his face turned tomato red. I really don't get why people make such tacky comments in public. This made the entire meal quite uncomfortable for the rest of the night, and his friends clearly didn't appreciate the way he was treating me.
91. Putting Your Foot In Your Mouth
My mom had a strict rule about no shoes indoors no matter what. But one day it kind of backfired on her. My brother's friend, who wore prosthetics, always had his shoes on. He came by once and my mother got pretty upset and challenged him, asking: "What makes you think you're so special that you get to keep your shoes on in our home when everyone else doesn't?"
He replied by pulling up his jeans to reveal his Air Jordans attached to prosthetic legs and said, "I apologize, ma'am. If I remove them, I'd have to take my legs off, too". My mom gave an unsure apology and hurried upstairs, never referring to it afterward.
92. Life Is A Box Of Chocolates
This particular encounter ended when a customer chucked a big bag of Lay's Sour Cream and Onion potato chips at me. This lady walked into the store set on buying a box of chocolates. But there was just one problem. She didn't have any cash on hand. So her solution was to take the sweets now and return later to pay once she gathered the money.
"Are you actually asking me to go all the way home to fetch cash?" she questioned. My response was, "Yes, because otherwise it's simply stealing and we'd have to contact security". "But I need these," she desperately appealed. I stood firm on my no. And that's the moment chip debris started soaring.
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93. No Connection
A particularly grumpy society lady came into the shop, she was unhappy with her brand new, $3,000 Microsoft Surface, a gift from her husband. You see, she was upset because she couldn't access the internet when she was out and about. I quickly deduced she was referring to her Wi-Fi, so I tried to explain to her how it all works. Oh boy, did that backfire!
I explained that her Wi-Fi wouldn't work outside her home, but she could use her smartphone's internet as a hotspot. She was having none of it. She accused me of lying and mocking her. She even demanded to speak with my manager, who ended up telling her pretty much the same thing I had. She left the shop, shouting her head off.
94. Thanks For Playing
The other night, it was an epic one. We get a group of six stroll in, led by a woman who could be nothing but a Karen. This lady requests us to merge two tables that seats four each. The hostess informs her it's impossible as the restaurant is hopping with customers.
Instead of understanding, Karen just gives her the once over and demands to see the manager. Her calm demeanor masked her persistence, it was clear she'd pulled this move before. By this point, I decide to step in. I go over to them and ask how I could be of assistance.
"Could we join those two tables?" She asks. I respond with a firm "No, you have three options available—that six-seater table in the corner, this booth for six after we tidy it up or the outdoor table for six once it's vacant—roughly in ten minutes". During this explanation, I'm gesturing towards each place like a flight attendant pointing out emergency exits on a plane.
"You can't join those tables—" I promptly interrupt, "No, we aren't able to move the tables. Your choices are…..” and I repeat our table options. Suddenly, she turns to her friend, “ What do you think?” They both decide on the spot to go elsewhere. The golden opportunity for the perfect comeback fell right into my lap.
I clapped my hands, wished them a pleasant evening and walked off. The highlight? Karen just stared at the back of my head for a good two seconds before sheepishly departing. I was unaware of this until I checked out the video of our exchange later.
95. Sounds Wrong
My uncle serves as a deputy sheriff, and there was this one time he was at an airport having a conversation with my aunt in Spanish over the phone. After finishing his call, a lady nearby who had overheard his conversation approached him, demanding to see his green card. Big mistake on her part.
Being quite the prankster, my uncle played along, acting as if he had no idea what a green card was. He told the lady he'd never even heard of such a thing, which upset her even more, and she persisted in her demands. My uncle decided to toy with her a touch longer, finally saying, "Well, I don't have a green card, but is this okay?"
He then pulled out his wallet and flashed his badge. The woman immediately retreated, leaving my uncle in stitches.
96. Harpy 0, Karen 1
As an ER nurse executing grueling 13-hour shifts starting at 7 am, I tend to tap out my patience by 9 am, and have generally had enough of people by the time I clock off. One day, following an especially laborious shift, I swung by the supermarket to grab dinner.
Overwhelmed by fatigue and an overarching sense of laziness, I opted for a regular cart for my few item—it is conveniently lean-on-able, after all. After securing my purchases, I migrated to my truck. My attire consisted of Incredibles-themed scrubs and bright blue pants—a stark contrast to the store employees' dark trousers, white shirts and ties.
After loading my groceries, I responsibly returned the makeshift crutch (read: shopping cart) to its designated spot. Approaching my truck, I was interrupted by a seemingly very angry woman whose dour expression could easily rival Lois from Malcolm in the Middle.
She hollered across the parking lot, addressing me as a "boy" and commanding me to retrieve her cart. Confounded by the accusation, I politely informed her of her mistake—I don't work here. Irked by my response, she repeated her demand, to which I, once again, gently declined.
As I made my way towards my truck, the irate woman, now furious, shoved her cart in my direction. The cart, true to its nature, rolled directly into a pristine Jaguar. A woman who fit the perfect Karen stereotype was exiting said Jaguar when the collision occurred. Her reaction unfolded with predictable rage.
The angry woman attempted to blame me for not intercepting the rogue cart. I was hard-pressed to keep my laughter at bay. Meanwhile, the Karen'd lady called the angry woman out on her ridiculous accusations—recognizing my nurse scrubs as a clear indicator of my non-employee status.
This was probably the first and only time I found myself silently rooting for a Karen. Just as the "Karen" scorned the accuser, I drove off, leaving the supermarket fiasco behind me.
97. Every Office Needs An Otis
A while ago, I worked in an open office that was pet-friendly. Even though customers never came, we kept dog food and water bowls near the entrance—it was a convenient spot unseen by anyone but us. Out of the six of us working there, I was the only one without a dog, a fact that always made me feel a bit left out.
To add to this, there was a dog daycare just across the street. One day, a highly agitated woman hurried in with her huge Basset Hound. Typically, only associates who had appointments with us took the liberty to bring their dogs, so I was slightly taken aback. Visibly frantic, she asked, “Do you work here?”
“Yes, how can I assist you?” I responded. She blurted out a monologue about an emergency, dropping off her dog, and some misunderstanding about an online post. I was utterly confused, “Could you repeat that? Who exactly was it that you called?” I thought, maybe if I can figure out who she needs, I wouldn't have to navigate her dilemma.
Despite my questions, she was in such a hurry that she left her dog with his food and dashed away. It was only then when I realized, she had mistaken our office for the dog daycare. However, in the middle of confusion and worried if she would even return back, I was secretly thrilled about finally having an office dog—meet Otis, the wonderfully chilled Basset Hound.
Otis was a dream. His days revolved around lounging, drooling over his own ears, and relishing the occasional attention. The woman eventually picked Otis up, gushing over how well he had done and how pleasantly surprised she was at our little-to-no client count.
In hindsight, maybe I should've clarified the mix-up, but I daren't ruin my dream of keeping an office dog. She became a frequent visitor. Oddly enough, she never seemed to question why an alleged "dog daycare" was not, in appearance, a daycare at all.
Over time, Otis became a beloved friend, charming not only the staff but the delivery folk and visitors too. It wasn't until the office Christmas card, that the truth unraveled. Having Otis that day, we simply couldn't resist including him in the picture, Santa hat and all. As luck would have it, Otis' owner received the card through a mutual client.
One day she stormed in, clutching the card, shocked beyond disbelief, "This isn't a dog daycare at all. This is just an office, isn't it?" As it dawned upon her, she chastised us mildly for not letting her know earlier. But after a thorough understanding of our love for Otis, she became more composed.
Surprisingly, she continued to leave Otis with us until the day they moved away. As for me, I could've asked for nothing more—I had an office dog until the end of my time there.
98. She Took Matters Into Her Own Hands
So, I used to work at a busy eatery. At dinner rush, the wait times could reach up to 40 minutes, a fact conveyed by our hosts to all the guests. Once, a woman, irritated by the just 10-minute wait, barged in.
She approached a table occupied by four guests and straight away asked them, "Are you folks finished? We've been waiting for what feels like forever and would rather use the table if you're only making small talk".
99. She Got A Doggone Sweet Surprise
Back when I used to tidy up a local gymnastics place on the weekends, the owner would rent it out for birthday bashes, always overseen by one of the coaches. On one such weekend, an hour before the party was meant to start, I spotted a car pull up.
I was nearly done cleaning the entrance, all while we lacked electricity since the lighting system was getting a makeover. Suddenly, a woman stepped in and immediately headed upstairs. But a few seconds later, she dashed downstairs and screamed at me, "Why's there no power?! How am I supposed to set up the party in the dark?!"
I was taken aback but told her that according to the owner's rules, she wasn't supposed to be in the building until the coach showed up. She turned beet red. She snapped, "Who are YOU to tell me what I can and can't do?! The owner gave me permission to be here whenever! I won't take this nonsense from some clueless kid!"
My response was, "That's alright, but you won't have power for another 45 minutes. You may as well wait in your car until the coach is here". She huffed off, tried to slam the door behind her, and attempted to reach the owner over the phone. When the coach finally appeared, I briefed her about what had occurred and how this woman behaved towards me.
I also left a note for the owner and gave her a call to fill her in. After the whole scene, I left the gym and headed home. The next day, I came back to get my payment. The owner praised me for handling the situation appropriately. That's when I got the full scoop.
Turns out, this woman was not only unpleasant to the coach, but she also didn't pay for the party and overstayed by an hour. The cherry on the cake was learning that while the parents were all indoors, her dog snuck into the cake in her car and wolfed down half of it. Not to mention, her reaction was just mad.
She then suggested, "Oh, we can still use it. We'll just slice off the parts the dog munched on". Around 40 minutes after, she dashed back into the gym, grabbed a bunch of paper towels, and returned to her car.
In the meantime, her dog had made a complete mess in her car—defecating and throwing up all over the seats, floors, armrests, and even the dashboard. Her car was a disaster zone.
100. What A Beautiful Sight
During a six-month period, I spent numerous hours on the phone with various union offices and the labour department. The objective was to expose my ruthless boss, who was altering time logs to unlawfully deduct overtime pay.
This boss treated me poorly throughout this time, but I kept a clear record—I hadn't done anything wrong and thus couldn't be reprimanded. At one point, my leave request was unjustly denied by the management, contrary to our contract rules. This was for my best friend's wedding.
My boss even summoned me to his office and threatened me with termination. However, by that time, I had already reached out to the business associate of the northeastern district. The surprised look on my boss's face when he realised that I was untouchable, is something I'll never forget.
Sources: Reddit
