Cranky Old Male Karen Refuses to Leave Grocery Store When There's a Fire

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    Font - r/r/Entitled People Posted by u/ThePathUntaken 2 hours ago So what if there's a fire? Ring up my groceries! L Recently, I was talking with some coworkers about old jobs we had, and I remembered this gem. I remember this story vividly because it was so absurd.
  • 02
    Font - January 1st, 2017. I (who was 23 at the time) was in the middle of my shift at the local grocery store as a check-out clerk (or the official term of "Front End Associate"). I was just chatting with customers as I rang up their chips and sodas and rotisserie chickens, like a usual day, when one of the stockers ran up behind me and yelled, "How busy is everyone?!"
  • 03
    Font - Confused, I simply gestured to my line of people. But he had our attention, since he never did anything like that. My Manager- "Why do you ask? Everything okay?" Stocker- "Once you're all finished with your current customers, everyone needs to leave, there is a fire in the back!" Immediately, all who were not being checked out abandoned their carts and left the building. Except for Gerald.
  • 04
    Font - Gerald was the next person in my line. And he was going to be served. The customer before him paid, since that was where I was with his transaction when the stocker told us about the fire, and I grabbed my jacket from under the counter so I could evacuate with everyone else. Gerald, however, was not having it.
  • 05
    Font - Gerald- "You will not leave until you have rung up my groceries." Now, Gerald was very old. Mid 70s, early 80s, somewhere around there. He was very tall and lanky, wearing a tan, v-neck sweater. (I don't know why I remember that, but I do.) He wore black, thick rimmed glasses and would have generally been very non- threatening to anyone else.
  • 06
    Font - Me- "Sir, there's a fire. We have to get out of here, for both our our safeties! The door is over there. Let's hurry!" However, it seemed that today was not Gerald's day, and I was in the wrong person's way at the wrong time. Gerald- "I don't care. I need these items. Ring them up. Now."
  • 07
    Font - He really was ring up his seven items while smoke was filling the aisles. Since it was seven items, no manager was in sight, and I wasn't really feeling like getting a black eye in addition to having my workplace burn, I quickly rung him up. All the while, he's thanking me, quite condescendingly. I was paying him no mind since I knew the tone. threatening me to Finally, my manager showed back up to make sure everyone had left. I ran over to her.
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    Font - Me- "Manager, This guy won't let me leave." please help me. My Manager- "What do you- what do you mean, "won't let you leave"? Did you tell him about the fire?!" Me- "He said he doesn't care." My Manager- "Oh. My. God. Absolutely not. OP, you go outside with everyone else and wait for the firefighters. I'll take care of this."
  • 09
    Font - I went to grab my things again, and while I was leaving, I could hear them both yelling. Gerald- "Where is she going? She has to finish-!" My Manager- "Sir, there is a fire. A FIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRE! You have to leave!" Gerald- "No, I still have to pay!"
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    Font - My Manager- "You have got to be kidding me. I'm a manager, you can have it. It's free, just get out of here!" Gerald- "This is terrible customer service. I'm never coming back!" I met up with the rest of the staff in the parking lot, and they asked what took me so long. So of course I told them. My Manager came out and confirmed the story.
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    Font - We never did see Gerald again. About the fire, it was actually pretty contained on it's own. It was in a closed off area opposite the bathrooms and was surrounded by tile walls that blocked the food from the sparks. We were able to get back to work after it was put out. Starting with putting back all the abandoned carts full of food.
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    Font - As for what caused it, it seems the chickens used to make the rotisserie chickens weren't stored properly, so they started to thaw prematurely. The water and chicken juice leaked through the tile floor and sparked an electrical fire. The best part was that, when we learned this, (we were still in the parking lot) I looked over to the parking lot to the side of the building and saw at least 50 Turkey buzzards in the trees.
  • 13
    Font - I shook a coworker while laughing hysterically. "They can smell 'em!" Everyone else joined in on the hysterical laughing. It was truly the weirdest way to start the year.
  • 14
    Font - Certainly Enough. 1 hr. ago Not a fire but a power failure and the backup generator failed to start. But Karen wanted her groceries rung up because she was having a party. Manager told her she could leave or leave in handcuffs but she was leaving without the groceries. 13 Reply Share
  • 15
    Font - Monty Wild 1 hr. ago "Terrible customer service" after being told by the manager that he could take the goods free? I'd call that excellent customer service.
  • 16
    Font - Due-Compote375 1 hr. ago Nope. I would have laughed at his request and booked it the out of there. There is no grocery store that pays enough for me to potentially risk my life to make sure Gerald's b agets his instant oats.
  • 17
    Human body - Asharah1 2 hr. ago Gerald should be tested for dementia
  • 18
    Human body - Fake Mike Morgan - 2 hr. ago I would have just left.
  • 19
    Facial expression - Freud Tastic 48 min. ago Manager should've smacked Gerald upside the head.
  • 20
    Font - ActualWheel6703. 2 min. ago Gerald didn't care because his meter was closer to done than yours. I'm glad you got out safely. It's amazing how some people get to be that old and yet are that stupid.

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