'Find those muffins!!': Karen customer demands nonexistent muffins, manager demands their procurement

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Feb 28, 2023 6:00 PM EST

Customers are easily the worst part of any customer service job, followed closely by arrogant unqualified managers. The two make a dynamic duo when you're unfortunate enough to endure them simultaneously. The Karen, an unstoppable force of rage and fury, and the manager, an unmovable brick wall of utter density. Like Batman and the Joker, they are eternally locked in an endless struggle—and you're stuck in the middle. (It's no wonder that, in these industries, you spend most of your time off just trying to recover from adrenal fatigue.)

Yes, customers are entitled and demanding, sometimes making demands for things that don't even actually exist. When this happens, your manager will probably get involved and tell them to jog on in the nicest way possible…. Unless your manager is Steve. See, Steve heard the phrase "The customer is always right." and decided to treat it as gospel. Whatever the customer wanted, Steve was going to give them, insisting that these mystery muffins be found. This set up a brilliant opportunity for malicious compliance.

Keep reading for this story, as it was originally shared on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance. For more, check out these workers who quit after their manager tried to write them up.