'I ran into him at his own retail job': Worker gets even with customer who works in retail, demands 'good service'

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
May 16, 2023 7:00 PM EDT

Retail work is one of the most demanding jobs in the customer service industry, and it doesn't take a genius to fathom why. Employees have to deal with daily Karens, a variety of other rude customers that don't quite fit the 'Karen category', lazy managers, and daft coworkers. OP was working a retail job in the paint department when a rude, condescending customer marched in, demanding a color match from a random home depot sign that was bolted into a metal counter. OP explained to the customer that his request wasn't possible, and the customer huffed and puffed a little before going on his way. Before the customer left, another employee overheard a conversation he was having over the phone, saying he was going to place a large order close to the store's closing time and fail to pick it up.

Luckily OP knew what was coming, so he didn't place the order; as promised, the customer never showed up. A few months later, OP walked into another retail store and was surprised to see that same customer wearing a retail uniform. He took the opportunity for payback and began ordering him around the store. Scroll down to read what happened next.

For more stories like this, here is a Karen who walked into a petrol station, demanding that the cashier 'collect her car', give her 'free fuel', and basically bow down to her. Karen was refused service, so she turned to HR… the tables quickly turned when she was banned from any and all petrol stations under the company's name.

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  • 01
    Organism - 10 hours ago Posted by u/sock A customer extremely rude and was being 2 condescending to me at my retail job... Ran into him months later at his own retail job.
    via u/sock
  • 02
    Font - Years ago I worked at Home Depot in the paint department and we did color matches. At the tail end of a busy night someone comes in wanting a color match which is no problem at all. However this gentleman wanted a color match from a random home depot sign that was bolted into a metal counter. After I told him that
    via u/sock
  • 03
    Font - there was no way for me to unbolt the sign to color match it he got pi sy and said he would go to Lowe's because according to him they would do it there. My response was "so your going to go to Lowe's to get a color match of a home depot sign thats bolted down inside of home depot?". A
    via u/sock
  • 04
    Font - few people in line laughed at him and he walked away picsy. I get a call from a coworker who overheard the customer telling someone on their cellphone that they would place a large order closer to our close time and not pick it up. 20 minutes later he
    via u/sock
  • 05
    Font - places an order for like 40 gallons and requested specifically that they be made in 40 individual gallon buckets rather than eight 5 gallon buckets. I grabbed a few cases of paint but I didnt prepare any because as he promised he left without picking them
    via u/sock
  • 06
    Font - up. Fastforward maybe 3 months later im in Lowes wasting time while my car gets fixed and I run into the same guy and it looks like he was the only person staffed in this big area of the store. I grabbed a shopping cart and started looking for items on the shelf
    via u/sock
  • 07
    Font - without product. I made him follow me around and requested at least 2 cases of each item that was empty on the shelf. He had to get a ladder and a scanner and he was working up quite a sweat. I kept hearing him getting paged but he had to keep telling the people paging him that hes still with a
    via u/sock
  • 08
    Font - customer. After maybe 2 hours my car was ready and I informed the employee that my car was ready and after doing the math Im going to get the supplies from Home Depot and advised him he could just put everything back and that id tell managment he gave me great service.
    via u/sock
  • 09
    Font - He had to get another ladder and put everything back up in the overheads because I had him get me more items than would go on the shelves. Ran into the same guy at my job a few months later and immediately took
    via u/sock
  • 10
    Font - my lunchbreak and informed managment under no circumstances could I assist him because I had personal issues with him outside of work.
    via u/sock
  • 11
    Font - +2 10 hr. ago What comes around goes around. Well done on your part 4227 Fast_Fee517 Reply Share
    via u/Fast_Fee517
  • 12
    Font - FreddyForshadowing 10 hr. ago With the benefit of hindsight, I might have said I need to use the restroom then once out of sight, cut over a few aisles and just leave the store. Still, not bad for an impromptu time ki"ing wind- up session. 110 Reply Share
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 13
    Product - TheHobbyWaitress +2. 9 hr. ago But then you miss the full experience of petty. Reply Share 30
    via u/TheHobbyWaitress
  • 14
    Font - FreddyForshadowing · 9 hr. ago True, but you can pretty well imagine. Plus, that way you'd add them standing around for at least a few minutes waiting for you to come back and the possibility of a coworker seeing them just standing there after
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 15
    Font - having been paged multiple times, so they might even get into trouble when the "customer" never comes back. Sure, it's a longshot, and you won't be around to see it if it does happen, but it's a small
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 16
    Font - price to pay. Unless you go back and then pretend like you've never seen the clerk before in front of a coworker. Actually, that might be a way to make it even better.
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 17
    Font - Say you have to go to the restroom, track down another clerk to get help in that same aisle. When the first clerk wonders what's going on, say to the second clerk that you asked them for help and they
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 18
    Font - told you they were busy so that's why the second clerk is there. Then just say you don't want to deal with the first clerk's drama and you'll go somewhere else for what you need. 15 Reply Share
    via u/FreddyForshadowing
  • 19
    Font - AcrobaticSource3 +3.7 hr. ago Know, this is an excellent premise for a web series of increasingly complex and absurd revenges on each other where's you go to each other's stores and request help with increasingly wild things 428 Reply Share
    via u/AcrobaticSource3
  • 20
    Font - Zoreb1 +2.7 hr. ago So he works for Lowe's but shops in Home Depot? Don't you folks get an employee discount? I can understand shopping for a particular item that one's workplace doesn't carry but overall this seems strange. 44↓ Reply Share
    via u/Zoreb1
  • 21
    Font - please_send_noodles 6 hr. ago Not exactly strange, depends on where he lives Home Depot might be closer to his home than Lowes. Also, many workers refused to shop at their place of employment for many reasons but mostly to prevent regular customers who
    via u/please_send_noodles
  • 22
    Font - may recognize them and thinking they are on the clock and asking for help etc. They could always refuse and say they are a customer as well but knowing how some customers can't take "no" for an answer, they would rather avoid trouble even if they have a really valid reason.
    via u/please_send_noodles

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Tags

customer service employee management payback petty revenge retail-job retail worker workplace-stories karen-customer terrible-customer petty-revenge-reddit workplace-revenge-stories paint-department
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