'I smiled and waited for Joe to clock in': Demanding customer insists a male employee help her, cue malicious compliance by department manager

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jul 2, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

One manager didn't bother telling a demanding customer she was wrong… she found out eventually all by herself. 

Customer service workers deserve to make at least $15 million per year, and if I was President, I would make it happen. These jobs are some of the lowest paid, and all the while you have to work with customers who don't really want your help, they just want to complain. The longer you work in customer service, the more you realize that you don't have to put in that much effort. Smile, be polite, and let people do what they want to do. Lots of people just want to be heard, and if you let them ramble on for a few minutes, it seems to pacify them. Others will start yelling if you don't intervene, but it's surprising how many Karens just run out of steam if you let them vent. 

This woman works as a hardware store manager, but she looks young for her age, and some customers don't believe she can handle the difficult task of… locating a product in the department she manages. I'm rolling my eyes so hard. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. The customer won her stupid prize, which you can read all about in the story below, told by u/MoonLover10792. 

Up next, these designs are simply not good. 

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  • 01
    Purple - WWW 'She began yelling and loudly insisting that I get a MAN out there to help her'
    via Dan Cristian Pădureț on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - You want a man to help you? No problem! One will clock in soon. M OC This happened sixteen years ago. When I was about 20 years old, I was a department manager in a big box hardware store. People said I acted 25, but I didn't even look 18. As a young female, I saw my fair amount of sual discrimination, but the worst always came from women. This is the story of one such woman.
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 03
    Font - I managed the paint department. I had three associates who worked for me. They loved me as a boss because I bought them a department radio, took the shifts they didn't want. (worked Friday close and Saturday mid so my two younger guys could have time to have fun on Friday nights and the older gentleman took early Saturday mornings so they could sleep off their fun. In trade, I gave the older gentleman his ideal schedule.) My team was awesome.
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 04
    Font - One day I was in the department alone and a lady came up and asked me where she could find the five gallon oil based primer. I let her know that my location didn't carry the five gallon size of that primer. She told me that we did and said that it was shelved "right there" while suggesting I was too stupid to remember. (Her husband gave me an apologetic look.) I let her know that another location had what she was looking for and that it was in fact in that exact location in that store. Sh
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 05
    Font - I smiled and waited for Joe to clock in. Joe was great and I knew he could handle this or I wouldn't have put him in this situation, but Joe was also new. He was learning things super quick, but still relied on the rest of us for help. When I saw Joe walking up, I quickly said that there was a customer who needed help. I let him know that she was upset and asked him to do his best to answer her questions.
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 06
    Font - Joe walked up to the lady. She said, "Finally, a man!" She asked her question, explained where the product SHOULD BE, and waited. Joe calmly let her know that he had never seen us carry five gallon size of oil based primer, but said he could check with the paint department manager. She was happy and loudly said she was happy to be getting some REAL help.
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 07
    Font - Joe walked up to me and started to ask me about five gallon oil based primers. The lady quickly walked up and asked him what he was doing. He turned and said, "This is my manager. She runs this department."
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 08
    Font - The husband laughed out loud, the woman stormed off, and I bought Joe lunch!
    via u/MoonLover10792
  • 09
    Font - catchmeeifyoucan 2 I had a really similar experience, I worked in a large appliance store and an older woman came in to buy a washing machine. I was in my early 20s and looked very young. Anyway, I went up to help her and she stated she would like a man to help her please. I said ok, and went to get one of my male colleagues (I told him she had requested a man). The whole way through the sale when she asked a question he'd say, hang on, let me just check with the expert and come and chat
    via u/catchmeeifyoucan
  • 10
    Font - cocoash7 Same thing always happened to me (F) working in sporting goods department of a certain blue big store chain. My male coworkers recognized it and always had a fun time with it. When they asked me to get a MAN to help them with a gun my coworkers always made a point to ask me the question after they were asked before responding to the customer even though they knew the answer to the question. I had some awesome coworkers that had my back.
    via u/cocoash7
  • 11
    Font - harrywwc +3 that. was. AWESOME! brilliant work :) and good for you spotting Joe's lunch as a reward :)
    via u/harrywwc
  • 12
    Font - Lobst3rGhost Worth buying lunch for a chance to sit and laugh about Karen!
    via u/Lobst3rGhost
  • 13
    Font - Odd-Astronaut-92 I loved it when I was working and people refused my help because I'm a woman! I worked at GameStop. Anytime they'd demand my store manager I would go get her with glee. She was a 50+ year old woman who didn't even really play games, which meant that not only did they have to deal with a different woman, they were losing my 20+ years gaming experience.
    via u/Odd-Astronaut-92
  • 14
    Font - HaddaHeart I managed a menswear store. Didn't matter how old the man I was working with was. Could be a part time high school kid, people always went up to him first. Or straight up refused my help, stating they'd prefer a man. We called it "guy in a tie syndrome".
    via u/HaddaHeart
  • 15
    Rectangle - canadianstringer Well played OP! Any bets on how long the husband was sleeping on the couch after that?
    via u/canadianstringer
  • 16
    Font - +3. She painted herself into a corner by demanding man and assuming you weren't knowledgeable. CoderJoe1
    via u/CoderJoe1
  • 17
    Font - 1968Bladerunner Great story, but the part that shines for me is you, as a manager, giving people the shifts that work best for their lives. That's pure gold IMHO.
    via u/1968Bladerunner
  • 18
    Font - pdbeard Guarantee the husband said they were going to the wrong store on the way there and you were witnessing her loosing an argument in real time. 26 Reply Share MoonLover10792 OP. I'll accept this as cannon!
    via u/pdbeard
  • 19
    Terrestrial plant - Shreddersaurusrex. Great composure on your part
    via u/Shreddersaurusrex

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malicious compliance paint malicious-compliance-reddit hardware entitled store karen entitled people boss workplace-stories work stories manager workplace
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