'You want the exact amount, you get the exact amount': Sweet shop regular insists on buying food by weight, employee complies by giving him less food

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jul 4, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

This teen spent a few months working at their uncle's sweet shop for a summer, and got to experience what happens when "tempers and temperatures" run high.

As a young teen, this person really wanted a PS3, but couldn't afford one. So their dad and uncle came up with a plan: if this teen could work at the uncle's sweet shop for a few months over the summer months. The OP, u/CrackSnap7, took the offer. 

Like many first jobs, you get to know the ropes of a trade as well as learning some valuable customer service lessons. One of those is that customers always think they're right — so you may as well play along with their delusions if you can. 

Sometimes, people are just confused. They might think they grabbed an item that's 40% off, but it's actually just regular price. Then, as you try to explain the concept of specific sale items, the customer's brain seems to shut off for a moment. It's like they can't comprehend how they could possibly be wrong, and you, as someone who works at the store, certainly doesn't know more than they do. Some customers need to be told multiple times why they can't have what they want, and they still get upset. 

At least this Karen customer got a taste of his own medicine. He kept demanding the proper amount of a delicious snack, so the employee did exactly as asked. 

Next up, this person is tall, which makes flying on airplanes a bit of a challenge, especially when other passengers get into squabbles with them over space. 

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  • 01
    Font - CIALS SCIF Sumbe ALDI 'Mr. Karan was now in full scale Karen mode: "I demand you pack me 500gms of those individual ones and don't you dare cheat me again!" CHICKEN VEGGIE CAceas SPECIAL HOTDOG Ona Bun ALL BEEF JUMBO CHICKEN VEGGIE ALL BEEF SAUSAGE OF POLISH ITALIAN www.
    via Filip Mroz on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - You want the exact amount; you get the exact amount! LOC When I was 13 or 14, I decided I wanted a PS3. My dad refused to buy me one but my uncle made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said that if I worked at his sweets shop for the two months of summer break, he would buy me a PS3 and some games in lieu of payment. For teenage me with no commitments, this seemed fantastic!
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 03
    Font - My uncle sold a kind of specialty snack known as a mini-samosa in his shop. They are like samosas, but smaller, about 3.5 to 4cm in size (about 1/2286 of a football field for my American friends). They were sold by weight, in sealed packs of 250gms and 500gms as these were the most common amounts people bought. Making those packages turned out to be my job. You see, sometime between now and when uncle started his business, he realized that 250gms was roughly the weight of 28 mini-samosas
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 04
    Font - We also sold them individually for people who wanted larger, smaller or unusual amounts. This was also around the time when our government started airing customer awareness PSAs ("Jaago Grahak, Jaago" for my fellow Indians). Basically, just telling customers to beware of fraudulent business-people. This is relevant.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 05
    Font - So, one particularly hot afternoon, it was just me and my uncle at the shop. In India, frequent powercuts were very common during summers and thus there were no fans or AC running. Both tempers and temperatures were running high at the shop that day.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 06
    Font - It was then that the villain of our story, Mr. Karan made his entry. He was a local resident and a regular. He seemed angry from the onset when he barged into the shop. He took a look at the fans and saw that they weren't running, then angrily picked up a 500gm pack of samosas and asked, "How many samosas are in this thing?"
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 07
    Font - "That's 500gms.", I said. "I said how many, NOT how much!", Mr. Karan literally screamed, "Again, HOW MANY in this?" "56", I replied immediately since, you know, I packed them.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 08
    Font - "How can you be so sure? You didn't even count! You're trying to cheat me!", Mr. Karan was now in full scale Karen mode. "I demand you pack me 500gms of those individual ones and don't you dare cheat me again!"
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 09
    Font - I looked over at my uncle, wet with sweat, fanning himself with yesterday's newspaper. He slowly nodded. I beamed a huge smile, "Sure sir! Whatever you want!"
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 10
    Font - So I took a bag, picked up some samosas and started putting them on the balance. I kept counting samosas as I put them in until they were a little over 500gms. Then I removed the last samosa and the weight fell below 500. Now, keeping eye contact with Mr. Karan, I crushed the samosa and started putting its powdery remains in the bag until it was exactly 500gms.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 11
    Font - But wait, there's more! Mr. Karan apparently didn't seem to mind powdered samosa but instead asked smugly, "So how many samosas now?" "48", I claimed triumphantly!
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 12
    Font - You see, sometime in the past, my uncle's old chef retired and the new chef made samosas with a little bit more filling in them. They looked the same size on the outside and only weighed a couple grams more each and since he made them in bulk and also sold to other shops in the area, the price wasn't too much of an issue. So my uncle let it slide. But those couple grams added up on mass orders and that is what Mr. Karan found out the hard way.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 13
    Font - He looked sheepishly at the pre- packed samosas and then at his own package and asked if he could buy the former instead. "No, my nephew made a package specially for you, at your own request. So that is what you have to buy.", my uncle finally spoke.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 14
    Font - Mr. Karan silently took his pack, paid and left. He was a lot more respectful during his subsequent visits.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 15
    Font - I was reminded of this story yesterday when my PS3 finally died. As evident, English is not my first language; in fact, it's not even my third. So please excuse any mistakes.
    via u/CrackSnap7
  • 16
    Font - PurpleMuskogee The tone you use and the recipe included at the end makes this weirdly... heartwarming. Good storytelling! 6.4k Reply Share CrackSnap7 OP +4. Thanks! You're very kind!
    via u/PurpleMuskogee
  • 17
    Font - GiveKindheartedness8. Mr Karan got more than just samosas that day, he got a serving of humble pie as well. At least the humble pie was free.
    via u/GiveKindheartedness8
  • 18
    Font - stihltired Must be good samosas if he kept coming back. Good story, thank you! 205 Reply Share CrackSnap7 OP +4. Uncle sells almost every type of Indian sweet and snack. From Rasgullas to samosas to even Dosas now. "Come for the samosa, stay for the chai.", I used to say!
    via u/stihltired
  • 19
    Font - IGet Bored Sometimes23 That's wonderful. Hope you enjoyed your PS3
    via u/ IGetBoredSometimes23
  • 20
    Font - SarkyMs +3. you got my vote for: about 1/2286 of a football field for my American friends
    via u/SarkyMs
  • 21
    Font - qglrfcay Wonderful! post more. Excellent writing. I really mean that. You have a writer's gift. You should And by-the-way, you write English beautifully, with grace and correctness. 8 Reply Share CrackSnap7 OP +4. Thank you for your encouragement! Unfortunately this is the only story I have for now. If I ever think of anything else, I'll definitely post again!
    via u/qglrfcay

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malicious compliance summer teenagers malicious-compliance-reddit uncle family food store karen jobs job karen-customer customers customer regular
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