'She immediately morphed into a Karen': Retail worker refuses to surrender her phone to a Karen customer, points her in the direction of ‘customer service’

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Sep 23, 2023 6:00 PM EDT

Once you work in retail, there is no seeing the world as you once saw it, and it instead becomes a cold, bitter place, where people carry a sense of entitlement you cannot internally fathom is real. Customer service of any kind is at times, insufferable, but there are phases in life where you go through these frustrating jobs, only to find out that other jobs have those same people, except instead of customers, they are coworkers.

OP told the all too familiar story of an entitled and snobby Karen who thought it was her right to receive OP's phone to make a call. Of course, we are talking about personal property here, so OP was under no obligation to hand anyone anything, but Karen disagreed. It quickly became a spectacle, and people stared on incredulously along with OP, wondering what exactly was going on in this Karen's mind as she went on her Karen-y rant, challenging OP's refusal and overall displaying the behavior of a 2-year-old. To read about the events that unfolded, scroll down.

For more stories like this, a high school teacher whose assignment backfired when one clever 'goody two shoes' student took it a little too literally.

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  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/RogueKhajit 4 hours ago Karen demanded I let her use my phone Karen This happened some time ago but the audacity of the entire exchange has cemented the encounter into my core memories.
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 03
    Font - I was working retail at the time when a woman comes up to me and asks to use my phone. At first I didn't immediately think Karen alert! I simply looked at her and in my best customer service voice said, "I'm sorry ma'am, I can't let you use my phone. But you can use the phone at the customer service counter just over there." pointing to the counter 10 feet away.
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 04
    Font - This is when she morphs into a Karen. "So you won't let me use your phone?!" "I'm sorry ma'am, but no. Customer service...." I start to say but she interrupts me before I can finish my sentence.
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 05
    Font - "You're refusing to help me?!" "No, ma'am I am not. There is a phone at customer service that you can use." When I repeatedly refused to give her my phone she went over to customer service. But she didn't make the call she
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 06
    Font - needed that was so important I had to surrender my phone to her. Instead I could hear her complaining about me and see her pointing in my direction, likely telling the story of how the big meany associate blatantly refused to help a customer in need.
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 07
    Font - But the complaint didn't go her way, and no one came over to reprimand me for my terrible customer service. Karen walked out of the store, making sure to tell me in all her Karen displeasure, "I hope one day you're stranded on the side of the road and no one helps you." Have the day you deserve, Karen.
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 08
    Font - Secure-Corner-2096 4 hr. ago WTF? If it was an emergency, why didn't she race to the customer service desk. Why was your phone the only one she wanted? Maybe she had theft in mind? 105 Reply Share
    via u/Secure-Corner-2096
  • 09
    Font - Appropriate-Law5963. 4 hr. ago I had a couple of kids on bikes asking to use my phone. I asked them for the number to call and they changed their mind about it 40 Reply Share
    via u/Appropriate-Law5963
  • 10
    Font - TYdays 2 hr. ago Working anywhere doesn't mean that even a Karen has the right to use your personal property. I would have let here stand there and repeatedly ask over and over, and after the second or third time she
    via u/TYdays
  • 11
    Font - asked, I would have just stood there silently with a blank stare on my face while she continued to ask. The only way to get a message across to a Karen, is to refuse to interact with them and refuse to comply with their stupid demands. Reply Share 8
    via u/TYdays
  • 12
    Font - tonykrij 4 hr. ago Who remembers a phone number by heart anyway. 20 Reply Share icecubedyeti 3 hr. ago Anyone who survived before cell phones were a thing 22 Reply Share
    via u/tonykrij, u/icecubedyeti
  • 13
    Font - Zippytiewassabi. 4 hr. ago My thinking is if it was a cell phone in question, she probably wanted to try to use an electronic payment to herself or something like that, probably didn't need to make any calls. 13 Reply Share
    via u/Zippytiewassabi
  • 14
    Font - Waifer2016 4 hr. ago 100% she was trying to steal your phone. Grab and run 10 Reply Share
    via u/Waifer2016
  • 15
    Font - Joe Peanut 1 hr. ago There is a scam where someone asks to use your phone for some kind of emergency. While pretending to dial someone, they are actually looking for Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or any kind of
    via u/Joe_Peanut
  • 16
    Font - money transfer app, and transferring any funds available to their throwaway account. Then they'll pretend the number is busy, and return the phone to you. By the time you find out, they have already withdrawn the money and closed the account. 4 Reply Share
    via u/Joe_Peanut
  • 17
    Font - Devilmaycare57. 6 hr. ago I think a lot of these have been very exaggerated. Some of them are pretty far fetched. No matter tho. The people here eat it up -39 Reply Share
    via u/Devilmaycare57
  • 18
    Font - RogueKhajit OP. 4 hr. ago Think what you will, doesn't change the fact did and does happen. 4 19 Reply Share
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 19
    Font - Devilmaycare57. 5 hr. ago I'm sure it does. And wasn't implying you did it. Yours sounds believable. I'm just saying I've seen some that are just ridiculous -12 Reply
    via u/Devilmaycare57
  • 20
    Font - RogueKhajit OP. 3 hr. ago If that was the case, why even make such an unrelated and off- topic comment? Better to just scroll on. 15 Reply
    via u/RogueKhajit
  • 21
    Font - Accomplished-Ad3219. 4 hr. ago If you've worked customer service, this isn't farfetched at all 14 Reply Share
    via u/Accomplished-Ad3219
  • 22
    Font - RogueKhajit OP. 4 hr. ago Sadly it 100% happened. Though I'm flattered to think my storytelling skills are so great it reads like fiction. T10 ↓ Reply
    via u/RogueKhajit

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Tags

management customer service retail customer desk phone call retail worker phone entitled customers retail store pointing store karen karen customer
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