27 Retail Employees Compete for the 'Most Audacious Customer' Award

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 12, 2024 10:00 AM EST

As every retail employee knows, shoppers change their persona when they walk into a store. Nobody knows how or why, but even the most benevolent people can transform into feral Karens as soon as they walk in front of a store cashier, pillaging the aisles like there's no tomorrow. Armed to the teeth with coupons and complaints, customers are ready to pirate the best deals of the day, even if the sales are imaginary; so when a retail pro tells you that they've seen it all, they've seen it aaaaall.

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  • To make light of the managerial attacks and the customer's hook-handed steals, retail employees have found a delightful way to cope with the woes of the workplace. Recently, a gaggle of workers got together online to lament over their worst register experiences, creating a challenge to compete for the ‘most audacious customer’

  • Scroll onward to laugh at the pain of fellow workmen who have decriminalized Karen-mongering and encourage the counter-complaints that prove that the customer is NOT always right. 

    After this, here's another seaworthy tale of other terrible people in the world who got exactly what they deserved– like this roommate who got caught red-handed tricking their friend into paying their rent.

  • 01
    r/retailhell Posted by u/disappointed_shrew_ 1 day ago What's the most brazen thing you've ever seen a customer do? Question for Community For me, it's the time a customer asked for a partial refund for the stupidest reason. He initially emailed and said "I was in your store months ago and Bob promised me a discount code, can I please have it?"
    via u/disppointed_shrew_
  • 02
    There has never been a Bob and I wasn't in the mood to honour a fake promise from a fake employee for a fake discount code, so I just deleted his email. A few days later, this guy bought some stuff. After that, he sent another email saying "I went ahead and made the purchase, you need to refund 20% of the order since I didn't get the code" You can bet your ¡I deleted that email as well. Can you beat that?
    via u/disppointed_shrew_
  • 03
    Indotex 1 day ago This happened about 5 years ago. A manager was called up to the register for a return. It was a teenage boy returning a pressure washer that his dad had bought a couple of hours previously. He had the receipt, but it was for a 3100 PSI unit but the box said 3600. We're talking about a difference of $300. And when the box was opened up, there was an old, used pressure washer in it and a brand that we did not even sell.
    via u/Indotex
  • 04
    The manager refused the return. And turns out, the father had ripped the shelf label off for a 3100 PSI unit but taken a 3600 PSI unit up to the register and told the cashier to scan the label, which he did. This happened on a Tuesday night and the father called several times demanding his money back and it culminated on Thursday night with him cussing out the manager in front of two policemen who issued him a criminal trespass warrant and he got a letter from our corporate office saying that he
    via u/Indotex
  • 05
    TheSmoog 1 day ago An elderly woman came in with a Tupperware container of what looked at first glance like very dirty prawns. She told us that there was clearly something wrong with them, and you can tell because that was the way they'd "come out". She'd brought in the partially-digested prawns that she'd fished out of the toilet, looking for a refund.
    via u/TheSmoog
  • 06
    Yorkshire Riffer. 1 day ago Customer came in saying their Mario 64 cart was faulty, wanted a refund, had no receipt. Tested it. Surprise, it wasn't faulty After testing, customer still wanted her refund. Advised product not faulty and no receipt means nothing can be done, ask if she paid with card and can use a bank statement. No she said, didn't pay with card, but nor did she pay with cash. Wait for it, here's the brazen lie - she won it for free as the 50th person to buy an N64 system. Oh dear
    via u/YorkshireRiffer
  • 07
    1forthebirds 1 day ago I was the closing manager at a large retail store. I was called to the bakery for an angry customer. He was demanding the phone number for the regional manager, emphasizing that he did NOT want the store manager nor the district manager, but the REGIONAL manager, but wouldn't say what he was upset about. I asked him several times to please explain to me the issue and let me at least try to resolve whatever it was he was mad about. Finally this guy says to me "unless you ha
    via u/1forthebirds
  • 08
    GOO Sillard PGillard 1 day ago Worked at a certain bedding store that has recently gone bankrupt. Back in its haydays of 2016, I was working on the salesfloor on a busy, understaffed Christmas afternoon. The store was PACKED with people, to the point where you almost couldn't move without bumping into a customer, and everyone was fighting over me for help. This one lady, instead of asking for help, took it upon herself to unlock and DRAG a full sized Ballymore ladder across the store, into our g
    via u/SillardPGillard
  • 09
    hollywhyareyouhere. 1 day ago Working at bath and body works (I no longer work here but still love the company), I was 17 years old and trying to explain to a customer that her ALL THE WAY BURNT candle was not able to be returned as there was nothing left to it. (Heads up: yes you can return a mostly burned candle but there has to be somethinggggg even a little bit left to it in order to do that, this literally showed the wicks at the bottom.) She directly said " I return it like this every mont
    via u/hollywhyareyouhere
  • 10
    ao17330 1 day ago At a dollar store, soon after they opened, the cashier couldn't break the customer's $100 bill. Customer got nasty and started yelling and cursing at the cashier. Customer decided to walk out with the merchandise without paying. Cashier called the cops. Cops came and the thieving customer actually returned to the store with the merchandise. Customer was trespassed. All for some Christmas decorations.
    via u/ao17330
  • 11
    CrankyManager89 - 1 day ago Had a guy wanting to return a coffee maker. Okay no big deal. Customer service person checked it and there was rocks inside the box instead of a coffee maker. Anyways, this is why we check all returns
    via u/CrankyManager89
  • 12
    mwr885 1 day ago Bought my kid a Christmas present years ago. Wrapped it up, put it under the tree, weeks later on Christmas day he opens it and is excited about Santa bringing the exact toy he wanted. Except when he opened the box, it was rocks and random junk. Someone had done this exact thing and it made its way all the way back to the Walmart shelf and resold to me.
    via u/mwr885
  • 13
    sciip. 1 day ago A dude came in with some kind of decorative door hinge looking for a similar one. When i showed him the ones we have he said "okay so can i return the one i had here and buy this new one?" I knew we didn't sell the type he had at our store but i asked anyway "... did you buy the first one here? or at our other store?" and he said "no i bought this one in Germany"
    via u/sciip
  • 14
    loCAtek 1 day ago A few years ago while I was working at a car wash and this guy had a tarp in the bed of his truck, which got sucked up into the brushes. The machine stopped and I headed out there to help him untangle it. He's acting all offended that his truck didn't get cleaned and demands a free car wash. I replied, "The car wash is BROKEN, nobody is getting anything!"
    via u/loCAtek
  • 15
    NJHruska 1 day ago This won't top any of these, but it instantly came to mind. I was stuck behind a woman at a grocery store trying to use a wine coupon for cookies. She kept insisting that the coupon was for that brand of cookies, but the coupon clearly said wine on it. She finally gave up after 10 minutes of arguing and the cashier, other customers, and I pointing to the word "wine" on the coupon.
    via u/NJHruska
  • 16
    agentofhermamora 1 day ago Used to work at a vet inside a pet store. Nothing more brazen than people constantly coming in, letting their dog 7. on the floor, knowing that I am watching/make eye contact, and then walk off without cleaning it up.
    via u/agentofhermamora
  • 17
    mua-dweeb 1 day ago An old guy was attempting to return an ancient tv (like 8-9 y/o) tv. We wouldn't take it back. He smashed it using his cane in front of a bunch of shoppers and employees. He started screaming when a manager was explaining he was no longer welcome, and that he needed to leave before he got trespassed. He left, work continued.
    via u/mua-dweeb
  • 18
    Ok_General_6940 23 hr. ago edited 23 hr. ago I worked at a major hardware store at the refund counter and it was wild. My favorite was when people tried to return the non-refundable paint. That they had used the entire container of. They'd often show me photos of the room, fully painted, and say it wasn't what they wanted. Well, ma'am, that's why we sell sample sizes for $5.
    via u/Ok_General_6940
  • 19
    Meattyloaf. 1 day ago · edited 1 day ago Had a woman try to come over the counter at me because I was refusing to allow her to return her son's laptop. He bought it almost a year prior. He plugged it into a bad plug and killed it, as in when it was brought in you could still smell all the burnt up innards. Sh see kept insisting that we had sold them a bad laptop. She kept telling me that it was my fault that her son's computer got fried. The son was pretty understanding. The mother was not. Stor
    via u/MeattyLoaf
  • 20
    Crocheting_Canine505 23 hr. ago Our service desk was right next to the door, one time a lady came up with a can opener and asked me to check the price, I scanned it and told her it was $9.99. She said thanks, took it and just walked right out.
    via u/Crocheting_Canine505
  • 21
    cuter_than_thee. 1 day ago Worked at large hardware store ok the express cash, closest to the customer service desk. The space in between led to the exit. Guy tried to walk right through with a large TV in his arms. He hadn't been at the service desk, he didn't show anyone a receipt, didn't make eye contact and was walking as fast as he could. I asked for his receipt; he said his wife was in the car and she had it. Luckily, there were a lot of people in the exit. He did get away, but didn't get
    via u/cuter_than_thee
  • 22
    birdsofprey420 - 1 day ago I worked at a store that had a rule one of this specific toy per customer because they were limited. A father had his kids and their friends dress in different clothes and go to different cashiers. The third time they tried, I took over a cashiers register because they didnt want to confront them bc they were with kids and the guy looks at me and took the kids to the other line. When it was their turn, I told the cashier to grab something for me and called him up and s
    via u/birdsofprey420
  • 23
    ringaling11 1 day ago Back when toilet paper was the hottest item of the year we had a one pack per household rule. This married couple came in and wanted to each buy one claiming they weren't together. Was just a weird coincidence that they both happened to have the same exact maxi pads stuck to their mouth as a makeshift mask.
    via u/ringaling11
  • 24
    Gnomesin Blankets 1 day ago I used to work at a lingerie store and maaaaany times I've had to deny refunds on items because they were clearly used. I'm talking clear as day snail trails and other. After a while I stopped talking at a discreet volume because .... Reply Share 90 Jubafish 23 hr. ago Lmao snail trails
    via u/GnomesinBlankets
  • 25
    lottieslady 1 day ago I worked at a high end retailer. We had women try to return the underwear they were wearing. Disgusting. Thankfully, we could deny them because it was a violation of health code. 35 Reply Share ... Captain_Pungent 21 hr. ago They were wearing?! As opposed to had worn? Did they just take it off at the till and ask to return it?!
    via u/lottieslady
  • 26
    More-Income-3753 - 22 hr. ago Two guys walked out with a canoe. We had two entrances so cashier assumed they had paid for it. Nope they hadn't and with their heads in the canoe there was no way to identify them on camera.
    via u/More-Income-3753
  • 27
    DeeManJohnsonIII 23 hr. ago I worked at game stop for a few years... too many to count. I think my worst was I was on break an a customer got mad at me for ordering a pizza, since apparently if I'm in the building in the back I should come to the front to help even if I'm on break doing homework.
    via u/DeeManJohnsonIII
  • 28
    DrYu2727 23 hr. ago The time a guy came for an interview and turned up 20 minutes late with no explanation. After the interview he went to the bakery stand in front of the till, picked up a pack of doughnuts and then argued with the member of the staff seeving him, claiming they were reduced, even though there was nothing to say they were. Needless to say, he didn't get the job.
    via u/DrYu2727
  • 29
    CobwebAngel. 1 day ago Not my story but my sister's, and this happened to her coworker. A lady had bought a box of cake mix, used it and didn't like how the cake turned out, brought the fully-baked half-eaten cake back to the store and demanded a refund telling the employees to "try it and you'll understand!"
    via u/CobwebAngel
  • 30
    "A lady asked me to check the price [of an item], I told her it was $9.99. She said thanks and just walked right out."
    via u/canva

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customer service karens boss worker employee manager audacity job retail workers retail work coworkers customers working customer cashier employees supervisor workplace reddit thread Reddit company coworker business funny karen
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