30+ People share the biggest public tantrums they've witnessed from adults: 'She actually stamped her foot and said we had ruined her Christmas'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jul 3, 2024 6:00 PM EDT

Working retail gives you a fantastic seat center stage to bear witness to some of the most incredible performances, teeth-gritting rage complete with bulging temples and flying saliva—unfortunately, this show requires audience participation, and the rage is almost always directed at you… Never mind the fact that you're just a lowly cashier, literally the lowest ranking member in the organization… you're going to be the one to suffer the full wrath of their immature and impotent frenzy.

The bizarre duality of this is that it, unfortunately, works. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and exceptionally large organizations have intentional bureaucratic inertia designed to make problems give up and go away. But, as soon as it crosses a regional manager's desk, they'll pay the customer to go away after rather than spend more than two moments dealing with it. Still, there's no reason not to be nice to the lowest-level staff dealing with your complaint, no matter how frustrated you might find yourself… The people in these stories must have missed that memo, seeing fit to have complete meltdowns in public that most people would be permanently embarrassed by. 

See this hearty collection of stories below and feel free to share your own stories in the comments!

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10369620480
    via Afif Ramdhasuma
  • 02
    roguescott Watched the CEO of a company worked at start screaming and stomping his feet because people weren't listening to his band at a company event, and instead were mingling at the bar. He literally shouted "this is MY PARTY! This is MY COMPANY! This is mY FAVORITE BAND!" I just started laughing. What else can you do?!
    via [deleted]
  • 03
    BlairClemens3 This reminds me of a principal I worked for who was castigating kids for not being appreciative enough that he'd arranged to take them to a baseball game to see his favorite team play. This was a group of kids not into baseball at all. Eventually one of them said to him, "it kind of sounds like you just want to go." Called him out without realizing it. This was just one example of the principal thinking of himself over the kids.
    via [deleted]
  • 04
    Bleu_Rue In my youth I worked in a little gift shop. A well dressed elegant couple in their 40s came into the shop one day during the Christmas season, with an ad in hand for a certain item. We had sold out of the item and they yelled at me demanding I order a new one for them or it was false advertising. I was timid back then so I just quietly explained that it was a limited lot, which was stated in the ad, and we couldn't order any more. This enraged the woman.
    via [deleted]
  • 05
    She... she actually stamped her foot and said we had ruined her Christmas. Up to that point I was annoyed and a little scared of their over the top anger. But when she stamped her foot I burst out laughing. Seeing a grown woman do that was just so absurd. Especially when the item in question was an angel figurine on sale for $5.99.
    via [deleted]
  • 06
    RealBowsHave Recurves Dude at Walmart in 2003ish had a complete meltdown over his spiral notebooks ringing up at 30 cents a piece instead of the 25 cents that was listed on the sign. Composition notebooks were 25 cents, someone put those spirals back on the shelf in the wrong spot.
    via [deleted]
  • 07
    He did the whole shebang. Even shouted "YOU DONT KNOW WHO YOURE DEALING WITH" while his teenage daughter begged him to stop. The cashier started crying. First time I've ever seen someone trashy enough to get thrown out of a Walmart
    via [deleted]
  • 08
    smr312 When I worked at a local mom and pop type restaurant/cafe/upscale grocery store (think whole foods but not a chain) back in the day we made this cheese dip, Better Cheddar, to put on crackers and what not. It's pretty good, but there is an unhealthy cult following for this dip from all the locals that live in this middle class area. If someone is having a little party or get together with some wine you know there's going to be some better cheddar on the table.
    via [deleted]
  • 09
    Anyways, one 4th of July weekend we didn't have any more better cheddar. We were completely out and we're waiting for our supplier to drop off this very specific type of cheddar we used to make it and most people understood if you come back tomorrow... the 4th, we'll have plenty in stock and your party will be saved. Except 1 woman.
    via [deleted]
  • 10
    When she learned we didn't have any in stock you would swear we just told her the only cure to her life ending disease was just flushed down the toilet because we didn't think anyone had the disease. She went to the fridge with all our other dips and what not in it and started opening the dips and throwing them around the cafe/store area making a HUGE mess. People were covered in spinach
    via [deleted]
  • 11
    artichoke, buffalo chicken, bleu cheese dip, all the dips were wasted and when the display fridge was emptied she slammed the door causing the glass to crack all the way from the bottom to the top. Some of the containers she threw broke the TV, they broke the display cases for our fancy cheeses and prepared foods you just need to heat up. An estimate of the waste and damage would be around $3000 because those
    via [deleted]
  • 12
    display cases were old and finding a replacement glass was impossible because it was curved, so a new one would need to be specially made somewhere in upstate new york. Best part of it all was she was a friend of the owner. We all knew her very well because she would come in 3, 4, 5 times a week order off the menu and just be a problem. When she came in a few days later I was the one who decided we're not dealing
    via [deleted]
  • 13
    with her BS anymore and refused service. She got defensive left and came back with the owner. Like a child tattling on someone. I had the pleasure of telling the owner she was the cause of all the damage and the reason we were closed on the 4th to fix the damage. The owner was not aware of this, I assume the manager just told them a random customer got angry. Lady tried to deny it but the head chef and me had pulled a copy of the security video immediately, so we could watch it again and laugh,
    via [deleted]
  • 14
    Owner insisted the woman would need to pay for the damages and lost product other wise there would be legal action and she would not be allowed back in until she does... 3 months later, glass still broken, I was written up for not serving her. I quit shortly after that and after I found a better job bar tending in the city. This was about 11-12 years ago now and I recently went in to pick up some better cheddar for a work thing, the glass on the dip fridge is still broken in the exact same way a
    via [deleted]
  • 15
    charlotte7301 Not necessarily public, but used to work at an Oncology office, someone wanted to reschedule their appt the day before they were supposed to come in. No. big deal. I tell him when I have available and none of the times worked for him. He became irate and told me "I need to be nicer to him because he has cancer" Like sir, I sympathize, but everyone here has cancer.
    via [deleted]
  • 16
    MicroCat1031 · 1 mo. ago • Two weeks ago in Orlando. My family and I were in a nice restaurant. There was an issue a few tables away from us, it was a group of guys in their late 20s. (guessing) It started over slow service, and the waiter, manager, and a food runner ended up in a confrontation with the four patrons.
    via [deleted]
  • 17
    Lots of yelling and drama, the guys got escorted out, and it should have been over right there, but one of the guys came back in and hit the waiter in the back of the head (Sucker punch from behind) and was tackled by the busboy. Two of the other guys from the table come running back in (Don't know what happened to the fourth) and jump into it. Cooks came out of the back, and six restaurant workers took down the patrons.
    via [deleted]
  • 18
    Ended with police being called and arrests being made, it was the biggest brawl I've seen in a while before the cops got there. There may have been alcohol involved.
    via [deleted]
  • 19
    Travelgrrl On my first cruise, my 11 year old son and I rounded a corner and there were two old ladies, one standing in the stairwell and another halfway up the staircase, screaming. The two white haired ladies were hollering things like: "I HATE YOU!" and "I wish I'd never taken you on this trip!" and so on. My son's eyes were as wide as saucers. Apparently any sort of tizzy that I had gotten into in his presence was far eclipsed by the performance given by these two elderly gals!
    via [deleted]
  • 20
    Brave Spell7883 I had just walked up to my parked car with my family from the beach in SW Florida. It was a packed and busy parking lot. An older retired aged lady flew around the corner and pulled up directly behind us and asked if we were leaving. I told her that we were. We proceeded to open the trunk to put our beach stuff in. We were still wet from swimming and were drying our clothes off with towels, clapping the sand out of our shoes, etc.
    via [deleted]
  • 21
    The lady was still parked directly behind us, watching us like a hawk. It had been maybe 3 minutes since we had got to our car. She then asked if we were almost done, and I calmy replied that it would just be a minute. We got into our car, fired up Google maps, and she started laying on her horn yelling at us move. I put the car in to reverse and asked her to get out of the way, as she was blocking us in. She got out of her car and came right up to my window, yelling and screaming
    via [deleted]
  • 22
    profanities at us like we had violated her rights. No shame, yelling in front of several people like a nut case. People in FL are insane, especially the retirees. They are nasty, , and entitled. It is not just the retirees. Road rage down there is so common, and people fly off the handle for the smallest things. I think the heat gets to people, idk, but the nastiest and worst people I have ever met live there. They are like ticking time bombs. I wish I had recorded this. It would have been an in
    via [deleted]
  • 23
    Aken42 I had a flight delayed 13 hours once. Here was a procession of adult tantrums towards the customer service counter. It got so bad the airline had police come and stand next to the counter and deal with the verbally abusive ones. It was a complete show.
    via [deleted]
  • 24
    Darkest Elemental Was working in a coffee shop when I was 15. A man came in ordered a coffee and a donut and handed me an American bill. On our cash register was a button for American cash, so that it had up to the minute conversion to ensure we gave the right amount back. I handed him his change and his order and he refused. He told me I didn't give him the correct change back, and demanded my manager. My manager heard
    via [deleted]
  • 25
    the story, ran it through again and proved it was correct by pulling up the current exchange rate on her phone. She backed me up and told him I was right, he was wrong. The guy lost it. He threw his change at us and stormed out of the shop. We were lost for words. Not only did he pay for the order, but he left it on the counter when he stormed out. And then also gave us the change by throwing it at us and leaving.. so what did he accomplish?
    via [deleted]
  • 26
    LongjumpingSurprise0 I watched a 70 some odd year old Asian lady have a complete meltdown because a restaurant was out of donut holes. She was lying on the floor screaming and grabbed the restaurants credit card machine and refused to give it back until she got her donut holes. Cops were called, then she claimed she was having a heart attack so ems was called and that's where I came into it
    via [deleted]
  • 27
    Long story short, she wouldn't let me touch her so I have no idea if there was anything medically wrong, we let her have her little temper tantrum until her daughter who was there talked her up off the floor, the cops didn't even issue a ticket but told her to never come back to that restaurant
    via [deleted]
  • 28
    Celistar99 1 mo. ago As a former retail manager, I've seen a lot. The most ridiculous one was when I got called to the register because a woman thought the sales tax was a penny more than it should have been. She bought a $3 scarf that was half price, so it was $1.50. With tax it was $1.54. Tax is 6.35%, and she thought it should be $1.53. Math isn't my strongest suit but I told her that the .35% probably pushed it. over an extra penny. She kept arguing to the point where she had tears in her ey
    via [deleted]
  • 29
    HuuffingLavender I witnessed a man throw his entire suitcase down an escalator over a canceled flight. Luckily no one else was on it but I did wish he'd fallen down after it tbh
    via [deleted]
  • 30
    Risheil I dug up a comment I made to this same question 2 years ago: A sales guy I worked with just earned a huge commission on a multi-million dollar mortgage. Some of us convinced him he should take us out to dinner because we helped & he was a good sport and we (sales guy & 3 low wage earning women from support staff) went out to a local pub.
    via [deleted]
  • 31
    The bank president was there, which was not unusual, he made the rounds of all the local places most nights after work. He came over to say hello and when he found out why we were there he got angry that he hadn't been invited and started yelling at us and banging his fists on the table, then he went back to his friends at the bar.
    via [deleted]
  • 32
    We decided he had to be joking, there was no way he could be angry at us for that so we decided we'd be funny too. We asked the server if she would bring him the check, but don't really leave it with him and she thought it was funny too, so she did. He was not kidding. I've never seen a grown man have such a public tantrum in my life. He was screaming at us until we got up and left (and would not let us take the check back).
    via [deleted]
  • 33
    I went to work the next morning and my boss (who was supposed to be with us but had something come up) was coming out of the president's office and this guy, who did not swear in front of women wanted we did to make his to know boss so mad that he was trying to order my boss to fire the guy that got the commission. Later on, we figured it out. Because of that commission, the sales guy earned more money that year than the bank president.
    via [deleted]
  • 34
    [deleted] My brothers first wife, we were shopping in Safeways and she wanted some chocolates and my brother told her no, she sat on the floor and started to wail like a toddler, 5'2, 200lbs woman crying her out sat in a fetal position. eyes
    via [deleted]
  • 35
    youdoublearewhy Working on a local theatre project, the lead actress' birthday was in the middle of the final week of rehearsals. We're all packed into the theatre for hours on hour per day, but there's still time to celebrate. We pass a card around and the director decides she'll bake a cake. When we take a break, someone brings the lead actress out on stage so we can cut the cake, sing Happy Birthday and give her the card. Everything is going well.
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 36
    Then suddenly, there came a great screeching. The director was displeased. Apparently, no one had asked her to sign the card. To be clear, she'd seen it being passed around, but no one had actively asked her, and she took that as an insult. She slammed the cake to the floor right in front of the poor lead actress, screamed at us all for being so inconsiderate and stormed off. Happy birthday.
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 37
    gamma-draconis When I worked in retail. The woman that freaked out because I wouldn't let her return a piece of chicken breast, originally from the meat department, dated several months prior to this interaction, that she had frozen, and did not have a receipt. I love retail.
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 38
    vainbetrayal I work at a major electronic retailer, and a few months ago, I answered the phone to a customer that told us his iPad was defective, and that he was going to bring it in, and demanded we give him the newest model we had. I asked him when he bought it, and he responded "Black Friday in like 2015." I laughed, and told him it wasn't happening. He started screaming at me, telling me
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 39
    about how he was going to "own my store and the company", then demanded to speak to my manager. I told my GM the situation, handed him the phone, and he told the guy the same thing I did, and hung up on him. The guy apparently tried the same stunt about 2 hours after I left. Not sure what he expected out of it.
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 40
    [deleted] One time when I was working my crappy fast food job, a coworker no showed so my boss had me call him. I let a message "Hi, this pizza. I was just is Fluffy at calling because you are in the schedule today at 10AM and manager wanted me to check with you to see if you are just running late." His girlfriend called back (I answered) and kept screaming at me for "talking to her man". It was the most insane thing ever.
    via u/beardlesshipster
  • 41
    iputthehoinhomo When I worked in retail at a place that sold phone accessories but not as a primary product (office supplies), this lady came in asking for a case for her iPhone 6, which was just released at the time. Because it was released maybe a week prior, we did not have any in stock and I told her so. This grown woman stomped her foot, pouted and cried "but I want one!". I said "I'm....sorry? Maybe we'll get some in stock soon. Let me ask a manager". She pouted, stomped her foot again and
    via u/beardlesshipster

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