‘She is a bad mom’: Woman fakes her son's gluten allergy in an attempt to get 50% off at a sandwich shop, 17-year-old employee calls out her bad parenting

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 12, 2024 6:00 AM EDT

If you're allergic to a certain food, the price of that food item isn't going to make you any less allergic. For example, if you need an EpiPen just from looking at shellfish, you're not likely to cash in on that coupon for Red Lobster anytime soon. But the mom in this next story wielded her son's food allergy as if it were cashier kryptonite to get deals from her local sandwich shop. 

Firstly, if your child is allergic to gluten, why would you choose to go to a sandwich shop for your family lunch? As a celiac's last resort, a sandwich shop really isn't an ideal place to plan to feed your 8-year-old son–that is, unless you have a nefarious plan to wring out the teenaged cashier for discounts. 

Read on to read how this audacious mom tried to get a free lunch by putting pressure on a teenage employee, but was sideswiped by the sandwicheur's response to her blatant disrespect of her own child. 

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  • 01
    "Can we get this half off? It's clearly not gluten-free” Caramel po pucine Pah doron mais/Balard stry/Pain de e/Brioche co Cha
    via ma-no - Getty Images via Canva
  • 02
    AITA for hinting to my customer that she is a bad mom
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 03
    I'm a 17-year-old female, and I used to work at our local Subway. It was usually quiet, so only one person worked each shift. This story happened during one of my evening shifts,
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 04
    when I was working alone. It's common for smaller locations like ours to have a sign at the front saying the "sandwich artist" is on break and will be back shortly.
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 05
    From the break room, there are cameras that show the front, and I saw a couple with their kid (the parents were around 40, and the kid about 8) standing there looking at the sign. They kept waiting,
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 06
    which was unusual-most people just go to McDonald's nearby. Feeling bad, I decided to quickly make their sandwich. The woman asked for gluten-free bread. I internally
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 07
    groaned because gluten- free bread is tricky—it's hard to balance, takes longer to heat, and is more difficult to work with. I grabbed the bread, and she asked for a recommendation. I suggested the BMT, but she asked for taco beef instead.
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 08
    No problem-I made the sandwich and put it in the oven. While the bread was heating, the kid started pulling on the glass, yelling, "CAN WE GET A FREE DRINK? MOMMY SAID WE COULD!" When
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 09
    the bread came out, the cheese had fallen off (which is common with gluten-free bread), so I offered to add extra cheese for free. She then asked, "Can you add more meat too?" Confused, since no meat had fallen off, I still obliged.
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 10
    When I asked what vegetables she wanted, she said, "All of them." I cringed because gluten-free bread is hard to close. As I added lettuce, she complained, "Shouldn't there be more?" I explained, "Since you asked for all the veggies, I'm seeing how much fits." She scoffed and mumbled something to her husband.
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 11
    After 10 minutes, the sandwich was done. Then she asked, "Can we get this half off? It's clearly not gluten-free." I was confused and asked, "What do you mean?" She replied, "The bread touched the table." I
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 12
    explained I had disinfected everything, changed my gloves, and used a separate knife, but she raised her voice, saying, "You don't want my son to get sick, do you?"
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 13
    At that point, I might've been . I said, "If your child's health is that important, you should always double-check before ordering. We follow protocols unless told otherwise."
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 14
    She looked stunned and stormed off, yelling, "I'm not buying that!" Her husband was nice, though, apologized, and said he understood. I gave the sandwich to the guy fixing our fridge.
    via Creepy-Fisherman8701
  • 15
    MiddleHuckleberry445 NTA. This woman was clearly looking to get something for free- her son said as much when he said she'd told him they'd get a free drink.
    via MiddleHuckleberry445
  • 16
    ZombiesAndZoos As a celiac, there's no way her kid is actually allergic. A discount isn't going to magically save his intestines from inflammation.
    via ZombiesAndZoos
  • 17
    MiddleHuckleberry445 Agreed. My husband and I are both GF and we haven't even set foot in a subway in YEARS. This was clearly a ploy to get what sounds like the worst sandwich ever at a deep discount.
    via MiddleHuckleberry445
  • 18
    Ambitious_Estimate41 Besides. Getting it for half the price wouldn't have made her kid "less sick" lol
    via Ambitious_Estimate41
  • 19
    loverlyone Sooo it was good enough for her son if it was half off? Psssh Happy-Patient8540 ΝΤΑ I am curious about how half off suddenly makes the sandwich safe for her son. Does it magically remove any contaminants when the price is reduced?
    via loverlyone
  • 20
    snootnoots ...so she's fine with "risking her son's health" so long as she gets a discount on the potentially dangerous food?! Pffffhahahaha NTA
    via snootnoots
  • 21
    Bitchbuttondontpush I think this person came to your shop looking for an argument. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Your reply was perfect.
    via Bitchbuttondontpush
  • 22
    Internal_Home_9483 Gluten free by choice is very different from gluten free by necessity. I wouldn't dream of going to Subway for guaranteed gluten free, you can't possibly provide that. Lady was trying to score a freebie. Good for you for saying "no".
    via Internal_Home_9483

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discount teen allergic mothers teenager kid kids mother teenagers bad parenting motherhood gluten moms parenting bad mom bad mother sandwich family allergy parent payback gluten free mom put in their place free parents children
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