Manager yells at teen worker in front of customers, customers complain and he gets fired: 'I later found out he lost his job'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jan 13, 2025 12:00 PM EST

Usually, the types of overly authoritative interactions you have with your managers take place well behind closed doors or on a phone call—both where no one else can overhear. Then, if they say anything unprofessional or out of order, it becomes a he-said-she-said type of situation to get it all straightened out. 

Luckily, the worst of these sorts of people and managers who think it's alright to behave this way have no self-awareness, which is good for the rest of us because it becomes far easier to hold them accountable for the things they say and do that are out of order. Such as this manager who wound up getting himself fired for having it out with a teen worker working their first job for a simple mistake that could have been a simple learning moment later on.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • In my retail days, even when you ended up with a staff member who was willfully arrogant and couldn't care less, you still knew through sheer common sense that having it out with them on the shop floor wasn't going to solve the problem and wasn't the right thing to do—on top of not looking good in front of customers. The last thing you want to do in any situation is air your dirty laundry to those who don't need to know. 

  • This is one of the few times when customers complaining is a good thing. It shows that they're real, compassionate people who care about the other people around them, whether or not they're wearing a name badge and a polo shirt. The vast majority of times, this is—or seems not to be—the case, so it's a breath of fresh air to see.

  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10454004736
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
  • 02

    "Yell at me in front of customers, lose your job..."

    This was about 28 years ago, at age 16, I had my first job at "Mircuit Mity" Around the holidays the prices for items would change and it was someone's assigned job to go around and place the new price tags. One day I was helping a couple who were confused about a tag on a brand new speaker. Now, I don't remember exactly how it went but it was
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 03
    something like the tag read 1.99 and was supposed to be 199$. Thinking back if this were me I would've bought all of them and called it a day lol but they weren't a scummy couple and wanted to know what the actual price was. It was ringing in at 1.99$. So I went and got the manager. Alongside the couple in the aisle we all looked at the tags and he started screaming at me "Are you STUPID?!?" and had his pointy finger in my face while yelling.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 04
    The couple left the store without purchasing anything and my day went on being scolded by him. Even though it was not my fault that it was mis labeled, he made me feel like it was. I should've noticed it, and must be so dumb. I took the ab e because I feared being fired from my first job and right before Christmas. My next shift was a few days later and I was immediately called into his office. I was
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 05
    having a panic attack. Here we go I'm getting fired, I thought. Well it turns out that the couple was so disgusted by his behavior that they called the company and complained. I sat in his office with a manager from another location while he apologized to me and then left. I later found out he lost his job. Petty revenge was from the couples complaint about him but I appreciated it nonetheless.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10454004992
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
  • 07
    send_me_a_gift . 9h ago • Second hand petty revenge. Glad people like that couple exist in this world!
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 08
    Whoskey Tango Foxtrot • 9h ago Karma at its best...lol
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 09
    maroongrad • 8h ago With all the bad customers we hear about, it's awesome to hear about some that saw an adult verbally abusing a teenager and took steps to stop it.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 10
    sqqueen2 • 8h ago . Whoa, what a great couple!
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 11
    9lobaldude 8h ago • They short circuited the manager's job
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 12
    Deranged_Kitsune • 8h ago • . Just goes to show that corporate only cares about the customer. If you had said something, probably nothing would have happened. A customer complains though? Oh, now they're really sorry and will terminate the manager immediately.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 13
    1quirky1 8h ago ⚫ I have been that customer making a complaint about how employees were treated. I don't know if it got anywhere. I also take on wild Karens when they're berating wage slaves. I actually got one to STFU and behave. It ended after she got in my face saying that I'm bigger than her and that she feels threatened. I informed her that the store records everything in this space around the cash registers and that she is not being threatened. Checkmate, b
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 14
    grimeygillz . 6h ago • This happened to me too! When I was 16 my manager cussed me out in front of a clearly shocked customer. As soon as the manager left, my customer told me she would call corporate about his behavior. He didn't get fired, but some higher-up definitely scared him because he never cursed at me or anyone else again :) it's always great when you get a kind customer!
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 15
    PoppysWorkshop • 7h ago ⚫ • I had a sales manager do something similar. I was young ~17 or 18, and DGAF. He points his finger and I step into him, and tell him to repeat what he said. he backed off realizing I was not going to take his sh. I was bu ied in grade school, I ended it my freshman year of highschool by punching out the bu ies. And never stood for any type of ab le from then on.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174
  • 16
    MysticalMummy • 4h ago Wish we had more customers like this. Stand up for the employees, because they take customer complaints a LOT more seriously than employee complaints.
    via Unlikely_Lead9174

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

customer support customer service workplace-stories talesfromretail manager retail karen-customer customers karen-customers managers tales-from-retail
Scroll Down For The Next Article