'I have never felt more triumphant in my life': 15+ Managers who got to inform entitled customers that they were the head boss in charge

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Apr 18, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

In the retail world, getting to say "But I AM the manager" feels so righteous. There are few phrases that can throw a crabby customer off their game faster than realizing that they aren't berating a minimum wage worker. Instead, they're berating the boss, the head person in charge, and now they're not going to get anything they originally wanted. 

Though it's not how I'd spend my time, there's a certain type of customer who wakes up in the morning ready to make the lives of retail workers miserable. This person loves to go out to eat, order a steak, and then wants the steak remade 5 times because it's not to their liking. This type of person will show up at a clothing store with something they bought 10 years ago, and will try to return it for a full refund. They're not even really trying to accomplish their goal. They just want to feel powerful as they berate some 16-year-old worker who's making minimum wage and trying his or her very best. 

Up next, read about an attention-seeking "entitled rich kid" who tried to blare loud music in the school parking lot, only to ruin his car's paint job: "Kevin hopped in his car [and] turned it on with the sound cranked up." 

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  • 01

    "What is your 'but I AM the manager' story?"

    moomsy This happens to me all the time, actually. I'm an attorney, but I'm pretty young and I look like I'm about 17 years old. When I talk to other lawyers I work with on stuff or against, I constantly get stuff like, "We'll wait until we hear from your legal counsel to respond," and then I gently remind them that, hey, I am that legal counsel.
    via u/moomsy
  • 02
    DoctorMc Giving an interview for a restaurant job. The guy has a ton of experience and seems like he's more than capable of it. Only thing is, he's a job hopper. Worked at something like ten other restaurants in town in the last year and a half. I asked him about it, why he was in and out of all these places, and he says,
    via u/DoctorMcT**s
  • 03
    "Oh, I keep getting into conflicts with people. I really just am not good with rules, I prefer to do things my own way. I never get along with management." "So, uh, in case the fact that I'm interviewing you didn't give it away...I AM the manager here." He lost all color in his face and thanked me for my time.
    via u/DoctorMcT**s
  • 04
    [deleted] I was working as an inventory manager at a large chain. Two people had called in, and we were so shorthanded that I was getting sweaty helping to unload a truck. I got a call that a customer wanted to speak to a manager, so I quickly pinned on my name tag (we don't wear one while moving
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    boxes because snags and ripped shirts) and went out to the floor. I greet the customer and ask her how I can help. She eyes me skeptically. I'm flushed and sweaty and dusty, not looking very managerial. She points to my name tag and says, "That says "supervisor". Is there an actual manager here?"
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    I look down. Oops, old nametag. I say, "Excuse me. One moment, please." I go in back and put on my manager nametag. Take a second to tidy myself up. Walk back out with a big smile. "Just got promoted. How can I help you today?"
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    'We can't do a return for a bag of rice you bought 10 years ago'
    via Curated Lifestyle For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 08
    uReallyShould Tru... Not exactly the same, but I saw an argument in my university once. An undergrad was so sure of his position that he referenced a book he had to prove his point. The person he was arguing with wrote the book. It was above efficient airfoils in an aerodynamics class.
    via u/uReallyShouldTrustMe
  • 09
    On the other spectrum, my boss a few years ago would ask the secretary to do something, and one time, she was like "nah, we won't be doing that..." and he was all like... "but...I thought I was the boss..." and walked away with his head down.
    via u/uReallyShouldTrustMe
  • 10
    brunobits Friend told me this story in college: He worked at Wal-mart but was a stocker, for some reason he had to cover a break at Customer Service. A Lady brings in a OLD TV, so old it never came with a remote, it had nobs. Was wanting to return it for a refund. He kindly explained to the lady that he could not
    via u/brunobits
  • 11
    take this TV for a refund or even store credit as it was obviously too old. The customer got upset and demanded to speak to the Manager. So he called over the manager, and explained the situation, the Manager looked over the situation and agreed with him, they were not going to take this ancient TV for a return.
    via u/brunobits
  • 12
    The customer then decided that still wasn't good enough, and started demanding to speak to Sam Walton (Founder of Walmart), Manager explained that was simply not possible. Customer started escalating the situation, demanding to Speak with Sam Walton, manager then looks at the lady and says, "We have a wide variety of shovels in the Lawn and Garden
    via u/brunobits
  • 13
    Department, if you'd like to purchase one so you can go dig him up!"
    via u/brunobits
  • 14
    [d... Not a retail story, but a manager story. I'm a manager of a manufacturing company. Since i have been here we have had an issue with an employee. Basically he is a sleazy bu y who picks on people and likes bossing people he shouldn't be bossing. It has escalated since i joined to
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    management team, and last Thursday it took a turn for the worst. He so pushed a guy he works with, a guy who is very hard of hearing, that there almost was a fight. Big dude, tall and heavy and strong, was almost in tears when i took him in my office because the sleazebag had finally gotten to him. He had specifically used big dudes hearing damage to pick at him, and
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    the incident was about the bu y making fun of big dudes lack of hearing. NOT OK. You don't make fun of peoples disabilities at work. Dude is a great worker. He deserves no sh just because he doesn't hear too well. I got to take the sleazebag in to my office one final time. I had taken him in there many times before. Those times
    via u/[deleted]
  • 17
    he just smiled and asked me to point to any "particular incidents". This time he did the same thing, but i told him to go home immediately, call his union rep and return on Friday. The look on his face when he realized i had finally had enough of his sh was priceless. I am going to go out and ask him for his union reps details now. I'm going to savour the look on his face as he feels
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    the noose tighten. Of course the knows it wont be cheap for us to get rid of him. He has been banking on that keeping him employed for a long while. But i, and the whole rest of the management team, don't give a flying f any more. So what it might cost us 100k to get rid of him? I don't care. That's cheap,
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19
    compared to the damage he has already done. We are sitting down with our lawyer tomorrow. Then we're firing that dirty bu y. sh Edit: Fired the today. Gave him a severance package to avoid court. Totally worth it.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    [deleted] Along the same lines: I was at my first trade show for a product I invented. It hit the market in Feb. and the trade show was Feb 26. A guy came to our booth and cocky told us that he'd seen our product before and he didn't like sh made in China.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 21
    I literally laughed in his face. I said, "I invented it. I make it in the US and it's only been available for two weeks.". He just looked at me suspiciously and walked away.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 22
    [deleted] To make a long story short, we can't do a return for bag of rice you bought years ago.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 23
    The_WayWard_Wi... I run a textbook rental store. A chick comes in with books so overdue that she has a $260 late fee. I wasn't going to make her pay that, but the only way to pull that off without unbalancing my drawer was to have her pay the replacement fee so that she owned the books, then sell them back to the store. I knew the sell back prices, so
    via u/The_WayWard_Wino
  • 24
    I knew she'd get out of the store paying less than $40 as her late fee. However, when I suggested this plan, b went ape sh. She starts talking about how she didn't know the due date (it's on the receipt we give them, and I send out TWO reminder emails - if you didn't get the email, s ks to be you), and that it's not fair, not fair, not fair! When I pointed out to her that our store stickers were on her
    via u/The_WayWard_Wino
  • 25
    textbooks which would have been a reminder of where she got them and that there's a due date, she asked to see the manager. I probably shouldn't have, but I actually walked to the back of the store and then walked back up with a big, fake smile on and said "Hello, I'm the manager. What can I help you with?" She was livid. She tried to pull some "I manage a store
    via u/The_WayWard_Wino
  • 26
    too -" bulls but I cut her off and said "If you manage a store as well then you understand that this is a business. I have policy to follow. No one at this store is your mother, and you are a COLLEGE STUDENT. If you can't remember due dates, you got problems girl." Cue this ol' chestnut - "I am NEVER coming to this store
    via u/The_WayWard_Wino
  • 27
    again, none of my FRIENDS are EVER COMING HERE AGAIN!!" I told her good, go write a Yelp review. B
    via u/The_WayWard_Wino
  • 28
    Frostedflockss I work in a retail outlet store. We receive all the older merchandise from the main stores in the district so they can make room for newer collections, and we sell the old stock at a reduced price. There's nothing wrong with the clothing, it's just from an older collection. However, because of the reduced price, everything is final sale. We won't take returns
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 29
    or exchanges. Before every transaction at the cash we remind the customer that their purchase will be final sale, no exchange no return. And then once the transaction is completed, we stamp their receipt with "Final Sale". Of course, sometimes exceptions can be made. If the item is defective or the customer is really nice, we will make an exception.
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 30
    Anyways, one day a lady comes in and I can tell she's one of those customers. Cuts me off as I'm greeting her to tell me that she wants to return an item because it didn't fit her or something like that. I explain to her that look I'm sorry madam but there is nothing that I can do. everything is final sale. She replies that she was never told this. I take a look at her receipt and I see that it's been stamped final sale,
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 31
    so I tell her "look madam, somebody must have told you because your receipt is even stamped." Immediately she goes off on me. Yelling, screaming, swearing. Saying how incompetent I am and that's why I'm working in retail because I can't find another job and blah blah blah. The whole time I'm just staring at
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 32
    her. She finally finishes her tirade by saying that she shouldn't listen to a lowly employee like me and then she asks for the manager. I cleared my throat. I looked her de d in the eye with a grin on my face. "I'm very sorry for you right now but I am the manager."
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 33
    She just deflated. All the gusto goes out of her. Swears under her breathe and leaves the store. The part that really gets me though is that the shirt she was trying to return.. it cost 5$. But it was the best moment of my entire part time retail career
    via u/Frostedflockss
  • 34
    C 199
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 35
    heartbreakcity Reposting from a previous comment of mine; obligatory "Not a manager, but..." Nonetheless relevant, since it involves shutting people down from a position of authority. So I work for an anime convention. There is an incredible amount of drama and rumors that go around; it is insane.
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 36
    So this was a couple of years ago, and I happen to be waiting for an elevator with two girls who are talking about my convention's future. It's Sunday; it could be a ten or fifteen minute wait. And one of them says, "Oh my god, I am soooo glad [convention] is moving back. to the Hyatt next year!"
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 37
    We weren't. It wasn't big enough to hold us anymore. And it's always better to quash rumors before they have a chance to circulate too much. So I politely say, "Actually, it's going to be here again." I get these obnoxious, know-it-all looks from both of them. One of them goes, "No, it's not; I heard it from my friend on Security."
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 38
    Ohhh, so now it's a "I know someone!" game. But my direct boss is the owner of the convention; I have held hotel contracts for the next three years in my hands - I know where it will be held. But I don't want to pull the "I know someone higher up than you" sh; that's petty. So instead I say, "Why don't you email in and settle this for us?" We've got the time, so she pulls out her phone,
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 39
    goes to our website, finds the contact page, and starts typing out an email. She hits send. A few seconds later, my phone beeps. I've got a new email!
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 40
    I open it, it's clearly from her. It says, "[Convention] is moving back to the Hyatt next year, right?" I type back, "No," and hit send. Most satisfying 'No' by a long shot.
    via u/heartbreakcity
  • 41
    Volntyr I work as a clerk in a County government office. One day, my manager went ahead and asked me to collect all the extra recycling paper around the copiers and dump them in the locked recycling bins. around the floor. He said that he was going to let my supervisor know that I was doing this task for him. About half way into it, my supervisor comes back from
    via u/Volntyr
  • 42
    Cheezburger Image 10495376128
    via Gulnar Mardanova on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 43
    her meeting and notices that I am not at my desk doing my assigned work. She came up to me and started asking me what the h I was I doing. I told her the manager asked me to empty the recycling. She immediately flipped out and yelled at me in front of the entire floor of about 40 people "I DONT CARE IF HE TOLD YOU, I AM YOUR SUPERVISOR. YOU GET
    via u/Volntyr
  • 44
    BACK TO YOUR DESK NOW!" and proceeded to slam the door to her dark office/cave after she saw me sit back down at my desk. I immediately knocked on my managers door and informed him. I went back to my desk and she opened the door to her office. The manager stepped outside his door and yelled to my supervisor in a stern voice,
    via u/Volntyr
  • 45
    MY OFFICE NOW! After several minutes, I got a call on my desk phone from him and asked me to come into his office. Almost immediately, my supervisor apologizes to me for embarrassing me in front of my peers. He then told the Supervisor that while she is my supervisor, I AM YOUR MANAGER, YOUR BOSS!. If you want to discipline
    via u/Volntyr
  • 46
    Volntyr, you do it in your own office with the door shut. That is what an office is for. Privacy! My manager then told me to go finish the task he asked me to do and told my supervisor to get back to work.
    via u/Volntyr
  • 47
    [deleted] Was being trained as a manager a few months ago. On my first day managing the floor by myself, a customer from earlier in the day came by demanding to speak to the manager on duty because tl;dr we royally f ed up her "$45 order" and that we had to replace everything.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 48
    Now, I'm a rather petite lady, and I have a baby face... Didn't have a manager shirt yet (my size had to be custom ordered), but I was a full-fledged manager. I said I was the manager and asked what her name was so I could check my "problem customer" book in the office and see if her name was there. It wasn't. No problem, I just asked to see her receipt. Surprise surprise,
    via u/[deleted]
  • 49
    she doesn't have a receipt from ~2 hours ago. Sorry, lady. You aren't in the problem book and you don't have a receipt. Best I can do is some free food coupons, like ice cream or a free sandwich. She asked to speak to the manager. Honey, I AM the manager tonight. She said I was... Inadequate as a manager and that I deserve to be fired or something. I'm
    via u/[deleted]
  • 50
    paraphrasing here. Told her I was sorry but I couldn't replace her order and at most I could give her one free meal. She screeched and stormed out.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 51
    Cheezburger Image 10495374592
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 52
    jonibus Not a manager, but a supervisor in a fast food. joint. Co-worker didn't know that apparently, and asked me to keep my mouth shut as he tried to take a meal without paying for it.
    via u/jonibus
  • 53
    hiswayout Worked as a Teller Supervisor four about eight months. I wasn't the highest person in chain of management, but because I closed, the Branch manger was gone pretty quick after I got in. So there was this one customer in the drive through lane, and he wanted to cash a check not
    via u/hiswayout
  • 54
    drawn off of us. He had an account with us, but it was overdrawn a good bit. I had already been there for about five or so months at this point and had never seen this guy before. After looking over everything I proceed to tell him that I unfortunately wouldn't be able to give him cash, but if he wanted to deposit it, his money would go in that night. He got visibly angry with me, and proceeded to
    via u/hiswayout
  • 55
    tell me he didn't care and wanted to cash it anyways. I once again told him that we wouldn't be able to do that, but told him he could take it to the bank it was drawn off of, which was right down the street, and see if they would cash it. He gets even more angry at this point and pulls. out a stack of hundreds,
    via u/hiswayout
  • 56
    tells me to deposit it to make his account positive, and then cash the check. I explain to him our policies again, and even though I could budge a little, he was so I said no. being a He then asks to speak to the manager on duty. I tell him it will be one moment while I grab him. I do a little 360,
    via u/hiswayout
  • 57
    and tell him that my manager has left for the day, leaving me the manager in charge. I give his option one more time and he deposits the check and leaves. I have never felt more triumphant in my life than at that moment.
    via u/hiswayout
  • 58
    Ron_Textall I worked at a big box electronics store... Anyway, I'm walking around counting some inventory because of suspected theft when it happened. This guy did all three things that in one fell swoop. He me off whistles, snaps his fingers, and says "hey you!"... I was a little taken aback by the epic level this
    via u/Ron_Textall
  • 59
    guy was achieving (ed hardy T-shirt, jeans around his knees, and some gold jewlery he must have got out of a claw machine at a bowling alley.) So I look around behind me, then look back at him and say "excuse me sir, are you talking to me?" And he was like "yeah, this box is damaged (had a small nick) and there ain't no way i'm paying 50$ for it so why
    via u/Ron_Textall
  • 60
    don't you go get your manager and get him to give me a deal, aight box boy?" To which I replied "Alright sir, one, I'm not a dog so never whistle at me again. Two, I'm not a box boy, I'm the manager here. Three, the box is barely scratched so you can pay the price or get out."
    via u/Ron_Textall
  • 61
    He just stood there stunned and catching flies then left. His "boi" down the aisle I guess heard the whole thing and was making fun of him on the way out. It was a good day.
    via u/Ron_Textall
  • 62
    literallycant-even I own a coffee shop. One time a lady came through and wanted to order a latte, with a bunch of add on ingredients, which all cost extra, because it costs us extra. When I told her this, she thought the idea was preposterous that double flavor, extra espresso, soy milk, etc would cost extra, and demanded to speak with the manager. So, of
    via u/literallycant-even
  • 63
    course I say I can actually have her speak to the owner, stuck my hand out and introduced myself and let her know I owned the place. She lost her sh, but still comes back every day to do the same thing over and over to all of my employees.
    via u/literallycant-even
  • 64
    They're all aware of her issues and just tell her if she doesn't like our coffee and prices that she should go somewhere else, but she just keeps coming back.
    via u/literallycant-even

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