20+ Retail workers whose customers got instant karma: 'Guy stole $60 headlights... and had to have his car towed'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jul 22, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

When customers think they're entitled to perfect service every time they shop, it leaves retail workers rolling their eyes. There are few times in life where screaming at someone gets you what you want. This works if you are a baby or a toddler. This method performs less well when you're a 45-year-old man hollering at a poor teenage worker who's messed up your food order. 

These small moments when places mess up are certainly annoying, but the way some customers react is just dialed up to 11. One worker described a customer's tantrum as watching an "elderly baby," and that's exactly how a lot of these customers act. It's almost like they've been alive for 6 decades, yet have no idea how to interact with other people. 

Sometimes I wonder if newer generations will change the way that service workers are treated. After all, if you've been a waiter, fast-food worker, retail worker, or phone center worker, you know exactly how a not to talk to one of these people. Since the newer generations seem to work these minimum-wage jobs for a while, maybe there will be a shift in the attitude we sometimes see from cranky customers. I'm sure we'll still have them… but even having fewer customers who can only communicate by throwing a tantrum would be a huge improvement. 

Up next, read about a fast-food worker who got back at a police officer who made them late to work by pulling a petty stunt: "The officer… informs me that I will have to wait." 

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  • 01
    gocubs44 I work at an auto parts store. This one guy stole some $60 headlights and literally sprinted out the door. We went to look outside to try and get his license plate, just in time to see him speed off, hit a curb, and blow out his tire. Called the cops and the dumba got arrested and had to have his car towed.
    via u/gocubs44
  • 02
    RedditWhileWorki... Working the window at Mcdonalds late night. Guy orders whatever and pulls up to the window. I'm cooking and handling the window, so I wasn't there when the customer pulled up. When I walked up to the window, I didn't see the f with trash in his lap. I open the window to take his card/cash and he throws a bag of trash at me. I take a
    via u/RedditWhileWorking23
  • 03
    step back, bothered that I just got trash thrown at me, and I watch his car speed off. I'm ped, but there's nothing I can do. A couple seconds later I hear a small bang of metal on metal. I walk to the lobby and look out the windows. The slammed into a police cruiser who was about to loop around and use the drive thru himself.
    via u/RedditWhileWorking23
  • 04
    Of course I also went to tell the officer what just happened inside.
    via u/RedditWhileWorking23
  • 05
    necrohonkey Standing at the counter of the pizza place I work at. Lady storms in and slams a pizza down on the counter. "This isn't the pizza I ordered, what the hol are you going to do about?" She asked. I look at the pizza then at my buddy Nick and turn back to her and say, "Nothing".
    via u/necrohonkey
  • 06
    She then goes on a long rant telling how we are going to be fired, how stupid and incompetent we were, she actually told me I must be retarded, then asked why the h I we weren't going to do anything? I said "Because that pizza came from the pizza shop across the street."
    via u/necrohonkey
  • 07
    I think she actually managed to shrink in size and slink out looking so pathetic and beaten I almost felt bad for laughing till tears dripped down my face as she slunk off.
    via u/necrohonkey
  • 08
    Mattxy8 When a r de customer's card would be declined it would always bring a real smile to my face
    via u/Mattxy8
  • 09
    LadyVerene Guy comes in and is being a complete a h le. Not wanting to show ID to buy beer even though he looked 20 at the oldest, constantly yelling and swearing. He also had parked in the handicap spot despite not having handicap tags or plates on his car.
    via u/LadyVerene
  • 10
    One of my regular customers, who is a sheriff's deputy, was also in the store. Saw how the guy was acting. Saw where he was parked. Went out, got his ticket book, and wrote the guy a ticket. Guy realized he wasn't getting his beer, went outside...to find he was getting ticketed. I could not stop laughing.
    via u/LadyVerene
  • 11
    the... Worked at a telecom in Canada (I am no longer an employee thank god) Lady comes in with a broken iPhone is demanding to get a new one for free. If you don't know, in Canada the iPhone 6s is going for about $400 upfront on a two year contract at a minimum $80 plan. She had a good plan, but wanted it for free. She
    via u/thelostcanuck
  • 12
    called up our loyalty team in store and spent the next two hours screaming at them. Finally, they agree to a deal, and she is getting it for zero. She looks at me and goes I do not want a case, and AppleCare is a scam. (We work on commission, so this essentially meant I was getting nothing and ruining my numbers). She keeps telling me to hurry up through the setup and I was
    via u/thelostcanuck
  • 13
    trying to get them out of the store with everything transferred over and set up. She grabs the phone and starts marching off saying I was a terrible employee. She gets three steps out of the store and drops the phone. Shattered screen, and white screen of death. She ran back in asking what I can do. I shrug and went 'Sorry, but AppleCare sure would have helped eh?'
    via u/thelostcanuck
  • 14
    mayonays Worked at Best Buy 10 or so years ago, this happened on Black Friday. Most of the customers were in bad moods since they'd been waiting hours to come in and stand in more lines. But this one lady was a raging b After yelling at everyone in my department about how she NEEDED the laptop that was on sale despite it being sold out, she proceeds to
    via u/mayonays
  • 15
    tell us she'll have the store closed down because she "works with the city and knows the fire marshall and we have too many people in the store." So she calls him, we tell her to leave, and nothing happens to the store. However we called them as well to report what she'd said, and she got fired from her job for ab e of power.
    via u/mayonays
  • 16
    [deleted] I worked at a restaurant that was very popular for brunch and Mother's Day was probably our busiest day of the year. I had a customer call the evening before and asked for a table for six and he was incredibly ride when I informed him that this would simply be an impossibility. He kept getting more and more worked up, asking me to
    via u/[deleted]
  • 17
    speak to my manager. At first I didn't want to pass the phone over (my manager wasn't the nicest guy and we were in the middle of a busy dinner shift) but my manager came up behind me and demanded to know why I had been on the phone for so long. I was like "f it, this customer isn't going to listen to me anyways" and gave the
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    phone to Mac. Mac asked how he could help, listened for about 15 seconds before telling this dude something like, "so you're tying up my hostess in the middle of dinner even though she's already told you nicely that we can't fit you and your gld in family in the night before our busiest day of the year? F your buddy!" And hung up the phone.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19
    [deleted] More than a few decades ago I worked at Denny's. I had two male customers that decided to dine and dash. Got their license plate number and reported it to the cops and jokingly mentioned that they didn't even tip! Later that night they got pulled over for DUI, cops recognized license plate number from the report, brought them both
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    back to the restaurant and forced them to pay the bill. After he was done paying, the cop just stood there and looked at them and said well? The guy sheepishly handed me my tip.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 21
    quasiix I used to return customer credit cards by setting them. on the Square podium used to swipe them so they ended up right by them when I swung the screen around from them to sign and such. One lunch rush (take out restaurant) one lady decided this was an offense of the highest order and yelled at me for not
    via u/quasiix
  • 22
    placing it directly in her hand. I stupidly engaged her and tried to explain that I did that for everybody which got me a continued lecture about how she is the customer and good service is doing what she wants and so on. There were about of dozen people eating at our tables and five people in the line behind her so she was straight hamming it up, making sure
    via u/quasiix
  • 23
    everyone saw her putting me in my place. Unfortunately for her, the dramatic performance proved to be a bit too distracting and she stormed out without her infant. This was of course noticed by pretty much everyone in the building since she had just made herself the center of attention. One of the
    via u/quasiix
  • 24
    customers even had to run after her and stop her from driving away. For the record there is no real subtle way to pick up a full size child carrier. TL;DR: Woman shows full restaurant that she values her credit card over her child, performs walk of shame.
    via u/quasiix
  • 25
    [deleted] Lady lays into me for the amount of the bill, called me every bad word in the english language. Says we overbilled her, she requested I go through her order. Come to find out we underbilled her by a $ 1000 dollars due to a misplaced zero. The silence on the other line was so beautiful.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 26
    Luzianne
    via Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash+

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

  • 27
    [deleted] Worked at a gas station some odd years ago and the week before it had been snowing a lot so the gas tankers got delayed due to safety reasons. A customer came in a pretty new Mercedes-Benz, something like SLS 400 or something and wanted the premium gas. I explained to him that the takers are delayed and we currently don't have any
    via u/[deleted]
  • 28
    premium gasoline and that he could try the next station down the block. He started swearing at me personally like I has control over the gas delivery. He sped off tires screeching only to have his rear tire hit the curb. His rim got f ed up really bad and couldn't drive it. I laughed at him.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 29
    NermalKitty Way back when I used to be a retail slave I worked at an electronics retailer (still in business). We had some guys going around trying to lift DVDs. They were cutting the barcodes off to remove the sensors so they wouldn't go off on their way out. LP notices and starts sending over floor reps to see how they are doing, if they need help, etc. Finally LP goes
    via u/NermalKitty
  • 30
    over and just hands them a hand basket, bc they had nothing in their hands it was showing them we knew. So they start wandering around ditching the DVDs as they go and as soon as they drop one and employee comes up and grabs it. So they start freaking out. They dump the rest and just book it towards the door full speed. No one chased bc they ditched all
    via u/NermalKitty
  • 31
    the merchandise. As they exit one of the dudes turns around and starts flipping everyone off yelling || (store name)!!!!". As he's doing this he steps off the curb into the front driveway in the parking lot and promptly gets hit by a car....it was in the lot so it was only hard enough to knock him over but he had to scamble to hit feet and keep running.
    via u/NermalKitty
  • 32
    Luzlanne HOME OF THE FREDDY Freddy's
    via Nima Sarram on Unsplash+

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

  • 33
    EmberDione It wasn't the customer, it was the manager. She was AWFUL. She was r de, intentionally picked out favorites and gave them presents in front of everyone (even when they didn't like her and tried to avoid it), messed up schedules on purpose for people she didn't like, etc etc. Worst manager ever.
    via u/EmberDione
  • 34
    So there was a huge storm coming in, and people were really worried about it. Like the news telling people to stay home, other businesses closing, etc. So it was up to her to either keep our store open or close it. Of course, she kept it open. Because schools closed only half our scheduled employees showed up, the rest called in and she called her favorites and told them they didn't have to come in. Well
    via u/EmberDione
  • 35
    as the like 5 of us who showed up were standing there, watching out the front windows (there were ZERO customers) she starts yelling at us, threatening to write us all up etc, and we are like - no one is here, all the work is done, we are watching the wind BEND TREES OVER and worried about if we are safe/will be able to get home.
    via u/EmberDione
  • 36
    Right about this time we hear a SUPER LOUD crashing noise. CAHCHUNK - - CAHCHUNK - CAHCHUNK CAHCHUNK - WHAM! As the industrial air conditioner on top of the building got BLOWN OFF. Like it rolled along the roof, then went flying into the parking lot. Right onto her car. It was so perfect it was surreal. De d center, smashed her car flat. -
    via u/EmberDione
  • 37
    Like if she had been in it, she would have d d. And it only happened because she parked right up by the building, where we had SPECIFICALLY been told not to park. All our cars were out in the farthest corner of the lot. We later found out it her car wasn't paid off, it was some stupidly expensive BMW or something, and her insurance didn't cover the damage because it was an "act of god".
    via u/EmberDione
  • 38
    Turgid JusticeB In the auto repair business, we must deal with a lot of passive-aggressiveness from people displeased with having to shell out money for their cars. Once, a couple arrived to pick up a car which was parked in the first spot nearest the street. The husband was great, and had approved the needed repairs
    via u/TurgidJusticeB****
  • 39
    I in stride; the wife was a raging b debating every line item of the estimate, asking pointless questions, demanding a cheaper price, threatening to take the car elsewhere or "just get a NEW one!" Anyway, the man made his way toward the office, but the woman made a beeline for the car, found the keys stashed inside, threw the plastic seatcover to the
    via u/TurgidJusticeB****
  • 40
    wind, then started it up and drove off (before the bill had been paid), cutting the turn too sharp and scraping the ENTIRE passenger side of the car badly on the low concrete planter. I saw this happen; the husband didn't. Never saw them again.
    via u/TurgidJusticeB****
  • 41
    [deleted] I was a cashier at a grocery store. This guy with a full cart bitched and bu ied employees until he was allowed to use my express checkout because he didn't want to wait in the regular lines, and my line only had two people in it. As soon as my floor manager allowed him and he had his cart unloaded, a tiny old lady
    via u/[deleted]
  • 42
    with a walker who could barely stand got in line behind him. Everyone gave him dirty looks. He realized he f ed up and tried to make a joke about it. De d silence. I hope his saved time was worth being an ahle.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 43
    [deleted] I worked in this fancy clothing store in this posh town at the seaside. It was a busy saturday when suddenly a very pretentious girl walked in with her boyfriend, ignoring us as we greated her and even giving my collegue a demeaning look. She went on to browse around in the store and eventually took some
    via u/[deleted]
  • 44
    clothes with her in the changingbooth. After a while I notice a heated conversation arising from the booth between her and her boyfriend. I see the boyfriend running back and forth between the booth and some clothing racks, in the mean while me and my collegue where being chased away by her (she refused any help and didn't leave the booth) as if we
    via u/[deleted]
  • 45
    were a couple of ebola patients. So me and my collegue continue working and helping other costumers. I was working the register when suddenly the girls turns up next to me, completely p ed off, and she starts ranting about "how our store/brand really should work on the fitting of our clothes and how we were complete f ups". I
    via u/[deleted]
  • 46
    was completely caught of guard and right when I wanted to ask her what the exact problem was, I see my collegue looking at the girl while bursting out this horribly loud laugh, tears and all. What had happened was that the girl had taken with her a clothingpiece she thought was a strapless dress. Well, it wasn't a
    via u/[deleted]
  • 47
    dress. It was a skirt. The girl had tried on all sizes and got completely fed up, yelling at us and her boyfriend because the FREAKIN "DRESS" WON'T FIT. So she walked out in a crowded store, making a scene, with a skirt pulled up to her I have to admit, after she left I laughed till crying.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 48
    [deleted] Working drive thru at a Tim Hortons and some a h le in a massive black truck parked too far away from the window and expected me to lean super far out to give him his change. He was real impatient and just really ride. I just shook my head and so he gets all p ed off and finally gets out of the
    via u/[deleted]
  • 49
    truck and the door shut behind him. It was locked and he sat there for like 15 minutes and we had to call a tow truck. Sure it ped off everyone behind him but at least they were all ped off at him and not us! He acted like it was the biggest embarrassment of his life.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 50
    Tevesh_CKP Late to the party but whatever. Back when I worked at a Blockbuster we'd occasionally deal with thieves. The standard was just to let them go, not endanger employees or customers.
    via u/Tevesh_CKP
  • 51
    One time this guy Grabs some stuff and bolts. My manager runs after and points him out to two cops. that had parked in our parking lot. They give chase. This guy dodges and weaves through people and traffic. He successfully crosses the street with cops on foot. Desperate to lose them, he jumps down some stairs to gain a lead but breaks both legs.
    via u/Tevesh_CKP
  • 52
    LittleMissLokii Worked for a sushi bar for a few years. They do a half price sushi hour most weekdays for dine in customers. It's a good deal, especially for how high quality the food is. It was an especially busy day. People waiting, etc. This woman and her daughter come in and stress that they are in a hurry ('My
    via u/
  • 53
    daughter has cheerleading') but want the half price. Uh, good luck? Full house...but whatever. Customers = money, yo. So, the lady gets. angry when her food takes longer than 15 minutes. She asks if she can get her food to go, which I then explained that the food would then be full priced. We get into an 'argument' (she's getting angry and beginning to yell at me in front of her embarrassed daughter while
    via u/
  • 54
    I'm meekly standing there, unsure of what to do. 'WELL I ORDERED DINE IN'....you are asking to go IT DOESNT MATTER IF YOU WERE SITTING AT A TABLE WHILE ASKING). She's getting louder and more annoying and I'm starting to panic (my anxiety was really bad at the time) when suddenly, my boss chimes in.
    via u/
  • 55
    And by chimes in I mean she started ripping this woman a new one. You see, my old boss just happened to be working behind the sushi bar that summer. She told the woman to stop yelling at me and that if she wanted her half price sushi, she would have to sit and wait like everyone else. Boss apologized to the other customers and made sure I was okay.
    via u/
  • 56
    Lady was shocked and now super embarrassed, since the entire restaurant was now judging her. She quietly sat and waited for her sushi. The daughter apologized to me and that table ended up leaving a good tip.
    via u/
  • 57
    My old boss is the nicest woman in the world. She still gives me free food whenever I go up for some sushi. She also has a bunch of regulars who she always makes time for. But don't her off, because she will become a scary, scary person in mere seconds.
    via u/
  • 58
    jennamay22 After purchasing a phone from me and being extremely ride and awful the whole time they walked out of my store and instantly dropped their phone, it shattered and they were devastated. They had the nerve to ask me to do them a favour and add the
    via u/
  • 59
    warranty they earlier said no to cause its a "waste of money".. And I had the pleasure of telling them it wasn't possible. I got yelled and screamed at, they threw their phone at me and security was called. Never saw them again after that, thank god.
    via u/
  • 60
    Ted_rube This was actually partially my fault, but the ridiculous reaction made me lose all sympathy. I was an assistant manager at a paint store, a "mid-size regional company", not a big national/international company, so we didn't always have the best supplies or equipment. Sometimes we would run out of printed labels for the
    via u/
  • 61
    paint cans, not be able to order more, so we would sharpies to write the color numbers on the can. Anyways, it was a Saturday, we were closing early to do inventory, and I was younger so not surprisingly I was pretty hung over. An elderly gentleman (60-70 y/o) came in with a paint can with a color number written on it in sharpie. He wanted another gallon, I said OK, but when I
    via u/
  • 62
    went to make it the last number was smudged so we took a guess. I made the gallon, showed him the color, he said great, paid and left. Seemed good to me, I was hungover as f and didn't care to much. Hours later we are closed, the whole staff is counting for inventory. This same elderly gentleman peels into the parking lot in his pick up truck and start
    via u/
  • 63
    pounding on the door. He can obviously see people are their so my boss goes to the door to see what's wrong. The "gentleman" is throwing a temper tantrum that the color is wrong. My boss lets him in to replace the gallon of paint to just resolve the situation. No problem, seems like a reasonable solution, he tells him we had to guess the number and we were wrong,
    via u/
  • 64
    we just replace it with one number back. He calms down for like 30 seconds until he sees me, runs up to me and starts screaming in my face about what an a h le I am, how I was trying to rip him off, etc etc. A sixty plus year old man throwing a temper tantrum like a child. One of the other employees backs him off while I was like
    via u/
  • 65
    My boss gives him the gallon and tells him to chill out, just leave. The guy cusses him out too, then storms out. He takes the gallon, throws it in the back of his pick up, slams the tailgate and gets in his truck. He sequels the tires like a as he backs out and speeds away.
    via u/
  • 66
    However, slamming the tailgate didn't close it at all, as not only did he have the mental maturity of a 5 year old, he apparently only had the strength of one too. So as he peels out and drives away, out the back of the pick up truck goes the gallon of paint. it made a small mess, but we didn't see him back.
    via u/
  • 67
    LL F you elderly baby, I'm glad you never got the paint you needed.
    via u/

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workplace-stories retail workers retail shopping retail worker entitled people karma workplace karma shoppers
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