Entitled elderly customer mistakes another shopper for an employee, throws tantrum over him not knowing where the flour is: 'My shirt got me yelled at in a supermarket'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 23, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Who amongst us has not been mistaken for an employee at your local grocery store? In some ways, it's a rite of passage.

Perhaps you've accidentally work an orange polo shirt at a certain hardware store. Or maybe you've worn a blue T-shirt at a well-known electronics company. Nine times out of ten, this kind of occurrence is a happy accident… unless, for whatever reason, you're the kind of individual who wants to dress in a well-known uniform in order to be mistaken and start some drama. You do you, but that's surely a choice the average non-confrontational person would not make.

In this instance, the author of this anecdote found himself confronted by an elderly lady at the grocery store, who asked him where the flour was. He thought she was just asking a fellow customer, but she took his checked button-down shirt to mean he was an employee there. It took him a minute to put two and two together. In fact, in the moment, he simply guessed which aisle it might be in, since he had passed by baking goods earlier.

The woman did not take this "guess" well. She ended up throwing a temper tantrum, yelling at the author about how he should know where all items belong. You probably know the kind of tantrum we're talking about. It's the same energy as your older parents and grandparents when you take them out to dinner and they start sassing the server for no apparent reason. It seems like after six decades in the world, you start to feel entitled to answers and special treatment pretty much everywhere you go. Sometimes, folks in this age range deserve said special treatment, but when it comes to customer service, these retirees do not have the right to scold people just because they can't easily get what they desire. 

Eventually, the author figured out why this woman made the assumption that she made. He attempted to explain to her that he was not an employee there. That should have been the moment in which this woman apologized profusely for raising her voice (not that she should have been able to do that if he were an employee anyway, but I digress…). Instead, she ended up walking with a look of shock and embarrassment on her face. She didn't have the guts to admit that she was wrong. How unsurprising!

Advertisement
  • Some memories just stick. This one is from 20+ years ago, when I was standing in a supermarket, completely absorbed in the products on a shelf. In her
    via jahiscallin
  • defense, I was wearing a checked shirt (example) so horrendous it could have been part of the store's official uniform.
    via jahiscallin

  • Here's an example of the type of shirt the author was wearing!

    A man wearing a checked button down shirt
    via jahiscallin
  • Suddenly, a woman in her 50s walked up to me and asked, "Where is the flour?" I pointed vaguely and said, "I think I saw some down that way."
    via jahiscallin
  • She pressed on: "What aisle is that?" "Maybe aisle 8? I'm not sure," I replied, still smiling and trying to be helpful. I thought this was just a simple exchange, but things took a turn.
    via jahiscallin
  • Her voice rose as she snapped, "IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN WHO DOES KNOW?!"
    via jahiscallin
  • The fog in my brain cleared, and I finally understood. She thought I was an employee. I just stared at her for a moment, the confusion written all over my face. "I don't know," I said, "and I don't work here."
    via jahiscallin
  • The look of pure shock and embarrassment on her face was a moment I'll treasure forever. It was also the last time I wore that horrible shirt.
    via jahiscallin
  • An elderly woman standing in the aisle while shopping in the supermarket
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • CtForrestEye . It's sad it took that for her to realize she shouldn't be yelling at employees.
    via jahiscallin
  • Dripping Snarkasm "IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN WHO DOES KNOW?!" "CERTAINLY NOT YOU!"
    via jahiscallin
  • ctvarlan Why the main character is almost every time a middle- to-upper age woman? Usually, above the aisles, is written with what is on both sides. But you should have learned to read and wear your glasses.
    via jahiscallin
  • Maleficentendscur... . ("IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN WHO DOES KNOW?!") "ACTUAL employees in the store UNIFORM and with a NAME TAG on, try customer service, at the front of the store"
    via jahiscallin
  • "ACTUAL employees in the store UNIFORM and with a NAME TAG on, try customer service, at the front of the store"
    via jahiscallin
  • Sorry-Climate-7982. Flour is on the far end of aisle 14. It is hard to see, so keep looking in that area.
    via jahiscallin
  • As for the shouted question, you are probably too young to have replied: Lamont Cranston, but he is busy at the moment.
    via jahiscallin
  • gryghin⚫ I, on the other hand, would have worn that shirt on a regular basis...like every Tuesday, so that the people that would shop that day would think that I did in fact work there. Oh, the chaos that would reign.
    via jahiscallin

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

Tags

FAILS idontworkherelady old woman entitled people karma elderly grocery shopping funny entitled people grocery store
Scroll Down For The Next Article