Niece uses 42-year-old aunt's 50-75% off employee discount code to go on a massive shopping spree, puts aunt's job at risk for a new wardrobe: 'She didn't say there was a limit'

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Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Oct 3, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Family and money sometimes mix about as well as oil and water. It's a shame, really, because your own kin are the people you are supposed to be able to trust and rely on the most, but many use that proximity to manipulate. Whether it's a cousin asking for "just a little" help with rent, or an entitled uncle expecting a family discount at your business, blurred boundaries abound when it comes to family. 

That's pretty much what's going on here. One young woman found herself in a pretty uncomfortable situation when her aunt, who works in a senior position at a major clothing brand, shared her personal employee discount code with her. With school expenses piling up, the niece gratefully accepted and used it to get herself a brand new wardrobe. But when the aunt realized how much she bought, she accused her of taking advantage.

This reminds me of the time my mom gave me her credit card "for emergencies" in college, and yeah, that's exactly what I used it for. I always called or texted her before I did, too, even though she thought it was unnecessary. But some of my peers would occasionally try to pressure me into using it in a way that really stretched the definition of an emergency. 

At the end of the day, what feels like generosity to one person can feel like overstepping to another, especially when money is involved. Without clear expectations, even the most well-intentioned gifts — whether it's a discount code or a college "emergency" card — can end up sparking more family drama. 

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  • 01

    AITA for using my Aunt's personal employee discount code to buy clothes?

    Cheezburger Image 10559807488
    via freestocks.org from Pexels
  • 02
    My aunt (F42) works for a major clothing brand in a senior position. Employees get a personal discount code (hers is usually 50-75% off) that she can
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  • 03
    use and it varies based on the position. My aunt sent me the code saying "if you need anything, here's my employee code."
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  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10559807744
    via Masood Aslami from Pexels
  • 05
    I was excited because I love the brand and wanted to update my wardrobe and money has been tight with school and all. I ended
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  • 06
    up buying a decent amount of clothes, probably more than I normally would if I didn't have the discount.
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  • 07
    When she found out how much I purchased, she was angry with me. Now she's making me feel bad for using it, like I took advantage of her. And I'm feeling
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  • 08
    guilty. She did send me the code voluntarily and didn't say there was a limit. But if it's her own corporate perk, maybe I crossed a line and she could get in trouble.
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  • 09
    So AITA for using my aunt's personal corporate employee discount to stock up on clothes?
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  • 10
    I EMPLOYEE BENEFITS F
    via juststock from Getty Images
  • 11
    Or was it fair game since she gave me the code to use?
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  • 12
    quincebush ESH She should have told you to use it within reason. You should have used some common sense,
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  • 13
    e the code is associated with her employment and it's use or ab reflects on her and may cause her a problem. The reason companies
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  • 14
    monitor, limit and eliminate these perks is because of ab your shopping spree. e like
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  • You know, in these types of stories, there is typically a clear person in the right and one in the wrong. But here, we have an example of a situation where both parties messed up in their own way. Sure, the niece should have been a lot more discreet with the discount code, but her aunt should have warned her about the boundaries with using it.

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    Cheezburger Image 10559808000
    via Csondy from Getty Images Signature
  • 16
    Interesting Try5190 I want to know how much OP spent. They said money is tight which is why I assume the aunt offered the code if the niece needed anything.
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    They said they went ahead and bought more than they normally would have. If I were the aunt I would be annoyed I
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  • 18
    tried to help if not a lot of money but then OP bought a lot of items. It just feels like offer an inch take a mile.
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  • 19
    Expensive Plant_9530 I agree that OP should have used a little bit more common sense, but ultimately, if this perk wasn't one that was allowed to be shared, that's entirely on OP's Aunt for breaking her own rules.
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  • 20
    Furthermore, OP's Aunt should have explained what was allowed, including any item or purchase limits.
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  • 21
    pippers2000 Then niece should have not taken advantage of her aunt and of her aunt's generosity.
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  • 22
    Just because someone offers you something doesn't mean you go crazy about it. If I was the niece and I had picked out say, 5 items, I would have
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    texted my aunt to double check and say 'is it ok if i buy these 5 items or is that too much?' before I proceeded
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    with the purchase using her code. The aunt was very generous to even offer her code. I think the saying I'm wishing the niece had thought
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  • 25
    about is 'give an inch and take a mile'. This is what the niece shouldn't have done even with no instructions from the aunt.
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  • 26
    Sierra117MC Her aunt is in senior management role. She should know at this point, never assume people (or employees) know something you didn't tell or teach them.
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  • 27
    If you offer somebody something that comes with stipulations you provide the stipulations. You don't assume people know the information you didn't give them. At the end of the day,
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  • 28
    we all have different experiences, varying knowledge, and varying levels of intuition. "Not everybody knows how to everything."- Tim Robinson
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  • 29
    Glanced4 YTA, slightly. I think it's probably commonly understood with something like this that you don't go hog-wild. It sounds like you went hog-wild.
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relationship advice family drama employee work niece family feud relationships aunt workplace entitled family Reddit entitled people
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