15+ Retail employees who got even with their most entitled customers: '[I] told my boss that since he wouldn't let me quit, he had to fire me now'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 14, 2026 3:00 PM EST

These workers faced getting fired just so they could tell their worst customers about their poor behavior! 

For workers in service industries, getting back at your worst customers can be a game of little victories. As one barista wrote, they gave all their crabby customers decaf coffee. If you're impolite to your server, maybe they'll give you a very small scoop of fries instead of a generous portion. Maybe they'll "forget" to put your sauces in your bag, or "accidentally" fill your drink with tons of ice and a teensy tiny bit of the actual beverage. 

Let's not forget that a lot of workers do reward positive behavior. They're treated so poorly, like 80% of the time, that if you're just a kind and decent person, you might get extra food or faster service just because you're an outlier. 

When I worked in fast food, I always gave really nice customers a fully filled-up fry container. Meanwhile, my coworkers demonstrated to me that if you pinched the fry box in the middle while you were filling it, you could technically fill the container… but that customer literally got like, half of the amount of fries that they were supposed to. If customers asked nicely and offered to pay for extra sauces, we just gave them out for free. Customers who loudly demanded extra sweet and sour packets and called us mean names had to pay the full price for those same sauces. And that's not even counting our regulars, some of whom were angels, and some of whom were ghouls. Guess which regulars got the best service? 

This year I've decided to do some "regular-maxxing," a phrase coined by Twitter of course. This is simply being a good regular by going to the same establishments and tipping very generously while doing so. This Twitter user claims that they get incredible service this way and make a difference in their own life as well as the lives of their baristas. I've started doing this too, and while it's too early to see any conclusive results, I strongly suggest everyone else do this, too. Get the most for your money while also improving another person's life! You will get the best treatment if you actually treat people well. 

Want to find out what happens to the crankiest, crabbiest customers in the food service and retail world? Keep scrolling, and you can read a bunch of incredible stories. My favorite is the "icy onion rings" dude, who is just completely unhinged. I love that guy. Never change, onion rings dude! 

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  • 01
    scottevil110 I delivered pizza for years. No, no spitting in the food or dropping the pizza (they're going to notice, and you're just going to end up out there again), but when I had multiples, you'd better believe that the a h les got theirs last. Every time.
    via u/scottevil110
  • 02
    Javacorps Coffee shop worker. Every day I decaf rude customers.
    via u/Javacorps
  • 03
    Throwawayyyyy1... TLDR: Filled a pitched with ice water for the sole purpose of dumping on customers head. Proceeded with plan. I had been a server many years. I was 2.5 years into the current job and did pretty well. On a busy night I had the worst table ever. Literally, I dare someone to top these
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 04
    Adult son is drink and it's his birthday. He wants ice. cream and us to sing to him before I even take drink orders. Son's wife wants more butter for the free bread... Now. Try to go get it and mom yells at me because I didn't take her drink order. Son wants to know when ice cream is coming. Start taking drink orders, sons wife asks why I haven't gotten more butter
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 05
    yet. Small child is yelling. Mom wags finger at me every time I respond to adult son or his wife bc I'm not paying attention to her. This continues every step of the meal, drinks, salads, appetizers. Each person at the table was oblivious to the others, even though they were all screaming. They demanded I do one thing at a time for them and ignore the others. Seriously
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 06
    consider this happening for 20 mins. Plus I had other tables. Entrees come out and mom finds out what she ordered was not what she expected. Even though I had described the dish to her and there was a picture on the menu. Kid still screaming, adult son still asking for ice cream even though mom forbid me from bringing it out, his wife
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 07
    is asking for the fourth side of butter and some steak sauce. Then mom loses her sh. She starts berating me for being so stupid to bring her the wrong dish. I explained how the dish was described in the menu and even bring her a menu to confirm, ask what else I can get for her if she didn't like the dish she ordered. She demanded something we don't even have in the
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 08
    kitchen (crab legs - you can't just whip those up if there are none). While never actually reading the menu, she starts pointing at it, reading a fake description that she is making up on the fly and tells me I'm too stupid to even read, so how would I know what the menu says. Called me a laundry list of names, insulted my performance, knowledge, and personality.
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 09
    I had told my manager 3 times to take the table. He talked to them each time and assured me they said they would calm down. They never did. I even told my boss I had to quit since he wouldn't take them and I couldn't handle them or even visit my other tables. He gave me a pep talk and I tried again. After the last attack from mom, I walked to the kitchen and filled a
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 10
    pitcher of water with ice and made a b- line to this psycho b . On the way, dad was coming back to the table from outside. He had been quiet the whole time. He was now wagging his finger, coming toward me and yelling about up their dinner. Mom got lucky that night. Dad got the pitcher of ice water on his shoulder. I
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 11
    couldn't reach his head. Told my boss that since he wouldn't let me quit, he had to fire me know. He gave me a hug, let me cool down in the kitchen for a while. Told me let him know if I ever needed anything and has since given me positive work references.
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 12
    The family tried to sue the restaurant. It was a big brand with several different concepts under their umbrella. The company settles by giving the family $500 and banning them from all of it's concepts. These are big restaurants that I am sure you are all familiar with. Not to mention any names, but the ones that have lots of
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 13
    commercials and seasonal promotions with never- ending-this and something- Fest-that.
    via u/Throwawayyyyy12378
  • 14
    Woman holds plant while man behind her inspects it in greenhouse setting
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 15
    reuben515 I didn't retaliate in this instance, but one of my managers really stood up for me. I was at the end of a very long shift at Trader Joes, when a woman completely freaked on me because my exhausted brain couldn't do a basic math problem.
    via u/reuben515
  • 16
    Essentially, she gave me $50.00 for a $45.63 total, then gave me another $1.13 that she dug up from the bottom of her crusty a purse after I rung her up. I know that it's a simple math problem, but I couldn't get my exhausted brain to kick into gear and figure it out. So, I just asked her what I owed her, and she went off. It was almost like she was waiting with gleeful anticipation for something
    via u/reuben515
  • 17
    like this to happen, so she could take a shon someone's day. She told me that she was a 2nd grade math teacher, and that any one of her students could easily figure out the change. She asked me why they didn't require a math test before they hired me, and essentially told me that I was a drooling moron.
    via u/reuben515
  • 18
    The dozens of people within 15 feet of her could hear the whole thing. The worst thing is that I was so pissed off and frustrated that I still couldn't figure out her damned change. And she refused to tell me because that wouldn't 'let me off the hook'. This remains one of the top ten most humiliating. moments of my adult life.
    via u/reuben515
  • 19
    One of the managers was at a nearby register, and he heard the whole thing. He came over and told the woman that I was a third year nursing student, and my math skills were clearly better than a 7 year olds, but I had been at work since 4AM unloading trucks and I was clearly mentally and physically exhausted. She tried to rail on about how stupid she thought I was,
    via u/reuben515
  • 20
    but he stopped her, gave her the change, and told her to not come back until she could treat the staff like actual human beings. There was a small smattering of applause from the people in my line when she left in a huff. She wrote an email to corporate and the supervisor got a talking to about it, but he maintained that he was in the right. That dude was solid.
    via u/reuben515
  • 21
    sin_tacks I worked as a barista for most of college. There was this really rude woman who got a tall nonfat vanilla latte every day at 2pm- without fail. Monday-Friday. She never had any other specifications, just tall NF vanilla latte, every time, for 3 years. Of course my coworkers and I all knew exactly what she wanted, but she still snootily told us
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 22
    each time as if we didn't recognize her and she us. We often started making her drink before she would get to the counter because it was exactly the same every single time. Until one day. One day, my coworker was on break so it was just me doing register and bar. This lady comes in and this time, says, "tall nonfat vanilla latte, 120 degrees." I was a little surprised that she
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 23
    mixed it up, but okay, whatever. I already had a drink waiting so I made that one first, and then started on hers. I guess I was kind if on autopilot, just making her regular drink, and I only remembered the temperature thing when it was at about 110°. I stop the steam wand, and it goes up to about 130, but I figure since she's been drinking the same thing at 150° every
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 24
    afternoon for literally years, ten degrees won't make a difference. I finish her drink and put it out for her with a smile. She takes it and leaves. Two minutes later, she's back in a full rage: "I SAID 120 DEGREES. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? ITS TOO HOT, I CANT EVEN PICK IT UP!!" I was honestly shocked. She had just picked it up and walked off,
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 25
    then come back with it. I just stared at her and then apologized and said id make her another. She scoffed and said, "I have things to do, I don't have time to stand around watching you try to make lattes all afternoon!" And picked up. her "too-hot-to-pick-up" coffee again and left. I told my coworkers and we all started telling her that we were out of nonfat or out of
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 26
    vanilla every time she came in after that. Once someone before her ordered something nonfat and vanilla and when she got to the counter my coworker told her that, "tragically," we had just run out of espresso. She never made a temperature modification again, but we were all sure to make her drinks way too hot after that. She soon stopped coming in.
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 27
    Tl;dr- lady is a dick about her coffee, coworkers are bros, we drive her away with 180° whole milk hazelnut lattes
    via u/sin_tacks
  • 28
    myusernameisto... I work at target, usually I don't let annoying customers bother me but if I can't take it anymore, I'll be a smartass, but very subtly. Or I'll tell them where something is, and make them walk across the store to find its not there and I'll go on a break for a while so they can't come back and find me.
    via u/myusernameistoolo
  • 29
    [deleted] As a server, I admit that I was always too nice to retaliate against nasty customers. BUT one of my coworkers. once received a negligible tip all in pennies and nickels. She followed the customers out to their car and threw the tip at their windshield. She was unstable.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 30
    ImAStruwwelPeter While working at McDonald's, if you were an asshole, we usually just tried to get you out of the store as quickly as possible. Sure, we gave the idiots what they wanted, but it's no skin off of our back to give in to stupid little requests ("This is taking too long! I should get a free pie!"). If we
    via u/ImAStruwwelPeter
  • 31
    argued back, we just prolonged our agony. And at $7.25 an hour, I wanted as little agony as possible. Sure, take an extra sauce and get the fuck out, prick.
    via u/ImAStruwwelPeter
  • 32
    Woman in white shirt takes bag from man behind counter
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 33
    clamps12345 a guy cut the line and slammed down his wallet in front of me as he screamed a demand for fried chicken. I threw the wallet at him and told him to get out.
    via u/clamps12345
  • 34
    [deleted] Used to work at mcdonalds. The place is fucking rammed, its a saturday night. Woman has to wait about 15 minutes or so, which in her defence it is called "fast food". She asked why it took so long, and I tried to tell her. She said that maybe it was because we (colleagues
    via u/[deleted]
  • 35
    and I) we just a bunch of "uneducated plebs". I was furious. In retaliation, she got no pickles on her burger. That'll show her.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 36
    Onomatopaella I don't know if it really counts as retaliation, but at my undisclosed place of employment, we have those rope barrier things set up in the lobby to keep people from sneaking in without a ticket. Some kid was running around and crawling under them and stuff, and this kid's mom turns to my coworker and goes "Aren't
    via u/Onomatopaella
  • 37
    you going to say something?" My coworker doesn't really care about this kid and replies "Probably not, what am I going to say to him?" The mom asks "Well did you behave like this when you were a kid?" And my coworker tells her "No, but I was raised better." The look on that woman's face.
    via u/Onomatopaella
  • 38
    tamburritos Usually if I'm hit with a particularly salty customer I'll return the favor in a mild and very sarcastic for of humor. If they don't get it, I feel accomplished. If they get it and retreat into their miserable little state without bothering me further, I feel even more accomplished.
    via u/tamburritos
  • 39
    Barista in blue apron smiles while handing coffee cup to customer
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 40
    TheAnonymous R... It was Sunday in the coffee shop and I was barista-ing deft and sure, when in strolls a Sunday regular. He was old and stiff and would probably be dead at this point, were hate not a preserving agent that keeps men like him alive to haunt the pathways of the living.
    via u/TheAnonymousRobot
  • 41
    We were used to his interactions where he would bitch and moan and insult us. Every Sunday for two years. We would play tricks. on each other, calling someone to the register when he would show up, only to hide in the back and watch frustration sear into their brow, via the security camera. But this day was all hands on deck and we were going through a storm of people.
    via u/TheAnonymousRobot
  • 42
    He ordered his usual black coffee and a pound of beans to be ground up. Since there were 15 drinks ahead of him, the beans took a couple minutes extra to ready. "You always take too damn long!" he grumbled at me, after having been curt and condescending at the register. I replied "Well, if you weren't so rude, we might care more."
    via u/TheAnonymousRobot
  • 43
    There was a pause. Finally, he leans in. "Huh?" Then it hit me he was hard of - hearing. Realizing I'd lucked out - I leaned in, smiled, and said "You are a mean person and are constantly rude to us." Then immediately directed him to where he could find one of our store manager's cards so he could complain about me.
    via u/TheAnonymousRobot
  • 44
    The next time he came in, I could actually see him smile at his barista on the security cam.
    via u/TheAnonymousRobot
  • 45
    Seefufiat Foodservice here. Pretty much daily, if I have rude customers, I'll lightly to moderately return the favour. My scheduling manager told me that if I continued this behaviour, my rate of corporate complaints would get me fired by month end.
    via u/Seefufiat
  • 46
    That conversation was last night. No more fun for me, thanks
    via u/Seefufiat
  • 47
    Ramza_Claus Angry woman throws medium onion rings on the counter and yells "They're ice-cold!" 16 year old punk-ass me replies "ma'am, I'm very sorry. Let me cook up a fresh batch. It'll take about 2-3 minutes and I'll bring them to your table" 2-3 minutes later
    via u/Ramza_Claus
  • 48
    I fill the box half full of Onion rings, then toss in 3-4 ice cubes, then fill it the rest of the way with O-rings, then carry out to her table. "Here you go ma'am!" I say with a smile, "I'm sorry about those ice-cold rings. Hopefully these work out better for ya!"
    via u/Ramza_Claus
  • 49
    I feel bad looking back because she wasn't wrong in expecting hot onion rings and I know the first order was probably gross since we didn't sell many onion rings, theyd tend to sit for a while. She was rude, but not irate, and certainly not deserving of me being a punk-ass dick to her, smiling as I bring her even colder onion rings.
    via u/Ramza_Claus
  • 50
    LOL I shoulda just brought them to her frozen, right out of the bag.
    via u/Ramza_Claus
  • 51
    PityandFear Served at Red Robin in college. If you were a dick, you weren't getting that fry refill for a while.
    via u/PityandFear

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