The Funniest 'Sir, This Is A Wendy's' Experiences According To Employees
Sometimes we get a little lost and in need of help in our daily travel destinations.
That can be especially awkward when you're a customer.
How many of us have stumbled into a place thinking we were somewhere else?
I can't imagine being such a diva that I would stroll into a Burger King, stone-cold sober, and expect a Big Mac.
Or run into a Pizza Hut demanding an egg roll.
But... it happens.
Redditor Vengeful8 wanted to hear from people who have had to deal with customers who were... "lost". So they asked:
"What was you biggest 'Sir this is a Wendy’s' moment?"
People really need to pay attention when they enter a building.
Vacay Dispute
Crash Fail GIF by Channel 7Giphy"Had someone call asking for kayak rentals and the best places to kayak despite me saying several times we were a restaurant, ended with being told that I'm ruining their vacation."
djsquidnasty
Into my Room...
"I was working nights at a Motel 6 in college, Guy walks in fall-down drunk. His left his key-card at the bar, wants me to let him into room 123 (or whatever). I check the registration, his name isn't on the room. I tell him no. He says he knows the hotels owner and he'll have me fired (it's a corporate owned chain)."
"I still say no. He screams , 'LET ME INTO MY F**KING ROOM.' Still no. We argue for a few minutes, but I don't budge, he wanders off."
"He comes back 1/2 an hour later and slams a card down on the counter. "HERE'S MY F**KING CARD, LET INTO MY F**KING ROOM YOU F**KING A**HOLE". I slowly slide the card back to him."
"This card is for a Super 8, your hotel is two blocks south of here.'"
Deitaphobia
CVS
"I would like to complain about your cat food selection' (direct quote)..."
"Miss this is the pharmacy."
Kid-OK
"I mean, to be fair the last time I went to CVS, I walked out of there with a razor blade to shave, a Frozen cheeseburger, two energy drinks, a beer, a bag of Christmas candy, some Christmas decorations, some clearance Halloween stuff, some shampoo, a tube of chapstick, and the prescription I walked in for."
Zenketski_2
Royalty
"I worked at Medieval Times for a summer; they do 'knighting ceremonies', where the fake queen actress comes out before the show and performs a formal knighting service, for an outrageous price of course."
"This one guy came in very upset and asked to speak to 'The Queen', because the fake certificate with cartoon horses on it, 'signed by the queen herself', obviously mass printed and fake, did not actually grant him any royalty and he was being denied entry to some crap, because his status wasn't royalty. Like this man thought he was actually being knighted by a royal person or some sh*t."
"I literally had to explain 'Sir, this is a fake show where all the knights and queens are just actors and actresses.'"
"He said, 'You should really put that in the notes, some people think this is real.'"
"No buddy, only you."
honeybutterbuscuit
It's Wendy's
wendy gifs GIF by Wendy's Giphy"Used to work at Wendy’s in high school, and there was an A&W on the opposite end of the plaza that we were in."
"It happened more often than you would think that someone came through and asked for a teen burger or a momma burger, I think one time some guy asked for a whopper too."
"Ma’am this is literally a Wendy’s."
No_Slide_9543
But this looks like BK from afar.
The Elephant
Giphy"When my wife was interviewing, the interviewer inquired her how she would respond if there was a 'elephant in the room.'"
"Since she was unfamiliar with the expression, she continued by describing in great detail all the options she would think of to help remove the Elephant from the room. She wasn't aware that they had let her continue the interview until she subsequently revealed it to me."
JanieCRameriz
Bitten
"I worked nights at an emergency animal hospital a few years ago. One unnaturally quiet night a sweet looking older woman walked in and took a seat in our lobby without checking in with me at the front desk. After about 5 minutes I walked around and asked if she needed anything, to which she cheerfully told me that her girl friend had been bitten by a dog and she was just waiting to meet her at the hospital."
"I didn't say anything for a moment and watched her eyes slide over to the sign above the desk, which proudly proclaimed us as a 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital. 'Oh.' I offered to get her some directions to the nearest human ER, but she declined and headed out. Still the nicest client I saw that night though."
mbn9890
Bless you Tina...
"It was a Burger King, but a woman came in IRATE with a bag full of Burger King garbage that someone had dumped on the side of the road. "HOW COULD YOU POLLUTE LIKE THIS" - Ma'am, we sold the food. The person who threw it out littered. We did not, and agree that's a bad thing."
"She demanded to know why we didn't encourage better disposal of our food containers, and my manager (Bless you Tina) just slowly rotated the bag without saying a word to show the graphic printed clearly on it that suggested people dispose of their garbage responsibly."
"The woman just was silent for a hot second, before yelling how we should remove 'Home of the Whopper' from our signage and replace it with 'Please dispose of your garbage carefully' and then stormed out.'"
ThrowAwayTheTeaBag
Cookies
"A woman asked me where something in a store was. I stood there awkwardly being a thirteen year-old trying to sell girl scout cookies. I got into an argument with her on whether or not if I worked there. And she brought out the manager who took one look at me and said I didn't and that he had never seen me in his life."
Mousyperson
Dogs Only
Cat GIF by 9CatNFTGiphy"Someone tried to drop off their cat at the child care center I work at. Verbal directions to the cat kennel were unsuccessful, we had to walk them outside and point to the building."
misslostinlife
People are crazy.
Do you have any experiences like this to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Children Of 'Let Me Talk To The Manager' Parents Share Their Embarrassing Experiences
Parents aren’t doing their job if they’re not embarrassing their kids. However, there are different levels of embarrassment.
It’s bad enough when your parents go around telling humiliating stories about your childhood or insist on hanging out with you and your friends. It’s also pretty bad when your parents are overprotective and either won’t let you do anything fun or force you to keep in constant contact.
However, one of the most embarrassing things your parents can do is ask to talk to a manager when they’re not satisfied with their service.
It’s one thing if the experience is actually a bad one, but when your parents or other relatives make a stink about a simple mistake, you tend to wish the ground would open up and swallow you.
I know I did every time my dad yelled at a manager so scarily that they couldn’t form coherent sentences anymore!
Curious about people’s experience with this, Redditor Em367 asked:
“Children of “I want to talk to your manager” parents, what has been your most embarrassing experience?”
Too Much Effort
"Not my parent but grandparent. When I was around 10 years old my grandmother went out and got us (her, my brother, and me) McDonald's. We got home and we didn't have napkins in the bags. No big deal, right? We have paper towels and napkins in the house, also me and my brother are pretty good with not making any messes while we eat."
"Nope. Grandmother got us in the car, drove back to McDonald's, demanded a manager, and screeched about how upset she was that we didn't get any napkins. I wanted to just melt into the floor and disappear. It's just napkins, Nanny...."
– snopal
"She drove all the way back over napkins...."
"I don't even consider driving back if I get someone else's order entirely. I'd rather just be done with going out, and eat. I do not understand the amount of energy she is willing to dedicate to such pettiness."
– throwaway-person
I Need A New Sausage Roll
"One time my Grandad got a sausage roll at a football match during half time, when he got back to his seat he found it was overdone, the pastry was quite burned. The man was irate. He didn't take it back straight away as the second half was about to start, but he spent much of the second half angrily lamenting his savoury snack letdown. So he takes it home, calls the customer service number on the back (I assume he had a few choice words for the poor soul on the other end but I wasn't present for this), and keeps the remainder of the sausage roll in the freezer for the next couple of weeks."
"Skip ahead to the next match day, my Grandad tells me we're heading out early so he can have his sausage roll replaced. The customer service line told him to go to Kiosk 3 at the front of the ground next to the ticket office. When we arrive, however, the shutters are down at the food place. The old man looks around growling and turning red in the face, stamps right over to window number 3 of the ticket office and slams his frozen burned sausage roll down like a flaky gauntlet. At this point I'm trying to convince him the ticket office was a completely different department to the catering concession but my Grandad was having none of it. The lady working the ticket window continually attempted in vein to convince him the same, they sell match tickets not hot snacks, but this just got him angrier and angrier. Across comes a colleague behind the glass, now there's just two people to rage at. Then a head steward comes to attempt to diffuse the situation and my Grandad begins to wave the burnt sausage roll in this man's face, I was actually surprised he didn't whack him with it. At this point I'm mortified by the whole affair, wishing I'd have stayed back at the house until nearer kick off."
"Eventually, after an hour or so, the shutters come up on the food concession. Fella at the counter goes 'You must be Mr. Alaginge' and calmly resolves the situation, dispatching a freshly baked sausage roll with the steady hands of a surgeon. My Grandad is completely satisfied with the result of his hour of insolent rage. As we're walking away he turns to me and says 'that's how you get these things sorted.'"
– alaginge
"EVERYTIME after they get what they want they just look at you smugly and say “and that’s how it’s done” lol. Like they’re so proud and just taught you some amazing life skill"
– Mussatto
No Room For You
"I was 13 when this happened. My mom had made a reservation at a hotel for a trip, but when she got there the lady said there was some error with the reservation and that my mom’s payment didn’t go through, so the lady offered us a double bed room for a discount."
"Rather than just taking the room, thanking the lady, and leaving, my mom decided the best course of action would be to scream, in the middle of a hotel lobby, “NOBODY IS GOING ANYWHERE TIL I GET MY ROOM!” She then proceeded to pester the lady, who clearly couldn’t do anything about it, until eventually she called the police on my mom for public disturbance. Mortifying."
– Deleted User
And Don't Come Back!
"Ugh, my dad. He can be such a prick if you get his order wrong, it could be fast food or a nice sit down restaurant. He often yells at wait staff if they “undercook” his steak. It has to be well done or he claims to have lost his appetite."
"One time we went to Burger King when I was younger and we sat down to eat. He took one bite of his burger, spit it out and immediately started bitching about it being under cooked. He cut in front of everyone in line to yell at the cashier, then he asked who was the cook. when the cook appeared, he launched his burger hitting the poor kid directly in the face with a lidless burger. He’s now banned for life from Burger King"
– cok3noic3
That Poor Driver
"My mom asked me to call her a taxi via an app."
"She ended up calling me multiple times complaining about how the driver didn’t use the route she thought was best (she never owned a car and doesn’t know how to drive), even though the guy just used the best possible route the navigator suggested."
"She ended up getting out halfway and using subway. The driver proceeded to call me in tears, completely shocked, unsure of what he did so wrong, and apologizing. I felt like total sh*t."
"I never called her a cab again."
– BigDaddy0790
Relationship Ended Before It Began
"I worked at Best Buy. I stopped in with my mom one day because she wanted to buy me the Star Wars DVD box set for my birthday."
"I had a huge, HUGE crush on the girl that was working the customer service counter. Well, the DVD set rang up $10 more than it was priced, and my mom deliberately didn't say anything until after the transaction so she could claim the effing $5 Michigan Scan Law bounty."
"My crush didn't know how to process it and the manager was busy, so my mom tore into her about how it was her job and how she should understand how to do things."
"At my job."
"To a girl I liked."
"My life was misery for a while afterward."
– medullah
Drive-Thru Disaster
"When I was a manager at McDonalds I had a guy do this."
"We had a freak rush on chicken nuggets, like 5 20 pieces in a row. The customer pulls to the window. The cashier let him know it was going to be another 3 minutes for his nuggets and did he want to wait or get something else. He demands to speak with the manager. He says that he has been waiting 5 minutes already and he isn’t going to pay or move until his food is ready. I said that I needed him to pay and pull forward in order to clear the drive thru. He refused and said they’ll have to wait."
"I went to the back window, put a drawer in and we started cashing and giving the food out there."
"20 minutes later, fuming customer at the front window begins pounding on the window."
"I open it and he screams at me to know where his food was. I told him he wasn’t getting any food, he was blocking my drive thru and impeding my business and he needed to leave or I would be calling the police."
"It looked like he would explode with anger, but he just screeched out of there."
"It was the most satisfying interaction with an entitled customer I had while working at McDonald’s."
"Years later, I do slightly regret this. I worry I needlessly angered someone to the point where he could have taken it out on someone else (ie. kids or wife)."
– demonwolf106
Not About To Eat Here
"Not me, but my sister in law. Her step dad and mom took the family out to eat at a Red Lobster. They get there and it is super busy. So the step dad walks up to the host and says "Yes, we have a reservation.""
"The problem is, Red Lobster (or at least that one) doesnt take reservations. The host explains this and says it is going to be 20 min wait for seating. Her step dad FLIPPED out and started screaming that he had called 3 hours before hand and made a reservation. The host politely told him this was not possible as they do not take reservations (again)."
"He continues to scream at the guy, and says he wants to talk to a manager. So the manager comes out and she tells him the same thing. They dont take reservations, so its not possible that he had made one. He continues to cause a scene and people started leaving just to get away from this toxic guy. Finally, the manager says, "Fine, we will put you ahead of everyone else that has been patiently waiting their turn". He says "Thank you". They get seated."
"Once they get to the table and the waitress walks away, he slyly winks and says to my brother and the rest of the family "THAT is how you get things done. I wasn't going to wait 20 min.""
"My brother refused to eat or order for fear of getting food that had been spit on."
– sixstringhook
An Ocean View
"Oh man, two months ago I went to Hawaii with my wife. We had requested a room with a king bed. At the checkout kiosk next to us, while we were giving our attendant our info, this lady started going nuts. She had requested (not reserved) an ocean view room with a queen bed and double bed. The woman was with her daughter. I should probably note that it was for a work conference (a big conference and we were there for it too, but didn’t know her. And the company putting on the conference had handled all of the reservations.)"
"Anyway, they tell her that they didn’t see the request for a two-bed room and she started losing her mind. She was raising her voice and saying that this was a very special trip for her and her daughter (it’s an Oceanside 5 star resort in Maui...it’s a special trip for 99% of the people there). And that she’s not leaving until they find a way to get her an ocean view room with two beds like she had requested. But she was just being a total b*tch."
"The manager pulled out a map of the resort and showed her where they had some 2-bed rooms available in the interior of the hotel, but nothing that would fit what she wanted. It went on for a few minutes before she finally accepted that room. Toward the end of this tirade, we were called up to check in at the next desk over. We give our names and confirmation pages."
"And the clerk tells us thank you for waiting, we do have a garden view king room available in the east wing ( we had just seen that the conference activities were in the west wing and it would save a lot of hassle if we could have a room on that side of the resort) so we asked if there was by chance anything open closer to the conference rooms. She looked for a bit and told us that it’s not a king room, but for no extra charge she could move is to an ocean view room that had two queen beds. We looked at each other and then at the still irate woman a few feet away and had to suppress a smile. We took it and just moved the beds together to make one giant bed."
"Great times. Highly recommend the Hyatt Regency in Maui."
– Deleted User
Free Food...But No Free Food
"I grew up in a smaller town right on the cusps of its big growth boom. We knew our town had finally made it when we got an Olive Garden. We used to eat there 2-3 times a month. My mom and I would always split an entree and my dad would get his own. We knew the rule if you’re splitting and entree and you get more than one of the family-style bowls of salad than you’ll get charged an extra $4 for the extra person. Which is fair, 2 entrees come with 2 unlimited salads. Welllll one day my dad decides he wanted more salad. Only he wants the additional salad, but the waitress said if she refills the bowl, that we will be charged the extra $4. Wellll low and behold my parents threw the biggest tantrum because only HE wanted the additional salad."
They demanded to speak to a manager and the manager explained the rule (which we knew) but offered to comp the extra salad just to get my parents to stop yelling....and they did. When our bill came the manager comped my dads entree and the additional salad fee. Well my mom got up. Interrupted the manager while he was talking to other guests and threw the check in his face and asked “what’s this?!?!” She was furious that he comped my dad's meal. He ate the meal therefore we would like to pay for it. She wouldn’t stop raising her voice until she was allowed to pay for the meal (but not the salad). The manager was confused but obliged...when they brought the change the manager slipped a few free appetizer coupons. My mom ripped them up and threw them on the ground as she left. Safe to say I didn’t eat out with them for at least a month and I still refuse to go to Olive Garden with them."
– hidcid
Stubborn Is As Stubborn Does
"Scene: Any fast food drive-thru"
"Worker: Ma'am, can you please drive forward a little bit while your food finishes up?"
"Mom: No. *folds arms*"
– milliondollas
Was It Worth It?
"Grocery store had this sign up that said if an item rang up higher than an advertised price it was free. It was the 80s and stores did stupid sh*t like this that I never see in stores today."
"Mom was buying a box of Little Debbie cakes and they rang up for $2.85 instead of the advertised $2.50. So now mom wants her free cakes. Cashier doesn't know what to do, summons a manager. Manager tells her to ring up the sale otherwise and he'll be right back."
"Comes back and hands my mother 35 cents cheerfully and says "There you go!" My mother points out the sign behind him and he says "Oh, the last manager put that up, it doesn't make any sense. I'm the new manager and I just haven't had the sign removed yet" (it was a printed plastic sign that was screwed into the wall)."
"Mom insists they honor their sign, he says nah. Now, up to this point, I as an adult looking back am totally on board with mom's actions."
"Mom gathers her things, decides against taking the Little Debbies on principle, and we get in the car. Mom wordlessly drives downtown to the main store of this 3-5 store chain, knowing the office is next door. We walk into this perfectly 80's wood paneled office where my mother asks the secretary to speak to the owner of the store and is permitted to do so since this is a family owned business and their "corporate office" is smaller than the row of cubicles my staff occupy at work."
"Here my mother unleashes a tirade about how she has lost faith in his brand and how his word is meaningless since they will not honor the sign etc. This guy stands up, profusely apologizes, validates her anger and then pulls out his wallet and hands her a $5 bill along with a promise that he will speak to the manager and the sign will either be honored or removed."
"We get home and find that the ice cream we bought melted in the trunk because summer and ruined the cereal and the bread."
– TheFire_Eagle
The second-hand embarrassment has never been so bad!
People Break Down The Most Ridiculous Complaints They've Ever Heard In The Service Industry
Some people strongly believe that everyone should be forced to work at least a year in the service industry to teach them patience, self-awareness, and how to properly deal with rude customers.
Think of it like an entitlement-diversion program.
Reddit user ilostmygender_ asked:
"What’s the most ridiculous complaint you’ve ever heard in the service industry?"
Because if there is anything that will ensure we have fewer entitled people being ridiculous, it's making sure everyone gets to deal with those types of people face-to-face.
Check out the ridiculousness Reddit has had to put up with.
Deserve To Party
"Every year, couple of weeks before Christmas, my restaurant closes a couple of hours early (7 instead of 10, and it's usually on a Wednesday, so it's not nearly as busy) so all the employees can get together and have a small holiday party."
"We had a sign up on our door two weeks before the party, letting everyone know we were closing early. As this was the year after covid, and we didn't get to have a party the previous year, we were really excited and ready for it."
"At about 8'oclock, a woman comes to the door, sees it's locked, and goes ballistic. She man-handles the door and starts slamming her fist against it. She ignored all my co-workers who were shaking their heads."
"Finally I go over and unlock the door to talk to her. She just starts screaming about how we're not supposed to be closed, etc, etc and I'm just shaking my head pointing at the sign."
"She finishes with 'you people don't even deserve to have a party'. And with that I just smiled and said 'well now we're definitely not helping you, goodnight.' And closed the door."
"2 days later I get a call from the owner of the restaurant, saying she actually filed a real complaint about it. We had a great laugh"
- Hellvillain
Resturant Manager Or Traffic Officer
"I worked with a manager at a fast food place that got a complaint filed against him with corporate. Lady said she was second in line in the drive thru, the car in front of her gets their food, and goes to drive away, but accidentally put his car in reverse. He stops quickly, goes into the correct gear and leaves."
"Lady comes up and complains that the other customer ALMOST hit her car. Then she later complains that the manager was 'very unhelpful.' Still have no idea what either she or corporate expected him to do."
"Then, we had a customer drive his car up over a curb onto the grass, drive for another 6-8 feet, and hit a large rock in the grass, breaking his radiator."
"Dude wasnt under the influence, absolutely no clue how he didnt see a 3 foot tall rock in front of him, or why he was suddenly compelled to do some offroading in a Lincoln Towncar."
"He immediately comes in and starts yelling about how he's gonna sue the company for damages to his car. Despite the fact that he drove straight into it, over a curb, in broad daylight."
"Like, his car went to that rock like a soldier returning from war runs to the arms of his lover. Without missing a beat, my shift lead tells him that corporate will have much better lawyers than he does, and they'll 'counter sue you for damages to our rock'."
- DisabledBiscuit
"damages to our rock lol"
- rdummy_soup
"Your manager should have offered to ALMOST give her some money to compensate for him ALMOST hitting her car."
- magpac
traffic GIFGiphyDidn't Ask The Exact Question
"I was serving a couple their meal. I had stopped by after their first few bites and asked them how they were doing. They said great and I moved on to the next table. At the end of the meal, they asked for the manager and complained about my service, that I didn’t check in. When I told my manager that I had checked in on them, she said they said 'Well, they came and asked how WE were doing, but not how the food was. WE were doing fine, but we didn’t like the food…'."
- Matchmaker4180
"Seems a little petty. To be honest, I've only had waiters ask me some variant of "so how are you enjoying your food? Good?" And then I tell them it's good and they move on to the next table."
"If you don't like the food...you can just tell the waiter. You don't need a prompt."
- geico_fire
Hand-ing Some Drinks
"I was using my hands to hand people their drinks"
"I quit that same day"
- goldenbrushes
"Your bad man. You’re supposed to use your feet like that alien pod racer guy in Star Wars the phantom menace"
- nhbd
"Not even using your mind powers, how lazy smh"
- Yab0iFiddlesticks
"I would get mittens, spill half of every drink, charge full price and then tell any angry manager...I just fulfill customers' wishes...."
"Some people should get LITERALY what they wanted....after a short time, they would be cured of their entitlement...."
- applesandoranges990
Changed The Building Layout
"A woman swore up and down that we had an upstairs (we didn't) and then, after twenty minutes of searching, accused us of hiding it from her."
"A whole second story."
- PickanickBasket
"We actually had a similar moment!"
"Customer paid for their washing machine in the till, and was told to go around the corner (of the wall, still in the same building, pointed with the whole hand) to pickup the machine."
"Customer came back 10 minutes later fuming that they couldn't find the second floor to pick up said washing machine."
"Entire building is on ground level. Opening from the tills to the room where they were supposed to pick up the product is as big as the broadside of an elephant. But it's our fault and we scammed him off his money because we didn't want to give him that washing machine."
- Brevlada-00
Severely Allergic
"Someone came back with a breakfast sandwich I made for them saying they wanted to get whoever made it fired because it has bacon instead of sausage."
"They said they're severely allergic to bacon and would end up in the hospital and that the person who made it (me) shouldn't work here if they can't read screens (for what the order says). A trainee was on speaker and punched in a BELT (which is made with bacon) instead of the sausage version which admittedly isn't an easy thing to punch in for a new person on our POS system. So I read the screen correctly."
"HOW can someone be severely allergic to bacon and not sausage which is the same animal and everything ?!? We also use the same tongs for bacon and sausage too, there is definitely tons of cross contamination between them anyways"
"My manager spoke to me privately about it and I said I was prepared for her to fake fire me to humor him lol"
- koopkop
"Reminds me when I worked in a Chinese place and people would be deathly allergic to MSG. When I explained it came in the fried rice we'd make in advance they'd reply 'oh a little won't hurt'."
- Matookie
Season 8 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphyThe People Want Adult Films
"I worked at Blockbuster and some guy got angry at me because we 'no longer' carried adult films. I explained that we had never carried porn but he said 'You have Red Shoes Diaries!' - which isn't porn."
"Then he threw the Rugrats movie on the counter and opened his wallet to get his membership card. After he paid, he shook the Rugrats movie at me and said 'People want PORN! Goddamn you.'"
- BarracudaImpossible4
"I worked at a Blockbuster and we had an older guy throw a tantrum because I wouldn't let him in the 'backroom' to look at the 'adult films' which we 100% didn't have. The manager ended up finding out he was confusing us with Family Video."
- Albino_Wendigo
Stephen Colbert Blockbuster GIF by The Late Show With Stephen ColbertGiphyCold Cuts Too Cold
"I worked at Arbys as a teen. At the time we had a new angus cold cut sandwich. This woman came in and ordered it. It was like a $12 meal."
"Gave her her drink cup, a min later she comes back and throws the cup at me because we didnt have any drinks she liked. We had like 10 different sodas, coffee, iced tea, lemonade, water, fruit punch, etc. Not sure what exactly she wanted."
"Anyways, I give her her sandwich and fries, she takes them to the table, takes one bite, comes back and slams the tray on the counter complaining that the sandwich was cold. I informed her that its supposed to be made that way. "Where? Where does it say that its a cold sandwich?" I pointed to the menu and said "in the name. COLD CUT sandwich""
"I ask her if she wants me to heat up her sandwich for her. No she doesnt. Does she want me to make her another one that is hot? No. Does she want something else to eat? Nope. Does she wanted a refund then? No! She just walks out! She spent $12 to take 1 bite of a sandwich and didnt even take the refund."
- stitchmidda2
"Sounds like she got buyer’s remorse and expressed it in the most childish way possible. Many such cases"
- akaTim
No Plastic, No Logic
"I worked at a Target at a town in CA that independently enacted a plastic bag ban a year or so before it was a statewide thing, so I got the joy of explaining that new rule to everyone. No plastic bags, paper bags are 10 cents, you can bring your own reusables or buy them for a buck."
"I could sometimes turn the mood by suggesting that they save the dime and carry out their stuff in whatever laundry hamper/bucket/storage tub they also happened to be buying."
"So a lady comes through and buys a cat litter box and a bunch of grocery items, gets in a snit about the bag thing, and when I point to the litter box (basically just a plastic bin) and say she can just take her stuff out in that, she gives me the most DISGUSTED look and declares 'I will NOT put my FOOD in a LITTERBOX'."
"Then she stomped off carrying a wobbly loose pile of groceries in one arm and the box that has never yet seen a cat dangling in her other hand. Good luck in life, girl"
- WankSpanksoff
"Oh god I worked at Macy's in Seattle for two holidays in a row, and Seattle had the plastic bag ban before the rest of the state, so I completely understand what you went through with people just being b**ch about the bag tax. Ours was 5 cents, though. And it has already been a thing for a while before my first season working there, and obviously by the second season working there... I excused the few customers who weren't from the state - in a few cases, they weren't even from the country - from being stupid, but SHEESH."
"Also to be honest when it got busy I'd just give people bags for free. Not worth explaining the whole thing and people going "Well that's OUTRAGEOUS" to me like I have any control over bag-related mandates."
"It was especially stupid when people would be OUTRAGED over the bag thing when they had already come from another store in the mall. Like, okay, even if they didn't charge you for the bag THERE the fact is that you have a bag with you right now from that store that you can just put your purchase in."
- OneGoodRib
Should Smile more
"I was a server at a local Italian/pizza place. I was a waitress and this was a busy Saturday. One table (that seemingly had no issues) asked to talk to my manager. I ask if anything was wrong, they say no, they just want to talk to him. After they leave, i ask what was going on with them. He said they complained that I wasnt friendly enough/smiled enough."
"He asked if the service was poor. No, they said I was very attentive and always had full drinks and everything they needed."
"Was their order messed up? Nope. Food was amazing!"
"What was wrong? She didnt seem happy/friendly/didnt smile"
"Manager tells them that my dad had just died a week ago. Guests suggest that maybe I should take time off of work if I cant smile for customers."
"What. The. F*ck!? Cause like, server dont get paid time off, i HAD to work or I would have lost my apartment etc"
- yosarianmarx
Sarcastic Yeah Right GIF by BounceGiphyWe're betting pretty much every one of those people is, at the very least, a polite dining guest and solid tipper when they're at restaurants, not going to tell people they don't deserve celebrations, and doesn't tell servers they shouldn't be allowed to work if they can't smile and be chipper right after their dad died.
When you read the name, "Karen," you might think of viral videos of middle-aged white women berating an employee and demanding to speak to the manager. It's become somewhat of a meme because of the viral videos, but its intentions are to point out the privilege white women can use to get what they want or weaponize it against people of color.
The image of the "Karen" has evolved into the "Coronavirus Karen" since the pandemic has begun.
What you might not be realizing is these "Karens" are mothers (or even fathers) who may be embarrassing their kids, or even treating them with the same manipulation at home.
Redditor MinionofThanos asked:
"Children of a 'Karen,' what is it like?"
Here are some first hand accounts of what it's like to live with a "Karen."
Reformed "Karen"
"My Mom is a reformed Karen. When I was a kid she used to treat people in customer service like trash. When I was a teenager and in customer service positions, it finally dawned on her what a terrible human being she was being. She's turned around and been great ever since. I'm proud of her to recognize her faults and fix them."
"This makes me think of parents who are full on fire and brimstone against homosexuals until their kid comes out as gay and suddenly woosh 180."
"I guess it's great that people change their views but it's quite crazy how insular we are (often as a species at least) until something directly affects us."
"Half the problem with society is people's lack of empathy and inability to give a sh*t about anything unless they're directly affected by it. It's a damn shame."
"Yeah, I think a lack of empathy is a big problem. But something I've always thought was responsible for a lot of Karen-like behavior is the fact that it's effective, particularly when it come to retail establishments like stores and restaurants. If you have a little 4 year old kid and he yells and screams for his goddam candy bar in the grocery store, so much that he's embarrassed the crap out of you, and in your desire to get him to STFU, you cave in and buy him his goddam Kit-Kat bar, well, you've just taught him a very valuable lesson. He's learned that by making a huge public scene and keeping it up, mommy will eventually cave in and give him what he wants."
"That's what Karen's learn when they learn on the poor store clerks and food servers, DEMANDING to see the manager and complaining loud and long until management, just like mommy with her 4-year-old, caves in and gives her what they wants."
"If the management of these places would just firm up, stop giving in to these people, they'd eventually learn. A bad Yelp rating isn't going to kill you."
"Also, it would also help if the people around them would speak up when this happens: 'HEY! You figure your food server makes restaurant policy or sets prices? She doesn't. So stop being such a cheap-a**ed bully and leave the poor girl alone!' We gotta stop silently tolerating bullying behavior."
"As a former restaurant employee I agree with this 100%. Rewarding sh*tty behavior only ensures future sh*tty behavior."
Recovering Karen.
"My sister is a Karen in recovery, and her teenage kids are mortified by her. They had a Karen intervention with her a few months ago, and pointed out that about one out of every 3 visits to a restaurant results in a meal or a drink sent back, and about 1 in 10 results in a conversation with the manager. Unresolved complaints over the phone practically have a pre-written script: 'This is unacceptable! Poor customer service, etc.'"
"She's trying to be more self-aware because she now recognizes that not only can her behavior be embarrassing, but she's a Karen caricature. If someone described the typical Karen by looks, age, race, tone of voice, social standing - they would be describing her to a tee. Sure, it's Karen Shaming, but we're living in a society here."
Dads can be Karens too.
"My dad is a Karen. Also in restaurants. Complains about every meal in attempt to get a discount. Asks for them to send out another steak because his wasn't perfect."
"I just pretend I'm going to the toilet and apologize to the waiter or waitress, I tell them I empathize with them and I know it's frustrating. Luckily I'm older, and I don't go out for meals with him so much anymore. When I was young, I'd do chores for him and he'd complain the same way at me. Like 'you're not washing the dishes right!' and other nonsense. His worst was when I swept the floor, I never got it exactly how he wanted it."
"He had three different sponges for the dishes. You needed to use the right ones for each dish. He would get mad at me for my technique and watch over my shoulder every time. With sweeping the floor, he would treat me like I don't know how to sweep. He would attack my technique and watch over me. He would make me sweep the carpet in a single direction so all the fibers of the carpet bent the same way. Sweeping carpet is hard af anyway, but he said I couldn't use a vacuum because it would damage the carpet (lol). I always washed the dishes perfect, and got every crumb off the floor, but he was madder about technique than end result."
"He's a narcissist, most likely, as there are many more negative things he's done that scream narcissistic personality disorder."
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"I dated a girl for three years during high school. When we started dating, I went out to dinner with her family (pizza, iirc). After we ate, her dad just started yelling at the waiter and eventually, the manager. He was raising a complete fuss and it was really embarrassing to me. Later, I asked her about it because I thought the meal was fine and she said he always does that to try to get the meal for free."
"The thing was that they were definitely not hurting for money. He just did for grins. Just one of the guy's many a**hole traits. It was the only time I went out with her family over the three years."
"My dad is a male Karen."
"I always hated listening to him call customer service on the phone, because he's such a complete ahole to whoever is just trying to do their job."
"My dad used to 'help' obvious first-time food servers who messed up by lecturing them, telling on them to their boss, and then stiffing them on the tip. He always justified it with a story about how once in the 90's he actually had a boss thank him for doing it because his staff sucked (it was a very unique situation). I always felt so bad for the servers who were humiliated. Because of that I always tip well as an adult, out of this childhood guilt I carry."
Karens in Restaurants.
"My mom is somewhat of a Karen (mostly in regards to restaurants) and I have an anxiety disorder. It's a combination made in hell."
- ASzinhaz
Accountability.
"I knowwwww every restaurant has messed with our food, and for good reason. I'm in my 30s now and I won't go out with my mom in public. She doesn't want to either, because I'll give her sh*t for whatever she did to some poor teenaged cashier until she cries. Two can play this game and no one wins."
"This! I respect you so much for not letting her get away with it and not letting her have that chip on her shoulder of accomplishment like she did something that had to be done!!"
"The fact that she gets called out on it, and gets a taste of her own medicine until she cries...and then repeats the behavior the next time anyway is something, innit?"
"The abuse of staff is likely manipulation to get her way. Same for the crying."
A realization.
"When I was a child everything was someone else's fault. We'd speak to managers in stores/restaurants/etc."
"When I came of age, I joined the military and moved away as fast as possible. As an adult, my relationship with her was terrible. I was so frustrated by her asking me to come back to visit her area every time we talked, that I just stopped talking to her."
"Something particularly interesting had happened this past year. I went home to see my grandma on dad's side as she was passing. I called my mom and told her I was taking an emergency trip and would be in the area but wouldn't have time to see her. Her response? 'That's fine, I understand your family needs you.'"
"I was beside myself. I had known that she was working on herself for a while, but living so far away and speaking so little I hadn't witnessed it. Five years ago, she would have demanded that I leave my dying grandma to come see her. I came back to the area the next month and we discussed it more."
"She said that she realized that a lot of problems in her life and a lot of the unhappiness stems from selfishness. I am incredibly proud of the changes she's made in her life. And it has forced me to reevaluate my own actions pertaining to our strained relationship and my life as a whole. And I've come to a conclusion."
"I'm just like her."
"I relate to this on a spiritual level."
"My mother has the same issues with her mother that I have with her. And I know if I have kids, I'm just going to repeat the cycle, so I refuse to have children just in case I'm never able to exorcise that demon."
"You are very brave to take such a candid look at yourself and your mother. And if you are that courageous, you are not like your mother."
How to end an argument.
"I learned to end argues by saying 'you're right.'"
"Doesn't give them the satisfaction of 'winning' but also gives them nothing more to feed off of."
It's not fun to be the kid of a Karen.
"Frankly its embarrassing. You have to sit there while they shriek at a manager and cause a big scene. If you try to chime in you get yelled at, then they are in a bad mood the rest of the day. I've sat through hour long debates with managers over 11 cents disparity on a bill. Everyone is looking at you and you are just kind of trapped there."
"I once had a customer storm into a store with her daughter in tow, pissed off at me because I processed their purchase as Amex, which had a 2% surcharge. I'd told them about the surcharge and they said 'okay' and switched the card out when I wasn't looking. It was a Visa. So twenty minutes later, this woman storms back into the store, shoves the receipt under my nose, and snarls, 'explain this.'"
"I had to ask my manager how to refund an 80c surcharge because... what else was I gonna do? Stand there and get yelled at? A customer comes up with a problem, it's my job to fix it, as politely and compassionately as I can pretend to."
"It turned into a whole thing. I was f*cking around with the POS trying to figure out how to refund surcharges. Couldn't, so I had to get my manager. So now the customer is standing there, watching, as I explain that she wants an 80c surcharge refunded, and you can see it dawn on her what exactly she's done. It takes half an hour for my manager to figure out a makeshift solution, over the course of which the customer's face went from 'f*ck you' to I have made a terrible mistake.'"
"By the time it was resolved, both mother and daughter looked like they wanted to crawl under a rock and die, and the mother kept on muttering, 'It's the principle of the thing.'"
"I once had a similar situation. Lady wanted like .65 cents back or something. We had one manager who refused to take any sh*t from Karen's, so I called him over for help. A line was starting to form. After arguing for a few minutes my manager literally dug 65 cents out of his own pocket, threw it on the counter and asked if she was satisfied now. She was tomato red."
"This speaks to me. I worked at a pizza place in high school. Had these regulars who came in every Sunday and ordered the same thing. Super specific orders. Always rude and never tipped. I am worked Sundays and would typically take their order."
"One day their order is '8 cents more than usual!' Karen starts in on me about how they're loyal customers and know what their total should be. I enter the order a few times, coming up 8 cents higher than usual each time. I say something like 'I might be doing it wrong. Let me get my manager.' Karen says something like 'Yes obviously!' and my manager comes out."
"He tries a few times. Same total as when I took the order. Karen is p*ssed."
"My manager calls the owner and we find out the price of ham went up, so every pizza with ham is now 8 cents more expensive. Karen is beside herself. Starts in about loyalty and customer service again."
"Owner makes us discount the pizza 8 cents. Karen acts like she won a god damn war. I don't care because I'm 16 and just want this to be over."
"Fast forward to the following Sunday. I'm not working. Some other poor soul is. Karen comes in and the same situation unfolds. Over 8 cents."
"Owner is called again. For whatever reason this time the owner basically tells the customer to f*ck off. He must have been having a bad day or was just done with the pettiness, because he got on the phone and told them to take their $15.75 order somewhere else."
- baysh
Though we may laugh at the "Karen's" in the viral videos because they seem so far removed from our everyday life, there are people out there who are dealing with their behavior all the time.
But like many have said, the behavior only continues if they get what they want.
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Over the past few years, but especially the past few months the video parade of Karens has been non-stop. The phrase-which is now an infamous part of our lexicon-labels a person due to their hideous public behavior. Too many moms (and dads) seem to believe the world is beholden to them and they let the world know it with each breath they take. These people seem to have no shame with such actions, but the people who know them and have to claim them as a loved are embarrassed and cloaked in shame. Children of these people are especially affected.
Redditor u/Matster04 wanted the children of "Karens" to share how they tend to the day to days with their moms by asking.... Children of "karens", what is it like to be their child?Professionals
Karen GIF by moodmanGiphyI got used to embarrassment at a young age so that a pro I guess. Once my mom hit someone in a paint store cause they ask her to wear a mask.
She also doesn't allow me to wear mask and crap.
Now I Know....
Not only is this actually my mother's name, it accurately describes her personality. Growing up I didn't realize how self-centered she was. She was my mom and that's all I knew. As an adult I can't even get along with her. She's always got to be number one in the room. If she's not the center of attention and she's not catered to, there is an impending shit fit coming. She shuns blame for anything she does wrong. It's always someone else's fault.
Looking back I understand why things were the way they were. Why she didn't have friends. Why she couldn't keep a job very long. I understand now that she knows how to stab someone in the back with a smile on her face, and that's why I never knew any better as a kid. It looked polite to me when I was little, but now I know it was all rude as hell.
Not with my Energy
When I was young, I hated it. She would yell and throw fits in public when she didn't get her way. As an adult I think its made me way too easy going. I remember the anxiety and anger that she would exude. It was exhausting. So now I am careful with who I keep around in my life as to protect my energy. I try not to worry about things I cant control. And I have respect and empathy for people.
Woe is her....
Karen Narc GIF by MOODMANGiphyYeah my mom used to cry and stuff and about how she didn't know how we'd make rent and so on. As a kid, I'd be like, "Don't cry mom, you can use my college fund." Lol, there never was one-- she made it up because???
My mom "enjoys" (her words) being outraged and upset. It energizes her. But it exhausts me. Her whole attitude exhausts me. It's always a, "woe is me. Screw it, if I can't be a good example I'll be a terrible warning."
Makes me so disappointed in her. Took me a long time though! I came to the realization she did the best she could-- her best just sucks. But oh well, I have more to be grateful for than to wallow in.
Straight Up!
My mom's name is also Karen and she acted and still acts exactly like this, down to never being able to keep a job a long time. I'm pretty sure she's a straight up narcissist, and it makes having a relationship with her extremely difficult. I used to hate going out with her when I was a kid (and honestly still do), because things would get so humiliating. She'd complain about things, make a scene, raise her voice. It was mortifying.
Check Please
My dad is bad at restaurants, he'd always find a way to complain about something and it was super uncomfortable, so me and all my siblings are like you and way too forgiving in those settings. Oh, I ordered a steak but you served me an old car tire filled with razor blades? No worries, mistakes happen, this is basically the same thing.
At the Drive-Thru....
Growing up it was super embarrassing. We lived in a small town, so while she's having a fit at some poor grocery store kid because they're out of basil there is a REALLY high chance I would run into someone I knew from school.
Now I am almost always nice to service people. I think it's a combination of being a normal person with sense, having seen how outrageous my mom came across, and I've worked in call center management, so seeing or hearing people do it to our agents adds a ton of empathy.
The one thing that's hard is a major part of her Karen-thing was that everything was a conspiracy against her. There's a line at a drive thru? Grand conspiracy against her. Sometimes I find myself falling into that trap (never to the degree she would, but to some degree of 'woe is me') and I have to actively make myself knock it off and calm down.
Dump the Sauce on him....
Water Douse GIFGiphyOne time a family friend came to the city I was living in and asked me to come join their family for dinner - their treat.
The dad was always a bit of a male Karen but was really on it from the moment we were seated. Ordered for everyone. Ordered off menu.
At one point he ordered roast chicken and an Alfredo pasta on the side. The waiter said they didn't have Alfredo on the menu and his response was "you have cheese? You have cream? You have butter? Then make a freaking Alfredo pasta like a real freaking restaurant"
I slipped away to the restroom and said the same to the waiter and slipped him a 20 and he told me "your mom (actually the mom of the family friends family) already came by and did the same thing. You're good but thanks".
For a 20!
Any time we go out to eat, I always immediately excuse myself to the ladies room but instead find our server. I prepare them for what might happen and apologize profusely. Then go ahead and hand them a 20 dollar bill and tell them I will do my best to keep her contained.
Edit: Thanks for the gold and love! In response to some comments, no she doesn't know that I do this. And she wouldn't care (or change) if she did. For the tirades I fail to prevent, I don't sit idly by when she goes off - I do everything I can to shut her up. My favorite is to interrupt her and say something along the lines of "You need to shut up. I really don't want to eat spit tonight."
They just don't care....
new girl facepalm GIF by HULUGiphyShe showed up at my house with my step dad to get their kayaks out of my garage 3 days after he tested positive for Covid and was showing symptoms. Not only do I have a high risk husband, but also have a 22 month old and was babysitting my 14 month old niece.
Who Cares?!
I remember trying to point out that she was making a scene and I was embarrassed.
"I don't care what people think, this is about the principle of (whatever bull she was upset about that time)"
Ok but I care what people think, I hate confrontation and just want to go home. Why does every outing have to turn into some self-righteous crusade again perceived injustices toward you?
Poor Blokes....
So Sorry GIF by memecandyGiphyI was a server at a fancy steak house. This was not uncommon. I probably received a Karen mercy tip once a month. Always from an embarrassed son or just whipped husband. They were correct. EVERY TIME. I would put on a show for them. I just had to deal with her for a couple of hours. Those poor blokes had a lifetime.
The Dealers....
My mom wasn't the worst Karen, but I think my least favorite thing was when she would try and put it on me to go complain or make a big deal out of something. Most of the time I just wouldn't, doesn't help that I am/was always a pretty shy kid. Now whenever she has to deal with customer service I sometime end up taking the call over to figure it out and she is always like "wow how are you so good at dealing with them" and internally Im thinking, its called treating them with some level of respect and being polite, which makes people more likely to want to help you, instead of get rid of you. But I always tell her some BS instead.
She's not Me.
I didn't realize my mom was a Karen until after I left home for college. Now I can't stand to be around her, it's just exhausting because you never know what's going to set her off. Sometimes I have to look myself in the mirror and say "you are not your mother" to remind myself that I'm a good person after a personal attack from her.
EVIL!
i am in hell GIFGiphyLiteral hell. she was an emotionally abusive monster at home, would complain and moan and cry 24/7 about how everyone was out to get her and she was so perfect, why did no one respect her. We don't speak anymore; best decision I ever made. I've made it my life's mission to be nothing like her.
"dad, it's fixed"
My dad. At one point he was yelling into the telephone about an internet problem. I couldn't take it anymore. I called them myself, while he was still yelling. I got through the waiting line, talked with a support employee, got the problem fixed. I hung up, walked to him to find him still yelling at that poor customer support person. I told him "dad, it's fixed".
The yelling stopped. He looked at me in amazement. He checked the computer, we had internet again. He asked me how. I just told him "maybe if you weren't busy yelling to the customer support and just be polite they could actually help you".
To my amazement he changed his ways after that. I've never heard him yell at customer support anymore.
Carry $$$....
My mom was a complete Karen. I used to carry cash with me to tip waitstaff because 95% she would leave extremely paltry tips if any tip at all.
You tend to compensate as the child of an abusive narcissistic parent. I'd carry cash with me for tips. I'd always make sure I had another way home if she offered to drive. I never had to do anything like that with my dad but then he was sane.
Learning in Stages....
When you're very young (0 to 5 yrs), you have no idea. Once you're old enough to realize it (7 to 10ish), you get super embarrassed. When you're around the age of going through puberty, you start to apologize to people for your mom or dad's behavior.
Then, FINALLY, you are old enough to get away (14 to 18) and if you're lucky, you have a lot of excuses to not go places with them - practices, games, rehearsals, concerts, homework, a job.... and so on.
When you're an adult, if you have the balls to do so, you start to point out to them in the moment how absurd and ridiculous they are acting and they learn to not act that way around you... but they still do it when you're not around. You're not around a lot.
Chicken Lady
I grew up pretty poor. My mom was what I like to call Trailer Park Karen (we lived in a trailer). I remember we were in a KFC and she asked how much a bucket of chicken was. The girl told her and mom starts yelling about how that's ridiculous and she can do better at Albertson's and she stormed out.
The Good Girl....
GiphyMy mom was kind of anti-Karen; every now and then, she would ask to speak to the manager and then commend the employee and say that they should be given a raise. Good times. Stuff like that is probably why I make very few enemies. Only 1 in my entire life.
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