Today's burning question was one asked by Redditor DEDCMDM94.
"Women of Reddit, what is your 'trying to buy a car/item but the seller is sexist' story?"
This is what it's like being a woman in a world that doesn't value your input or respect your personhood. A sobering read lies ahead.
"Was once..."
"Was once in a car crash and spend the next day sorting out panel beating, etc. Went to get the front axle realigned. The guy was incredibly condescending and questioned me for a couple of minutes with questions such as "now why do you think it's out of alignment sweetie". Got really fed up and just asked him to follow me out to the car where he went quiet and admitted it was bent. He would've only been a couple years older than me (22)."
"I was trying to rent an apartment a few years ago."
"The landlord (who was a middle-age lady) kept talking about how I needed to find a husband to take care of the paperwork for me."
"In fact, a whole lot of our conversation was about how I needed to find a husband. She also made passive-aggressive jabs about how I wasn't getting any younger. And she kept saying that I should have "a man around" to deal with basic things like changing lightbulbs and taking out the trash."
"I wish I could say I didn't rent from her, but the unit was really nice and cheap for its size."
"Ironically, every time I needed help with something, she said to deal with her (not her husband), because he was lazy and incompetent."
"We were having problems..."
"We were having problems with our water heater and called someone to come take a look at it. My husband happened to take the dog for a walk just as the guy arrived. For some reason he decided he was going to need to cut a giant hole in our wall behind it. I didn't know any better so I started helping his move stuff out of the way. Just as he's getting his saw ready, husband walks in the door. Suddenly his entire story changes and actually all he needs to do is replace a small part. His attitude was completely different and magically he did not need to ruin our drywall. I was pretty frustrated."
"I went to a dealership..."
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"I went to a dealership to purchase a car after mine was totaled in an accident. My father in law drove me because my husband was at work. This guy kept ignoring me and talking to my father in law. Even after every question was answered, "I don't know what kind she wants, ask her." and "I have no idea what her budget is." I walked off and he was still talking to my father in law, showing him a car. I walked up to another salesman and told him that guy apparently didn't want to sell women cars and asked if he did. He was glad to help me and kept smirking at sexist guy while filling out the paperwork. I think there was some rivalry there because my sales guy was very accommodating and even threw in four brand new tires."
"When we were buying a house..."
"When we were buying a house we told the lawyer to contact me. He kept contacting my husband instead and not even cc'ing me on emails. The problem was that my husband was working nights and sleeping during the day, so he wouldn't return calls or check his emails until the business day was already over. It was so frustrating! We actually had a deal fall through because the seller's broker did something shady and our lawyer's response came too late and was incompetent. When we bought our home, we used a different lawyer."
"During my..."
"During my horse riding days one guy wouldn't sell me a stallion because I was a woman and I couldn't handle him. The stallion needed a "strong man like him."
"Not me..."
"Not me but my wife's aunt who is an engineer at one of the biggest car manufacturers working on engines. She went to get her oil changed and the guy behind the counter kept trying to up sell her on the more expensive oil and telling her why she was wrong when she kept insisting on the OEM oil specified in the manual. She eventually had to tell the guy that she helped design the engine to get him to use the oil she wanted."
"I wanted..."
"I wanted to buy a car that was present on the lot and not already in process with someone else (the kind of car where every dealership has 15+ of that car because it's kind of their flagship) and while I was allowed to test drive it, it became clear to me that I was NOT going to be allowed to buy it."
"They told me they could sell me one, but it wasn't heeeere yet. I was like can you sell me that one, pointing to one on the lot that was exactly what I was looking for, and they were like ohhhhh no, not thaaat one, that one is not the sport version (I'm looking at it and I see the sport tag and visible sport-tier changes to the exterior). So I'm like ok you're weird, that's fine, I have another car to drive, let me know when "the good one" comes in."
"I get a call, I go back to buy the car I asked for. The one that came in is the super luxury premium version. I say no. They've got another one, it's got wheel locks and an upgraded sound system. But hey! It's $500 off the $3000 difference in price! I'm a dumb woman, that must sound like a good deal to me, right??? I ask again if they're willing to sell me any of the many cars that meet my criteria on the lot. They tell me that none of those cars exist."
"I left and bought a car from another dealership in a different town. That guy said yes, we have a car like that, it's this one, would you like me to put your name on it? Ok I'll have it detailed, come test drive it this weekend to be sure and I'll have the paperwork ready. Bought a car in one day, after spending 2 weeks trying to buy one somewhere else."
"I had a guy..."
"I had a guy refuse to rent me an apartment because I'm a woman. I called to ask for details on the place, and he asked if it would be just me or if anyone else would be sharing the apartment. When I said no, it's just me, he told me a "single lady shouldn't be living alone", and he would not rent to me. When I tried to insist on seeing the apartment he yelled over me "GOD BLESS" and hung up. This was 2012."
"I was at an..."
"I was at an airport duty free shop looking for a decent bottle of whiskey to get as a Christmas present for a friend. Shop employee came up and asked me what I was looking for, I told him I was deciding on a bottle of whiskey. He asked if it was for a man or woman and I responded, kind of puzzled, why does it matter? He told me it mattered a lot because women only like sweet drinks, and then in response to the totally baffled look on my face, asked me to explain why, if it wasn't true, women like Coca Cola so much."
"I just...what? Women only liking sweet drinks is a common and irritating stereotype, but his reasoning...that women like Coca Cola, the most popular soda in the world...what?! Okay."
"I lived alone..."
"I lived alone in a home I purchased myself. My husband and I were only just engaged and not yet living together as he had his own house and we were just doing our own things. I wanted to get new windows. A salesman stopped by and when he noticed the ring and asked if* I was engaged everything stopped."
"He refused to continue the appointment unless my fiance was there to help make the decision. I kindly explained he doesn't own the house, I do and that he doesn't even live here (he lived an hour away at the time). The salesman would not do it. He would not sell me any kind of window unless my fiance was there, too.
"Obviously lost my mind over that, reported his poor behavior to his company and told them all to f*ck off. I got windows elsewhere.""
The Best 'Actually, You're Speaking To The Boss' Experience | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
"I am the wife and I always buy the car."
"I am the wife and I always buy the car. The last time my hubby was living in one town and I was living in another town (for temporary work reasons) and he went to the dealership to try used cars. When he made his choice he told the sales guy he was going to have to talk to the wife about the sale so I get on the phone with the guy and proceed to tell him what we will pay for the car (used, 4yo, 40K mi Prius). He did the "I gotta talk to my manager" routine 3 times trying to upsell me but I just kept telling him what I would pay for the car out the door. He even tried "adding" stylish racing lines and heated seats and I said aren't those things already on the car? My hubby said they are aleady on the car why are they extra? After that, he just gave me the car for what I asked in the first place. We have done this routine for years as my hubby hates to haggle. I also am a retired Pharma sales rep...."
"He proceeds to tell me..."
"I was in a hardware store looking for some screws after one got messed up during an installation. I had the screw I needed in hand and was looking at the selection. A male employee comes up and asks me if I need help. I say "no, just looking for what I need." He starts to ask questions about what I need, blah blah. I finally give in and show him the screw. He asks what it's for. I tell him."
"He proceeds to tell me that I'm looking for the wrong thing and hands me a packet of screws that are ENTIRELY different from what I need. I just say "thanks" and walk away, waiting for him to leave the aisle. After he was gone, I went back and and traded the pack out."
"I was at a hardware store..."
"I was at a hardware store with my husband. He had to go to the bathroom so I told him I would go check out and meet him after. The checkout guy was asking me if I knew what anything in my cart even was, and told me I was "too pretty" for manual labor. He then said women shouldn't even need to work at all, since their husbands should be able to support them while they raise the kids. My husband is an A&P (aircraft mechanic) for an airline, and I realized I was wearing one of his hoodies from the A&P school he went to, so I told the checkout guy I was an A&P and threw a few buzzwords at him. He then asked if I was a lesbian. I reported him."
"My favorite story..."
"My favorite story along these lines was the time my hubby and I went to Game Stop to buy me a tiny XBox 360 wireless controller for my tiny hands. The male clerk asked my husband what he needed. I said, "I need one of those small wireless 360 controllers." He then asked my husband what games I liked to play. My husband said, "My wife can answer her own questions, thanks."
"I wanted to trade in my car..."
"I wanted to trade in my car for an SUV about a month after I got married, but before I changed my name. Found one I wanted, called my husband to come see what he thought. The salesman, an older guy who had previously been super nice to me, completely flipped the switch when my husband showed up. He started catering to him and acting pretty condescending towards me. When he found out we were newlyweds, he started asking if the upgrade was for babies or if it was a wedding present for the "little wifey"
"Husband (who rocks btw) said "nope, this is 100% her car. She the breadwinner, I'm a stay-at-home dog dad" (not completely true, he runs his business from home, but I do make a lot more money than he does)."
"Salesman laughs like it's a joke and continues to talk options with husband, ignoring me."
"I asked the receptionist who the newest salesman on the floor was, and then asked him to show me a Platinum package, fully-loaded 4WD version of the SUV I wanted. Bought it on the spot with all the bells, whistles and warranties."
"I filled out all the paperwork while the old salesman was still trying get my husband to buy a completely different vehicle than the one I was looking at. He didn't even realize what had happened until the store manager brought me my keys."
"I wish I had a picture of the look on his face."
"During wedding planning..."
"Car salesperson kept drifting the conversation over to my husband when I was buying a car."
"Car insurance kept emailing my husband about our joint car insurance policy instead of both of us. When my husband took his car off that policy (he sold it without replacing it), he kept getting all the emails instead of me."
"During wedding planning, I was addressed regarding all the details, and my husband was addressed regarding payments."
"Oh, and waiters always hand my husband the bill and the card machine, even if it's my card with MRS KHEANEY written on the card."
"As a female gamer..."
"As a female gamer who majored in CompSci and sold electronics at Toys R Us during college, I don't think a day went by where I wasn't talked down to about technology by someone. But the absolute strangest one wasn't as a buyer, but came from an older lady who was looking to buy Studio Ghibli movies."
"I'm also a huge anime fan, so I was excited to recommend my favorites and ones she and her grandkids might like... but she just refused to talk to me, and kept asking if there was another employee who "knew about this kind of stuff." She eventually caught eye of my long-haired, male coworker, and was like, "he looks like he would know!" and went off to ask him. He knew nothing about anime, but when he finally figured out what she was talking about, I saw his face light up. "Oh, you should ask ekyou over there, she knows all about that stuff!" And she stomped off without another word."
"My mum recently..."
"My mum recently went to purchase her first new car from a dealer and brought my dad along with her. They looked around, a dealer met them and mum said she was after this type of car. The dealer proceeded to show cars like that to dad, following him all around the car yard selling away, so mum left and went and bought one from a different dealer that wasn't sexist and ignoring her."
"Mum was pretty fucked off because she's never been in a position to buy a new car before this, and was super excited, but this dealer just wanted to cater to dad."
"I went to a dealership..."
"I went to a dealership to purchase a vehicle with my then husband. We were certain of the type of vehicle we wanted plus the payments we could afford. Salesman puts us in a completely different truck with payments $200 over our budget. He convinces my ex-husband that this was the BEST deal for him and that it was all he could get. I said that we needed to go home and talk about it, knowing it would be a case of buyers remorse. Salesman looks at my ex and says "You need to get your woman in check." I never went back and proceeded to buy two vehicles from a dealership 4 hours away in the next month."
These are some harrowing reads. Do you have a similar story to share? Let us know in the comments below.
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Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.