Dodging Karens while working in the hospitality industry is an unattainable dream for optimists. After working with a wide variety of guests and their entitled attitudes, the word optimist disappears from your dictionary. In this case, OP was working the front desk at a hotel, enjoying her night when an unreasonable potential guest entered the lobby. The man, who we will dub Karen, asked OP for a room that night, and was told by OP that they would need to put a refundable $100 deposit on his ca…

Fighting back the urge to laugh when an adult is having a full-blown meltdown right in front of you over basically nothing is one of the most challenging parts of working retail—but you only reach this level of reaction when you've put up with it enough times that you no longer have the ability to experience the trauma of being shouted at that you did when you first started. Not only that but—when they're making obscene demands—you have to fight every muscle in your body that wants to do precis…

When the dish you order is specifically known and named for the style of spice that it uses, it would be foolish to request that dish without it. Sure, you might have meant that you just wanted it to be less spicy, but if you're going to be rude to service staff, you should be careful what you wish for and choose your words carefully. Or, how about we treat service staff with the respect that they deserve? This Karen unwisely demanded exactly this after being rude to staff during her trip to th…

On the list of people you want to annoy, your barber should be low on the list — your hair is in their hands. That didn't stop this entitled male Karen, who threw a fit at a barber shop for something that was his own fault. Having to put down a deposit in order to score a reservation somewhere is the best way to ensure I'm on time. These days, lots of places do this, from dentist's offices to salons to restaurants. It's extra annoying, sure, but who wants to lose money by being late somewhere?…

After working in customer service, you quickly come to the side fo abolishing the “customer is always right” mentality. Why? Because the customer most definitely is not always right. In fact, it becomes pretty obvious that the customer is usually very wrong. Unfortunately, many customers going into a customer service based establishment still think they can't possibly be wrong and that they need to be waited on hand and foot. God forbid you get one tiny thing wrong—if these customers had their…

Staff working in the service industry are often greeted by unruly Karen customers who march in like they own the place, demanding discounts and ordering them around. Often because of poor management, the staff are forced to deal with the impolite attitude quietly inside their heads, as opposed to talking back and standing up for themselves. In this case, OP was working as a barista at a coffee shop where they served such a Karen customer, who happened to be a regular. Karen was manageable up un…

What should you do with your delicious dessert waffle when you're done chowing down on it in the nostalgic comforts of a mall food court? Dispose of your waste and neatly stack your tray in the holder on top of the trash can? No. If you're this Karen, you're taking it to the nearest clothing store and demanding that the workers there dispose of it for you—under firm threat of having smashed waffles and ice cream all over the floor and clothes. Hey, at least it's not as bad as cleaning out the c…

If you work in retail, customer service, or the service industry, sooner or later, you're going to run into a confoundingly indignant and angry individual who is going to ruin your day—leaving you thinking about this interaction for years to come. It's just a matter of sheer statistics; talk to enough people in a day, and sooner or later, at some point, you're going to have a grown adult having a full tantrum in the center of your store like it's some kind of performative art piece. This Karen…

Kids sometimes have major meltdowns when they have to wait for what they want, and even some grown adults never outgrow that phase of their life. No one likes to wait in line , whether you're queuing up to buy a meal, purchase a ticket, or buy some new clothes. But lines are pretty necessary at most stores, of course. There'd be a lot of fighting going down if there was no set of rules in place. While the reason for lining up seems obvious and fairly simple to most of us, this entitled woman di…

Working in the hospitality industry is painfully awkward at times, and oftentimes leaves you with a bitter aftertaste, pining for a vacation that would preferably last over a year. Karens are commonplace, and make your job much harder than it needs to be. In this case, a Karen approached OP when they were working Night Audit at a busy hotel, demanding to be checked in immediately, rolling her eyes at OP in the process. OP knew right away that something was off, and asked for Karen's full name a…

Dealing with customers is probably the worst part of working retail or service jobs. It can be the best part too—but ten positive experiences can be overshadowed by one violent, screaming adult tantrum. If you've ever worked one of these jobs—you know exactly what I'm talking about. It may be no use crying over spilled milk, but that didn't stop this grown adult woman from throwing a complete tantrum over the temperature of it. After collecting a cup of “warm” milk from a location of a major co…

It's always important to be polite to the customer service worker who is handling your request, even if that request involves negotiating a tricky situation, chances are you'll get a better result if you treat that person like an actual human being. Usually, the sheer bureaucratic inertia of a large corporation or a government entity will mean that if you're rude to the wrong worker, you're going to be stuck in bureaucratic purgatory for a frustratingly long period of time. Or, worse, they may…

Getting fired from a job where you didn't work is a bit like losing a race you weren't entered into in the first place; it's really hard to be upset about it when you didn't even know you had something at stake. This customer shared their story of witnessing another fellow customer ending up on the wrong end of a stray Karen's fury when they visited a “Wall of Marts” during a trip to the United States. They share their surprise at realizing that the people they had read about in “People of Wall…

Customers often play a dangerous game in terms of refunds, and this game can ultimately result in some bitter consequences. In this case, a customer bought a designer item online, and when it arrived she sent a rude message to the seller, OP, demanding a full refund, threatening OP with filing a chargeback. The catch was Karen wanted OP to Venmo her the money, which is a huge, blaring red flag. OP said they would refund the money if the item was returned, per company guidelines. Karen discarded…

Retail work is one of the most demanding jobs in the customer service industry, and it doesn't take a genius to fathom why. Employees have to deal with daily Karens, a variety of other rude customers that don't quite fit the 'Karen category', lazy managers, and daft coworkers. OP was working a retail job in the paint department when a rude, condescending customer marched in, demanding a color match from a random home depot sign that was bolted into a metal counter. OP explained to the customer…

If you buy something that's specific purpose is to look like something else but not actually work, you shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't work. That's literally what it's for. I don't know what you'd actually want to buy one of these for—unless you were a retailer looking for a risk-free display dummy. Maybe as a prop for a film or stage set? Anyways—the point is that leaving this product a 1-star review for not working is mind-boggling. You should be leaving it a 1-star review if you were…