What would we ever do without receptionists ? These people keep the world running by doing all the organization and planning that keeps businesses afloat. CEOs and CFOs get the fancy titles and get to spend their time taking clients to glamorous lunches. They aren't the ones truly running the company, though. They may have the look of a person in power, but you know who's really in charge? The person who unlocks the doors each morning, keeps the office full of food and coffee, handles phone cal…

Imagine paying a premium to work your way into this crazy housing market, purchasing a house from someone who paid a quarter of that amount for it 15 years ago. You're probably still going to be coming to grips with the weight of your new mortgage when you're confronted by your new neighbor, a “lifetime” resident, who regards you with disdain because, for one reason or another, they don't think you're worthy of replacing their longtime neighbors whom they had grown fond of. The reality is that…

There's this general idea online and in life that pregnant people deserve special treatment. You're probably holding your breath reading this, wondering where I'm going with that statement—and before you get too outraged, let me just say that, yes, absolutely, that idea and treatment is resoundingly deserved. After all, they're growing a whole new person inside of them—an astonishing feat that deserves special recognition before you even factor in the ordeal of troubling side effects that come…

Is that you, Karen?

Ma'am, just get a janky $10 phone charger from CVS and move ON! Some Karens do not understand the concept that there are limits to how long one can complain about something, especially something as replaceable as a phone charger. Now, if you're like this Karen and you're really just trying to get access to a free charger, there is a much better way of going about this. For instance, she could have just asked the front desk agent if there was a charger she could borrow for an hour or so. But lik…

When it comes to sticky situation, you're going to want an expert in charge, right? Unfortunately, sometimes, like in the instance of this Redditor's story, the “expert” in charge is actually the worst. This Redditor was new to working the service industry. (They have since worked it for many years, but this was from the start.) The were working at a big chain steak house when they got a male Karen . This guy ordered something off the menu that did not exist. When OP pointed that out to him, he…

Sometimes the village has to step in… and parent someone else's child. This is probably one of the most sensitive topics in the world, as parents often feel like failures, just like you and your imposter syndrome at work. Am I doing this right? I shouldn't have yelled at them like that. Why haven't they brushed their teeth yet and WHAT IS UP WITH THEIR MUSIC? Many thoughts go through parents' heads, and not all of them are pretty. We are all human, and taking care of another human is really har…

You've probably heard about the “Ship of Theseus,” a paradoxical thought experiment that challenges you to question whether or not an object that has had all of its parts replaced is actually the same object anymore. Another variant of this is the "grandfather’s axe," which seeks to challenge whether or not an axe that has had its handle replaced and then later its head is really the same axe as it was before. Although not really quite the same philosophical question, I can't help but wonder… I…

We all spent the past week giving thanks and expressing our gratitude for life's many joys. Unfortunately for us and for the rest of the world, life still comes with Karens. So now that we are done saying what we're thankful for this week, let's take a look at some of the people who we aren't thankful for but we have to deal with every so often. This week's roundup of Karen stories includes an Internet rant, a parking debacle, a customer service experience gone wrong, a workplace sabotage saga,…

As a service industry employee, there's nothing as sweet as the I-told-you-so moment at the front desk. Hospitality employees learn to put up with a lot of hooplah from their customers, so that moment when they get to flex their ounce of power is really important.

Welcome to the modern era! Flying cars might not be the regular on the roads like humans hope for back in the day, but technology has advanced well beyond our wildest dreams. Now, we have the internet . *Cue angels singing and sun peaking out through the clouds* Now, with the internet, everything is made to be more convenient, like shopping, communicating, and even banking. (Yes, there are also many many negatives to the internet, but don't get me started on that…) One online banker seemed to g…

Navigating a troublesome coworker in the workplace is a daunting experience. With them creating trouble at every turn and drowning you and your teammates in false reports to managers and HR, it's sometimes hard to know where to turn, constantly treading on broken glass-covered thin ice as you all wait for the coworker to either resign or get fired so that you can all return to a peaceable existence. It's wild how the presence of this one person can turn a team on its head , which kinda makes yo…

It's that time of the year again, everybody! When you work at a place that needs to keep running during the holidays. This can include the service industry, retail, and even tech! Bet you have never even thought about how sight security and coding needs to continue smoothly even during the holidays. That means employees are trading shifts left and right to try and get a day off to spend with their loved ones. Most places you can just discuss it like adults amongst your coworkers and figure out…

No offense to this woman, but if you're in a super big rush , why are you stopping at a restaurant? We've all been there: you're out on the go somewhere, maybe between jobs or between meetings, and you suddenly get that rumble in your stomach. When you're hungry, every restaurant looks appealing. If you have an hour or two to spare, stopping into a sit-down dining establishment is a great way to have a break and refuel.

It's certainly not easy to deal with a Karen customer or a Karen coworker, but what about having to deal with being married to one? Or rather, having a Karen in your immediate family? There are several tips and tricks for how to cope with this unfortunate but very real phenomenon. Firstly, find someone else to confide in, whether that's another family member or, ideally, a professional because this Karen is probably going to cause you to go into therapy at some point anyway. Second, draw bounda…

Everyone's stayed at a hotel or motel at least once in their life. The magical wonders of continental breakfasts, freshly made beds, and clean white towels get cemented in your memory, making your hotel experience (even the non-luxurious kind), memorable simply because it may be the one time in your life that you're pampered with room service. Your hotel experience is designed to go quite smoothly, that is, unless you're a poor listener and a tyrannical Karen...