Being a customer-facing worker means having to put on a smile even when you are about to spontaneously combust underneath the surface. This is a grim and unfortunate part of the reality of what it is to be a server or to work in customer service in general. However, every so often, you get the opportunity to serve a little malicious compliance and/or some petty revenge along with an entitled customer's meal. Sure, you're still serving your customers with a smile, but little do they know, you ha…

Everybody who has every worked in the service industry has had their own embarrassing story. Honestly, it's better to get your front of house fail out of the way early so you know you can get through it. Dropping a full tray is the classic one and might even get you applauds. Then there is the dropping of a tray directly onto a customer. That one is way harder to bounce back from , but if you have nice customers, it can also feel like a good lesson. Then there are whole other instances that jus…

Everyone gets embarrassed by their parents in public, but this one goes out to all the children of the entitled Karens and Kevins of the world. They have it so much worse than the rest of us. As someone whose greatest level of embarrassment during childhood as a result of something my parents did was when they danced up and down the aisle of a movie theater one time, I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a quintessential Karen as a parent. The closest I can get to that experience was w…

Karens have the uncanny ability to identify, single out, and berate people who work customer service jobs, accosting them with wanton fury regardless of whether or not they even happen to be working at that time—or are even employed by that place at all.

It's time to dive into the tipping debate . Should you tip every time you eat at a restaurant? Many people, myself included, would say yes. It's not that we enjoy tipping, especially during these times of high inflation and being asked to tip for tons of services these days. But tipping is a necessity for waiters and waitresses, and it's a good feeling to reward someone who has done a good job taking your order and bringing you your food and drinks. But what if the waiters do a bad job ? What i…

When this restaurant worker was running late for their shift, their manager reached out to ask if they were coming in, probably not realizing that the simmering heat of anger that had been bubbling below the surface was about to boil over. After a series of unmet promises, unrealistic expectations, and even being cheated out of pay, this restaurant worker was more than happy to call it quits. The reason they were late to their shift in the first place was that they had actually been interviewin…

Sometimes, Karens get served a much-deserved dish of instant karma, but other times, they get exactly what they want. Here at FAIL Blog, we're used to triumphant stories where the little guy stands up for himself and calls an entitled Karen out on her nonsense either with some fun malicious compliance or delicious petty revenge. That being said, every so often, the Karens win and we are left to pick up the pieces of the messes they have made in the process.

Entitled customers are really twisting the whole “customer is always right” saying these days. Whatever happened to straight factual information? Some things simply cannot be argued, no matter who you are. For instance, salmon is a type of fish. When you order it, expect fish to come to your table. In addition, if a server tells you they are out of a specific dish, it's not up for debate. They're simply out. Once again, this isn't an opportunity to flex your muscles and enforce a false sense of…

"Comfort equals laziness" is an attitude that is pervasive throughout certain industries, with the idea that a comfortable employee is an unproductive one and that relative comfort is somehow offputting, prompting employers in these industries to treat their workers with cynicism and hostility.

In the spirit of Halloween, it's about time we shed light on some of the spookiest phenomena known to humankind: Karens. This week, we have Karens making scenes at a variety of locations, including movie theaters and on the road. Additionally, we even have thieving Karens, YouTube Karens, and mothering Karens. These days, it seems that Karens are everywhere and there is nothing scarier than that reality. Most recently, I had an unfortunate run-in with a Karen at the airport, who couldn't stand…

Servers have to deal with a ton of unwanted nonsense on the job, but one perk of the job is that they get a front row seat to a wide variety of date nights gone wrong. From awkward first dates that turn out to be full of red flags to full-on marriage proposals that turn out to be complete failures, it seems like servers have seen the full range of possibilities that can occur on a date. Not to persuade people not to go out to dinner, but when someone says, “Just go out with them! What's the wor…

Service industry workers live hard and die by the same credence, having long ago had their garden of farks scorched by an onslaught of unruly customers, temperamental chefs, and unreliable restaurant managers . They're a hard, complex, and colorful bunch, often seeking reprieve from their demanding careers in all the wrong sorts of places. But it's one of those lifestyles that feels good until it isn't, and when the bottom card gets pulled out of the house, and the entire thing comes crashing d…

Being in charge doesn't mean you have all the answers. In fact, it often shouldn't, and this means that while you don't know the answers, you are experienced in identifying people with those answers and knowing when to differ to their better judgment. Those in petty positions of power who are unable to get their ego out of the way and accept the expertise of their subordinates are bound to end up in embarrassing situations like this one. This venue supervisor refused to accept that the experien…

There are some people in this world who have been raised and reinforced with such entitlement that when they want something, no amount of reason will convince them that they can't have it. One has to wonder how one's mind can be so brainwashed to be able to think that you can have just about anything. Unfortunately, enough people out there seem to be mentally engineered this way and there's not much we can do to stop them. It's only a matter of time before you just have to get the cops involved…

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation that feels so brainless, you have to pinch yourself because you can't even believe it's actually happening to you and there are actual people out there like this. When you get in a situation like this it usually involves some sort of Karen. These people are masters of entitlement and thrive on throwing tantrums, and, of course, their catchphrase is “I need to talk to the manager!” A woman on Reddit recently had an encounter with a Karen while she was j…

This week, it seems like the Male Karens (or Kevins and Kyles, as they've been called) came out to play. Once again, this just further proves our point that anyone can be an entitled Karen, just like anyone can aspire to achieve anything in this world. So no matter who you are, you too can fulfill your dream of being a Karen. This week's list incorporates various settings, from a Wendy's to a pet store. And, of course, we have another classic customer service phone call story. Look, we've all b…