This occurred at a large chain sporting goods store on Black Friday.
Before the sale began, shoppers had been lining up in front of tables covered with cloth, in order to get the "doorbuster" items underneath.
The bell sounds and the cloth is lifted.
I'm quickly, yet respectfully, rifling through a table of highly discounted yoga pants, in various colors.
Then, I get shoved pretty aggressively from behind.
I ignore it and continue what I'm doing.
Another shove, this time a screechy voice calls out "Make some room or move!"
Now, keep in mind, the table is very large so it's not like I was hoarding prime real estate all for myself.
"Karen" just wanted in and didn't care who she had to run over to get it.
Rather than make a scene, I wedged against another shopper allowing her some room to slide closer.
I had the last pair of size medium black pants on the table draped over my arm.
I was looking through sizes of another color when I felt the pants get pulled off my arm.
I looked up and of course, it's Karen so I said, "Hey, those are mine," and grabbed onto them.
She then replies, with an obnoxious smirk, "Not until you pay for them."
Then, she started pulling them, trying to get them out of my hands.
At this point I know it's only going to go downhill.
Rather than be on the six o'clock news for fighting on Black Friday, I cut my losses and decided to leave the table.
My husband who had been watching from a spot about 20 feet away was half laughing as he saw me retreat empty-handed and defeated.
"Cheer up," he said and pushed a shopping cart toward me filled nearly to the top "here you go."
Wouldn't you know, my amazing husband had commandeered the pushy woman's cart while she was busy digging through yoga pants.
We smiled at each other and I happily rolled her cart, and all her other black Friday finds to the other end of the store then turned her purse into customer service on my way out of the door.
-- Hoof_Harded
I worked the early shift on Black Friday from 4:30-12 pm and we were dead until I was about to leave.
I had this man and his wife come in to buy a cart almost full of excluded items.
At the beginning of the purchase, if a customer has mainly excluded items, I let them know a discount won’t work.
Well, then the husband kept handing me things while asking, “is this excluded?”
I kept saying yes because almost everything was Nike or Adidas etc.
He starts to flip out cussing me out, cussing the supervisor out.
At this point, we just want him to calm down and leave meanwhile the wife is STILL putting items on the register.
I understand it’s frustrating that Kohl’s puts out these coupons that don’t work on so many things.
However, it’s definitely not my fault or my manager’s fault.
Eventually, he walked out, and she paid with cash, but neither of them apologized.
-- Less_Notice
One of our most popular holiday items that year was a Yu-Gi-Oh toy.
You strapped to your wrist to launch their cards.
We were selling out constantly.
I happened across two women in a shoving match over the last one we had in stock.
I pulled it from the shelf and told them neither was buying it and to leave before I called the cops.
After they kicked rocks; a woman approached me, with a slight panic in her voice.
She was asking if I was pulling that for someone.
"Yes, ma'am; for you. I had to kick out two customers fighting over it like children".
Think I made that woman's Christmas because she had been all over the city trying to find one.
-- Squid1891
I worked one gloomy Friday in the clothes department at Wal-Mart.
For like 2 straight hours before the sale began, people hovered over the pallets.
The alarm went off, and the swarm just went insane.
There were two women, in particular, on opposite sides, tossing clothes back and forth to each other.
I don’t know what their system was because half the stuff they were just catching and tossing aside.
But this little teenager (I mean like a petite tiny girl) intercepted a pair of pants being tossed.
The women went f*cking INSANE and elbowed her in the face.
Instant blood, and the little girl was so shocked she just stood there shaking and crying.
The woman acted like that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
I pulled her out of the crowd and started to walk her to get her cleaned up.
That’s when the sheriff appeared out of nowhere.
The best part was she was his kid.
The woman was arrested on the spot.
She had to post bail AND pay full price for her sh*tty Levi's.
-- Arielscoop
My dad was a police officer when the toy of the year was the Tickle Me Elmo.
He responded to a call at Walmart or Target (can't remember which one exactly) of two women beating each other up over one [Hatchimal].
When he went to break up the fight, one of the women bit his arm.
She bit him so hard that she actually spit some of his skin and blood out onto the floor.
He had to get his blood tested every 6 months for 2 years after the incident.
We wanted to make sure he didn't get any diseases from her. People are crazy.
-- Jnnyanydots711
I came in and the counter was swarmed with lots of people and them holding their numbers.
I got into the jewelry boat and right off the back I had a very rude woman come up to me this was our dialogue:
Karen: Excuse me, can you check me out? I’m in a hurry and I can’t wait in that f*cking long line.
Me smiling: Sorry, ma’am. We can only take fine jewelry purchases here, and we have lots of customers already here waiting to be helped.
Karen: Fine, I’ll buy some fine jewelry. So, show me some crosses and check me out now.
Me: You’ll have to grab a number, ma’am, and wait to be called. There have been other customers here waiting before you.
Karen, yelling: I can’t wait. Didn’t you hear me?! I said I’m in a hurry. You’re not the only one who has to work a Black Friday!
Karen, still yelling: I have to go to work soon. And now I’m going to be late to work because of you!
So, I’m standing there thinking, if you have to work soon why are you black Friday shopping.
You’re making the conscious decision to shop before you go to work, on one of the busiest days of the year for retail, and you want to blame me?
I refused to help her because it wasn’t fair to the many other customers waiting there.
The line was already wrapping around the store so she figured it would be faster to grab and number and wait.
With my luck, I ended up calling her number.
She then proceeded to take her time and look through all the cases and asked to see many items.
I put a few off to the side for her.
All while doing this she kept telling me how she’s in a hurry and she needs to go to work.
Eventually, she tells me she’s ready to check out.
When we get to the register, she says she changed her mind and doesn’t want any of the jewelry items she picked out.
Then, throws her items on the counter and continues to yell at me about how I’m making her late to work.
According to her, I’m taking my time on purpose ringing out her items and bagging.
All the items she bought had hard tags on them, and she bought A LOT of things.
Then made me write my name on the receipt so after work she can do the survey and give me a bad review because my customer service was horrible.
She did end up writing that review.
A couple days later my manager called me in the office and read it out loud to me.
She was laughing the entire time while doing it.
It was a pretty good laugh we had together.
-- unluxy
Former GameStop manager.
The worst one I ever worked in was 2006.
Everyone wanted a d*mn Wii.
When I got to the store at 4 am to prep for the 5 am opening, there were people wrapped around the shopping center in a line.
I had a sign on the door explicitly stating that we could only guarantee them for the first 6 people.
When I made the announcement to the folks in line, it wasn’t pretty.
I thought I was about to get my a*s kicked by more than a couple of pissed grandmas and soccer moms who had been waiting since midnight.
After opening, our systems were unbearably slow when processing credit cards, but they still worked.
The rest of the day was busy, but not too terrible other than the b*tchy people who couldn't find a Wii.
Fast forward three days later, a lady walks into the store with a bank statement.
She starts laying into me about her card being charged $200 four times (Processing, not drafted yet btw).
She insists that she won't walk out until I give her $600 cash from the register.
It ended with her and me on speakerphone with my district manager.
He politely told her to piss off and call her bank.
Cops were very nearly called during the ensuing screaming.
This is with a store packed with customers. Fun stuff.
As it turned out, our credit card processor had been overwhelmed that day.
This turned out to be a wide issue.
It was the explanation for the system slowdown on Black Friday.
The charges dropped off after a couple of days.
-- CowabungaM8
Just today I sold a couch to a guy who drove a Prius with no roof rack.
We do not deliver, and he wouldn't leave until WE found a way to get this thing secured to his car somehow.
Not only had he clearly not planned ahead or thought it through, but he was also a total jerk about it.
He really insisted on making it our problem.
We ended up using half a spool of twine to tie this thing down.
He had to climb in through the window because the twine went through his doors.
I REALLY wish I had taken a picture.
At one point he complained to our GM.
The GM had no idea what we were supposed to have done to appease this moron.
Finally, we insisted that he sign a waiver before leaving.
We were not about to be held responsible for his own stupidity.
Of course, this was also during the busiest part of the day.
I don't mind helping load or tie-down for customers, but this guy took the cake.
-- Uberhypnotoad
I was at a Best Buy at a big mall.
Finding parking was impossible
I was circling the parking lot for literally a half-hour looking for a spot.
Finally found a spot in the way back of the parking lot. Doesn't matter.
I wait for the car to leave the spot to exit, turn mysignal on.
You know, like everyone does when they’re waiting for someone to back out.
He leaves and as I begin to pull in, someone whips out from behind me.
Somehow, he makes it into the spot before I can.
Along the way, he almost hit my car, which scared the sh*t out of me.
He moved so quickly to get my spot that he ended up parking crookedly and couldn't exit his car.
So, I just pulled up behind him, and that prevented him from adjusting.
The driver was also too heavy to climb across to the passenger door, though he did attempt it.
He was giving me the middle finger and shouting at me to move so he could re-adjust.
I literally stayed there for 15 minutes until he called security who asked me to move.
When I told security what had happened, he made the guy leave the parking space or be ticketed.
Fantastic. Got my spot.
— Achlies
I worked at Wal-Mart during Black Friday about 12-13 years ago.
The hot items that year were $10 DVD players and trampolines.
The DVD players were stacked on two tables near the registers and the trampolines were in sporting goods.
I'm walking to the receiving area in the back.
Someone from sporting goods asks if I can grab a U-boat (or L-cart) to load up the last trampoline.
I had to go all the way to the grocery to get one and as I'm coming back, someone asks about an item.
So, I walk two feet away from my cart and some woman grabs it and runs towards sporting goods.
I get there and the woman and husband are loading up the trampoline, and it wasn't even for them.
The other lady that had it and purchased it (had the receipt and all, just needed a carryout) said "hey, that's mine."
The husband got in her face and said, "what are you gonna do about it, b*tch?"
They started to walk off, and I was shocked at that point.
The husband looked at me and said "the f*ck's YOUR problem?"
I just smiled and told the sporting good guy to call management.
The husband then said, "run, honey!"
They booked it to the front. They made it out of the store with the trampoline, too.
Then I get to the front near the $10 DVD players.
One older woman grabs the last one left on one of the two tables.
Another lady grabs the same one.
They scuffle.
One lady decks the other one into the other table FULL of $10 DVD players.
They all fall over, and she runs.
-- duckmunch
I work at a Timberland store in the mall.
I was working the line outside the store to control the crowd inside for my coworkers on Black Friday.
This one guy got really pissed that we were letting 20 people out but then only five people in.
He started complaining, and I tried to tell him calmly that it’s just to control how hectic it is.
After all, there are only so many workers here today.
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, so a lot of people were at home with their families.
He kept complaining, and I was trying to ignore him.
I legit had my back turned to him watching some of the customers to ensure they don’t steal.
Then he started cursing at me.
At this point, I was like, “alright, that’s it”.
I turned around and gave him a piece of my mind.
Me: “I’m sorry sir but if you can’t handle waiting in line for a few extra minutes then I suggest you go to another store in the meantime.”
Me: “You’re already in the front of the line, and you’re complaining about the wait when there are 20 people waiting behind you.”
After that, he got even more upset and left the line.
Right after he left, I let five people in.
He got SO pissed that he tried to get in.
I blocked his way and got to say the best thing ever.
I told him “Sorry, sir. You left your spot now you have to get in the back of the line.”
Pretty sure that same customer was caught trying to steal a pair of shoes when he finally got in 15 minutes later.
— eccentrix__
I worked for six years at a Johnny Rockets in a mall as a server and management.
We didn't open early like the rest of the stores because we are a restaurant.
Well, we don't serve breakfast.
Had people shake our gates screaming that they wanted food.
It would be just me and an opener getting the chairs set out.
I pointed them towards the food court and told them we didn't serve breakfast.
A lady spit at me and told me, "I know you have bacon"
We do. In a fridge waiting to be cooked and put on a burger.
My location has never been a Johnny Rockets that sold breakfast.
-- Kidou
I worked as a supervisor at Toys R Us for several years.
On Black Friday, we opened at midnight.
You basically hug the wall and hope you don't get crushed, so you are stuck in the same spot for hours.
This (grown) woman was about 500th in the first wave.
She told me the lines were too long.
I told her that's what happens on Black Friday.
She said we should make them shorter.
It hurt my brain, but I explained that every register was open.
She said she wanted to go to the front.
I told her that everyone does, and that's why we have a line.
She asked to see my manager.
I told her that isn't possible because there were over 2000 people in the store.
She threw a tantrum and sat on the floor in the middle of the line.
Whenever the line moved, she would push her cart and crawl after it.
Then, after she moved a little, she would resume sitting on the floor with her arms crossed.
-- Monklyn
I work at the largest lingerie retailer in the country.
We had a security guard last night for the beginning of Black Friday.
A Southern Belle mother decided she didn't want to wait in a 50-person deep line, and she would cut.
Our security guard asked her multiple times to step to the back of the line or leave.
She proceeded to ream him with every curse word in the book.
This ended by threatening him with a gun she had in her bag.
This will be my last holiday in retail.
-- Kittykatie0629
Pretty much the pettiest and ridiculous revenge I've done.
I work in retail, and last night I was working until close with a migraine.
A group of women came in to browse around the store.
They continued to hassle me the whole time they were shopping.
It was a constant stream of bringing me full-price items, shoving it forward at me, and asking "How much?!"
That was followed by me stating the price and then repeating the same thing.
I kept saying, “That's the full price. No, it's not on sale. No, there isn't any discount off the price. That's full price.”
They even dragged my manager into it.
They told her to give them our upcoming Black Friday sale price to them on their purchase right now.
Why couldn’t they come back? Oh, because “we won't be here for Black Friday.”
After explaining to them that we can't do that, my manager gives them a coupon they don't have, just so they stop fussing at us.
On top of all of that, she gets a coupon with her purchase.
Now, I have to write her name down on a list to make sure she can still use the coupon in case she throws it away.
I grab the first pen at hand which happens to be red and start writing her name.
To which she shouts “No! No, you don't write in red!”
When I looked up confused, thinking is she really going to tell me how to write now.
She explains that it's bad luck to write first names in red in her culture.
So, I have to grab white-out tape and rewrite her name in black.
After all of this annoyance, my migraine is now pounding through my head like a pickaxe.
I wait until she leaves and then write everything else about her coupon down in red.
Petty and ridiculous? Yes, but I take comfort in it.
— cait_cakes
A pair of mom and daughter got into fight over from the look of it some stationery.
The shoving and hair pulling got so bad one of them pulled out a gun from her purse.
-- Dotblot
We had a lady call the police on our store because we sold out of a TV.
I really wish I was lying... they came too.
-- Thebootydiaries
At staples, I watched two grown men get into a brawling fistfight over a $30 label maker.
It wasn't even the last one.
-- Awsnapitsrachel
Last year, a woman yelled at me for taking too much time to finish her transaction.
She also told me that her kids were in the car and she didn't want CPS to take them. Okay then!
-- AstronomicalArtist18
The doorbuster TV deal was stacked in the back aisle and wrapped up in painter’s plastic.
A man and his wife and two kids proceeded to cut through the plastic wrap with a pocketknife.
He took four of the TVs to the checkout line.
The cashier didn’t realize what was going on, so she scanned them to be regular price rather than the “doorbuster deal” price.
The manager was called, and the family had to be escorted from the premises by security.
-- onepintboom
Worked greets at American Eagle. My job was to stand at the front and tell you what the sale was.
Some lady walked in with like eight bags and the alarm went off.
So, I smiled and said that it went off most likely because there's possibly still a tag on one of her items.
This was her response: "I JUST WALKED IN AND YOU'RE ALREADY ACCUSING ME OF STEALING?!?!?"
She then just stormed off.
-- ToSay_TheLeast
I worked at a restaurant that is right across the street from the mall (And open Black Friday).
Naturally, after people get great deals on whatever they come eat.
Anyway, I'm sitting in the back of the house on Black Friday morning, waiting for my inevitably long shift to start.
It was incredibly busy as it was, but I wasn't about to clock in early.
I was BSing with one of the managers when I heard a hostess scream through the walkie "HELP HELP!"
So, I immediately rush to the entrance to see two grown men on the ground fighting.
One is in nothing but his underwear.
My shift lead tried to pull them off each other while screaming "STOP. THIS IS A FAMILY RESTAURANT THERE ARE CHILDREN HERE!"
I jolted forward in an attempt to break up the fight.
This is where it gets weird.
Everyone is gathered around this small area watching or trying to help.
Then, someone grabbed a fire extinguisher and started spraying us with it.
In the meantime, we have Christmas carols playing in the background.
Great backdrop to two guys fighting (one in their underwear), while another one sprays us with a fire extinguisher.
Finally, we get the fight broken up. Cops show up. The whole 9 yards.
Turns out the guy got the last TV/voucher or whatever for the Best Buy and the other guy got pissed.
He decided to follow him over to try to buy the TV from him.
The one guy got the TV told him to f*ck off, so this guy took off his pants and they got into a fight.
-- Usernamesarestupid12
This happened 2 years ago, and I still smile every time I think about it.
For background, at the time, I worked at a store in a mall.
Said store was extremely popular for Christmas gifts.
Naturally, during November and December, all employees are neck-deep in entitled Karens.
Anyways, the day in question, I had just clocked out from hell, grabbed my purse, and put on my jacket.
I went down the hall to American Eagle to get my own dang Christmas shopping done after a 10-hour day dealing with Karens.
I was flipping through a rack of hoodies with my headphones in.
Again, I was wearing my coat, purse, and had my cell phone in hand.
This woman was staring daggers at me while I was shopping.
So, I turned around and gave her a blank stare to kinda get the “what you lookin’ at” message across.
She keeps staring and starts tapping her foot.
I immediately knew what was going on because I’m mistaken for an employee in almost every store.
She loudly says, “Um, hello?! Service please!!”
As I did not freakin’ work at American Eagle (and didn’t feel like explaining that to her when it should’ve been obvious), I ignored her.
Mistake on my end.
She then stalks right up to me and pulls one of my earbuds out of my ear.
Karen then says, “You can’t IGNORE me!”
Now, I’m annoyed and just say, “Actually, I can.”
That only makes her even angrier.
Frustrated, she yells, “I’M GETTING YOUR BOSS.”
She runs to the cash register to ask for a manager.
I was just laughing myself silly where she left me
I knew what was going to happen, but it was still golden to watch.
I watch her point at me while talking to an employee.
Of course, the employee looks confused making eye contact with me.
A few moments later, she storms out with a red face.
There wasn’t anything employees there could do.
Obviously, not being able to get me fired from a store I didn’t work at pissed her off.
The American Eagle employee surely found it hilarious after.
The Karen was so embarrassed that she left his store.
— stupidmemesbigdreams
This happened a few years ago.
My wife and I had just gotten married.
I volunteered to go with her mother to a Black Friday sale with my wife's nieces.
At one point, we were waiting at the front of the line for cheap $10 mp3 players.
The line was about 20% kids with the rest being adults.
One of the staff got up and asked everyone if we'd be ok letting the kids go in first to pick theirs.
After that, the adults would go.
I get it. It was to make sure the kids wouldn't get trampled.
Amazingly, the whole line agreed.
The kids moved up to the front of the line, all excited and happy.
The worker opened up the stack, and the kids started to pick their players.
Then some little, middle-aged guy pushes through the crowd.
He shoves kids to the side to grab for handfuls of the players.
Now, I'm 6'3 and 285lbs, ex-Army and, at the time, working in a warehouse.
Another big dad-looking guy and I walk up, pulled the little guy back, emptied his hands, and lifted him onto a countertop.
We then told him to sit and wait.
The line cheered, the kids were alright, and got their pick of the players.
Dad-looking guy and I stood there the whole time.
We were staring at the little a*shole, waiting for him to try to move.
He never did. He never even looked at us.
By the time the line was empty, there were only lime green and pink mp3 players left.
— Cloudubious
