“Coworker Gave Us Tickets To His Wife’s Performance And Now We Have To Pay $360?!”

We see the people we work with day in and day out for years. For some, their colleagues even become friends. In fact, 27% of Americans see their coworkers outside of work at least once a month. But there’s always a risk: how do you continue working together when drama occurs?

These five coworkers faced this dilemma after a colleague gifted them tickets to his wife’s performance, but she asked them to pay for it after the fact. Confused and insulted, the group asked the internet’s opinion: was this just a miscommunication between the coworker and his wife, or was this some shady con?

A man invited his coworkers to his wife’s performance and gave them the tickets

Person wearing mask holding two night party tickets indoors, illustrating coworker show scam realization.

Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual image)

But when the show was over, the colleagues were asked to pay for them

Coworkers realize superior’s wife’s show tickets were not free and feel scammed after attending the performance.

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Text discussing coworkers attending superior’s wife’s show and realizing tickets were not free, revealing a scam experience.

Group of coworkers realizing they were scammed at a superior’s wife’s show that was not actually free

Male performer in a tall hat juggling clubs on stage during a show with dramatic lighting and an audience silhouette.

Image credits: Beyza Kaplan (not the actual image)

Group of coworkers attending a show with belly dancers and circus acts, realizing it was not free as expected.

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Coworkers realize they were scammed when told they must pay $60 per ticket at superior’s wife’s show.

Coworkers realize they were scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t actually free, causing anger and frustration.

Middle-aged woman with a skeptical expression standing outside, reflecting feelings of being scammed at a show event.

Image credits: kues1 (not the actual image)

Alt text: People attending a show realizing they were scammed when discovering the event was not free as expected.

Coworkers feel scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show, realizing it was not free as expected.

Group of coworkers discussing a laptop at a coffee shop, surprised by the superior’s wife’s show not being free as expected

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Text discussing coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that was not free as expected.

Text about coworkers realizing they were scammed after going to their superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free.

Image credits: Cassmiere

“His wife was looking for singers”: The author tried to deduce why Scott had approached Rebecca at all

Coworkers realize superior's wife's show wasn’t free after being scammed with ticket misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Comments discussing being scammed by coworkers at superior's wife's show that was not actually free.

Forum conversation discussing coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s ticketed performance show.

“This sounds really suspicious,” commenters wrote, guessing that “Scott” and his wife were trying to con the coworkers

Coworkers realizing they were scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that was not actually free.

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Comment warning about scam, advising not to give money, related to coworkers going to superior’s wife’s show.

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Text conversation screenshot discussing coworkers realizing superior’s wife’s show was not free, expressing feelings of being scammed.

The wife may have needed to raise the money from the tickets to pay the promoter to be able to perform

A situation like this is less than ideal. The friend group only accepted the tickets as a gift and had no intention of paying for them. After the wife confronted them, things got awkward for both the employees and their manager, the husband. To top it all off, the group didn’t know how to approach “Scott” because he was their superior; what if he made their work lives a living hell for this whole miscommunication?

Some commenters speculated whether the couple truly tried to scam “Scott’s” colleagues. While some agreed, others thought that this whole train wreck of a situation was the result of some ongoing fight between “Scott” and his wife.

But other netizens thought something different was going on. Since this was a personal performance by the wife, some speculated that she might have done it on the condition of pay-to-play.

A pay-to-play event is when a performer pays a promoter to be able to put on a performance at their venue. To get that money back, performers have to sell a certain number of tickets. So, it’s possible that the wife expected the colleagues to pay for their tickets. The husband, perhaps not knowing this, thought he was simply tasked with inviting as many people as possible.

Musician Matt Terzi writes that pay-to-play gigs are scams that do not benefit the performer. “Let’s say you’re buying 100 tickets at $10 a pop. You’re paying $1,000 out of pocket,” he explains the concept. “That sounds like a lot, but you’re then reselling those 100 tickets at $20 a pop, which means you’re not only making that money right back, but doubling it… right?”

“Of course, this seedy promoter isn’t actually promoting anything. You’re doing all of the marketing for the show yourself. And if you could sell 100 tickets easily, they wouldn’t be asking you to do it for them. At that point, your act is a solid booking, and venues should actively want to bring you in.”

So, was the wife the victim of a seedy promoter? Did the husband misunderstand the ticket situation? Whatever it was, the employees got themselves into something that shouldn’t be their fault.

Image credits: Andrej Lišakov (not the actual image)

Gift-giving between employees can turn awkward really fast

Gift-giving in the workplace can be a tricky thing. Most of us have received some sort of gift at work. Be it a thank-you note from the boss, a pizza when the team reaches a certain milestone, or even a scented candle during the company holiday gift exchange.

In fact, eight out of 10 employees in the U.S. say they have received a gift from their managers. The sad part? They didn’t even want it. These kinds of gifts usually include something with a company logo, and employees seldom qualify them as gifts.

There are some etiquette rules for workplace gift-giving. According to etiquette expert Lizzie Post from her grandmother’s Emily Post Institute, gifts up the ladder are never appropriate. “Gifts are always down the ladder. The exception is when there’s a two-person team, think Carrie Bradshaw and her assistant,” she told Salon. An employee gifting their boss something can be misconstrued as an attempt to win favor and look quite inappropriate as well.

However, there’s also a line for bosses and managers when it comes to gifts for employees. “Absolutely avoid giving anything that could feel too personal or intrusive — think of items like skincare products, perfumes or clothing,” another etiquette expert, Jamila Musayeva, says. “These can easily overstep boundaries. Additionally, stay away from humor-based gifts or anything that could be seen as overly casual.”

Tickets to a performance aren’t too intrusive or inappropriate as a gift at all. However, in this situation, it put both the employees and the manager in an impossibly awkward position. Does that mean that all colleagues should stick to boring and impersonal gifts like a “World’s Best Boss” mug? Not necessarily, but if you’re ever in doubt about whether your gift is appropriate, always check with someone else first — someone from HR, or ChatGPT, at least.

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev (not the actual image)

The group decided to confront Scott at work the next day

Update text describing coworkers realizing they were scammed attending superior’s wife’s paid show, discussing next steps.

Coworkers realize superior’s wife’s show wasn’t free and feel scammed after unexpected ticket costs arise.

Three coworkers in business attire talking near office windows, discussing the coworker scam about a paid show.

Image credits: pch.vector (not the actual image)

Text discussing coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that was not free as expected.

Yet it turned out to be just a misunderstanding; “Scott” was mortified and apologized

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Text on a plain white background reading, well today we went to work and confronted him about the tickets, referencing coworkers and a show scam.

Coworkers feel scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free as they initially believed.

Stressed businessman in white shirt and blue tie reviewing paperwork, reflecting coworkers scammed at superior’s wife’s show.

Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)

Text explaining coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free as assumed.

Conversation text about miscommunication involving coworkers and superior’s wife, highlighting a scam experience.

Text on a white background expressing gratitude to Reddit for advice that helped create a game plan and encouraging to keep it cool.

Text screenshot showing a coworker realizing the superior’s wife’s show was not free and the group had to pay unexpectedly.

Image credits: Cassmiere

“Scott’s wife went about it very wrong,” the commenters reflected

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Comment discussing company policy on no fundraisers or selling to avoid uncomfortable coworker situations and scams.

Comment discussing feelings about giving away tickets to a dinner and show that was not actually free.

Coworkers realize superior’s wife’s show isn’t free after attending, feeling scammed over unexpected ticket charges.

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Text post describing being scammed when coworkers attend superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free as expected.

Reddit comment on a post about coworkers realizing the superior’s wife’s show was not free, comparing it to an 80s sitcom plot.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing coworkers realizing the show by superior’s wife wasn’t free and feeling scammed.

Reddit comment discussing coworkers who felt scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t actually free.

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Screenshot of a Reddit comment thread discussing coworkers realizing the superior’s wife’s show was not free.

A Reddit comment saying guess Scottie doesn’t know, related to coworkers realizing superior’s wife’s show wasn’t free.

Comment about coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t actually free.

Text screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing misunderstandings, miscommunication, and assumptions about maliciousness among coworkers.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing coworkers being scammed at superior’s wife’s show, losing money unexpectedly.

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Comment about coworker apologizing after realizing superior’s wife’s show was not free, highlighting work relationship impact.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a coworker situation involving a superior’s wife’s show and feeling scammed.

Comment highlighting pay-to-play issues as a scam affecting coworkers who attended superior’s wife’s show mistakenly thinking it was free.

Comment explaining a charity event scam where coworkers realize the show was not actually free as promised.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing coworkers going to their superior’s wife’s show and feeling scammed.

Coworkers shocked after attending superior’s wife’s show, realizing the tickets were not free and feeling scammed.

Comment discussing being scammed at a pop-up show, mentioning coworkers and paying for tickets that weren’t free.

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Comment discussing coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free as expected.

Comment about coworkers feeling scammed after attending superior’s wife’s show that wasn’t free as expected.

Screenshot of an online comment about coworkers realizing their superior’s wife’s show was not free as expected.

Comment explaining pay for play gigs and promoter’s role causing coworkers to feel scammed at superior’s wife’s show.

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