Entitled ‘Karen’ Threatens To Get Employee Into Trouble With Their Manager, But This Kind Stranger Counter-Complains In Time
It doesn’t take much to be an everyday hero—just a dash of courage, an ounce of justice, and a dollop of desire to make the world a slightly better place. Truthfully, we can all be wholesome in our own small ways and in the unlikeliest of places. For instance, being a total ‘bro’ at the gas station.
Redditor TanakaKamatari did just that. They proved they were an awesome human being after witnessing an extremely entitled and rude customer harassing a stunned Costco Gas employee who obviously wasn’t used to be shouted at. While the customer threatened to call the gas station employee’s manager and get them in trouble, the redditor was already working on a counter-strategy—giving them a heads up about the ‘Karen’s’ nefarious plan. Check out the full story below, dear Pandas, and let us know what you think about the entire situation.
After a gas station employee got harassed by a rude customer, another customer swooped in to cover for them
Image credits: Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: TanakaKamatari
TanakaKamatari’s post on r/EntitledPeople had earned them nearly 2.5k upvotes and a handful of awards at the time of writing. Meanwhile, other redditors pitched in with similar stories about counter-complains and how they actually do help.
Honestly, it’s good to know that; now we’ll all know what to do the next time that we witness employees getting screamed at. And frankly, it’s a nice feeling to know that at least some people are willing to take the time to set the score right. Now that’s a good sense of justice to have.
For anyone working in the service industry, rude customers will be something that they’ll have to deal with sooner or later. They’re not too common (thankfully!), but they will pop up now and again. The most important thing to remember is not to panic: their anger often won’t be about you, so don’t take it personally.
As hard as it is, try to stay calm and professional. According to MindTools, you ought to try and distinguish between unhappy customers (whom you can help once they calm down a bit) and rude ones who just want to vent about their lives and you’re the closest target with ears.
If you’re feeling out of your depth, go grab a colleague or a manager to support you. Does the entitled customer want to speak to your manager? Good! Odds are, your manager will have dealt with plenty of similar situations and will know how to defuse the tension. And showing up and having your back is the least they can do if their employee is getting unfairly harassed.
Though you can hope that some guardian angel customers will fly over to help you out in a pinch as well. They might not be there for you every single time, but as redditor TanakaKamatari showed us, they’ll gallop in like the cavalry when you least expect them.
And here’s what some redditors said about the total ‘bro’ moment that helped protect the gas station employee
Similar but different, i once called a manager when I witnessed a foreign employee being bullied by a local employee. She was so horrible to her right In front of me as if I wasn't there. I told manager in front of the bully what I saw. Stand up against bullies! Silence and inaction lets them get away with it
Do one better and compliment every time you can. Don't just do it when horrible people are being nasty (though definitely do it then if you can help sway things back). Get the names of cashiers and servers; drop quick messages on websites and via email. Doesn't have to be long or fancy. "I was in your restaurant on x date at y time and was served by Jason. He was courteous and friendly and a real asset to your staff. Thanks for a great visit, Jason!" or whatever. I do this a lot - less so since covid since I don't go out much - and it helps me keep a positive mindset about things as well as providing some positivity for the world. Say the compliments. Contact the manager for good service. Please.
I agree wholeheartedly! People are so quick to complain when they feel everything is not up to par. We should all take a moment to praise as well when it is warranted. Keep it up.
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I don't get it. Do they get high or something, when they act like that? I mean, it was unprovoked, uncalled for and she still wanted to get this guy fired for no reason
It's an endorphine rush of power for some. That's why some people when they feel powerless because of forces above them, decide to kick down. Most abuses of power, from excessive use of police force to teachers humiliating kids, are just that --- the mentally weak kicking down.
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I just can't understand what these self entitled men and women think they achieve with such behavior. They just make others pissed off and sad, while they themselves don't really get anything out of it.
I think (based on some I've known) that they live in a hostile world of their own creation. They enter into every human interaction on the defensive with a heightened awareness to anything they perceive as an attack when it is actually just someone resisting their aggressive approach a little bit. The rest of the world looks at them and wonders what the F is wrong with them.
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As an Gas Station employee for 18 years and a Manager for 5, I really really appreciate those customers. They are rare, but let me say from the bottom of my heart, me and my employee love you!!!
I have done this for waitstaff and retail workers so many times. For those wondering, if you complain horribly to a manager at a nice restaurant, they will comp your meal (please do not do this, I am merely explaining why someone would). I have noticed that society tends to reward the absolute worst traits humanity has to offer. When I see something like this go down, I always defend people to a manager, but who knows if I actually helped. I have legitimately seen people order lobster and like 3-4 bottles of wine and then yell until they don't have to pay. It turns out that most other countries don't have "the customer is always right" for this exact reason. Although, my understanding is that it's supposed to be "the customer is always right in matters of taste", meaning give/make what people want. And this got shortened to the dogmatic nonsense of "the customer is always right" no matter how obviously incorrect and nightmarish they are.
I regularly get discounts at places I am known for speaking up mostly about good experiences. Only complaining fairly and complimenting others at the same time. I talk to employees before complaining. Is this a problem or following policy? Did I misunderstand? No need to ask or hint, discounts are offered. 20% discount regularly adds up. You can not even image the benefits of a compliment. Sometimes spoken loud enough for others to hear. Try the customer is always treats us with kindness and respect.
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As a middle aged white lady I have to say: sorry for my kind. I had my time working retail. I know what it's like to be yelled and screamed it. I try to me kind to everyone I interact with.
Be a positive force in the world. Say more good, than bad. It is a choice. I do complain because if I were the manager I would want to know; this person lowers the quality of my visit -- totally unfair to the rest of the employees. How can you maintain quality without knowing. As a result they listen and ask for more information, I know the situation is taken care of. I make a bigger effort to bring attention to positive interactions. My actions have helped people get bonuses, raises, and promotions. When I walk in the store, I am welcomed and respected. People go out of their way to help. The rewards are huge. If I do stand up for someone or have a complaint, they listen. Karma or sowing seeds of kindness? Try it.
My personal belief for when I have to answer someone's questions is that "my word is law". Customers who do give me that "why?" reply basically tell me how ignorant they are of the matter at hand. I had some of that recently, someone thought they could do a card over the phone (red flag, never accept numbers over the phone), he tries to tell me that he can cuz another location like ours did it. I told him twice and he demanded a manager. People think the average employee is remedial and requires the knowledge of the higher ups, many of us do get training and firsthand experience is picked up along the way. If you know the policies and your position duties: Don't Panic. I feel especially bad for the guy cleaning up the mess at the pumps, he didn't deserve that because he clearly pointed out the markers blocking off access, it was for his safety and the customer's awareness.
this happened today to my manager - another companies accounts team sent an email on Fri & we have a 5 day turnaround response time. They sent an email today stating no one had replied to their emails (1 email - 3 days ago) no one was answering the phone each time they called & if no one was going to respond to them, they were going to take it further. Manager responds - hi, you only emailed once on Fri & we haven't had adequate time to look into your query yet, we are WFH as every office in the country is closed as per Government guidelines (this one happens so often - people think we are in the office somehow avoiding answering the office phones even though there is a WFH order nationwide - our mobile numbers are on the email) & if he wanted to 'take it further' then basically do it. Guy responded sheepish & apologized.
Plus, if you’re in the US, we just had a 3 day holiday weekend (4th of July). It boggles the mind how people, who themselves were off work for the long weekend, don’t realize that other companies were closed Monday as well.
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Why on earth are these "KARENS" described as "a LADY!" Surely, this is an insult to ladies. They should really be described as "women" or "females!"
Lazy management enables such disgusting behaviour in people. I've been at the receiving end in my youth and now that I employ people I'll never just take the words of "customers" at face value. My people need to know, if they did their jobs, I have their backs.
I was in costco gas line behind a boat attached to a truck. The guys had to fill truck and boat in separate transactions. I sat as they climbed on board the boat, had a beer. It was the land version of the infamous three hour tour Gilligan and the Captain took. Which is exactly what I named the two as they finished their beer. It was a lot motte fun than getting upset at. Some poor attendant. He couldn't believe I didn't move as the gas lines emptied out. In for a Penny, in for a pound. Not the end of the world.
People that act like this do it for various reasons: they feel like because it's them they can do it and they don't care who likes it; they are showing off depending on who is with them; they enjoy making people (workers who they feel are beneath them) feel small; they are so full of themselves and last but not least these people have more mental issues going on than any one you might ever imagine 😀
I had a customer get mad at me because I refused to do a job typesetting menu for his deli. He had been in before and was so rude to my employees I told them if anyone treats them like that, they didn't have to deal with them. Well this guy got even hotter after I told him I wouldn't do business with him. Started yelling "this is America! You have to do it." I replied "You're right. This is America and that's why I don't have to do business with you. Ever. Now please get out, we have a deadline to meet."
I like to stand there and watch it all go down, and if there is no violence and they go for the manager...I yell "THAT IS NOT TRUE AT ALL. I watched the whole thing happen!" Those karen types hate that.
It would be better if people confronted her there at the moment. But they don't wanna get involved or some other lame cowardly excuse...
I stopped hanging out with a friend because she is/was so rude to people and it was never her fault...yes it was.
I work in a public library and OMG we get them all the time. Seriously, you have no idea how hostile some people get when they can't get more than their 20 daily allotment of free printouts, be first in line for the latest Patterson novel, and god forbid you tell them to put a mask on during a pandemic like the mayor (your boss' boss' boss) instructed. I've seen women my mother's age throw tantrums nearly to the floor. Naturally I can't say anything and my manager always takes the patrons' side. Which is why when I am a customer, I *ALWAYS* speak up for the employee when I witness bullying. I just wish someone would do that for me just once. I hauled off and fussed at some entitled witch in the grocery store who lit into a cashier who had clearly been on her feet for hours and just turned off her cashier light to go on break when some woman started unloading groceries on her lane anyway. Rude lady started telling cashier how unprofessional she was. I let that bully verbally have it.
My daughter and I were standing in line at Subway and the customer in front of us had a long list of sandwiches to be made. The list had all the information for each sandwich. He quickly goes from one sandwich to the next, including all the toppings, without giving the employee time to get all the different breads off the shelf. This "man" starts degrading the employee who's doing the best they can while remaining professional and courteous. When the man finally gets his order and pays, he complains loudly to the manager. When we get to the cash register I let the manager know that the man was rude, rushing the order, had the list but was mixing all the sandwiches up and then getting mad that it wasn't made correctly and so on. We let him know that the employee went beyond being nice to this "customer" and we appreciated how well they took care of our order after that ordeal. The manager was thankful that they got the point of view from another customer. Just be nice.
I was working in a kitschy little gift shop (I was about 18) with real, working vintage (1800s/1900s) cash registers - think big old wooden registers with huge buttons you had to push to ring items up. It would take forever to ring up large orders, but customers loved the experience. We often had tour buses stop at the shop, since we were just off the highway, and this day, we had 2 busloads of elderly folks in the store. This lady & her companion came up to my register, so I started ringing them up & counting her change back to her. I made a small mistake in her change and immediately corrected it - she went off. "You're SO stupid! That's not right! What's WRONG with you?!?" and so on. Her outburst made things worse, so I was struggling to count her change back to her without bursting into tears, as she kept going on & on about how stupid I was. Her friend slapped her on the arm & told her to shut up & let me do my job. Rest of the transaction finished in silence.
I would absolutely stand up for an employee in a situation like that, or any situation where an employee is being treated unfairly by a customer. They have enough to put up with without be abused by some bitter, entitled person desperately in need of psychotherapy.
So she literally did made the phone call, I always though its just an empty threat. What kind of human being goes to that length to make other people miserable?.... oh wait... a Karen..
Please, OP, don't refer to this nasty, entitled bitch as a lady. When I was young, that was a term of respect.
As a woman named Karen, I find it interesting that the heading refers to "a Karen", yet there is nothing in the article saying that. Bored Panda is promoting this horrible bullying by throwing that overused term to bait people into reading the article. They should be ashamed.
Thank you! Honestly, it's catching on so much I'm almost scared to introduce myself xD
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I know this isn't the point of the story but I can't help noticing this is only about the Karen... because there is no name for a man that does this... It irritates me that Bored Panda uses this phrase so freely. Working in customer service, I have found it is now used for any woman over 30 with a complaint.
There is actually. Kyle and Ken are the most common ones I've heard for men that act like this.
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It's common in many countries. But tales from the US are more shared than others.
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Similar but different, i once called a manager when I witnessed a foreign employee being bullied by a local employee. She was so horrible to her right In front of me as if I wasn't there. I told manager in front of the bully what I saw. Stand up against bullies! Silence and inaction lets them get away with it
Do one better and compliment every time you can. Don't just do it when horrible people are being nasty (though definitely do it then if you can help sway things back). Get the names of cashiers and servers; drop quick messages on websites and via email. Doesn't have to be long or fancy. "I was in your restaurant on x date at y time and was served by Jason. He was courteous and friendly and a real asset to your staff. Thanks for a great visit, Jason!" or whatever. I do this a lot - less so since covid since I don't go out much - and it helps me keep a positive mindset about things as well as providing some positivity for the world. Say the compliments. Contact the manager for good service. Please.
I agree wholeheartedly! People are so quick to complain when they feel everything is not up to par. We should all take a moment to praise as well when it is warranted. Keep it up.
Load More Replies... I don't get it. Do they get high or something, when they act like that? I mean, it was unprovoked, uncalled for and she still wanted to get this guy fired for no reason
It's an endorphine rush of power for some. That's why some people when they feel powerless because of forces above them, decide to kick down. Most abuses of power, from excessive use of police force to teachers humiliating kids, are just that --- the mentally weak kicking down.
Load More Replies... I just can't understand what these self entitled men and women think they achieve with such behavior. They just make others pissed off and sad, while they themselves don't really get anything out of it.
I think (based on some I've known) that they live in a hostile world of their own creation. They enter into every human interaction on the defensive with a heightened awareness to anything they perceive as an attack when it is actually just someone resisting their aggressive approach a little bit. The rest of the world looks at them and wonders what the F is wrong with them.
Load More Replies... As an Gas Station employee for 18 years and a Manager for 5, I really really appreciate those customers. They are rare, but let me say from the bottom of my heart, me and my employee love you!!!
I have done this for waitstaff and retail workers so many times. For those wondering, if you complain horribly to a manager at a nice restaurant, they will comp your meal (please do not do this, I am merely explaining why someone would). I have noticed that society tends to reward the absolute worst traits humanity has to offer. When I see something like this go down, I always defend people to a manager, but who knows if I actually helped. I have legitimately seen people order lobster and like 3-4 bottles of wine and then yell until they don't have to pay. It turns out that most other countries don't have "the customer is always right" for this exact reason. Although, my understanding is that it's supposed to be "the customer is always right in matters of taste", meaning give/make what people want. And this got shortened to the dogmatic nonsense of "the customer is always right" no matter how obviously incorrect and nightmarish they are.
I regularly get discounts at places I am known for speaking up mostly about good experiences. Only complaining fairly and complimenting others at the same time. I talk to employees before complaining. Is this a problem or following policy? Did I misunderstand? No need to ask or hint, discounts are offered. 20% discount regularly adds up. You can not even image the benefits of a compliment. Sometimes spoken loud enough for others to hear. Try the customer is always treats us with kindness and respect.
Load More Replies... As a middle aged white lady I have to say: sorry for my kind. I had my time working retail. I know what it's like to be yelled and screamed it. I try to me kind to everyone I interact with.
Be a positive force in the world. Say more good, than bad. It is a choice. I do complain because if I were the manager I would want to know; this person lowers the quality of my visit -- totally unfair to the rest of the employees. How can you maintain quality without knowing. As a result they listen and ask for more information, I know the situation is taken care of. I make a bigger effort to bring attention to positive interactions. My actions have helped people get bonuses, raises, and promotions. When I walk in the store, I am welcomed and respected. People go out of their way to help. The rewards are huge. If I do stand up for someone or have a complaint, they listen. Karma or sowing seeds of kindness? Try it.
My personal belief for when I have to answer someone's questions is that "my word is law". Customers who do give me that "why?" reply basically tell me how ignorant they are of the matter at hand. I had some of that recently, someone thought they could do a card over the phone (red flag, never accept numbers over the phone), he tries to tell me that he can cuz another location like ours did it. I told him twice and he demanded a manager. People think the average employee is remedial and requires the knowledge of the higher ups, many of us do get training and firsthand experience is picked up along the way. If you know the policies and your position duties: Don't Panic. I feel especially bad for the guy cleaning up the mess at the pumps, he didn't deserve that because he clearly pointed out the markers blocking off access, it was for his safety and the customer's awareness.
this happened today to my manager - another companies accounts team sent an email on Fri & we have a 5 day turnaround response time. They sent an email today stating no one had replied to their emails (1 email - 3 days ago) no one was answering the phone each time they called & if no one was going to respond to them, they were going to take it further. Manager responds - hi, you only emailed once on Fri & we haven't had adequate time to look into your query yet, we are WFH as every office in the country is closed as per Government guidelines (this one happens so often - people think we are in the office somehow avoiding answering the office phones even though there is a WFH order nationwide - our mobile numbers are on the email) & if he wanted to 'take it further' then basically do it. Guy responded sheepish & apologized.
Plus, if you’re in the US, we just had a 3 day holiday weekend (4th of July). It boggles the mind how people, who themselves were off work for the long weekend, don’t realize that other companies were closed Monday as well.
Load More Replies... Why on earth are these "KARENS" described as "a LADY!" Surely, this is an insult to ladies. They should really be described as "women" or "females!"
Lazy management enables such disgusting behaviour in people. I've been at the receiving end in my youth and now that I employ people I'll never just take the words of "customers" at face value. My people need to know, if they did their jobs, I have their backs.
I was in costco gas line behind a boat attached to a truck. The guys had to fill truck and boat in separate transactions. I sat as they climbed on board the boat, had a beer. It was the land version of the infamous three hour tour Gilligan and the Captain took. Which is exactly what I named the two as they finished their beer. It was a lot motte fun than getting upset at. Some poor attendant. He couldn't believe I didn't move as the gas lines emptied out. In for a Penny, in for a pound. Not the end of the world.
People that act like this do it for various reasons: they feel like because it's them they can do it and they don't care who likes it; they are showing off depending on who is with them; they enjoy making people (workers who they feel are beneath them) feel small; they are so full of themselves and last but not least these people have more mental issues going on than any one you might ever imagine 😀
I had a customer get mad at me because I refused to do a job typesetting menu for his deli. He had been in before and was so rude to my employees I told them if anyone treats them like that, they didn't have to deal with them. Well this guy got even hotter after I told him I wouldn't do business with him. Started yelling "this is America! You have to do it." I replied "You're right. This is America and that's why I don't have to do business with you. Ever. Now please get out, we have a deadline to meet."
I like to stand there and watch it all go down, and if there is no violence and they go for the manager...I yell "THAT IS NOT TRUE AT ALL. I watched the whole thing happen!" Those karen types hate that.
It would be better if people confronted her there at the moment. But they don't wanna get involved or some other lame cowardly excuse...
I stopped hanging out with a friend because she is/was so rude to people and it was never her fault...yes it was.
I work in a public library and OMG we get them all the time. Seriously, you have no idea how hostile some people get when they can't get more than their 20 daily allotment of free printouts, be first in line for the latest Patterson novel, and god forbid you tell them to put a mask on during a pandemic like the mayor (your boss' boss' boss) instructed. I've seen women my mother's age throw tantrums nearly to the floor. Naturally I can't say anything and my manager always takes the patrons' side. Which is why when I am a customer, I *ALWAYS* speak up for the employee when I witness bullying. I just wish someone would do that for me just once. I hauled off and fussed at some entitled witch in the grocery store who lit into a cashier who had clearly been on her feet for hours and just turned off her cashier light to go on break when some woman started unloading groceries on her lane anyway. Rude lady started telling cashier how unprofessional she was. I let that bully verbally have it.
My daughter and I were standing in line at Subway and the customer in front of us had a long list of sandwiches to be made. The list had all the information for each sandwich. He quickly goes from one sandwich to the next, including all the toppings, without giving the employee time to get all the different breads off the shelf. This "man" starts degrading the employee who's doing the best they can while remaining professional and courteous. When the man finally gets his order and pays, he complains loudly to the manager. When we get to the cash register I let the manager know that the man was rude, rushing the order, had the list but was mixing all the sandwiches up and then getting mad that it wasn't made correctly and so on. We let him know that the employee went beyond being nice to this "customer" and we appreciated how well they took care of our order after that ordeal. The manager was thankful that they got the point of view from another customer. Just be nice.
I was working in a kitschy little gift shop (I was about 18) with real, working vintage (1800s/1900s) cash registers - think big old wooden registers with huge buttons you had to push to ring items up. It would take forever to ring up large orders, but customers loved the experience. We often had tour buses stop at the shop, since we were just off the highway, and this day, we had 2 busloads of elderly folks in the store. This lady & her companion came up to my register, so I started ringing them up & counting her change back to her. I made a small mistake in her change and immediately corrected it - she went off. "You're SO stupid! That's not right! What's WRONG with you?!?" and so on. Her outburst made things worse, so I was struggling to count her change back to her without bursting into tears, as she kept going on & on about how stupid I was. Her friend slapped her on the arm & told her to shut up & let me do my job. Rest of the transaction finished in silence.
I would absolutely stand up for an employee in a situation like that, or any situation where an employee is being treated unfairly by a customer. They have enough to put up with without be abused by some bitter, entitled person desperately in need of psychotherapy.
So she literally did made the phone call, I always though its just an empty threat. What kind of human being goes to that length to make other people miserable?.... oh wait... a Karen..
Please, OP, don't refer to this nasty, entitled bitch as a lady. When I was young, that was a term of respect.
As a woman named Karen, I find it interesting that the heading refers to "a Karen", yet there is nothing in the article saying that. Bored Panda is promoting this horrible bullying by throwing that overused term to bait people into reading the article. They should be ashamed.
Thank you! Honestly, it's catching on so much I'm almost scared to introduce myself xD
Load More Replies... I know this isn't the point of the story but I can't help noticing this is only about the Karen... because there is no name for a man that does this... It irritates me that Bored Panda uses this phrase so freely. Working in customer service, I have found it is now used for any woman over 30 with a complaint.
There is actually. Kyle and Ken are the most common ones I've heard for men that act like this.
Load More Replies... It's common in many countries. But tales from the US are more shared than others.
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