“She Told Her In Perfect English That She Didn’t Speak English”: French Worker Refuses To Serve An American, Regrets It When She Comes Back With Her French Husband

Whether we mean to or not, all of us make automatic judgments about others when we first see them. And you can’t deny that your opinion changes slightly when you learn what country someone’s from. It’s at that moment that all the little stereotypes you’ve heard throughout your life light up in your mind. But that’s no excuse to be rude to someone. Especially if they’re a customer intent on making a bunch of expensive purchases.

Redditor u/Mkheir01 went viral on the r/pettyrevenge subreddit after sharing her mother’s story about visiting Paris in the 1970s. She had revealed how her mom, a stamp collector, ran into a rude post office employee. She then dealt out a slice of revenge in one of the most polite ways possible, with the help of her French-speaking husband. Read on for the full story!

Bored Panda reached out to u/Mkheir01, and she was kind enough to share her thoughts on her mother’s delightful story, dealing with rude employees, and tourism as a whole. You’ll find our interview with the author of the post as you scroll down.

Unfortunately, some people are rude to others simply because they’re foreigners

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

A woman shared how her parents dealt with an unpleasant post office employee in Paris, back in the 1970s

Image credits: Mason B. (not the actual photo)

The author of the post also responded to some of the comments in a later update

Image credits: Mkheir01

“My mother’s story absolutely delighted me when she told me about it because it’s just so out of character”

Redditor u/Mkheir01’s post made a big splash on the r/pettyrevenge subreddit. However, the OP isn’t exactly sure why people enjoyed it so much. “I think it maybe had to do with a meek person overcoming a challenge,” she told Bored Panda.

She opened up to us that her mom actually has a lot of collections. Besides stamps, she also collects clocks, perfume bottles, coins, and… reindeer stuffed animals! “I remember when my sister and I were younger she tried to get us into collecting as well but it didn’t really pan out,” the OP said.

We were interested in getting u/Mkheir01’s take on how best to deal with rude employees. In her opinion, simply walking out without buying anything is usually the right way to go.

“I’ve worked a lot of retail in the past and with the current climate, I don’t think either party should be being rude to anyone. Maybe this is why my mother was so shocked because in the 1970s, things were a lot different and I think this may have been one of the first times she was treated like this.”

Image credits: Patrick Tomasso (not the actual photo)

Meanwhile, the OP shared her thoughts on locals being accommodating to tourists and travelers. “With the rise of air travel and the ‘flattening’ of the planet, I think that over time, hospitality has increased dramatically worldwide,” she told Bored Panda.

“But the US is a different beast because nearly all of us are mixed by now. I live in LA and I think I read somewhere that there are about 200 languages spoken in this city alone. Whereas if you go to France or Greece or Russia, etc, and just about everyone speaks the native language and a pool of about 10 others make up the entirety of second languages there.”

According to u/Mkheir01, Americans can be difficult tourists, too. “I was joking with my coworkers about this last week where I said people in Europe play Spot The American with us when adult men wear shorts and still stay in the streets when the lights turn green because pedestrians are used to having the right of way,” she quipped. “In Europe, do NOT stay in the street when the crosswalk says to stop, you will get hit,” she warned.

“As English becomes the dominant second language in most countries, we also get used to being able to travel with ease and when we come across a local who doesn’t speak English we act like its some kind of snob,” u/Mkheir01 explained that she’s seen this herself.

“I do think tourists need to read the room when they spend time in foreign countries, and not expect everyone to cater to them or adjust certain aspects of their culture for them, like when westerners visit Dubai and they’re asked to not wear tank tops and short shorts as Dubai is in a very Muslim country,” she said. “My mother’s story absolutely delighted me when she told me about it because it’s just so out of character.”

Revenge doesn’t have to be loud and flashy to be effective. Sometimes, politeness and patience are all that it takes

Image credits: Clay Banks (not the actual photo)

Collecting stamps is a fantastic hobby that merges art, history, and geography. Naturally, stamp lovers—philatelists—would assume that post office workers are their allies, as both of them share similar interests. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, as redditor u/Mkheir01 revealed in her retelling of her mom’s story.

Some post office workers might have no love for stamps or the post service at all. For them, it might be a job that simply pays the bills. And, realistically, we can’t expect everyone to have landed their dream jobs. However, the real issue is that the Paris postal service employee was incredibly rude to the OP’s mother.

It seems like the employee’s prejudices about Americans shone through. So instead of selling a whole bunch of stamps, she ended up being taught a lesson that she (hopefully) never forgot. Redditor u/Mkheir01’s mom went back to the post office with her French-speaking husband, and the two of them ended up wasting the employee’s time in an extremely civilized fashion. Petty revenge doesn’t always have to be loud and garish—it can be creative but straightforward, and incredibly polite.

Before traveling abroad, it’s usually a good idea to take some time to learn at least a few basic phrases so that you can converse with the locals. Even if your pronunciation isn’t perfect or you make a few silly mistakes, it doesn’t matter much. The point is that you’re showing that you’ve put in the effort and that you’re respecting everyone’s culture and customs. This can make the locals more positively predisposed toward you. However, it’s always a two-way street.

The locals, in turn, have to do their best to set aside their assumptions about tourists, foreigners, Americans, etc. Because if you start off any conversation by instantly dismissing someone as ‘uncultured’ or ‘good for nothing,’ you’ve basically created a self-fulfilling prophecy where, no matter what the other person does, they’ll never be able to meet your imaginary standards. Meanwhile, if you’re open-minded and treat others how you’d like to be treated, you might even end up friends… or you’ll make a major sale.

Quite a few French people know how to speak English these days

Image credits: George Pak (not the actual photo)

In pop culture, the French are known to ‘despise’ tourists, especially those who can’t speak their language. However, in reality, the French are no different than the citizens of most other countries. Wherever you travel, you’ll see your fair share of friendly folks, as well as some rude individuals who are either having an awful day and lash out or who take their national pride to impractical extremes.

According to a 2012 Eurobarometer report, around 39% of French people speak English. Meanwhile, The Local reported in 2019 that 57.25% of people in the country have a ‘reasonable proficiency’ in English. This number rises to 60.28% in the French capital, Paris. Moreover, it’s more likely that young people speak better English than their parents. So it’s not a necessity to learn French before jetting off for a fun vacation from somewhere within the anglosphere, however, it’s always a plus. Besides, learning a new language is often fun (despite all the grammar quirks).

However you deal with rude employees, don’t answer anger with anger

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

How you deal with a rude employee is entirely up to you. However, it’s best not to answer arrogance and anger with arrogance and anger. In short, you want to de-escalate the conflict (even if they’re entirely in the wrong), not pour oil on the flames. At the same time, it’s important that you retain your dignity and remind the other person that they’ve clearly overstepped their professional boundaries.

You might, for instance, tell them that they’re acting inappropriately and that you’d like to speak to their manager. Explain the situation. Try to find a compromise. Be friendly but firm and keep a lid on your emotions even if the employee can’t. Of course, this doesn’t help much if the worker’s manager is just as bad as (or even worse than!) their subordinate.

You also always have the option to ignore someone else’s rudeness and simply get on with your day. Though by far the most entertaining option is embracing the situation, smiling, and cooking up a quick little plan for some petty revenge! After all, you’re on holiday. Why not have a spot of fun?

Alas, because of the experience, the woman’s mom didn’t end up getting any French stamps

Here’s how some internet users reacted to the entire story

Meanwhile, some readers shared their own similar stories

Others had a lot to say about Parisians

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