She Couldn’t Remember What Something Was Called, So The Karen Customer Decided She Didn’t Speak The Language
by Ashley Ashbee

Pexels/Reddit
Some customers are just plain difficult. It’s like they want to make anyone who works in retail feel inferior to them.
What would you do if you working working retail and a rude customer insulted you just because you couldn’t think of what something was called?
Read on to see this customer’s weird behavior and how the retail worker handles the situation.
“You don’t know that word? Well, then, obviously you know nothing of this language.”
I used to work at a Brazilian supermarket (in Florida). The customers were pretty much all Brazilians, leading to almost everybody speaking (Brazilian) Portuguese.
My parents are from there, but I was born in North America.
It doesn’t stop her from doing her job. Until now. Sort of.
Although I do know how to speak Portuguese, sometimes my American accent bleeds through, and sometimes I don’t know a word or two.
People usually understand.
But not this one lady. Boy, did she have something to say. I was behind the customer service desk so I couldn’t leave, but the lady asked me where something was.
It was around the corner, near a certain shelf. I couldn’t remember what the word for “shelf” was, so I think I said, “fixture that holds things” or something like that.
The shelf was in sight of both of us, but she didn’t want to look.
“You don’t speak Portuguese. Get me someone else to help.”
It starts making sense.
Then my boss stepped in and asked, “Maria, would you be able to help this woman?”
She supposedly doesn’t understand anything I’m saying she needs help finding (item), which I said was over there, but I guess she needs to hear that in Portuguese, which, again, I apparently don’t speak.
It turned out that Maria was well aware of this customer and she complained about everything, so she wasn’t surprised that she was acting like an idiot.
She almost stopped as she had to stifle some laughter during my monologue.
The lady just kind of looked like someone had slapped her with an idiot stick.
That customer was being annoying for no reason.
Here is what people are saying on Reddit.
Absolutely. And eye contact.
It happens!
Whatever works! Haha
That’s so smart.
Well, of course!
I wonder what her deal is.
If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.
Categories: STORIES
Tags: · bad customer, customer service, diva, karen, language barrier, picture, reddit, retail, tales from retail, top

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