July 12, 2025 at 1:49 pm

Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

by Heide Lazaro

Male cashier with eyeglasses smiling

Freepik/Reddit

Sometimes, people judge too quickly based on others’ behavior.

Imagine working retail when you encounter a rude customer. Would you be rude back to them or brush off the rude behavior and be nice?

This man noticed that a customer wouldn’t speak or make eye contact with him. He thought he was being rude, but when the customer came back, he learned what was really going on.

Read the full story below for more details.

I’ve got a nice one, for once.

I work in a big box retail store.

A few months ago, a man came in and wouldn’t speak to me.

He wouldn’t answer any questions nor look me in the eyes.

This man thought the customer was just being rude.

I work in an unusual part of town, and I just assumed he was being a jerk.

I know he could hear me as he responded properly to swipe his card and followed through with the pin pad questions.

The customer came back and apologized.

Again, I just brushed it off, no big thing.

Twenty minutes later, he came back in and bought a pack of gum.

He looked me in the eyes, and said, “I’m sorry about my behavior earlier. I have panic attacks, and this was too much for me. I called my wife because I felt so terrible, and she told me to come back in and apologize.”

The same customer went back to the store.

I told him no biggie, I understand. I’ve had them my entire life, but it’s even sweeter when 2 to 3 months go by.

I see so many customers that I generally don’t remember faces.

This man and his teenage son come through my line yesterday.

He heard the sweetest line from the customer.

He says, “You don’t remember me, but I remember you. I had a panic attack and you understood. I try to come through your line every time you’re here.”

I don’t know, sometimes there is a silver lining in retail.

Sometimes being understanding can go a long way.

Let’s read the reactions of other people to this story on Reddit.

Here’s a short but sweet comment.

Screenshot 2025 06 09 at 9.24.10 PM Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

This person thinks he’s awesome.

Screenshot 2025 06 09 at 9.24.34 PM Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

Someone who suffers from panic attacks speaks up.

Screenshot 2025 06 09 at 9.25.05 PM Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

This makes me happy, says this person.

Screenshot 2025 06 09 at 9.26.06 PM Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

Finally, people are loving the story.

Screenshot 2025 06 09 at 9.27.37 PM Employee Thought A Customer Was Just Being Rude, But He Was Surprised When He Came Back And Explained Why He Was Behaving That Way

When you pay small attention to someone, it may leave a big impact.

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.