August 17, 2025 at 1:49 pm

Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasn’t Offering To Work For Free

by Jayne Elliott

woman holding a floral wreath in a craft store

Shutterstock/Reddit

If you frequent a store, you may end up knowing your way around better than the employees. If you noticed an employee who looked lost, would you offer to help, or would you mind your own business?

In today’s story, one customer offers to help an employee who seemed to have trouble finding something, but the employee asked for more help than the customer was willing to provide.

Let’s see how the story plays out.

Just because I know the job better then you, doesn’t make you my boss…

Ok so this just happened a few days ago, nothing big, just a slightly annoying occurrence as a customer.

Another thing worth knowing is that this specific store has a dress code of a dark blue shirt with their logo and black pants, I was wearing a colorful and loud summer dress.

So I was browsing an arts and crafts store chain, (art book addict. I like looking at the things I can’t draw) when I saw a female worker seeming to be lost. I honestly thought she was new, since anyone who isn’t at the store regularly can get extremely lost, so I asked if she was looking for something.

It turns out, she did have a question.

Worker: Do you have any idea where the faux plants are, for school-type projects?

me: The mossy things? Yeah, over in Aisle next to the paints, there’s a giant orange sign above it kind of hidden by the starter kits.

Worker, handing me a GIANT box of the moss-stuff: great, go put this over there.

After several, painfully long seconds of me standing there awkwardly, she gives me the dirtiest glare ever: Well!? Go put it away!

The worker was obviously confused.

Me: I don’t work here. glanced at her badge, she was a manager.

Worker: oh……. well go do it anyway.

is this real life? Me: ………What?

worker, looking at me as if I was an idiot: Go put it away.

me:….

I just dropped the box and left, forget that lady.

You don’t boss customers around as if they’re your employees. How rude!

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person suggests contacting corporate.

Screenshot 2025 07 27 at 12.39.43 PM Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasnt Offering To Work For Free

Here’s another vote for contacting corporate.

Screenshot 2025 07 27 at 12.40.31 PM Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasnt Offering To Work For Free

This person loved the story.

Screenshot 2025 07 27 at 12.40.00 PM Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasnt Offering To Work For Free

Another person is pretty sure they know what store this is.

Screenshot 2025 07 27 at 12.40.53 PM Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasnt Offering To Work For Free

Knowing the store layout is pretty important!

Screenshot 2025 07 27 at 12.41.07 PM Customer Notices An Employee Looking Confused, But When She Asked If She Needed Help, She Wasnt Offering To Work For Free

How did that manager become a manager?

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.