Entitlement doesn’t always come from loud voices or bold demands.

Sometimes it’s a quiet, elderly woman insisting she can walk out with unpaid merchandise because surely she means no harm. But this seasoned retail worker knew better.

Read on for the full story!

Can I Take These And Pay Later?

I remembered this one time, which we probably all faced at one point or another.

I was running cash and had a woman—maybe in her 70s or 80s—come up with a pack of batteries.

The transaction started off normal enough, but then everything went south.

I scanned them through and told her the total.

She then told me she forgot her purse at home and asked if she could take them and come back later to pay.

So when he told her no, her mask of kindness started to slip.

I said, “Unfortunately, I can’t let an item leave the store without it being paid for first. I can hold the item here until you come back, but I can’t let you take it without paying for it.”

She gave me this look like I was creating a huge inconvenience for her.

I remember her just giving a long, annoyed sigh, and then she walked out without saying a word.

I kept the batteries at my register for the day, but I don’t recall her ever coming back.

He never saw her again, but maybe that’s a good thing.

What did Reddit think?

This woman probably just planned on stealing the batteries.

This user has a pun ready to go.

If there’s one thing customers will always have, it’s the audacity.

Apparently this approach really does work for some people.

Her sigh wasn’t from disappointment — it was from not getting her way.

Clearly this customer wasn’t used to being told no.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.