Every retail worker deserves a break after a long shift, but entitled customers don’t seem to care about that.

One Dairy Queen employee was moments away from sweet freedom when a rude customer demanded she stay longer to clean up a mess.

The resulting exchange was an awkward jumble that only put everyone on edge.

Read on for the full story.

i’m off the clock, lady

I work at Dairy Queen. I had just clocked off and was getting myself a Blizzard and waiting for it when the following happened.

M – me
K – Karen
A – my coworker who was off the clock
B – my coworker who was on the clock

M: *Sees A* “Bye, A!”

A: “Bye! Also, I think you left your Hydroflask in the back.”

M: “Oh, I did! Thank you!” Goes to get Hydroflask

In comes Karen.

K: Sees me coming out of the back “My kid spilled their shake and I need a big rag!”

M: “Oh, ma’am, I’m actually off the clock, I can’t help you, but my coworker can!” Gestures to B

B: Nods and gives K a thumbs up

This isn’t good enough for Karen.

K: “No, you need to help me now.”

My severe social anxiety kicks in full force.

So this employee decides to hide out in the back until the danger clears.

M: “Uh, okay.” Goes to the back to hang out until she’s gone

Two minutes later, M peeks around the corner to see if the lady is still there so I can grab my Blizzard and go.

But the coast wasn’t clear, so she retreats again.

K: Sees me “HEY YOU!!”

M: Goes back to the back.

M: Waits another few minutes and peeks around the corner to see the lady going out the door.

And just when she thought she was safe…

M: Grabs my Blizzard and goes out the back door.

M: Is driving and sees K in the parking lot.

K: Looks at me completely shocked.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

And before anyone asks — yes, she was wearing a mask.

Sometimes the best way to deal with entitled people is just to walk away.

What did Reddit think of all this?

For certain types of customers, it’s best to tread lightly.

If it were up to this commenter, they would have said this:

Just a few small word swaps could have made this rude demand into a polite request.

In the grand scheme of Karens out there, this one is actually pretty tame.

This story was one of those moments that reminded this retail worker that not every battle is worth fighting.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.