A word to the wise…

You’re not supposed to step on your co-workers’ toes and steal their customers!

It seems like common sense, but, as the saying goes, common sense ain’t too common these days.

Check out what this Reddit user had to say about a co-worker who stepped over the line.

AITA for telling my colleague she interrupted me, spoke over me, and took my customer from me?

“I have a colleague who’s very young and privileged.

I was talking to a customer about specific items when she came up to him and said “Hi what is it I can help you with?” as if I wasn’t there.

I just let it play out as she continued to help him.

It’s tense in there!

I get the sense sometimes because we’re at the same rung in the ladder she sees me as the competition and the need to show me up.

Even though I’m older, she always asks me for advice and I gladly give it because I want her to be good at her job, and I even give her snacks when she says she’s hungry.

Anyways, I calmly said to her a few minutes later when she asked me to help someone else: “Hey, that was my customer, FYI” and then “But you interrupted me” when she said she was just trying to be helpful.

I was very calm, barely above a whisper, and definitely wasn’t rude.

A couple hours later I said to her: “Maybe next time just ask if you want to…”

It was about to blow up.

She interrupted me saying “You didn’t have to react that way. You hurt me!”

I should have told her I didn’t do anything “reactive,” I merely told her facts, but instead I told her she’s been rude to me in the past and I just let it go.

She asked for examples and I gave them.

She said “okay” like she was processing it.

Here come the waterworks…

Next thing I know I’ve been written up for being “rude” or “harsh” and that she left the building crying.

It’s too bad I have audio recordings of all this showing I not only wasn’t rude or harsh, but she never left the building and was happily helping customers afterwards, clearly not affected by it. (I am in a one party recording state so it’s not illegal.)

But a small part of me still wonders…did I step out of line?

I feel like this is just interpersonal maintenance 101 when you feel you’ve been elbowed out and spoken over, and her bull after the fact is just a classic example of female tears.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person weighed in.

Another reader said they’re NTA.

This individual shared their thoughts.

Another Reddit user spoke up.

And this individual said they’re NTA.

Their co-worker definitely didn’t stay in her lane!

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.