Imagine working retail, and a customer arrives 5 minutes before closing time. To make it worse, by the time you’re done helping the customer in line before them, it’s actually after closing time. Would you help the customer anyway even though you’d have to work overtime, or would you lock up and go home?

In this story, one person is in this exact situation at a gas station, and they refuse to work overtime.

Keep reading to see how the customer reacts when she starts to realize things may not be going her way.

Closing in 5 minutes.

This happended while I was working at a gas station in high school, i had recently put in my two weeks notice and was ready to graduate and move to the city.

I used to work at 1 of 2 gas stations in town while I was in highschool. During the summer we were open until 8:00pm and the other store was open until 10:00pm.

At 7:50 a guy pulls up with his boat and I start filling it. We chat a little and he asks when I close.

I tell him 8, he says he won’t waste my time wandering around the store then so I can go home on time (nice guy).

Another woman pulled up even closer to closing time.

Around 7:55pm a woman pulls up behind the guy and sits in her car.

After about a minute I realize that she isn’t going to pull her car around to the other pump so I go over to her and tell her we close in less than 4 minutes. M: me W:

Woman

M: Hi there, we’re closing in less than 5 minutes do you mind just pulling around so I can get you through a little quicker.

The woman refused to move.

W: No, I’m fine, I just need $20. I notice her holding a $20 in her hand.

M: well if you just wanna pull around I can get through real quick.

W: I’ll wait thanks.

M: if you wait I likely won’t have time to pump your gas, my boss is pretty strict about closing on time.

The woman was pretty rude.

W: you can do your job.

M: ….

At this point the boat is done so I take out the nozzle and go inside to put the guy through.

Our system was pretty slow so by the time he finished I had everything pretty much locked up.

She had forgotten all about the lady outside.

Then I remember the woman outside, and sure enough she’s still sitting out there.

I look over at the clock. 8:05pm.

I sigh, there’s no way I’m going back outside to do this lady’s gas as I told her when I close, it’s already past closing, and my boss doesn’t like paying overtime.

I close up the store, turn off the signs, cash out the till and as I’m putting the money in the safe boat guy pulls away.

The lady finally realized things might not go her way.

Lady pulls up to the pumps and just sits there.

As I’m leaving at around 8:15pm hungry and tired because I had to close by myself in a lakefront town in summer this lady begins yelling to me.

W: are you going to pump my gas?! Note: I hate people like this.

M: we closed 15 minutes ago.

The lady is still holding out hopes things will go her way.

W: But I told you to wait and pump my gas.

M (under my breath): excuse me?

M: I asked if you could pull around so I could pump your gas and you said no.

W: so are you going to pump my gas or not?

She knows the woman is lying.

M (screaming internally): I cannot pump your gas, the pump is off, the door is locked, the alarms are set, and all the money is in the safe. I physically cannot pump your gas.

W: I know (insert full name of boss that nobody other than strangers call him), he’s my neighbor, so pump my gas.

Note: she is not his neighbor, I know like everybody in this town and where they live.

I ignore her and keep walking to my car.

She put the lady in her place.

The woman continues yelling.

W: this is why you work in a gas station! You’re too stupid to have a real job. Now pump my ****ing gas or I’ll have you fired.

I stop and turn around.

M: First of all, I asked you to pull your car around and you wouldn’t. Second of all I told you I literally cannot pump your gas. Third of all, even if I could pump your gas I wouldn’t, I don’t get paid past 8 and I have finals to go home and study for. Fourth, if you were his neighbor you’d know how he gets about closing on time. And lastly, I’ve had it up to here with your attitude.

She doesn’t let the lady get to her.

The lady recoils a little. W: that’s it! I’m calling (insert name of boss here) and getting you fired.

M: go ahead, I already put my 2 weeks notice in, (boss’s name) wouldn’t fire me anyway as I’m one of the few employees he has left that aren’t all new seasonal workers, and he would 100% side with me anyway.

At this point I tune her out and go to my car, get in, turn it on and pulling out of the parking lot, as I’m leaving I see her get out of her car and try the pumps.

M: but why tho?

I’m a little confused about the concept of having an employee pump your gas for you, and 8pm is awfully early for a gas station to close. Regardless, that entitled woman hopefully learned that she can’t always have things her way just by demanding it.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This would’ve been a good comeback.

A grocery store employee shares their experience.

Another person rants about customers who insult working students.

It was weird for me too.

If you arrive moments before closing time, you’ve arrived too late.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.