Isn’t it annoying when some people think they’re above the rules?

Imagine working at a military base, but you’re not in the military. If a high ranking military member made a rule but didn’t expect to follow the rule himself, would you comply, or would you think everyone should follow the rules?

In this story, one young woman is in this exact situation. Let’s see how she handles it.

Sorry sir, I can’t serve you

This is an old story from my mom, she worked on an Air Force Base in a made-to-order breakfast and lunch counter in the Officer’s Club as a teenager in the 70s.

M: My Mom CO: Club Manager, a Colonel SM: Shift Manager AM: Assistant Club Manager

Every day, CO would get the same lunch. A single hot dog, and a beer. Without question, every day.

He didn’t think this rule through very well!

Workers from the Officer’s Club upstairs would often drink on their lunch breaks as well, but CO wasn’t a fan.

So CO made a rule: “Alcohol can not be served to employees on their work day.”

A light lit up in M’s head, she, and all of her coworkers, knew what to do. When the CO came down for his daily beer and hot dog, he found no beer.

CO: “Where is my beer? I get the same thing every day and you can’t get me a beer? Get me my beer!”

A lot of people were impressed at what OP’s mom did.

M: “I’m sorry sir, but I can’t serve you. The new rule you put in place says that employees can’t be served alcohol.”

CO took the issue to M’s shift manager, a total kiss-up.

SM: “Sorry sir, I’ll get that beer right away sir, my apologies. This will never happen again sir.”

Unbeknownst to M, word quickly got around to the workers in the Club that some girl at the counter refused CO a beer. For days, men would come down and say things like, “Are you the girl that stood up to the Colonel? I want to shake your hand.”

The assistant club manager made the situation very clear.

A few days later, AM, a very kind Austrian man with a very thick german accent, pulled M aside during her shift, going to a linen closet to have privacy.

AM: “Now I know you were just following the rules, but you really can’t act like that to the Colonel.”

He chided her, but was pretty sympathetic to the whole situation.

She wasn’t fired, but let’s just say she never served CO his lunch again.

She was just a teenager working at the club. She wasn’t part of the military. Does she really need to make exceptions to the rules for high ranking military members who actually made up the very rule they want to break? That shouldn’t be the case.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

The CO definitely won.

Unfortunately, this seems to be true based on this story.

I like this strategy.

He could’ve modified the rule.

This story does not make the military look good.

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.