May 26, 2026 at 5:15 pm

Makeup Store Employee Storms Off After Simple Lipstick Price Question Leads to Misunderstanding

by Heather Hall

Woman looking for a price at a makeup store

Pexels/Reddit

Sometimes all it takes is one misunderstanding for someone to completely overreact.

This shopper was helping a friend at a makeup store when she realized a lipstick did not have a price listed anywhere. After an employee told her to ask the cashier instead, she waited in line and politely asked how much the lipstick cost.

But instead of answering the question, the cashier scanned the item and treated it as any other purchase transaction.

When the customer clarified that she only wanted the price, the cashier completely lost her cool.

Read on to see why the customer decided to report the situation to the store.

AITA for complaining about a rude cashier?

I was shopping with my friends in a makeup store which sells various brands.

My friend likes a lipstick, but the price of that item is not written, so I grab it for her and ask an employee. She tells me that I have to ask the cashier.

I think this is actually a pretty normal thing, since the employees don’t have to memorize everything.

The woman was not happy about the price check.

So I get in the line, I wait a couple of minutes, and when it’s finally my turn, I ask the cashier, “May I learn the price of this lipstick?” while making eye contact.

She scans it, proceeds to bag it, and demands payment. I politely tell her that I only wanted to know the price of it.

This is where it gets out of control. She looks at me in disgust, and she basically yells a very sarcastic “Thank you!” to my face, then storms out.

After the store returned her call, she second-guessed the decision.

I think this behavior is very uncalled for, and I am not at fault.

I think she was really rude. And she might have had a bad day, I am aware of that. But as a customer, I felt like this is not an ok thing to do.

So I called the information center of the store, and complained about her. A week later, the store informed me that she got a warning and now I am not sure about my behavior.

AITA?

Yowzers! It does sound like the cashier was a little out line.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a third-generation business owner who is thinking he might know the people in his community a bit too well.

Let’s see what the readers over at Reddit think about what happened.

This person thinks the cashier deserved it.

Rude Cashier 3 Makeup Store Employee Storms Off After Simple Lipstick Price Question Leads to Misunderstanding

Here’s someone who tries to call out the person.

Rude Cashier 2 Makeup Store Employee Storms Off After Simple Lipstick Price Question Leads to Misunderstanding

According to this casher, the woman handled it poorly.

Rude Cashier 1 Makeup Store Employee Storms Off After Simple Lipstick Price Question Leads to Misunderstanding

Great point.

Rude Cashier Makeup Store Employee Storms Off After Simple Lipstick Price Question Leads to Misunderstanding

The cashier made the situation way bigger than it needed to be.

It sounds like she misunderstood the question, and when she got embarrassed, she took it on the customer instead of correcting the mistake and moving on.

And while everyone has bad days at work, acting like this is never acceptable.

A simple, “Oh sorry, I thought you wanted to buy it,” would have solved the whole thing.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.