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Getting a part-time job is supposed to feel like a win, but for one college student, it turned into an unexpected obligation.
She was ecstatic when she landed a job, since she was already juggling savings and sending part of her earnings home to help with bills.
That’s when a classmate she barely spoke to outside of assignments overheard the news and decided that meant free food was now on the table.
The student laughed it off at first, assuming it was a joke. It wasn’t.
The requests kept coming, and when she finally turned them down, it earned her an unflattering new reputation for being cheap.
You’ll want to keep reading — redditors had some strong opinions on this one.
AITA for refusing to treat a classmate after she overheard that I got a job?
I’m a third-year college student and recently got a part-time job.
I was talking about it with two classmates who are actually close friends of mine when another classmate overheard us.
We get along fine at school, but we’ve never hung out outside class or even messaged each other unless it was about an assignment.
Hearing the news about her new job soon gave this girl the wrong ideas.
When she heard I was working, she immediately said I should treat everyone to food once I got paid.
I laughed because I thought she was joking, but she brought it up again a few days later and asked when I was taking them out.
She quickly tries to set this delusional classmate straight.
I told her I wasn’t planning to because I’m saving for our OJT in June.
I’ve also already given some of my earnings to my parents and grandparents to help with bills, so I barely have enough left to buy anything for myself.
The girl quickly pulls the guilt trip card.
She said I was taking it too seriously and that treating people after getting a new job is normal.
I replied that I might treat my close friends someday if I can afford it, but I’m not paying for a group meal just because people found out I have a job.
Then this classmate started spreading unfair rumours.
She got quiet and later told another classmate that I had become stingy as soon as I started earning money.
Now things feel awkward whenever we’re in the same group.
AITA?
This classmate needs to come back to planet Earth.
What did Reddit make of this ridiculous request?
This girl really needs to work on her entitled attitude.
Self-awareness is clearly not a strength of hers.
The premise of this is so ridiculous this reader hardly believes it’s even real.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a grandson who is tired of driving 5 hours one way to work on his grandparent’s investment property for free.
Boundaries (or lack thereof) are a clear issue here.
A paycheck doesn’t come with an automatic obligation to fund other people’s meals, especially not for someone who’s barely more than a classmate.
At the end of the day, this student shouldn’t have to explain prioritizing savings and helping family with bills. That’s pretty much basic financial responsibility.
The audacity to call someone else stingy when you refuse to pay for your own meals? That’s just crazy.
Wanting free food from someone you don’t even hang out with is just about as entitled as it gets.