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No good deed goes unpunished, especially in retail.

One employee bent the rules just once, letting a customer into the store 45 minutes before opening after she missed a later Sunday start time and it threw off her travel plans.

She was quick, polite, and grateful, and he made sure to clarify it was a one time exception, not a new policy. That should have been the end of it.

Instead, she came back a month later expecting the same treatment, and when the boss turned her away, she pointed straight at the employee who’d helped her the first time.

That’s when a small act of kindness turned into an awkward moment nobody saw coming.

Keep reading for the full scoop.

Tried to be nice.

I once let a woman come into the store 45 minutes before we opened to make a purchase.

This was outside of store protocol, but the retail employee was feeling kind.

It was a Sunday, so opening was an hour later than usual, which she had missed, and this kinda messed with her travelling plans. Decided to be nice and let her in to make her purchase anyway.

Thankfully she knew exactly what she wanted and was in and out in just a few minutes, but I told her I was making an exception and that I wasn’t actually allowed to do this.

This soon came back to bite him though.

Later that month she returned an hour before we opened. Manager told her we’re still closed. She pointed past him at me and went, “But HE let me do it two weeks ago!”

You give some people an inch, they take a mile.

What an awful customer.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

This experience no doubt taught this employee a valuable lesson.

This could have been a huge liability.

Some customers no know limits.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a longtime bank customer who walked away after the teller gave them a hard time.

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Everyone has a different moral compass.

This customer was so unabashedly manipulative that it was almost impressive.

This employee did something genuinely thoughtful, bending a rule to help a customer whose travel plans were on the line.

Regardless of the outcome, it’s a good reminder that exceptions rarely stay exceptions for entitled people.

Some people don’t deserve your generosity.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.