She Wasn’t Even on the Clock—but an Entitled Stranger Screamed at Her for Refusing Free Service
Pexels/Reddit
Wearing a uniform apparently makes you fair game for customer service duty anywhere you go, even at a store you’ve never worked at.
One woman, stopping by her regular gas station after a long shift for a treat-yourself slushie, was still dressed head to toe in her actual job’s uniform, hat, apron, name-branded shirt, all in colors that didn’t match the store she was standing in.
An older man approached her mid-slushie-fill and barked a demand for coffee, seemingly undeterred by every visual cue suggesting she didn’t belong there.
When she calmly said she didn’t know, his tone flipped instantly. That’s when the situation went from mildly annoying to outright insulting.
Keep reading for the full scoop.
“Where’s the coffee?”
I go to the same gas station very frequently after work to get a slushie to treat myself.
This patron thinks it’s very clear she doesn’t work at this particular store.
I’m in there the other night in full uniform (hat, apron, shirt) that is very clearly not affiliated with this store. Logo on the hat, apron has the business name in giant lettering, and the back of the shirt also has the business name written on it.
Not to mention the employee “colors” at my store are black and red and this store’s is green.
But that doesn’t stop a total stranger from mistaking her for an employee.
Older guy approaches me as I’m filling my cup (another clear sign I don’t work here), and quite literally barks at me, “Where’s the coffee?”
I had just had a long shift, and so I simply responded, “I don’t know.”
Here’s where things got ugly.
He gets MAD. Like his expression completely shifts. “What do you mean you don’t know!?”
I say, “I mean I don’t work here?”
He scoffs at me, mutters “Useless *****,” and then turns around and marches off.
She can hardly believe what she’s hearing.
Okay man. Cool. Entirely my fault you assume every person in any uniform works at a location they are currently at regardless of obvious signals to the contrary.
Also, why are we getting coffee at 10:15pm?
Apparently it wasn’t clear — at least to this guy.
What did Reddit think?
This fellow night shift worker defends a late-night cup of joe, but condemns this rude stranger.
Needless to say, the coffee probably wouldn’t have been that fresh anyway.
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This employee has their approach to dealing with difficult customers.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a client who regretted paying for a cross-country flight after the IT specialist just flipped a breaker.
This user would have taken drastic measures.
It’s honestly impressive how much gall this man had.
Clearly his anger wasn’t isolated on just the coffee. He’s the type of person who just can’t stand being told no, no matter what it’s about.
Nobody owes customer service simply because they’re wearing a work uniform, especially not one from an entirely different business.
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