Retail Workers Share Their Best Instant Karma Stories

You know what they say: what goes around comes around. Sometimes it’s so nice and rewarding when you get to witness instant karma, especially when that person did something to you. Retail workers rarely get this justice, because “the customer is always right.” Thankfully, sometimes the universe decides that revenge is a dish best served right after the injustice happens…. 

There are a million stories where McDonald’s workers were subject to rude customers just because they had to wait 30 seconds longer than usual. Other times, mall workers are forced to work insane hours, especially during the holiday seasons. Even though they get called names just for doing their jobs, these people actually got the last laugh thanks to these great instant karma stories. 

At Least It Was a Car

When I used to be a retail slave, I worked at an electronics retailer. We had some guys going around trying to shoplift DVDs. They were cutting the barcodes off so they wouldn’t go off on their way out. My coworker goes over and hands them a hand basket, because they had nothing in their hands, to show them we knew…. 

As they drop one DVD, an employee comes up and grabs it. They dump the rest and just book it towards the door at full speed. As one of them is doing this, he steps off the curb into the front driveway in the parking lot and gets hit by a car. It was in the lot, so it was only hard enough to knock him over. Reddit User: NermalKitty

McDonald’s Trash Customer

I’m working the window at McDonald’s late at night. A guy orders whatever and pulls up to the window. I’m cooking and handling the window, so I’m not there when the customer pulls up. I open the window to take his card/cash, and he throws a bag of trash at me. I take a step back, bothered that I just got trash thrown at me, and I watch his car speed off….

A couple of seconds later, I hear a small bang of metal on metal. It’s not too loud, but I could still hear it. I walk to the lobby and look out the windows. The jerk slammed into a police cruiser who was about to loop around and use the drive-thru. I also told the cop about what happened to me. Reddit User: RedditWhileWorking23

Wrong Pizza

This lady storms in and slams a pizza down on the counter. “This isn’t the pizza I ordered; what the heck are you going to do about?” she snarls. I look at the pizza, then at my buddy Nick and turn back to her and say, “Nothing.” She then goes on a long rant telling us how we’re going to be fired….

She kept shouting about how stupid and incompetent we were, and she actually told me I must be stupid, then asked why on earth we weren’t going to do anything. I said, “Because that pizza came from the pizza shop across the street.” I think she actually managed to shrink in size and slink out looking so pathetic and beaten I almost felt bad. Reddit User: necrohonkey

ID Please

The guy came in and was being a complete jerk. He didn’t want to show ID to buy beer even though he looked 20 at the oldest. He was constantly yelling and swearing. All around, he was just a piece of work. He had also parked in the handicap spot despite not having handicap tags or any plates on his car….

One of my regular customers, who’s a sheriff’s deputy, was also in the store. He saw how the guy was acting and saw where he was parked. Went out, got his ticket book, and wrote the guy a ticket. Guy realized he wasn’t getting his beer, then went outside to find he was getting ticketed. I couldn’t stop laughing. Reddit User: LadyVerene

AppleCare Is a Scam

I work for a phone place, and this lady comes in with a broken iPhone and is demanding to get a new one for free. If you don’t know, in Canada, the iPhone 6s is going for about $400 upfront on a two-year contract at a minimum $80 plan. Finally, they agree to a deal, and she’s getting it for zero…. 

I ask if she wants AppleCare protection. She looks at me and goes, “I don’t want a case, and AppleCare is a scam.” We work on commission, so this essentially meant I was getting nothing and ruining my numbers. She gets three steps out of the store and drops the phone. The screen shatters in a pretty shower of glass and shows the white screen of death. I shrug and say, “Sorry, but AppleCare sure would have helped, eh?” Reddit User: thelostcanuck

No Dogs Allowed

I work at a warehouse. Customers have to show a card to shop, and even though we’re not technically a grocery store, we don’t allow pets. One dude tried to power walk past the employee at the entrance door, holding a big pit bull puppy on a leash. We stopped him and told him he couldn’t bring his dog inside, and he lost it…. 

We explained how it’s a food safety issue. Well, not even 5 minutes later, this dog squatted in the middle of the main aisle and peed, followed by poop. The man turned so red and dragged the dog towards the exit, abandoning his groceries. We stopped him and asked him nicely to please clean up after his pup. Reddit User: Apocalypsze

She Needed the Laptop

I worked at Best Buy 10 or so years ago. Most of the customers were in bad moods since they’d been waiting for hours to come in and stand in more lines. But this one lady was a raging monster. She was yelling at everyone in my department about how she needed the laptop that was on sale despite it being sold out….

She proceeds to tell us she’ll have the store closed down because she “works with the city and knows the fire marshall.” So she calls him, we tell her to leave, and nothing happens to the store. However, we called them as well to report what she’d said, and she got fired from her job for abuse of power. Reddit User: mayonays

Dine and Dash

More than a few decades ago, I worked at Denny’s. I had two male customers that decided to dine and dash. I got their license plate number, even though they high-tailed it out of there really quick, and reported it to the cops and jokingly mentioned that they didn’t even tip! Later that night, they got pulled over for DUI….

The cops recognized the license plate number from the report, brought them both back to the restaurant, and forced them to pay the bill. After they were done paying, the cop just stood there and looked at them and said, “Well?” The guys sheepishly handed me my tip. They went on their way, and that’s one of my favorite stories ever. Reddit User: [redacted]

No Premium Gas

I worked at a gas station some odd years ago and saw some crazy stuff. This one time, about a week before, it had been snowing a lot, so the gas tankers got delayed due to safety reasons. A customer came in with a pretty new Mercedes-Benz, something like an SLS 400 or something, and wanted the premium gas. I explained to him that the tankers were delayed….

I told him that we currently don’t have any premium gasoline and that he could try the next station down the block. He started swearing at me personally like I had control over the gas delivery. He sped off, tires screeching, only to have his rear tire hit the curb. His rim got messed up really bad, and he couldn’t drive it. I laughed at him. Reddit User: [redacted]

They Turned Him Away

I worked at a liquor store. Yeah, nothing too fancy, I know. A customer came in extremely intoxicated, couldn’t really speak, stumbling everywhere. He reeked of alcohol and was extremely belligerent from what we could understand him saying. We refused to sell to him, and he flipped out. Ended up kicking him out with the threat of calling the police…. 

Looking back, I’m not sure what would have been more satisfying, calling the police or what actually happened to him. He went down the street to another store, and as he walked back past our store, he yelled some very mean things at us and immediately tripped and shattered the bottle he bought on the sidewalk. It was a glorious sight. Reddit User: PaperCow

Express Checkout

I was a cashier at a grocery store. I worked there for two years, and this guy always came in with a bad attitude and was on his phone, usually when checking him out. This guy with a full cart complained and bullied employees until he was allowed to use my express checkout because he didn’t want to wait in the regular lines, and my line only had two people in it…. 

As soon as my floor manager allowed him and he had his cart unloaded, a tiny old lady with a walker who could barely stand got in line behind him. Everyone gave him dirty looks. He realized he messed up and tried to make a joke about it; dead silence. I hope his saved time was worth being a jerk. Reddit user: vault_dweller1031

Locked Out

Working drive-thru at a Tim Horton’s and some jerk in a massive black truck parked too far away from the window and expected me to lean super far out to give him his change. He was really impatient and just really rude. I just shook my head, and so he got all upset and finally got out of the truck, and the door shut behind him….

He yelled and yelled. It was locked, and he sat there for like 15 minutes, and we had to call a tow truck. Sure it annoyed everyone behind him, but at least they were all angry at him and not us! He acted like it was the biggest embarrassment of his life. It was quite a sight to watch, and I was glad when he left. Reddit User: [redacted]

Broken Legs

Back when I worked at a Blockbuster, we’d occasionally deal with thieves. The standard was just to let them go, not endanger employees or customers. This guy, however, stole a lot from us, and often. One time this guy grabs some stuff and bolts. My manager runs after and points him out to two cops that had parked in our parking lot….

I had never seen my manager run before, so that was a shock itself, honestly. The cops give him a good chase. This guy dodges and weaves through people and traffic. He successfully crosses the street with cops on foot. Desperate to lose them, he jumps down some stairs to gain a lead but breaks both legs. It hurts just saying it. Reddit User: Tevesh_CKP

Warranties Are a Waste of Money

Here’s a funny story: after purchasing a phone from me and being extremely rude and awful the whole time, they walked out of my store and instantly dropped their phone, it shattered, and they were devastated. They had the nerve to ask me to do them a favor and add the warranty they earlier said no to because it was a waste of money….

Previously they had been so rude telling me that they thought warranties were stupid and that’s just how we can get more money from them. And I had the pleasure of telling them it wasn’t possible. I got yelled and screamed at, and they threw their phone at me, and security was called. Never saw them again after that, thank goodness. Reddit User: jennamay22

Damage Protection Plan

I was selling a woman a Nintendo 3DS for her son. I had given the son the box while I was ringing everything up because he was so happy to get his new toy. When it came time to talk about the accidental damage protection plan, she gave me an unreasonably hard time, making it sound like I accused her child of not being able to take care of his toys…. 

I love the 3DS, but they tend to not be very durable to anyone, but much less a kid. No insult intended, just the truth. The second she said that, the kid threw the box across the store into some shelves and knocked down a bunch of games; I knew it was bad. She bought the four-year plan. Reddit User: JozzyV1

Throwing Drinks

When I was 18, I worked the Saturday night graveyard shift at a Jack in the Box in a crap heap part of town. One night, a group of jerk teens come through the drive-thru and order only water (it’s free, it’s a regular request, our manager always made us give anyone and everyone free water even if that’s all they ordered)…. 

So these kids pulled up to the window, and the shift leader started handing out these free waters. When my shift leader handed them the last water, the jerk driver threw the cup of water right back through the open window and started to drive off. The shift leader grabbed the extra-large soda on the counter and threw it right in their car. Reddit User: val0ciraptor

Gamestop Has Bad Trade Deals Usually 

I used to work at the retail store in the mall known as the wonderful Gamestop and had a guest wanting to trade a copy of some older version of Call of Duty. He really didn’t like the value and demanded to know how it could be so low; remember, this is taking place in a Gamestop, which is notorious for bad resale deals….

It was actually during a killer trade promotion, so the value actually was decent all things considered. I explained that it was an older version, and it’s not selling much anymore. He insisted there’s heavy demand still and turned around asking who wanted to buy it. Everyone within earshot laughed him down, and he left embarrassed. Reddit User: corik_starr

Don’t Mess With His Sister

I was working as the attendant at a self-checkout in a local grocery store. A customer became irate when I told him that we could not accept a coupon that had expired over six months previously and called me a “vapid witch.” Neither he nor I knew up until that moment that my tall, muscular, highly protective older brother was standing in earshot….

He grabbed the customer by the shoulder, spun him around, leaned down to get at his eye level and growled, “What did you just say to my little sister?” right in his face. The dude practically peed himself out of fear and ran out of the store. Sometimes being the little sister has its perks. My brother doesn’t even work there. Reddit User: Lachwen

Spark Plugs

When I was working in an automotive parts store, I had to inform a customer that he could not return the spark plugs he purchased due to him not having a receipt and the plugs being used for years, and it was a brand we didn’t even sell. He was irate with a string of swear words that would make a longshoreman blush….

Upon storming out of the store, he threw the loose spark plugs across the parking lot, striking another customer’s windshield and shattering it. He tried rushing off before anyone saw, but of course, the owner of the car was right there and was not pleased. I laughed so hard. They stood in the parking lot, screaming at each other. Reddit User: dangerc755

No Commission 

I sold computers for Circuit City. I was fairly new and the only one on shift, as someone called in sick. This is around the time the iPod Nano came out, so everyone wanted to see them. I had been working with a group of people selling to each of them for over an hour when some guy came up to me and asked why I’d been ignoring his wife…. 

Apparently, they went into the back corner of the store and stood there, not talking to anyone. They wanted a high-end laptop but didn’t want me to get the commission because I ignored them. I got the laptop out for a manager to ring up, and their check got declined. I did a happy dance. Reddit User: starslinger72

Placed Under the Wrong Name

When I was a cashier at Borders, I had this one customer that had either put something on reserve or had special ordered. I remember them getting really rude because I couldn’t find it and asked them multiple times what the name was. She stood there and called me incompetent and said that she would gladly come behind there and do my job for me….

It eventually turned out that it was placed under her husband’s name, so it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t find it at all. She didn’t apologize or anything, so it felt really nice when I swiped her card and it was declined. She fumbled around in her purse for a while, and she felt so embarrassed and just stormed off. Reddit User: -eDgAR-

The Hot Chocolate Wasn’t “Chocolatey”

I was really enjoying myself at a college football game, but then it happened: my coworker was chewed out by alumni because the hot chocolate wasn’t “chocolatey” enough. All she and I could really do was sit there and apologize because there was nothing we could really do until the bartender chimed in. This bartender was a former high school teacher….

Currently, this bartender was also a substitute school teacher for all grades K-12. Anyway, she put on her scolding face and warned him, “If you continue yelling at these girls over something they can’t control, I’m going to have to ask you and all your friends to leave. I will not tolerate anyone abusing my coworkers.” The guy immediately clammed up and hurriedly walked away with his tail tucked between his legs. Reddit User: Head-Case

Don’t Attack A Pregnant Woman

This happened at a grocery store I worked at. This one customer came in and literally had three entire carts of food. All packed to the brim. She was constantly complaining about how slow we were and correcting us on bagging. All in all, we basically got it done reasonably. She proceeded to pay and walk out (two baggers had to help her)….

At that moment, a very pregnant woman standing next to her in the entryway projectile vomited onto the customer and much of her cart. The customer lost her mind and ended up getting arrested for trying to attack the pregnant woman. I felt terrible for the pregnant woman, but that’s the first time I’ve ever enjoyed seeing vomit. Reddit User: justyourbarber

The Goldfish Killer

I had been working at Petsmart for about five years when a woman came in trying to get a new tank and fish on the same day. This is an easy way to kill fish if you’re not careful. She also wanted to overstock it with goldfish. I refused the sale and tried to direct her to a more reasonable purchase….

She got in a huff and puff, yelled at me, and while attempting to storm out, slipped and busted on the ground directly in front of a “caution wet” sign. She quickly got up and practically ran out of the store. She ended up coming back after a week and got goldfish, but this time asked for help. Reddit User: EclecticGoogler

Don’t Drop Your Smoothie

I worked at a Robeks in high school, and if you don’t know, Robeks has smoothies and frozen yogurt, similar to Jamba Juice. Some lady was a complete jerk from the second she walked in and was not only rude to me but the entire staff, all for no reason. When we made her smoothie, she took it and walked outside….

I saw through the window that she tripped a bit and dropped her smoothie, and it spilled everywhere on the sidewalk. I was worried for a second that she was injured, but then she came back in demanding a free smoothie; I made her pay for another anyway. Usually, I would help a customer that this happened to, but “demanding” it, just no. Reddit User: ClubZen

All Pin Pads Are Different

I work at a grocery store, and on our registers, we have little boxes to put change in to donate to charity. Well, on one of our express lanes, the box is very close to the pin pad, so we turned the pin pad so that people could swipe their card without hitting the box. Well, this guy came up….

He saw the turned pin pad and slammed it back into place. After I was done checking him out and he needed to pay, he tried to slide his card, only to find out he couldn’t because of the box. He then had to turn the pin pad back to where it was, all while muttering how dumb the whole thing was. I loved watching him struggle. Reddit User: Ticklemetenderly

No Damage Waiver

I worked at a well-known rent-a-car chain in a wealthy neighborhood. The customer, a bright yellow H2 owner, wanted an SUV that we couldn’t rent to him because it was reserved for someone else. He wanted an upgrade, needed to speak to the manager, and started accusing me of sabotaging his weekend since I was a “foreigner in his land….”

I’m not white, and this guy was just plain racist. After a coworker mentioned I was in the service for most of my twenties, he gave me a smug look and drove off without getting the damage waiver. The thought of his face makes me angry. He smashed into the fence on his way out while too busy flipping me off. Reddit User: Mr-Ignorantiam

Thank You for Being Nice

I worked at a Qdoba, which is just like Chipotle, except way better if you can imagine. I’m pretty sure they’ll have Qdoba in heaven. Anyway, some extremely rude woman came through the line, being demanding and actually quite rude to my coworker. Basically, the whole time my coworker asked questions about her order, she had something rude to say…

Our manager obviously saw this, and so he, quite loudly so the woman would hear, told the customer in front of her, “Because you’ve been such a nice and courteous customer, we’re going to give you 50% off.” The scowl that the rude customer gave was pretty priceless and made me smile. Positive reinforcement wins out every time. Reddit User: phantom-16

Pick on Someone Your Own Age

My first job was as a lifeguard at a public pool. We had an obstacle course feature (for kids), and it was in my zone of protection one Friday afternoon. Some grown adults were horsing around in it, breaking the rules, and actually doing some pretty dangerous stuff that would be harmful to them and the kids around them. So annoying….

I asked them to stop, and one man said, “Why don’t you get a real job and stop telling people what to do?” I responded, “I’m 17; what kind of job would you like me to get?” I went on break and told my janitor friend about what happened. He told the guy, “Next time you come back, pick on someone your own age.” Reddit User: Laurasaur28

Remove Your Kids from the Cart

I was working at an awesome Home Depot when this lady’s two kids (around 4ish years old) were standing up in a cart. I said as politely as possible, “Ma’am, can you please have your children sit down or remove them from the cart?” We have to tell many parents this, but it’s usually no big deal because it’s store policy….

She replied rudely, “They’re fine.” Not 30 seconds later, one of them runs the length of the cart and tackles the other one out of the basket. It would have been really funny and not so bad, except cue the kid crying on the floor with an injured head and the mother yelling at me to get a manager. Reddit User: purdu

She Left Her Novel

When I used to wait tables, there were rude people all the time. I have a lot of great instant karma stories. Honestly, food service workers have it so hard, and you can’t convince me otherwise. One time, this woman was sat at my table. She had a really thick novel with her. Long story short, she complained about everything, but nothing was really wrong….

When I say nothing was wrong, I mean the food came out on time, always drinks full, etc. She left me no tip but left her novel on the table. I took it to the kitchen and tore out the final chapters and handed it to the hostess. Sure enough, she came back for it, and I smiled hard when I watched her leave with it. Reddit User: [redacted]

He Got His Laptop Fixed

I forget most of the details, but in summary, I was working in a PC repair place a while back and saw some instant karma. Overall a really pleasant place to work, and most of the people that came in were super nice and friendly. Except for this one time, when this guy came in to collect a repaired laptop and decided he was going to be a jerk….

There were general ranting and raving issues, including personal insults to various colleagues and me, before he triumphantly turned to leave. He whips laptop bag off the counter…the bag he forgot to zip shut after inspecting said laptop. The laptop descends rapidly towards the hard floor and reconstitutes itself into more pieces than specified in its original design. I loved that. Reddit User: [redacted]

She Had a “Revelation”

A long time ago, I was the bagboy and toilet cleaner and all-around lowest peg at a grocery store. This incredibly rude woman was yelling at me the entire time I was bagging her order, accusing me of crushing various food items. She called me an idiot or dumb and told me I should be fired as she stormed off. Whatever, lady….

The next morning, I was outside sweeping the walkway before opening time, and she pulled up in her car and got out. She looked like a completely different person as she, seemingly almost in tears, apologized profusely and said yesterday was a “revelation” and that she’d never treat someone like that ever again. Then she left. I never saw her again! Reddit User: ChildofValhalla

High-Quality H2O

I was a waitress for quite a while, and one time I asked a table if they wanted anything to drink: iced tea, Pepsi, water perhaps. They said no drinks. I asked if they were sure, but they insisted that they didn’t want any drinks. Later, I took their meal order and wrapped it up with, “So should I bring over two glasses of water?”

They again said no, they didn’t want anything. Kind of rude about it too, considering I just wanted to bring them water. Anyways, the chick choked on bread for a few coughs, and her daughter had to assist her and rush to me to get some water, then had the nerve to say I shouldn’t ever serve tables without a drink. Reddit User: [redacted]

Subway Doesn’t Cut Meatballs in Half

I have a great one. This old lady was angry at me because we didn’t have any garlic powder at a subway, and I wouldn’t cut her meatballs in half. She was yelling, turning red in the face, the whole nine yards. So I finished her sandwich, and she slammed her money down, yelling she was going to call corporate as she was leaving…. 

She walked right into the front door of the shop and nearly knocked herself out. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen working at that store. She was so red in the face when she turned back around to see if anyone saw. We all saw. She didn’t say a thing and just walked out. Reddit User: Bob_Barker91

This Is Staples

The customer comes in and hands me a receipt and says, “What’s taking so long for this computer to be fixed? Tell me the status now.” I look at the receipt, and it’s a Best Buy receipt. Great, but I work at Staples. He cuts me off and starts cussing me out, ranting and raving enough to pull a manager over…. 

My manager gets him to shut up. Looking him right in the eye, I get to wipe the happy as heck grin off his face by handing him back the receipt and explaining that he walked into the wrong store. “Sorry, didn’t you notice this says Best Buy and the big red sign out front says Staples?” Reddit User: maybe_awake

Instantly Drops It

Working at Best Buy, and a lady comes in with a damaged laptop. She says that it didn’t have a warranty but that it wasn’t her fault that it was messed up and it doesn’t make sense that we wouldn’t replace it. She’s throwing a fit for almost an hour (being an absolute jerk the whole time); finally, the manager on duty agrees to replace the unit…. 

As she picks up the box and turns to leave, she fumbles it and it falls right out of her hands and smashes on the ground. She doesn’t have a warranty again and looks at us. The manager actually laughed out loud, and I’ll never forget how red with anger her face was. It was great karma for the way she acted two seconds earlier. Reddit User: TheJuize

I Told You to Never Do That

I need to preface this by stating that I’m Asian. It’s necessary for the story. This was decades ago, but I was working at Macy’s and ringing up a customer’s purchases when I looked down at the guy’s kid, probably four to six years old, and he was doing the “slanty-eye” thing. I just looked down at the kid and smiled…. 

“That’s not nice,” I said. Whereupon the dad looked down at his kid, caught him mid-slanty-eye, looked horrified, told the kid, “I told you never to do that!” then looked guiltily back to me. I saw that the kid had the look of “caught and doomed” on his face; I just shrugged, and that was that. I’m pretty sure the kid got further chewing out from the body language as they were walking away. Reddit User: argyle47

Mac and Cheese in Aisle 5

Here we go: I used to work in a grocery store, and this one time, a lady and her three children approached me as I was stocking the shelves, and she asked me if I could point her towards the mac and cheese. I said that it was in aisle five, and she said, “No, it’s not. I just checked there….”

So I took her to the aisle and began walking down it. She stopped at the end of the aisle and told her kids to stop walking because she knew that the mac and cheese wasn’t down aisle 5. I got to the mac and cheese, turned around to her, pointed to said mac and cheese, smiled, and walked away. Reddit User: Devjo112