Restaurant queues and drive-thru lines are typical places where people act entitled. Perhaps it’s hunger-driven behavior, or the person could be having a long day. Whatever the case is, these situations don’t usually end well for the offending party.
Case in point, this woman felt she could cut the line at a drive-thru, berate an employee, and assault the manager without facing the consequences. The customer’s infantile behavior eventually attracted law enforcement officers to the commotion, urging her to flee the scene.
However, the officers obtained her license plate to track her down and serve her multiple charges, once again proving that immature arrogance leads to eventual comeuppance.
Entitled people are a common sighting in drive-thru lines
Image credits: demanna (not the actual image)
This woman not only cut the line but also nearly ran off without paying
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The situation escalated to a point where she assaulted the restaurant manager
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Law enforcement eventually intervened, but the woman was able to flee the scene
Image credits: Kindel Media (not the actual image)
Image credits: Actual_Doughnut9248
Some people expect too much from service industry employees, and it could be a cultural issue
Stories about “Karens” and their entitled behavior on full display seem to be common. According to Clemson University psychology professor Robin Kowalski, this could be a cultural problem.
“In our culture, we have excessively high expectations,” Kowalski told Vox in a 2022 interview. “We expect everything to work just like clockwork.”
Experts describe such behavior as consumer entitlement, which has been rampant for the last century and a half. An article by The Atlantic points to the long-held belief that “the customer is always right,” which no longer holds as much water.
For Wharton professor Deborah Small, Americans have become so accustomed to a certain level of customer service that the slightest change causes them to act out.
“[When] prices go up, or things slow down, the violation of that expectation is what causes disappointment, anger, all of these sorts of things,” Small said in the same Vox interview.
University of Virginia commerce professor David Mick offers another theory. He says Americans may be driven by the “er” phenomenon, where people constantly expect that something better lies ahead.
It remains unclear what exactly drove the woman to behave the way she did at the drive-thru. But her actions do indicate unmet expectations.
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
Business owners are encouraged to approach an entitled customer with empathy
Retaliation is the typical instinctive reaction against someone who pushes your buttons. However, business owners and service industry employees are encouraged to keep calm and approach the situation empathetically.
In an article for Forbes, Michael Podolsky, an entrepreneur and the co-founder of the consumer advocacy website PissedConsumer.com, pointed out that customers likely lash out because of their lack of knowledge about the situation, causing them to express frustration.
“In these cases, it’s important to listen to the customer’s concerns and try to find a fair solution for both parties,” Podolsky wrote, advising business owners to explain the situation to the irate customer and even offer an apology.
In this day and age of technology, entitled customers may also weaponize reviewing platforms like Yelp to exact revenge after feeling wronged. Podolsky says resolving complaints immediately may help prevent a bad review.
However, in this story, the woman was clearly in the wrong. The manager apologized to her and offered her a freebie for the inconvenience she caused, yet she resorted to assault as a response. Fortunately, law enforcement got involved.
Image credits: pch.vector (not the actual image)
The author clarified some parts of the story as readers offered a unanimous reaction
