Most people don't wish to spend any more time in supermarkets than they have to. But while the rest of us understand that we're all in the same boat, some entitled people believe they're above the rules and deserve to move through this process quicker than others.
One Redditor recently shared a story just like this. They were at the express checkout, where you're allowed to have no more than 5 items, when some woman dashed right in front of them with a full basket. However, while the cashier was helpless to do anything about the situation, this person didn't hold back from letting the woman know how they felt. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: Reddit
Some entitled people feel like the rules don't apply to them, and there are few things more satisfying than seeing them get put in their place
Image credits: Kampus Production (not the actual photo)
A person was approaching the express line at a grocery store that allows up to 5 items when a Karen ducked in front of them with a full basket and started unloading
Image credits: Kampus Production (not the actual photo)
The cashier couldn't do anything about it, so the person got the woman's attention and told her that she must've been a natural blonde since she couldn't count to five
Image credits: PJMurphy
The Karen got mad but couldn't find any words to shoot back with, so she packed up as quickly as she could and left
The story happened quite some time ago, presumably when self-checkout wasn't a thing yet or at least wasn't as widespread as it is today. Express lines at grocery stores, which usually allow around 5 items per person, were the only way to pay and leave faster than standing in a regular line.
So, here was the OP, with 2 items, approaching the customer service desk, which also functioned as an express line. However, just as they were to step into it, a woman ducked right in front of them with a full basket that obviously had more than 5 items in it.
She started unloading her things on the counter. The person gestured to the cashier, who gestured back, indicating that they couldn't do anything about it. Then, the author turned to the woman and told her, "You must be a natural blonde."
Taking it as a compliment, she was pleased, answering that she was and inquiring how the OP knew. Then, the person wittily followed up with, "Because you can't count to five."
The happiness on her face disappeared almost as quickly as she did once she paid for her purchases. The cashier was still grinning for a while after, and the poster most likely left the store proud of this perfectly executed petty revenge that this Karen absolutely did not see coming.
The commenters were highly amused by how well the OP handled the situation and couldn't help but laugh at the woman being put in her place just like that, all while discussing blonde jokes and sharing related personal stories.
Image credits: Hobi industri (not the actual photo)
It's probably safe to assume that most, if not all, of us are familiar with the stereotypical blonde jokes like the one that the OP made in their story. But what many might be unaware of is where they come from.
As per the Scholarly Community Encyclopedia, throughout history, blonde hair has always been seen as an attractive and desirable feature in women, especially when matched with blue eyes. However, blondes were also often thought of as using their looks more than their intelligence.
The jokes relating to this can be dated back all the way to 18th-century Europe, when a French courtesan, Rosalie Duthé, was satirized in a play titled Les Curiosités de la Foire, 1775, which made fun of her habit of making long pauses before speaking to the point where she would appear rather dumb.
Since then, many different jokes have emerged. However, one thing that sticks out is that most of these jokes are still aimed at females, making it seem kind of sexist. In fact, research showed that roughly 63% of these jokes were exclusively about women, while the ones portraying blonde men as dumb took place only around 5% of the time.
But the myth that blonde women are less intelligent than those with other hair colors has officially been debunked for nearly a decade now. Research published by economist Jay Zagorsky way back in 2016 showed that females with blonde hair, on average, were just as smart and possibly even slightly smarter than other women.
Of course, according to Brian Resnick of Vox, the media was quick to pick up on the wrong parts of the study's findings. It didn't take long before articles reached the internet telling everyone that blonde women are absolutely more intelligent than women with different hair colors, essentially replacing one myth with another.
However, as Jay Zagorsky himself explained when the author of the article reached out to him, the study only ever aimed to dispel the stereotype that blondes are dumber than women with other hair colors rather than imply that they're smarter. Thus, the test was one-sided, giving the respective results. And, after all, the differences in IQ that it showed were very marginal and essentially didn't mean anything.
So, in the end, it's clear that actually judging someone based on their hair color is, at the very least, completely inaccurate, not to mention offensive and often sexist. However, when it comes to some entitled Karens cheekily trying to be above the rules, a joke like that might be exactly what you need.
What did you think about this story? Have you ever had any similar encounters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The commenters could hardly stop laughing at how well the poster handled the woman, and they were inclined to share similar stories of their own
Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)
