Angry Karen Demands A Manager At A Coffee Shop, Walks Out Satisfied, Not Realizing She's Been Played

Don't you hate it when some entitled prick comes in and demands to bend rules according to them? Well, we certainly do. And even after a good deal of similar stories, we can't get enough of justice biting them back for being douchey.

As u/javiba64 recently shared on the Malicious Compliance community, his daughter, who was getting her first taste of work behind the counter, experienced her first entitled customer. A 'wild Karen' who was outraged that she was not allowed to pay using her card. As any manager worth his salt would do, he stepped in and showed the young apprentice how rude customers are dealt with.

The popular slogan in the retail industry is “The customer is always right.” But what happens when you get a row of rude customers who make your life a living hell? According to a survey conducted in 2021 among restaurant workers, approximately 80% reported encountering problematic customers who were unwilling to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures. Nearly 50% expressed thinking about quitting their jobs, and among those individuals, 2-in-5 attributed their decision to customers' Karen-like behavior.

"It's crucial to realize that a sense of entitlement is best understood as a psychological defense mechanism," Leon F. Seltzer, a life consultant with PhDs in both Psychology and English, told Bored Panda in an email. "It's unconsciously designed to disguise - not just to others but to one's self -the person's deep, underlying feelings of insecurity and inferiority."

Entitlement, however, doesn't just ruin the mood of those who run into or willingly interact with entitled individuals - it also takes a toll on the entitled ones themselves. Being entitled means having lofty expectations that are often unfulfilled, resulting in feelings of disappointment and psychological strain. "It's possible to feel some compassion for them... but only at a distance. Because, up close, their behavior is so selfish, so exploitive, so duplicitous, that they're truly repulsive in regards to their overall double-dealing character," Seltzer said.

Meanwhile, anyone who has worked in the hospitality industry will know that dealing with entitled folks comes with the territory. As explained earlier, it might even lead to walking out on a job. Is there, perhaps, another way to deal with such people without overcharging them or going as low as they are? Dr. Seltzer says each case is different and it depends on how far into the entitlement rabbit hole they've been swallowed.

"If they're way out on the pole, they're simply unreachable. They're nothing more than the sum of their defenses, so any attempt to get them to see themselves and others will be opposed vehemently, stubbornly, and, well, everlastingly. Like an immovable object," Seltzer argued. However, if it's not just a rude rando who's quick to berate you for not accepting below minimum card payment - someone who you care about - there might be a way to help without letting them drain you day to day.

"If they just barely make the cut then over time, a qualified therapist could convince them that they can feel totally okay about themselves in being as good or competent as others, that they don't have to place themselves on a pedestal to feel they're good enough."