18 Employees Share How They Took Revenge On Rude Customers And Karens

Some customers push every button they can find, and the people serving them usually have to smile through it. That is exactly why revenge stories from retail, food service, and travel workers hit so hard, because the rude behavior is familiar and the payback is often surprisingly petty.

In this roundup, employees share moments when entitled customers, the kind people often call Karens, crossed the line and got a taste of their own attitude. The situations range from movie theaters and sushi counters to airports, hotels, and nail salons, and each one shows how quickly a bad attitude can backfire.

These stories are messy, funny, and a little satisfying, and the last one may be the boldest of them all. Read on.

Don't be rude to employees in the customer service industry.

If you make their lives miserable, some of them will hit back big time.

Blake Wisz on Unsplash

1. This is what you'll get when you're rude to movie theater staff.

I worked at a movie theater in college. A rude customer equals a cup filled to the brim with ice before the soda, and broken popcorn kernels from the bottom of the bin.MarvinWatchOut!, siliscarad

2. Rude lady gets what she deserves.

I work as a house cleaner, and when a lady was rude, I used her tissues to clean her toilet, even though she made me clean the whole house with two dirty rags.suzannelovesfish, Alexander Medvedev

The first few stories set the tone fast.

3. Rude customers get not-so-tasty sushi.

Rude customers receive fewer soy sauce packets at my sushi restaurant.Mo Kobi, shuchunke

4. You won't enjoy your food as much when you're rude to servers.

As a server, sometimes when rude customers ask for butter, I give them cold butter, even though I have room temperature butter, because I know the cold butter will tear up their bread.officialbtw, miwa_in_oz

5. Rude customers can't enjoy their smoothies.

I under-blend their smoothies so the little chunks block their straws.ebonymallinson, Natalia Klenova

Things keep getting more petty, and somehow more satisfying.

6. You'll be treated like a criminal if you're rude at the airport.

I used to work at airport security. The rude customers always had their bags pulled for a full search.mazistyping, yacobchuk

7. Never be rude to servers.

As a server, I always gave the senior discount to women — usually in their 40s or 50s — who were being rude. They couldn’t complain because they wanted the discount, but you could see in their eyes that I just ruined their day.celinac45969bdaf, webphotographeer

8. Rude customers don't get to enjoy their deli cheese.

As a deli worker, when a customer is being a Karen, I’ll squish the cheese together after I slice it so it’s impossible to separate later.mickmoo420, webphotographeer

By now, the workers are clearly done playing nice.

It’s the same kind of chaos as OP’s spicy revenge after a coworker stole their lunch.

9. You'll get sleepy at work when you're rude to a barista.

As a barista, I give them decaf espresso shots.seekingsunflowers, Mikhail Blavatskiy

10. Yikes!

As a flight attendant, for rude customers, I book their airplane seat on a 10-hour flight next to the bathroom.renroh71, bee32

11. Tip your bellhops properly.

I work in a hotel. Late-arrival guests didn’t tip when I helped them with their luggage, so I phoned them in the middle of the night.gezadanielmolnar, adisa

12. Imagine enjoying your delicious food only to smell a fart while you're eating it.

Shoutout to all the servers. For rude customers, we crop-dust — especially if it’s busy and loud and the music’s going, and they definitely won’t hear you. We crop-dust.bree_ann_uhh, Диана Дунаева from Pexels

That one definitely escalated.

13. Don't be a cheapskate.

I worked for a car rental company. Moving is stressful, so people were always on edge. Most of the time, people were fine. But sometimes they would say, for example, ‘I’m moving from Sacramento, California, to El Paso, Texas.’So I’d say, ‘OK, that’s a five-day trip.’ Some people would respond, ‘No, I can do that trip in three days, so only charge me for three days.’ These numbers are based on safely driving eight hours a day — that’s how we want you to drive the equipment.If they kept going and were rude and insulting, I’d say, ‘OK, you’re right. Are you ready for your confirmation number?’ Then I’d rattle off eight random numbers, and they wouldn’t have a moving truck that day.miranda.macabre, structuresxx

14. It pays to be respectful.

I worked at a discount grocery store. There were a bunch of rude customers — I had people even throw food at me and laugh about it. I had to ring up every single item manually.Basically, if they were rude to me, if it was 99 cents, I’d ring it up as $2.99. The receipts were so long that they didn’t check. I wound up charging them $30 to $40 more just for how rude they were.heather.blr, Mehrad Vosoughi from Pexels

15. Karens won't get their discount.

I work in retail, and if you’re even moderately polite, I’m the most courteous, professional, and helpful person I can be. You don’t have to be overly nice — just basic respect and decency. As soon as that line is crossed and you get rude with me, the customer service persona drops, and you get the silent treatment.I won’t ask my usual questions, so if you forget to type in your rewards card number, that’s on you, and I no longer care if you want your receipt or a bag — you’re getting it, even if you’re just buying a pack of gum.congdongracie24, alvarez

The last few examples are pure payback energy.

16. A sneaky bank teller's revenge

As a bank teller, I give rude customers the smallest denominations possible, sneak a $2 bill in, give you some really dirty coins, or give you some of my mutilated cash. Nice customers get the brand-new bills and shiny coins!stitch713, NikolayFrolochkin from Pixabay

17. How to embarrass a rude customer

I was working at the hotel bar. This one guy was just so rude and a huge jerk. So when his card declined, I went back to the table and said it loud enough for everyone to hear.contentcreature, EHStock

18. Be nice to the nail salon staff, or else...

I worked at a nail salon. If one of the customers was complaining about the wait, I would use as little glue as possible on their fake nails.abigaillouises45, Anna Tis from Pexels

The Karens of the world can be tough to deal with as an employee in customer service.

They're so great at casting dark clouds over your day. Just remember to stay calm and collected, and eventually, they’ll move on to someone else who can’t handle them.

Plus, it always feels great when you finally manage to shut them down or take revenge on them, kind of like a personal victory. Have you had any run-ins with Karens?

How did you deal with them?

Want more lunch drama, like OP confronting a coworker who stole homemade meals? Office Lunch Dilemma: Confronting Coworker for Stealing Homemade Meals.