Story 1: Now that's just disrespectful to Elephants. They are beautiful, intelligent creatures, surely nothing to be compared to a pest such as a Karen. :(
My former father-in-law was a lot like the octogenarian in the story. When I last saw him over a decade ago he was in his 80s and calling him "feisty" would be generous. He was convinced he was always right and had a bad habit of trying to intimidate people who disagreed with him or got on his bad side. During car trips, he's threatened to leave me stranded when I has a spat with my ex, even when my ex was in the wrong. He's threatened to hit people for petty crap. He even used to honk at young female pedestrians while driving with his wife in the passenger seat. He was a garbage human being in general. No dementia, just stupidity. It's simply a case of when assholes get old, they just become old assholes.
My late Father was a curmudgeonly AH, for most of his life. Right up til the day he passed at 80. I'm 66 now, and do have the Curmudgeon Gene, but I try to only use my arseholery super power for the greater good. I try to always be polite to strangers, and certainly to employees. They have enough nonsense to put up with. 😊
Yeah, I've met a similar old bastard who just felt they were always right, and tried to stay a literal fight because he couldn't read. Told him to get out and that we wouldn't serve him. He has the gall to come back and i again, told him to piss off before i had him trespassed
Story 1 - The moment the Karen said she had her grandkids in the car OP should have IMMEDIATELY got management and law enforcement involved for putting those children at risk. And if those grandkids turned out to be old enough to have been left alone, how was OP to know, she was being a Karen and using them as an excuse.
Last story: I'm 100% neurotypical, and I don't even like large groups of people or loud voices. And being assaulted and battered by a Karen would definitely land me a trip to the County Lockup.
For story 5, meltdowns are no joke. I am a high functioning autistic man and I have had my share of meltdowns. The worst one was when I was at work, my work computer would not login, so I moved to another one but it did not have to right programs I needed and I started a death spiral of work/cannot work over and over. It was not until the manager saw me and by this time I was going nonverbal, she asked me a few questions and I tried to answer but gave short yes no answer that she took me to one of the backrooms and to a computer that worked. After I was able to do some of my work she came by and asked if I wanted to go home, but by this time I was happy as a pig in slop. I was able to do my work, calm down and get things done but later in the afternoon is when I hit rock bottom of energy and was visibly droopy. She never treated me like I was a invalid but she and other did know what a major meltdown looks like for me.
FR. My worst meltdown had me mentally regress and hiding in the woods in the cold for hours because I was terrified of interacting with people and my longest meltdown lasted around a week. My hairdresser cut my hair shorter and rounder than i wanted and every time i looked in the mirror i started freaking out, sobbing, and tugging on my hair. Had to tape paper over all my mirrors for a few days to calm myself down. :(
@@helenbontje15 Thank you, on a scale from 0 to 10 I am a 0.5 or a 1. Loud noises are my problem and also not understanding what can go wrong. In a new game I sometimes get the flappy birds cause I do not understand what went wrong in the game. I do not hide that I have a mental disability, I just tell people what to look out for and how to help me mitigate it. Once I know I am having a meltdown I pick up a fidget toy, put earplugs in and just wait it out, once it is over I always feel like I can sleep for a full day because that is how tired it makes me. Thank you again.
As someone on the spectrum as well, I actually work at a job specifically for people like me. Simple, but important chores in the town, mostly revolving around tending to the town's plantlife, followed by emptying trash cans in parks once/twice a week. Now, the job isn't just limited to people with autism. We also have people with ADHD, other developmental disorders, and sometimes people doing community service. We're separated into small "squads" depending on our personality and skills. One time, my usual supervisor couldn't come due to a car accident (he was fine physically, just in shock for a few weeks), so our group was split apart among others until he returned. This was during the Covid lockdown, so I came on my bike since I lived nearby. Unfortunately, I and two of my usual coworkers were in a group that usually has people with ADHD or something similar, so that group's supervisor only had experience dealing with them. I was already on edge because of being suddenly placed in an unknown group, so I asked if I could take it slow and adjust to: A. A part of the town I hadn't worked in previously, and B. A group of people I don't know and can't easily synergize with. "Sure," he says. Two minutes later, I get a rake shoved into my hands with a firm "That's enough, get to work!" Cue slowly growing panic attack. I tried to calm down, but had no idea what to do, and was afraid to ask due to the tone of the supervisor. So, I drop the rake and find a place to sit down. Supervisor loudly complains about me being lazy and useless. Coworker 1 tried to comfort me while coworker 2 angrily came to my defense. Eventually had enough, grabbed my bike and went home. After calming down a bit (and taking a warm shower), I called my actual boss to explain the situation. He understood the problem perfectly, told me he'd mark it as a sick day and that he'd be sure to keep a closer eye on which groups I would be placed in next time. Coworker 2 got reprimanded for his language, supervisor got reprimanded for causing emotional distress. Both of them still work here. I avoid said supervisor and have developed a bond with Coworker 2. If I need to talk about something and _my_ supervisor isn't available, I can always go to him.
Having worked at Walmart, I can verify that the first story is 100% accurate and happens constantly! If there is a person there, the lane is open to a Karen. I worked in the accounting office, and sometimes the registers had to be audited throughout the day, meaning the lane was closed, complete with a sign and light turned off. It usually meant myself and a manager were there, with the contents of the drawer spread out and counted. Nearly every time, someone would approach, move the sign, and start loading their items, despite the manager also telling them the lane was closed. They said the exact same thing every time "I'll wait!" No Karen, you won't, because the lane is CLOSED!
I might sometimes be the Karen at walmarts. My thing though is when it's _right_ about to be my turn and the cashier just walks off. No explanation. Sometimes they even say "Please wait a moment", which ticks me off even worse. This invariably prompts me to leave my cart right there in the aisle, walk out without buying anything, and go shop somewhere else. I sometimes wonder what happens in the store after I do that.
@@DaveC2729 they move your cart and help the next customer. It's not even a hiccup in their day. Karen's are alive and well multiple times a day, every day!
Story 3: So basically, all of this happened because Karen wanted to see some deer by illegal means, and was going to blame the neighbors if anything went wrong. And yeah, game wardens are not someone to mess with
What with all these lady that attack... even what with them to insist on asking. Even if it's an employee? If he doesn't want to do his work, do complaint and find somebody else! But, I guess that if you can understand "I don't work here"... 5 easy words in a very standard sentence... I guess my question is irrelevant after that!
Story 1 - OP handled that better than I would’ve. When she said ‘You’re the lucky cashier who’s opening up a new register for ME’ I would’ve told her ‘No I’m not‘ and to pick up her groceries and go to another register.
I would have said "Madam, are you so CLUELESS as to demand service at a register that is UNDER REPAIR? Not just closed but UNDER REPAIR? In what universe does a register that is UNDER REPAIR check you out faster than one that is operational?"
However OP missed a golden moment of getting the manager and law enforcement, that moment being when Karen said she had grandkids in the car. Meaning to a person like me she left children, ALONE, in a car. No matter what the temp of the day is, the temp inside that vehicle is at least 20F higher than outside. And if she left the A/C on, then it means she left the keys in the ignition, again, putting the children at risk of being abducted. And if it turned out the grandkids were old enough to be left alone in the vehicle, how was I to know when calling in law enforcement for child endangerment. She used them as an excuse to be served.
#1 Karen : "Well, I don't care if you are going on break! I'm not putting these groceries back in the cart, so what do you think about that?" OP : "I'm not on break. The scanner is broken. You won't get your groceries scanned by this register until it's fixed. So what do you think about that?"
Story 5: I hear you OP. I’m in the same boat as you and I hate it when people just show up out of nowhere, tell me to do something for them, and don’t even bother asking me politely. If they get angry with me, I just say “If you had asked me nicely, then I would have helped. Did you skip preschool the day they were teaching how to say ‘please’?”
Way to go OP. I got to see my very first live in person Karen while we were getting ready to come home from WalMart a couple of weeks ago. The really funny part was I was so excited you'd have thought I won a money. I was like a kid bouncing up and down in my seat. My hubby stops the van and says," when you are done you can tell me what the heck a Karen is". I said "see the lady in the red shorts and yellow shirt?" He says "yeah and the bad bleach job on her head?" I told him some of the crazy things I 'd seen on YT, I sat and watched her until I couldn't see her anymore. All the way home I kept repeating to myself "A real Karen ". If anybody had heard me they'd have thought I was goofy. I guess the next item on my bucket list is to interact with one. Should I make out my will first. LOL
Story number two: if he's got dementia, then he shouldn't have been let out by himself. I worked in customer service for years, partially in retail and for many years as a server. Believe me when I tell you, some people just lose any sense of manners or basic human decency along with their looks. That is presuming they had anything resembling a sense of empathy or home training in the first place.
People with dementia aren't always taken care of by their family as soon as they really need to be, it can be a loooong disease with a very slow decline, sometimes 10-20 years or more, personality changes can come before logic or motor skills decline, aggression in dementia is definitely a thing... it's just a toss-up which part of the mind decays first. If he's early enough or not close with his family, he may not have a caretaker yet.
@@erinj8621people are too quick to jump to dementia to be an apologist for an old person. Yes it's definitely not rare but also the idiot hitting retail workers at 40 probably still will at 80, no dimentia needed
With OP being a shade tree mechanic, it actually would be cheaper than a shop. Small car work is a decent side hustle. What he should have paid attention to is that he'd be busy for months
1st story I was repairing a register cash drawer J45 cable that got pulled out and needed the color schematic of wires as the other unit used a different data wire with different color strands Had a customer demanding I serve her and I said that she'd have to speak with one of the store employees as I wasn't one of them. She flipped out and demanded to know why I was behind the counter then and I said to fix this register She happened to see a local police officer in the store and demanded he arrest me as I was posing as an employee. The officer came over and asked what was going on and I stated I was here to fix the register as my paperwork shows. He looked at it and told the woman to not disrupt a technician doing their job or try to claim a false charge or he'd have her removed. After she attempted to slap the officer she found herself in nice shiny bracelets in the back of a police car I had to give a statement and let my boss know and he said "welcome to the world of entitled idiots"
First story. I used to do the exact job of repaing point of sale equipment. When I would be asked to open my closed out-of- order lane, I would reply depending how I was asked: 1. The lane is broken (which worked most of the time), and they would go away. or... 2. It's adding wrong. 3. The sale prices aren't working and charging double. 4. You're welcome to wait but it's going to take a while. Usually, one of these worked. Sometimes, a cashier would notice and make them move.
Story 1: I would be sorely tempted to tell the Ele-Karen that the register needs to be calibrated and it cannot be done while her purchases are on the conveyor belt.
Story 5: at this point don’t bother with ‘I don’t work here’ and say ‘Karen you about get into trouble with the police and security camera’ with a threaten tone.
I drive all over the country delivering dogs. I can tell you from first hand experience, a mobile mechanic is actually much cheaper than a shop. They work for themselves and don't have all that overhead. They are faster, cheaper, and friendlier.
Story 3: I can attest to that. One of my dad 's exes cut thru a parking lot on the way to a store and got the attention of a DNR warden and was ticketed. How do I know this, you ask? Well, I was in the passenger seat when it happened
My father and stepmother have bitched about all the animals coming into their yard and eating stuff. Their property contains: 1 apple tree, 3 bird feeders, 1 hummingbird feeder, 4 blueberry bushes, and 1 vegetable garden. AND they live out in the boonies. So yeah, they got a damn buffet for every animal in the state (including the carnivores eating the other animals) and complain about having deer, foxes, etc eating their stuff.
Story 4 honestly wasn't that bad, like...at all. OP simply said he wasn't a mechanic - not that he couldn't/wouldn't look at the neighbor's breaks. Then he actually went on to essentially say "Yea, but I just don't have the time right now." Now if OP actually did the _sane_ thing and said "Sorry, no, this is something I really only do for family" or something like that and the neighbor _still_ insisted, then yea: the neighbor would indeed be a "Clueless/Entitled Neighbor." But as the story stands: OP is the one in the wrong for leading his parents' neighbor on.
As an Autistic, who had some problems with Karens, I would echo the tip that an old therapist of mine told me, "If you're feeling threatened by someone, call the cops." I've even had to use that strategy before and the cops were really helpful.
The bear backyard buffet story: bears' favorite trash seems to be used diapers, especially the fully loaded ones. (Maybe diapers to a bear are like baked potatoes to a human?) My daughter's MIL once saw a bear hit the jackpot with a multi-baby family's trash. Instead of picking through it for the good stuff, he just wrapped his arms around the whole big heavy trashcan and walked into the woods with it.
A mobile mechanic absolutely was the cheapest option for us. Counting in the fact the vehicle was non-running, and towing would have been another third to half more than the labor to change it out. Also, we haven't had a mobile or side hustle mechanic try to hide what they are doing.
The op in the first story has some of the best descriptions of the situation I've ever heard. 😂 From the very beginning, i was cracking up. The trunk into the air trumpeting a note of urgency had me laughing hard, but then the shotgun blast of irrelevance to the face had me laughing tears down my cheeks! 😂😂 I don't know who he is, but I love him 😊
Back in the '80s, when AIDS was first making the news, a common insult when two people were squaring up for a fight was 'What're you gonna do- BLEED on me?"
@@ostlandr AIDS wasn't always a factor. Every time I hear that question, I think of a knight with fewer limbs than his opponent, thinking he still has a chance of winning.
The only I don't work here stories I have involve me at a Walmart I'm still trying to learn (slowly getting better). After I had already left retail to become a security guard. :)
The last story: oddly enough, sometimes asking questions will calm a person down. (Not always.) That’s because when they’re angry, they’re not thinking rationally. When asked a question, they have to momentarily halt their anger to shift their thinking into rational mode in order to give an answer. It can be the start of de-escalating the situation.
Asking, "Why?" is not exclusive to people on the spectrum, it's actually the Socratic method. Socrates was hated by some people for inciting people to question authority or why the way things are are the way things are.
story 5: the breakdowns are real. i too have a high-functioning form of autism, and i had my own struggles with them working for Domino's. im fortunate to have had an understanding boss that would send me to do back-store work (usually dishes or folding boxes) after problem customers. that was a real life-saver for me, especially with all the walls between those places, and the counter. i have personally never had an "i don't work here" encounter, but with all the stories floating around the net, i figure it's only a matter of time.
RE: Bears and Bird Feeders. Somewhere in PA a woman called a park ranger asking where to put a bird feeder. The ranger replied “Put it wherever you want the bears.”
They do it for me. I have mobility issues and tire easily. Not only that but many of the stores have a sign that states, if you need help, ask. I take advantage of the help when I need it. The difference is, I ask, I don't demand.
Story 5: Always. Press. Charges. Karen committed Assault & Battery on a protected class...not to mention the full-on Harassment of a customer. Get her banned too.
Ah, hump day. Hope all have a good one. I am waiting for the day when someone mistakes me for an employee or to see someone else being mistaken for an employee.
If a customer ever told me they left their baby or small children in the car while shopping, I wouldn't even warn her. I'd immediately call the police. That is child abuse and I don't put up with child abuse.
When will all the people who get approached by those Wild Karens learn to NEVER respond to their animalistic grunts with "Sorry. . ." or "Excuse me . . " or "Can I help you". . ." because that always opens the door to those dumbf****ks to bulldoze over the OP's.
Broken register story: Sounds about right, though personally I was waiting for OP to get the register operational, inform management, get it signed off on and leave letting Karen explode with her demands to be checked out. Wilkos story: Okay, while the old man was decidedly rude, was the cashier actually supposed to shut down her till or did she do so on her own? If she was supposed to shut down she should have left the immediate till area. If not, she should have opened the till and check OM out even if he was known to be a rude PITA. Bear buffet story: Good grief! I've got a couple of bird feeders in my yard and enjoy watching the various birds that come to it. But if I lived in an area known to have bears, yeah, the birds would have to make do on their own. Bears are omnivores and will eat practically anything. In bear country your trash dumpsters not only have to be closed but locked tight as well to keep them from getting into them. Other precautions with foods have to be taken as well. FYI, in most states Game Wardens are technically a branch of the state police and have full authority to arrest anyone committing a criminal act, regardless of if it's "game" related or not. They simply are specialized in "game" enforcement.
Story 3 I kinda hope is on one of those Game Warden reality shows. I just wanna be a fly on the wall for that interaction with the Warden lol Story 5 OP should have demanded the manager and security to call police. She assaulted OP by smacking him, and spitting on him
Mechanic story, I have a mobile mechanic do the work on my truck at my house. 15 years experience. $100 an hour vs $150 plus at the dealership and most garages. I supply the parts which is also 50+ % cheaper than dealership or garage.
Story No. 2 - I used to go to Wilko’s all the time in my hometown in Greater Manchester, England - I was there the first day it opened in 1992 (it was Presto’s prior to that) and the last day of trading on 24 September 2023. I knew all the staff and made some good friends over the years. I miss the store and the gardening section and Christmas section the most, though I’ve just found out that Wilko is available online now - so I can still shop there but I’ve lost that ‘real-person-experience’ that I loved - I’m ‘old school’ !
21:00 yeah, I’ve done something similar in the past. I’m also on the spectrum, and I’ve blown up before, crying and covering my head, just shrieking to be left alone. It made the security act up real quick, I’ll tell you that.
My 41 year old son slso has Asperger’s, when he is in a situation like this, he just walks away, if someone knocks on the door, he might peek out to see who it is and then walk away, people have told me ever since he was a child that he is rude, I told them that he isn’t rude and he has a right to not open the door, he also has the right to not speak to someone who speaks to him, especially if he doesn’t know them , he has told me for several years that a man speaks to him in the grocery store, he knows my son’s name and last time he asked about me and also his Dad who no one has heard from in several years, this man obviously knows someone in the family to know personal things but my son doesn’t know him, he just mumbles and walks away, that’s what these people should do, I know sometimes these rude people accost them, but they should walk away, my son would have no problem to yell, get away from me, I don’t work here!
Yes, some mechanics do make house calls. That doesn't mean anyone who happens to be working on a car at somebody's house is one. In nearly all cases it'll be either the homeowner or a relative/friend. Last story: I'm "on the spectrum" too, and if a Karen smacked me in the head, she'd probably wind up wearing my shopping cart. I respond _very_ violently to any violence against my head. Don't get physical, folks. Even if you "win", you'll take damage of your own, and it's not worth it.
I know partly why Karens do what Karens do. It is very common for Karens to lack the ability of ever being wrong. In their mind, it is impossible for them to be wrong about anything. Reality must change for them. Many Karens suffer from narcissism, that is why they demand from others, cannot admit wrong, treat others in a horrible manner while viewing themselves as specially entitled grandiose and always cause drama. Those are actually some of the traits of narcissism. I notice it is very common for Karens to have narcissism as a mental illness. The reason why they all seem common, is because that is their typical mannerism. It is not just at stores that you find them. They are everywhere.
that last story i would 100% be calling the cops for the woman harassing that person and assaulting them 3 times 1 with a bodily fluid which is a felony in any places
On this side of the world, I believe the slapping combined with spitting would be called "aggravated assault" and the woman would have been lucky if she didn't get at least a bit of jail time for that, on top of fines, community service and probably mandatory anger management classes.
Story 4: Mobile mechanics are a thing. They will charge less because they don't have the overheads of a shop. OP shouldn't have played along to put the neighbour off. Story 5: That's an interesting response to the "I want the manager" line that Karens always trot out. Just one question: Why? lol
Story 5: I related to this one so much. I have the same thing, Austim/Aspergers. And everything OP said is true. For me though when I reach my breaking point, I will just start sobbing and/or Lose 'All Fucks' about the situation and just verbally explode whatever I'm thinking in that moment. Damn the 'politeness' and 'social cues', it's all word vomit at that point.
I remember a similar story, but it didn't have the elephant part, and the manager got involved and ended up serving Karen at the service desk just to shut her up and get her out of the store.
If a karen tells my kids their mother would be shocked with how they are treating them they have my full permission to tell them their mother is the one who taught them how to treat their insane breed.
Yeah I just called her bluff on the kids in the car crap I would say okay well I guess I'm going to have to call security then and get your kids out your car cuz it's like 100° outside and that's child cruelty right there.
I have to wonder if these Karens demanding random people do their shopping is them not wanting to actually pay for the store's shopping service, or a third party service, and hoping they can bully an employee to shop for them, but since they're dumb they can't tell the difference between a customer and an employee. Honestly, they just need to go to Walmart, since they don't charge (the last thing I knew). They also need to stop committing assault left, right and center.
I can completely understand why they would that's the old man might have a case of dementia but I have seen plenty of old men who do not have dementia that are ready to fight on a moment's notice. Usually right after they get drunk
Yayyyy! Fluff blesses us with an upload again, and I caught early! Perfect timing, I like something in the background while winding down from a shower. Feed Stevo a cookie for me, and have something tasty too, your royal fluffness!
I was shopping after dialysis yesterday at a self service till in my local supermarket their uniromfs are green tops, black pants. I was in my habitual gray hoofde and jeans. the lady at the till next to me was having some issues with it and I helped her out cos the tills in this store are a little finiky. Cue a karen "Come help me now, Hey YOU NOW!" I just looked at her "I dont work here and I dont helo rude folks" and walked out. wonder is shes still screeching for help? lol
story 3 : idk how it works in the states but in my country cops get given a specific task to do for the day. So in my country even if OP was a cop the best he would have been able to do is call it in. He wouldn't have been able to go himself anyways.
