Grocery stores house some of the nastiest human being to walk the earth. No one would be prepared for the shocking things these (often elderly) customers exclaimed! The employees definitely didn't get paid enough to deal with it! Content has been edited for clarity.
The Most Epic Comeback
“I was standing in a long line at a checkout at a crowded grocery store one day. There were not enough people working, half the self-serve counters weren’t working, people were exasperated, and tempers wearing thin. Directly in front of me was a young mother with a bored toddler, and anyone who has ever been around toddlers knows what a recipe for disaster that can be. This toddler would pull his legs out of the leg holes in the cart and stand up in the seat—while all of us held our breath hoping he wouldn’t fall. The floor may have been only four feet away, but when you’re only two feet tall, that’s still a significant distance to hard concrete. But the mother was always immediately right there telling him to sit down. Without argument or tears, he would obey and sit right back down. Then you could almost see the vibrations begin and up he would pop again. Mother never lost her patience, she would tell him to sit, he would sit, boredom would ensue, and up he would pop yet again. This must have happened five or six times. Mom never started to cry or yell or demonstrate exasperation in any way. The little boy didn’t cry or yell and would sit back down every time she would tell him to. They both had my complete and total sympathy. Having raised four kids myself, three of them active little boys who did not care for sitting still, I knew that standing in a long line at the checkout was one of the biggest miseries of life for everyone involved. Behind me in the line was an elderly man. His patience was not the patience of the mother. He spoke out, loudly enough for us all to hear, ‘When I was raising my children, they would have gotten a spanking for such disobedience! Parents nowadays let their kids get away with anything!’
I saw the mother’s face get red with embarrassment. I’m normally a polite person. I avoid disagreements with strangers. I mostly avoid conversation of any kind with strangers. Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut, but this time, the feistiness in me rose to the surface. I couldn’t help it, so I turned around and spoke to the man. ‘He isn’t disobeying. Every time she tells him to sit, he sits. His mother is being extremely patient and kind and understanding of how difficult this is for him. The mother is handling him well, and the little boy is doing the best he can in the circumstances.’
The old man responded, ‘Well I raised four kids and spanked every one of them. My kids knew to obey me when I told them something!’
It was no doubt rude and downright mean of me, and I should probably be ashamed for saying it, but in return I asked, ‘Do any of them still speak to you?’
He didn’t answer. He just glared at me. Perhaps what I said is actually the rudest thing said while waiting in line, and the old man should be writing this about me, but I really couldn’t help but defend that young mother and her little boy. Maybe I should be sorry, but the thing is, I would probably do it again. Being a young parent is hard enough without know-it-alls making comments like that. The mother smiled at me. The old man never said another word. We all quietly got through the checkout and went our separate ways.”
Trapped And Overwhelmed With The Confrontation
“My best friend and I bought some snacks at the grocery store and sat down on the bench right in front of the store to enjoy them. At the time, my best friend was very overweight and experienced some bullying, but it never happened in front of me. She always told me how random strangers would laugh at her and call her names wherever she went, and that was why she hated to leave her house. She insisted that it only happens when she’s alone, and she’s sick of not having proof to show me. But on that fateful day I saw it live and in action. So we sat on that bench, a bit apart from each other. I was looking at my phone and one could easily mistake us as two people just randomly sitting on the same bench without knowing each other. Then, an old woman came out of the shop with her shopping cart, looked in our direction, and stopped to walk over. She approached my friend, completely ignoring me, probably thinking I’m just some dude. She tapped her on the shoulder and had the most superficial smile I have ever seen on someone’s face, other than on a fishy car’s salesman. She asked my friend her age, and my friend said how she was twenty. The old woman exclaimed, ‘And you still sit like that?! Those aren’t good manners!’
My friend and I both looked confused. We sat on that bench in the exact same way. Yet she completely ignored me, speaking only to her. My friend apologized and put her leg down. I did the same.
Then the old lady added, smiling sarcastically, ‘But I get it! I mean what else can you do? So much mass needs a lot of space!’
She turned around, intending to walk back to her shopping cart. I thought there is something wrong with my ears. I gasped, ‘Did you just REALLY say that?!’
She turned around looking confused, not expecting me to get involved. I replied, ‘I understand you may dislike the way she sat, but what incredibly rude remark was THIS!?’
She shrugged and said, ‘Well, sitting like that is without manners.’
‘But I was sitting right next to her in the exact same way. Yet you didn’t speak to us, you only spoke to her! Makes me wonder if you only approached her to comment on her weight!’
She looked trapped and overwhelmed with being confronted about it. ‘Oh really? Ah I didn’t see you were sitting in the same way.’ There’s that phony smile again. I was furious. ‘That was an utterly rude and unnecessary comment!’
The old woman replied, ‘I know it wasn’t nice to say that. But sitting like that isn’t nice either!’ and she turned around, walking over to her shopping cart and acting like she’s looking for something in her bag, visibly embarrassed by the situation. I bit my lip, I had to really keep myself back from causing a serious scene. Then I got up and walked over. I said very loudly and clearly, ‘I think it’s ABSOLUTELY disgusting what you just did! Bullying this woman in such a shameless way! You old people always complain about young people being disrespectful. But what YOU just said wasn’t any better! I hope you feel UTTERLY embarrassed by YOUR manners!’
I walked away, the woman completely ignoring me and acting like it was none of her business. Some people gave her a look. I apologized to my friend afterwards because I had never fully believed her. She said it was okay. She was more grateful and astonished that I actually stood up for her. And I would again. Always.”
“Ignoring The Apocalypse Unfolding Before Him”
“Our son was about three years old and full of energy when one summer we went to visit my family back East. We were heading over to my aunt’s house and stopped at an upscale grocery store, the likes of which my husband and I had never seen in the Midwest, where we lived. This was in 2005, and grocery stores with coffee shops and specialty sections with in-store chefs preparing gourmet foods were not prevalent like they are today. Well, as I said, this was a really nice store and the customer service was fantastic. I hadn’t grabbed a cart because we were just going to pick up some bananas and snacks for our son. But everything looked so fresh and delicious, and soon I was overloaded with things you simply couldn’t find where we lived. I was balancing loaves of organic fruit and nut bread, fresh flowers, and rosemary infused quinoa, all the while maintaining a death grip on our son’s hand to avoid certain disaster. One of the store employees kindly brought a shopping cart over and said to my son, ‘I think your mom might need this, don’t you?’ I was elated at the prospect of unburdening myself of my haul, so I thanked her profusely and went to place the items in the cart. Well, my son wasn’t having it. The nice lady had given HIM the cart, and when I tried to put my items in it, he screamed bloody murder! I would try to place items in his cart, but he would scream, ‘STOP! NO! MY CART!’
There was no way to control my child, so I went to get a shopping cart for myself to avoid a meltdown. But my husband told me I was enabling our son’s behavior, and he wanted me to just put the items in our son’s cart. Our son would get over it, right? My husband then ditched me and my son to get an espresso from the coffee bar. Thanks for the support honey! I put the groceries in the cart, and just as my husband reached the coffee line, the mother of all meltdowns commenced. With a dramatic flair, my son threw himself onto the floor and become one with the ground, so that picking him up was like trying to remove Excalibur from the stone. Since it didn’t look like he was going to ‘get over it’ anytime soon, I switched to Plan B: ignore the tantrum and let him cry it out. But our son, not content to remain there, somehow managed to thrash around on the floor and wiggle himself under the cart. He then dug in for the long haul, wailing like a banshee. In hindsight, my original solution was looking more and more viable. Waiting in line for coffee, my husband was studiously ignoring the apocalypse unfolding before him. I, too, would have liked to disassociate myself from the tantrum-thrower, but it was pretty obvious the kid was with the frazzled woman trying to stop him from impaling himself on the underbelly of the shopping cart.
At this point, the well-dressed, attractive woman behind my husband in the coffee line figured she had found a kindred spirit in this good-looking, upscale guy who just wanted a coffee and a little peace and quiet. She leaned in and told him, ‘For God’s sake, did that crazy woman just run that poor kid over with her shopping cart?!’
And then I saw my husband shake his head and utter something that completely made my jaw drop. ‘I have no idea.’
I was stunned by this denial. That somehow gave me the strength to break out son’s grip from the bottom of the cart. I pulled him up by his armpits, and I carried him kicking and screaming over to his father. I simply told him, ‘Here honey, hold your son while I finish the shopping. Also make sure you get me a skinny vanilla latte!’
Smelly Wet Revenge
“I was in line waiting for a prescription at my local grocery store. For some backstory, my two year old daughter was potty training and had actually been doing a good job. That day, my daughter really wanted to wear her big girl panties. The wait was pretty long for the pharmacy counter, and my daughter ended to use the restroom. I asked the pharmacist if there was a restroom nearby, but he barked a firm ‘NO!’ at me. I explained the situation and asked if he could let us use the employee restroom, since we had already been waiting for quite a while. The pharmacist snidely told us, ‘She will just have to wet her pants!’
Really? Okay. I had a wicked idea and turned to my daughter. I told her, ‘Honey, just pee on the floor here. This place is just one big potty.’
My two year old politely squatted and peed all over the floor. The pharmacist was screaming in disgusting. I told my daughter, ‘Honey, this nice man will clean it up right after he gives me my paper back.’
There were quite a number of other mothers with their children in line, and everyone except for the pharmacist found it pretty funny. I went back to that d
The pharmacist said “She will just have to wet her pants”. Really? I turned to my child and said. “Honey, just pee on the floor here. This place is just one big potty. “. My two year old politely squatted and peed all over the floor. The pharmacist was screaming. I said “ honey, this nice man will clean it up right after he gives me my paper back so we can go somewhere else. It was that this man told a little girl to just wet her pants that really got to me. Had she wet her pants the result would have been the same on the floor. I just decided to avoid the wet pants part and show this man that he was not providing customer service-of any form.”
Standing Up To The Snooty Bully
“This happened to the cashier, and I just had to get myself involved. In front of me was a wealthy Texan man in his sixties. He is strutting around in his expensive boots and stetson hat. He started to yell at the cashier about the fuel costs for the adjacent gas station. Apparently the costs were too much and he should into have to pay for them. The cashier, being the well trained employee that she was, tried to reason with him. He would not have it, and he continued to berate her in no uncertain terms. I stood there behind him about as long as I could before I got furious. Without thinking, I used my shoulders and pushed into him. I told him how, ‘This woman had to pay the same amount for gas as you did, and she has literally no say in the matter!’
The man looked at me as though I was some slime on the bottom of his expensive boots. He told me, ‘This doesn’t concern you.’
I told him it definitely did. The cashier was now in tears. I exclaimed, ‘This woman makes $7.50 an hour and she pays the same amount for gas as you do! Why don’t you go to the local country club and find the owner of this store and yell at him?! You’re a member of the country club right? Then go out there and complain!’
The man simply slammed his money on the counter and left. The woman thanked me, but I couldn’t stay for long. I was in a hurry to get outside while the man was still there. I ran outside and continued my tirade towards him, until he jumped into his overpriced car and drove off.”
Stalked By Angry Old Women
“My mom gave birth to me when she was 23. Some might say it’s young nowadays, but it was pretty common then (I was born in 1996). This happened a few years ago. My mom was around 43 and I was 20. Being in her ‘golden years’, my mom looked pretty and younger than most of her peers. Some confused her for my sister a few times. Anyway, one afternoon we were grocery shopping. While we were deciding how many lemons we needed, I noticed an elderly lady looking straight at us, jaw dropped. I ignored it. The same thing happened a few more times while we were strolling through the supermarket. I ignored it every time and my mom wasn’t aware of it at all. Finally, we got to the cash registers. Out of 15 registers only 4 of them worked, so the queues were pretty long. One last time, here comes that elderly lady with her friend. They stood right behind us. They’ve been quiet the whole time, just looking at us. It was our turn to put the groceries on that conveyor belt. The cashier scanned them all and I put them in the bags. My mom paid. We took the receipt. While turning around to go and exit the supermarket, my mom stopped at the spot and turned red. That elderly lady said to her friend that my mom should be ashamed of herself and called her inappropriate names all because she (the lady) thought my mom was dating me. The lady also said something like ‘He’s just a kid, find yourself someone your own age.’
My mom is tolerant and always knows what to say. This time she was speechless for a good 30–40 seconds. Then my mom told the lady that I’m her son and schooled her about minding her own business. The lady didn’t say a word. She, her friend, and even the cashier were all blushing and a bit embarrassed for the lady. We just left. Nowadays, every now and then when this thing crosses our minds, we have a laugh. This taught me never to judge people before I get to know them at least a bit.”
This Poor Mom Never Expected To Hear This!
“I was twenty-six and had just recently gone back to school to finish my degree, after I suffered a spinal injury and had recovered. My sone was three at the time, and I was a single mother.I had to start my day pretty early to get my son to daycare before I had classes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. I then worked until 5:30 p.m. after classes, picked my son up, and then I made it home. Then we had dinner, bath time, playtime, and bedtime for my son. Only then could I begin my homework and studying. To say that I had my hands full and slept minimally was an understatement. It was the middle of finals week, and I thought I had planned my grocery shopping in advance accordingly. Unfortunately I was out of milk, so I stopped at the grocery store nearby after picking him up from daycare. IN my frazzled state, I made the grave error of walking through the candy aisle with my happy toddler on my way to the register. It was one of those moments you realize the error of your ways, but only after the damage had been done. His eyes and mouth were as wide as saucers. I tried to hurry past, but it was too late. We were now standing in line, my son in full meltdown mode because I had said no, and there was only one cashier at the registers. I contemplated leaving, yet I persisted. I had made it this far, what’s another few minutes? I tried calmly talking to him, distracting him, and bribing him with an extra game that evening. Nothing worked.
I had picked him up to prevent him from spilling onto the floor and writhing like a little maniac, and I was embarrassed. I felt bad for the other patrons who had to endure this with me, but I also knew it would be over in a minute or two and we would all be on our separate ways. I had my cash in hand, ready to make the transaction as quick and painless as possible, when the lady behind me decides to give me some sage parenting advice. She exclaimed, ‘BUY HIM THE STUPID CANDY AND SHUT HIM UP!’
She was loud enough for all within 20–30 feet to hear. Of course this brought too much attention to me and my son. I was mortified and started to tear up. I thought I was doing the right thing by not giving in to the occasional tantrum. In a split second she had me questioning my parenting skills and decisions. I was angry, embarrassed, and exhausted. It was all I could do not to turn around and give her a piece of my mind and to tell her to mind her own stupid business. Luckily, my better judgment prevailed and I didn’t respond. I paid for our milk and left with a still-screaming child in my arms, only to break down once inside the safe confines of our car. I figured it better for my son to witness my solo breakdown instead of me responding to the wise old lady in the store. Either way, he doesn’t remember any of it now. That moment is still vivid in my memories and has proved to be an experience I decided to learn from, although I have to admit I still get mildly irritated thinking about it to this day. I try not to judge parents in public places dealing with a toddler tantrum. They are not bad parents. They could be just as sleep deprived and frazzled as I was in that moment, or worse. We never know what is going on in a stranger’s life to judge them on one interaction. That was 13 years ago, and although I no longer have to avoid the candy aisle in stores, I still find myself telling my teenage son ‘no’ when it comes to gratuitously buying sweets. Thankfully he no longer throws a tantrum, nor do I have the need to pick him up and placate him.
Unleashing A Tidal Wave Of Accusaton
“So my cousin was lucky enough to have a healthy baby girl a few years ago, despite doctors telling her she would never be able to conceive. She also had a rare physical deformity that contribute to that condition. A year after giving birth, she was waiting in line at the grocery store with her daughter in a pram when this woman came up to her and asked if that was her baby. My cousin was totally shocked and taken aback by this woman’s question, and she said yes. The woman then replied, ‘But this child doesn’t look like you.’ My cousin couldn’t understand why this woman was talking to her, so she asked the woman why this was a concern of hers. The women then shouts how my cousin obviously kidnapped this baby. The woman called the authorities, but other customers tried to come to my cousin’s aid. Thankfully, the authorities were able to resolve the issue over the phone, and my cousin wasn’t under any sort of trouble. But she shouldn’t have to explain herself! The fact that this vicious woman was so threatened by my cousin’s appearance speaks volumes about her character. It still makes me sick when I think about it to this day. Thankfully, my wonderful cousin is expecting another baby in the Spring. At least there was some good news to end this story with!”
Karma Has Never been More Satisfying
“I was in line at the local grocery store, getting something to make for dinner before I would be flying home for winter break. The previous semester kicked my butt academically, so I was pretty stressed out and tired at that point. I was also wearing makeup because if I didn’t, I would receive way too many questions about my age. I had zero energy for explaining to people that I just looked really young. While I was in line at the checkout area, some wicked Karen behind me was loudly talking to her husband about how the liberal gen z snowflakes need to get a life and show some respect. She then said out loud that if someone was over 120lbs, they should hit the gym and only be eating salads. She was clearly looking at me while she said this. I was beyond frustrated. I danced seven days a week and would regularly exercise, but I have PCOS, which can cause weight gain. I merely turned around and made my purchases. As I turned away to leave, the Karen asked me in the most patronizing voice if I really needed all of that food. I told her that she really needed to get her nose out of my life and worry more about herself. I walked away, because I didn’t need this exchange to go any further. The next day, I was boarding my plane. You’ll never guess who was in line ahead of me on the plane! Yep, it was the very same Karen! Apparently she couldn’t board the plane due to her seat being double booked, so she had to stay behind. Karma had never felt sweeter before that moment.”
The Weirdest Meet Cute Imaginable
“My best friend and I were getting some groceries, and my bestie also bough a couple of skirts and some makeup while we were there. At the time, my friend, who was a dude, was wearing a reindeer crop top and a rainbow skirt. While waiting in line, the lady behind us asked my friend what he was holding, which was a very weird question. My friend turned around and showed her the skirts, because he was too polite. The lady then asked who the skirts were for. Looking back on it, I really wish that I had turned around and told her to mind her own business. But my friend said that they were for him. By then, we both knew that this lady obviously had a problem with him wearing the skirts. The woman was wearing a mask, and she pulled it down and tried to spit on my best friend, calling him nasty slurs and screaming her head off. My best friend is literally the sweetest person in the world, and he didn’t even try to contradict her. I couldn’t believe it. He looked like he was on the verge of tears though, all while this evil woman kept screaming at him about how he would be going to purgatory. My friend is literally the sweetest person in the world and didn’t even try to contradict her. He looked like he was about to cry though and the lady kept screaming at him. I almost lunged at her, and I probably would have if it wasn’t for the guy standing behind the lady. This guy had listened to the entire conversation and asked her, ‘Why would that guy be going to your house?’
The lady screamed some more, collected her groceries, and left. The guy explained to us that he was also gay. He and my best friend are now dating, and they are the cutest couple ever. I adore both of them.