r/AskReddit Managers of Reddit - what is a Karen experience like?

managers of Reddit what is a Karen experience like what was your worst experience I loved Karen's when I was managing being able to say I'm the manager followed soon by sorry that's company policy always results in a flustered Karen leaving in a huff and a much relieved crew happened before I became a manager but once while I was serving at Steak N Shake customer had a coupon for a burger fries and a shake for X dollars can't remember the price anymore anyway on the coupon it specifically stated that cheese on the burger was $0.39 up charge although it did have a picture of a burger with cheese on it lady threw a fit in the dining room that I was treating her unfairly it was false advertising etcetera etcetera I told her I agree it's false advertising with the picture but the text specifically states the up charge and unfortunately I can't do anything about it the lady at the next table overheard everything and literally got up and put $0.50 on the table to cover it and said something to the effect of I'll pay for your damn cheese if you just shut up this pissed that she's lady off even more my manager obviously since the issue and came out took the cheese up charge of the bill like WTF Karen work at a vacuum repair shop people don't pay attention to their vacuum cleaners as much as you'd think I can't tell you how many times someone comes to pick up their vacuum and says oh this one isn't mine or mine didn't have scratches down the side I can tell you it is and it came in with all those scratches on the side after the first two times it happened to me we started taking pictures of the unit with serial numbers and customer info send them home with the serial number and require them to bring it back for pickup despite the evidence I've had a lady close to tears because we didn't have her backyard even with the pictures we had of it a drop off her information the matching serial numbers sure it's a big conspiracy we just love taking in vacuums and switching all the information around because it's fun people need to pay more attention I used to work Geek Squad and once had this happen when a lady came in to pick up her laptop she explained that it was all of her information but that the laptop itself wasn't hers it's like they took all my stuff and put it into a different laptop spoke with her daughter turns out she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's that was my first experience with the disease and man did it hit hard and she wasn't even a relative is there a male version of Karen because I had a client like this once fairly wealthy very entitled and Justin asked to work with we were the contractors doing an extensive remodel on his home and one of the light fixtures his design as chosen as this expensive custom order chandelier with a no return policy we made sure he signed off on the spec sheet with a picture of the fixture and the no return policy highlighted when the chandelier was delivered he insisted he'd never seen it before and definitely hadn't approved it he kept insisting on this even after we showed him his signature on the order even suggesting we forged it to cover a mistake on our part yeah because I'm going to go out of my way to make my life more difficult like that not a manager that I used to work part-time at a bakery inside of a grocery store I dealt with my fair share of Carens during this time just to paint this picture of how it would work we had a binder with laminated copies of 100 different designs that decorators did regularly a customer would look through the book pick a design they wanted and fill me in on the details of when they wanted it by what size what flavor if any color changes were necessary etc our decorators would come in at 7:00 a.m. and stay for however long it took to complete their orders so usually they were gone by early to mid-afternoon the bakery closed along with the store at 9:00 p.m. one day maybe around 8:15 or 8:20 a woman comes in and says she needs a cake I figure she's referring to the cake sitting in our cooler which we keep up the ready in case anybody just wants something quick and simple so I motioned to the cooler and asked her if she sees anything she likes apparently I'm a goddamn brilliant comedian because she starts laughing endows no sweetie I need a wedding cake alright no big deal I grab an order form and take down her information and then ask what day she needs it for tonight mind you the store was closing in 40 minutes so even if I could decorate a cake I wouldn't be able to help her I tell her that there's no decorators present at the moment that I could make sure it was ready for her first thing the next morning she's clearly upset by this but says that'd be fine I continue taking her order and asked her what size she'd like our bakery was not an upscale joint and our prices reflect that just about everything comes in frozen so for our cakes they come in a variety of predetermined sizes she pulls out her firm and thrusts it in my face saying whatever that is on the screen is a very beautiful cake smooth white frosting seven to eight tiers decorations made in fondant and blown sugar before I even continue taking the order and dash their hopes when she sees the finished product I tell her that that just wouldn't be possible I didn't mean to offend our decorators that I told her the truth most of them were exceptionally gifted home bakers who didn't have formal training in terms of a culinary program or decorating school I then politely refer her to a more upscale bakery that I knew of that's more equipped to help her than we were then the dreaded six words came can I speak to your manager at this point in time I had been working at that bakery for a little over a year so I was capable enough to close the department on my own as such I was the only one there I told her this but offered to leave a note with the customer's name and number so my manager could call her tomorrow fine then let me talk to a store manager there were anywhere between one to three store managers who oversaw the entire grocery store and all its departments on starpha night so I go to our phone and page a store manager over to the bakery department the whole time we are waiting she's staring daggers into me a manager I was fairly friendly with came to the counter a few minutes and asked what the problem was i briefed her before she went to talk to the customer the second we get over there the customer starts spewing lies about me how I was rude and refusing to help her I tried to defend myself but the manager just told me to keep doing my closing workout back ten minutes later she comes back shaking her head and robbing her temples that [ __ ] was crazy customer service industry is a blast I was the only person on shift which made me the de-facto manager five minutes before closing a woman comes in and is so angry that we don't have any decaf she demands to speak to the manager I tell her that's me because I'm the only one here and the coffee pots are cleaned for the night because it's five minutes to close no I'm sorry I can't make another pot just for her there's another place around the corner she screams at me tells me she's going to find a real manager and get my [ __ ] ass fired throws half a cup of cappuccino machine sludge at me and starts to look like she's gonna jump the counter I'm holding a hammer under the counter thinking don't do it don't do it I pick up the phone like I'm going to call the cops she leaves I lock the door she comes back and runs face-first into the glass door like a bird the staff did not know it at the time but our ketchup dispenser was empty a boy aged 10 was just smashing down on the handle trying to get ketchup but none was being dispensed a staff member noticed the kid smashing the ketchup dispenser so I went out to see what was going on oh the ketchup is empty I'll get a new back from the kitchen give me two minutes and I'll be right back with some new ketchup I remove the empty container take it back to the kitchen clean the dispenser and place in a new bag take it out to the condiment stand and get met by a Karen why did you take the ketchup away from my son the ketchup was empty so I replaced the bag why did you take the ketchup away go get your manager okay one minute I walk about two meters turn around and introduce myself as a manager why did you take the ketchup away from my son map please lower your voice the ketchup was empty I explained to your son that I needed to take it back to the kitchen to refill it no you didn't I was standing here the whole time you took the ketchup away from my son ma'am please lower your voice you were not with your son he was here alone trying to get ketchup which was empty don't you tell me what to do do you know who you're dealing with nope ma'am please get your belongings and leave this establishment cue the screaming and yelling I will not leave this establishment I am going to burn this place down other patrons are visibly upset with what they're witnessing police are called Karen gives a statement police question me I give a statement Karen told the police that I struck her son pushed him out of the way and moved the ketchup to an area in which her son couldn't get access to the ketchup I disputed the claim and offered to provide video evidence with sound of what actually happened police watched the video once thank me and walk out to the eating area officer ma'am does your son have someone who can look after him his father is at work right now okay you're being placed under arrest for making threats and a false police report more yelling threats and now tears in the end she was charged with making the false police report but not the threats and received a lifetime ban from not just our restaurant but the entire mall our restaurant was located in I felt kind of bad not for the Karen but for her son he has to live with that best test of the best interactions I ever had Karen griped about not wanting to pay the price for the services performed on her computer which was exactly the price quoted when she dropped it off and which she had signed for she demanded to speak to the service manager I called him from the back service manager listen to her spiel as to how she should get a lower price because irrelevant pea-brained reason service manager made I contact with me over her shoulder I did not relax he said no price quoted was the price that would be charged she said that was unacceptable and she would be complaining to the owner who was a good friend service manager observed that he was evidently not that good a friend since that he me was the person she was originally speaking with when she asked for the service manager her face was glorious and made the whole thing worthwhile I am NOT in retail anymore that I was managing a popular mid-range handbag store think typical Karen bag about 200 to 400 dollars anyway most customers were fantastic this one woman was this wreck looking large red-headed lady who stomped in and demanded that we repair her 20 year old back for free and if we couldn't do that she demanded that we exchange this old ratty smelly 20 year old back for a brand new one for her recently policy changes had resulted in new prices for this service but free repairs had about a one-year warranty on a new bag not a 20-year old one I tell her as such I was pretty young to have had the role I did so she dissatisfied with my answer asked to speak to a manager I told her I'm the manager and she began turning as red as her hair she screamed and yelled about how she'll call corporate and never shop here again well that sounds like a real loss losing a customer that is too cheap to repair a 20 year old bag and hasn't bought new from us in just as long I give her my best shit-eating grin and say I'm so sorry that's just the policy she demands corporates number I give her the customer service line that you can find on Google unbeknownst to her she Huff's away forgetting her keys on the counter she's halfway out and she remembers turns around red as a beet huffs in my smiling face and snatches the keys off the counter it was hilarious she came back months later worked with a different person on the team and didn't even look my way not a manager but eating at a cheap greasy spoon kind of a diner that has been around since the 50s all the meat is frozen pretty much nothing but the coffee / eggs made fresh you know what you're getting when you come to this place a couple comes in with their two young boys I'd estimate six to seven forever mom makes a minor scene about not wanting a booth wanting a table there's an entire wall of booths and multiple tables that she specifically wants the one in the middle of the room that needs to be bussed since the people that were using it just left she makes a minor scene about having to wait for the one busboy handling the entire FOH to come take care of it when the manager went and got him to take care of it immediately at this point I'm not paying too much attention but they are sitting literally right next to us they order appetizers steak shakes for the kids etc their waitress is handling several other tables at the same time like a third of the floor and serve some coffee and sliced pie to an elderly couple that came in after the family Karen throws an absolute hissing [ __ ] fit because we were here first how come they are getting their orders first manager comes back out and explains in the most Placid tones possible that multiple fried goods and a steak take time to cook but hot coffee is available all day and sliced pies in a display up front so there's no prep time Karen calms down but fumes doesn't allow the boys to get their food buffet option until her / dad's food comes to the table once the adult food arrives Karen just starts tucking in both boys are just tall enough to see over the edge of the buffet but not nearly enough to reach tongs or reasonably serve themselves a waitress from another section sees them struggling and comes over to help asking what they want on their plates Karen flies to her feet and makes a big scene this time about how dare you tell my kids what they can and cannot eat who do you think you are handling their food queue manager coming out again following demands to complain directly waitress is an older woman we are talking white hair and is nearly in tears thinking she has done something terrible manager asks her to go chill in the back a bit while she smooth things over with Karen Karen demands balloons they had them as a special birthday thing for the kids they get balloons Karen calms down husband and kids are pretty quiet kids seemed visibly embarrassed husband is acting like this is pretty normal husband steak comes out last he's unenthusiastic about it and Karen calls for the manager a fourth time to chew her out over the steak being overdone dry etc they send it back and demand another then a third let me reiterate this is a place you go to full like greasy burgers and fries fish and chips etc steak is on the menu but realistic expectations and reason means you're not expecting high quality you're getting what you pay for manager just kept calm and kept apologizing for their suboptimal experience but beyond filling minor low-cost demands the balloons didn't offer up much when Karen basically shouted that they would never be coming back the manager was just like sorry to hear that have a nice night absolute Pro at grey rocking whew that's enough of that do all the YouTube things and I'll see you tomorrow

Channel: Robots reading Reddit

Views: 23,449

Rating: 4.782258 out of 5

Keywords: Robots, reading, Reddit, ask reddit, askreddit, r/askreddit, karen, real life karen, stories, comments, answers, thread, managers of, customer service, nightmare, customer

Id: ms8eFwY259s

Length: 16min 34sec (994 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 09 2019