u/TheAralissaMonroe

I work retail, and I had a customer the other day that genuinely left me wondering if I was overreacting or if these people were just impossible to please.

A woman came in with her son, probably around 10 or 11. Right from the start, the kid was being loud, throwing merchandise around, opening sealed products, and running through aisles while the mom completely ignored it. At one point he knocked over an entire display and she just looked at me and said, “You work here, don’t you?”

I stayed polite. I cleaned everything up and asked if they needed help finding anything. She immediately started complaining that the store was “organized horribly” and that employees “never know what they’re doing.” I still tried helping her find what she wanted.

We didn’t have the exact item she came in for, but I checked the back, checked our inventory system, and even called another nearby location for her. While I was doing that, her son kept interrupting me asking for random things, making comments about how slow I was, and touching things behind the counter. The mom laughed every time he did it.

I finally found a similar item that would work, and instead of just saying no thank you, she starts talking to me like I’m stupid. Stuff like, “Did you even listen to what I asked for?” and “This is why nobody likes asking employees for help anymore.”

Meanwhile her kid starts mocking me too. Literally repeating what I said in a whiny voice while grinning at me.

I was honestly trying SO hard to stay calm because I know customer service jobs basically expect you to be a punching bag sometimes. But after almost 30 minutes of being insulted while actively trying to help them, I finally said something like:

“Ma’am, I’ve done everything I can to help you, but I’d appreciate it if both of you would stop speaking to me disrespectfully.”

You would’ve thought I cursed them out.

(But I kinda need money so I didn’t)

She immediately demanded my manager, started ranting about how “sensitive” employees are nowadays, and said her son was “just joking.” My manager thankfully backed me up after seeing part of the interaction on camera, but the woman stormed out saying she was leaving reviews everywhere.

Now I keep replaying it in my head wondering if I should’ve just stayed quiet and dealt with it longer. Some coworkers said I handled it way better than they would have, but part of me still feels guilty for finally calling out the disrespect.

So… am I overreacting?

I (early 20s F) had a friend (early 20s M) that I’d known for a while. We weren’t super close lifelong friends or anything, but we talked pretty regularly and I considered him someone I trusted. Things were normal until one day he randomly sent me a Snapchat picture of the toilet after he peed and asked if the color looked “normal.”

There was no warning, no context beforehand, nothing. I opened Snapchat expecting a normal message and instead got hit with that. It honestly grossed me out and made me really uncomfortable. I know it could sound “harmless” to some people because technically it wasn’t explicit, but it still felt weirdly invasive and inappropriate to me. Especially because I never had that kind of friendship with him where bodily stuff like that was considered funny or okay.

I told him that was disgusting and that he crossed a boundary. He apologized pretty quickly and said he genuinely thought it was funny and didn’t mean to make me uncomfortable. He also said he sends dumb stuff to his other friends and didn’t think it was a big deal.

But after that, I just couldn’t look at him the same way. It completely changed how I viewed him and honestly made me realize our sense of boundaries and maturity were very different. I slowly stopped responding and eventually cut contact completely.

Now a couple mutual friends are saying I overreacted because “it was just pee” and because he apologized right away. They think dropping an entire friendship over one gross Snapchat is dramatic.

I don’t know. To me, an apology doesn’t automatically erase the fact that someone made you deeply uncomfortable in the first place. And I don’t think I’m obligated to continue a friendship after someone crosses a line for me, even if they didn’t intend harm.

AITA?

I (21TF) have been friends with “Lena” (23F) for a little over 4 years. We used to be really close, like the type of friendship where we talked every day and told each other everything. Lately though, I feel like she’s turned me into the “punchline” of the group and I genuinely don’t know if I’m overreacting or finally just fed up.

For context, I’m a pretty quiet person in groups. I joke around one-on-one, but in public I’m more reserved. Lena knows this. Over the last few months, she’s started making comments about me whenever other people are around. It started small, like joking about me being “awkward” or “emotionally unstable,” but then it kept escalating.

Examples being:

We went to dinner with mutual friends and she brought up a personal situation I told her in confidence because she thought it was “funny.” Everyone got quiet and I just laughed it off because I was embarrassed.

She constantly interrupts me when I’m talking and says things like “Nobody knows what you’re trying to say” or “You’re explaining it weird again.”

One night we were out and I mentioned I’d been stressed lately. She literally rolled her eyes and said, “You’re always having a crisis.” People laughed and I just shut down the rest of the night.

She also has this habit of being nice privately, then acting different around other people. If I bring anything up one-on-one, she’ll apologize and say she was “just joking,” but then does it again the next time we’re around others.

The thing that finally pushed me over the edge happened this weekend. We were at a friend’s apartment and someone asked why I’d been quieter lately. Before I could answer, Lena goes, “Because she takes everything personally and thinks everyone hates her.” Everyone laughed awkwardly and I honestly felt humiliated. I ended up leaving early.

The next day I texted her saying I needed space because I didn’t appreciate constantly being embarrassed for entertainment. She responded saying I was being dramatic, that I “can’t take jokes,” and that everyone else understood she was kidding.

But honestly… jokes are supposed to be funny for everyone involved. At this point it just feels mean. I’ve started dreading group settings because I know I’m going to end up being targeted somehow.

Some mutual friends think I should let it go because “that’s just her personality,” but I’m starting to feel like a real friend wouldn’t repeatedly humiliate someone after being told it hurts them.

Am I overreacting for pulling away from her?

I (21TF) have been friends with “Lena” (23F) for a little over 4 years. We used to be really close, like the type of friendship where we talked every day and told each other everything. Lately though, I feel like she’s turned me into the “punchline” of the group and I genuinely don’t know if I’m overreacting or finally just fed up.

For context, I’m a pretty quiet person in groups. I joke around one-on-one, but in public I’m more reserved. Lena knows this. Over the last few months, she’s started making comments about me whenever other people are around. It started small, like joking about me being “awkward” or “emotionally unstable,” but then it kept escalating.

Examples being:

We went to dinner with mutual friends and she brought up a personal situation I told her in confidence because she thought it was “funny.” Everyone got quiet and I just laughed it off because I was embarrassed.

She constantly interrupts me when I’m talking and says things like “Nobody knows what you’re trying to say” or “You’re explaining it weird again.”

One night we were out and I mentioned I’d been stressed lately. She literally rolled her eyes and said, “You’re always having a crisis.” People laughed and I just shut down the rest of the night.

She also has this habit of being nice privately, then acting different around other people. If I bring anything up one-on-one, she’ll apologize and say she was “just joking,” but then does it again the next time we’re around others.

The thing that finally pushed me over the edge happened this weekend. We were at a friend’s apartment and someone asked why I’d been quieter lately. Before I could answer, Lena goes, “Because she takes everything personally and thinks everyone hates her.” Everyone laughed awkwardly and I honestly felt humiliated. I ended up leaving early.

The next day I texted her saying I needed space because I didn’t appreciate constantly being embarrassed for entertainment. She responded saying I was being dramatic, that I “can’t take jokes,” and that everyone else understood she was kidding.

But honestly… jokes are supposed to be funny for everyone involved. At this point it just feels mean. I’ve started dreading group settings because I know I’m going to end up being targeted somehow.

Some mutual friends think I should let it go because “that’s just her personality,” but I’m starting to feel like a real friend wouldn’t repeatedly humiliate someone after being told it hurts them.

Am I overreacting for pulling away from her?