This happened yesterday, and I can’t stop replaying it in my head.
I was doing my weekly grocery run at a local supermarket. It was a busy afternoon and the checkout lines were long. I was behind a woman (probably mid-50s) who was clearly getting impatient as the teenage cashier (maybe 17 at most) scanned her items. The cashier was a little slow and flustered, probably new, but nothing outrageous. The woman, however, kept sighing, muttering under her breath, and tapping her foot like she was being tortured.
Then the cashier accidentally scanned something twice and needed to call her supervisor to void it. That’s when the woman exploded. The woman started berating this poor girl, How hard can this job be? You can’t even do basic tasks. You’re wasting everyone’s time. She just kept going, louder and meaner, while the cashier’s hands were literally shaking. Eventually, the girl’s eyes welled up with tears. I gave it a moment, hoping she’d stop, but she didn’t. So I stepped in and said You don’t have the right to treat her like that. She’s trying her best. If you think this job is so easy, maybe you should try it for a day.
The woman snapped back that I should mind my own business. So I told her, It is my business when you’re making a kid cry over groceries. Right then the supervisor showed up to help, and the woman stormed off, still muttering and cursing. The cashier thanked me with teary eyes, but I noticed a couple of people behind me in line giving me looks like I was the one in the wrong.
I wouldn’t say I’m 100% sure I was right, but I just want to know if what I did was the right or wrong
AITA, for telling off a woman who berated a teenage cashier?
Comments
Ntah. I would’ve done the same thing, probably been more rude to the old hag lol 😂
NTA. People these days are getting nastier and meaner, and they need to be pulled up short like you did with that woman. On top of it, you sent a powerful message to the young cashier that she doesn’t deserve to be mistreated by anyone. Well done!
NTA good for you and the cashier will certainly remember your kindness. Some entitled people make me sick.
Definitely not the AH. Gen xers are the bloody worst. I was was born in ’62 and have listened to them whine my whole life. Now they’re older, they’re more entitled, They are the birth and masters of the “Karen” . Keep putting them in their place. Good on you
Nta more like a hero
NTA That woman will think twice before acting out on other service workers after getting flak for it.
YTA for this stupid hero story that’s on here every second day
Ah, you were at MAGAland grocery. There, hating on the staff is part of the fun for the shoppers. That’s why the other karens in line were giving you the eye.
Watch and see if your points get accidentally drained.
Why is this forum censoring words? I typed in a certain derogatory and got a red message saying “This type of language is unacceptable” is this subreddit enshittified now?
Absolutely thank you for standing up for the cashier! I was waiting at Whataburger for my order (for 20 minutes) and chose to get a refund when a door dasher lost their mind after maybe waiting 5 minutes. I also dash, although wasn’t at the time, and totally shut him down. Had to calm the cashier down too and direct him to focus on me. He wanted to fight the dasher lol. It was ridiculous. People that act like that are clearly never put in their place, it’s good to stand up to them if you’re comfortable doing it IMO.
NTA! Good job overcoming the bystander effect! Those haters in the back of the line can pound sand 😤
I’m proud of you for protecting her. We need more heroes
Hell no and thank you for doing it. I’ve had to do this more than once and it’s never fun. NTA.
You did everything right, this woman is just outrageous!
NTA as someone who works in customer service, we need more people like you to stand up when we’re being treated like 💩
NTA at all.
NTA Thank you for standing up to the bully.
NTA, thank you for stepping up for that poor girl
NNTA Screw that B into the ground, no one deserves that kind of disrespect
NTA. I’m in my 40s, used to be a cashier, and I STILL accidentally double scan at self now.
Not even gonna read, NTA!!
Years ago, I used to stop at Walmart after working nights and get food for me and my sons. One day some woman was giving the kid at the deli counter a ton of shit. So I told her off, since he couldn’t. She even got the manager, and tried to get my kicked out. I talked to the manager and she was told to leave. This was early summer.
Come Xmas time, and my son wants one of the new 3DS handhelds by Nintendo. Super hard to find, especially the week before Xmas. So I go to the electronics department, and the kid from the deli worked there. Told him what I was looking for, and they didn’t have any. Then the deli kid yells ‘WAIT FOR ME TO COME BACK’ and runs in the back of the store. Comes back about 10 minutes later with a brand new 3DS. He said he saw it on the list of stuff to check into the store that morning, and ‘owed me one’ so he did that for me. Made my fucking week!!
So no, NTA for sticking up for someone who can’t really do it for themselves!!!
NTA. I don’t get involved in almost any situation thatI disagree with, but I can’t quietly abide someone going off in public on a person who isn’t a jerk and can’t defend themselves.
Plus, have you found that a berated person is most likely to earn sympathy (from observers, too) than a reprimand? It’s like attacking the entire team.
NTA. Well done you.
NTA, that was so kind of you to stand up for the cashier. People tend to see things that aren’t right and just look away bc they don’t want to “get involved” be proud of yourself.
Some people are rude simply because they think they’re better than someone with a regular job. I experience this a lot as a hotel cleaner. Good on you for standing up for her. Lord knows it escaped her mind that had that teenager not shown up for her job, she’d have no groceries.
NTA
As someone who works in a grocery store, we can’t really say anything, but a customer can stick up for an employee all day. Customer are usually pretty nice, but the mean ones are really mean.
NTA, people all want to play dumb when someone is a bully. The “at least it’s not me!” attitude. You did good.
As a cashier i want to say thank you!, you stood up when so many rarely do.. a cashier should never have to take verbal abuse from anyone! yet they often do, they often get treated like crap, snappy customers taking out all their bad day and annoyance on the person standing at the till.. and what that woman was doing was abusing that cashier.. she saw weakness and she just kept at it to break her because something in that womans life is shitty and she felt she needed to take it out on the teenager infront of her… you would be shocked how often it happens.. ever since covid people have lost their shit when it comes to being respectful to anyone in the service industry.. i’ve been snapped at, yelled at told to F off by customers, i’ve had them speak to me in whiny baby voices, i have been scratched by customers, i’ve even had customers throw things at me, i’ve been hit with produce… this is all abusive behavior from customers.. and it’s not ok
NTA. Fuck that lady and fuck everyone giving you the stink eye
You’re not in the wrong here. But people who were standing behind you were like you basically were right to defend her, but why did you have to make us wait for someone else? That’s why they’re so angry and giving you the side eye
The thing is, its actually NOT that easy to cashier so I am glad you stepped in. I cashiered at a convenience store for several years. I actually can count back change without a calculator or register so I am no slouch but by 5 hours into a 7 hour shift it gets hard. People want their change this way or that – it makes sense to them but often no one else. Then there are the ones who are deliberately trying to confuse the cashier so they will give them too much change. Its not easy.
That cashier will remember you forever. I remember a time when a customer was trying to scam me and yelling at me, and lady walked up and said “your a fucking bitch” and walked away. It didn’t solve anything, but she’s my hero.
NTAH. Thank you for speaking up. Anyone who has ever worked in a customer service position knows how difficult some customers can be. There always seems to be a few customers who enjoy belittling people in a service industry position. Those customers are also the ones who are cheap with tips. And they are the first to complain that companies don’t hire enough employees and that young people don’t want to work.
Calling that customer out let her know that her behavior was unacceptable. And it was a wake-up call to anyone else in line who thought they might take a shot at the cashier as well.
Anyone verbally abusing a retail worker should be called out, publicly. My first job was in retail and right at Christmas shopping period, very few customers has patience as it was so busy, it was quite a tough environment to work in especially when errors happen like the item didn’t scan or had the wrong price.
I was a cashier before and I’ll be damned!!! If I’m not fast enough for you, you can go to another line or scan/bag your own groceries.
NTA. Apparently, you were the only shopper in that line with a heart. No one’s time is so important that completely berating and humiliating a stranger should be acceptable.
NTA – More of us need to stand up against mean bullies.
You did the right thing. Some people are bullies.
I don’t like rude people like that. This girl was young and probably in training. This lady knew she was intimidating this young lady. The girl was fixing her mistake. I applaud you for stepping up to the bully.
NTA
You did a great thing.
I wish more people would step in when someone is being physically or verbally assaulted.
NTAH. Standing up to a bully is always the right thing.
The other people behind you in line were EMBARRASSED that they were too cowardly to say anything to defend this girl – You made them think.
Good for you!
Nope, you did the right thing. I used to shop in a family-run store and they hired a seriously autistic kid as a cashier. Couldn’t/wouldn’t make eye contact, didn’t speak, but was entirely capable of ringing out groceries and bagging them. One time a lady got worked up over it . I pointed out that he was doing a fine job of doing his actual job and he should be proud of getting his job. She shut up and I always went in his line.
NTA: As a retired retail worker, thank you with my whole heart. The public can really suck sometimes.
NTA, but you should have been much harsher.
NtA.
I was a teenager cashier, and im still only young. I get a lot of assholes come through my register, and it sucks some days. You did the right thing
You were too nice, I would have told her to shut her fucking mouth and act like a human being not a piece of shit entitled bitch who thinks she is so tough she has to make a teenager cry over groceries
NTA being nasty to someone who is struggling to do their job isn’t going to help them do the job faster. If anything it’s going to slow things down. So its counterproductive.
Good on you for speaking up.
Absolutely NTA OP, more people should stand up for retail workers like this. I think you did great, the cashier really appreciated it, and you don’t need to dwell anymore if you can help it!
NTA you did the right thing.
I also would have felt compelled to step in and say something on behalf of the cashier. Punching down is never a good thing.