Retail work is notoriously difficult, especially when demanding customers get involved. For one TikToker, an interaction with what she described as an incredibly rude shopper proved too much to handle, resulting in her quitting her job.
In a viral video that has been viewed more than 630,000 times, user @whatsinthekoolaid recounted a heated exchange with an “infected-eyed” customer that made her finally reach her breaking point.
“I was teetering on the edge of a mental spiral,” she admitted before telling the tale. “I did not handle this the way that was most appropriate.”
@whatsinthekoolaid this customer was not the only reason i quit but my god did she accelerate my mental breakdown
♬ original sound – kaelin
According to the TikToker, the customer purchased a chair prior to the incident and was told she had 48 hours to pick it up. Despite the warning about the company’s pick-up policy, the item remained in the store for two weeks. When the customer finally came to retrieve the item, not only did she scream at the worker, but she also requested a discount claiming the chair was “damaged.”
The strangest part about the ordeal is that the shopper looked under the weather.
“I’m looking at her face, and I’m like, ‘What is wrong with her eyeballs?’” the TikToker recalled. “She’s got two infected eyeballs. She is yelling at me with two bright-red infected eyeballs.”
After a heated back-and-forth with the customer over what the TikToker said was dust that accumulated on the bottom of the chair because it was left in the store for two weeks, the shopper continued to demand a discount, claiming there was a problem with the chair.
“Are we even looking at the same thing?” the customer reportedly asked. “There is damage all over this chair.”
“I’m starting to think that one of us may need to get our eyes checked, and I don’t think it’s me,” the TikToker fired back.
The incident ended when the TikToker’s boss intervened and gave in to the patron’s demand for a discount.
“This was the last straw for me. My manager comes over; he gives her a discount,” she said. “And he lets her keep it in the store for another couple days so she could figure out cleaning options for the damage that was done to her item while it was sitting in our store. After that, I came in for one more shift, and that was my last shift ever.”
Though the TikToker was upset with her boss’ call, she thought it made sense, all things considered.
“I think that he probably did that because I had such an attitude with that woman,” she admitted. “I was so furious. I’d never talked to anyone like that in my life.”
This is not @whatsinthecoolaid’s first viral video telling tales from her retail work experiences. Her page is littered with retail work-related videos, but she assures viewers (and potential bosses) that she doesn’t discuss her current job.
The Daily Dot contacted @whatsinthecoolaid via TikTok for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
