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Secondhand Embarrassment: 100 Cringe-Worthy Moments That Still Haunt People
Interview With Expert
Some awkward moments are so universal that everyone has experienced them at least once, but no one dares to talk about them out loud. Whether it’s waving back at someone who wasn’t waving at you, accidentally saying "you too" at the wrong time, or misjudging a handshake, these little moments of social disaster can send anyone into a spiral of secondhand embarrassment.
And let’s be honest, the worst part isn’t even the awkward moment itself, it’s the sudden replay in your brain at 2 a.m. when you least expect it. No matter how much time has passed, some cringeworthy memories just refuse to fade!
Today, the Bored Panda team has scoured the internet to find you the most painfully relatable, secondhand embarrassment-inducing moments out there. Keep reading to see which ones you’ve definitely lived through but probably tried to forget!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
🇫🇮 Goth Nurse 🇫🇮 2 weeks ago
YES I do this, also I don't put the lights on and I try to keep my eyes a bit closed lol
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No matter where you're from, chances are you've had your fair share of sincerely awkward moments in life. Maybe it happened while paying a bill at a restaurant, only to forget your own PIN, leaving you staring at the waiter like a guilty suspect who just stole the card. Or perhaps you've had one of those socially painful encounters where you hold the door open for someone a little too early, forcing them into an awkward half-jog just to relieve the tension. Yes, we’ve all been there.
But here’s the thing—awkward moments seem to multiply in supermarkets. It’s a place we all visit regularly, whether we’re grabbing groceries, restocking household essentials, or just impulse-buying snacks we swore we wouldn’t get. One second, you're reaching for an orange, and the next, your hand collides with a stranger’s because they were reaching for the same one. Now you both stand there, staring at the fruit like it just caused a global crisis.
#5
Green Tree 2 weeks ago
Tip for remembering names: Say their name yourself before the end of the conversation, a simple 'It was nice to meet you Jane' at the end works. Saying anything out loud helps for memory retention. If you meet them again later and have forgotten it be self-effacing and upfront right at the start "Hi, I remember we met at X but I'm terribly forgetful on names, I am Mary, what is your name again?" - They may have forgotten your name too and you just made it less awkward for you both which makes you come across open and friendly. Obviously you can't do this on the tenth meet but if distant acquittances with little face time it works great to get over the tricky first minutes. Gotta listen the first time though - for that you have to be present instead of thinking about what you are going to say next.
#6
A study by Mordor Intelligence shows that the supermarket industry is massive, with an estimated market size of USD 1.01 trillion in 2025, expected to grow to USD 1.19 trillion by 2030. That’s a lot of shopping carts, receipts, and, of course, a lot of potential awkward encounters.
A Drive Research survey conducted in the USA found that 39 percent of people spend between 30 to 44 minutes per grocery trip, while 27 percent spend 45 minutes or more. That means millions of people are wandering through supermarket aisles every day, which naturally increases the chances of embarrassing slip-ups, weird encounters, and social blunders.
To get a better understanding of these oops supermarket moments, we spoke with Kate D’souza, who has worked as a cashier at stores like Lidl in Germany for nearly a decade. She shared, "I started as a part-time employee to pay for college, and I’ve seen all kinds of shoppers. Sometimes, it’s genuinely entertaining to watch the things people do. There are just some awkward moments that happen over and over again."
"One of the most common ones?" she continued. "People picking up an item, walking around with it for a while, and then deciding they don’t want it anymore. Instead of putting it back where they found it, they discreetly try to hide it in a completely different aisle. A pack of frozen nuggets suddenly appears next to the shampoo bottles."
#13
Bonnie Blue Bird 2 weeks ago
Or when you walk into a room to get something only to forget what you meant to get.
#15
Kate points out, "The self-checkout struggle is something I see all the time. Customers love the idea of scanning their own items and avoiding unnecessary human interaction, until the machine decides to turn against them. They swipe an item, and for some reason, it beeps five times louder than it should, making everyone in the store turn their heads."
"Then comes the dreaded 'unexpected item in the bagging area' message, even though they swear they didn’t place anything extra there. I can always tell when someone is panicking, standing there flustered, looking around for help while an employee casually strolls over for the tenth time that day to fix the issue."
#17
Kate continues, "Then there’s the shopping cart showdown. Two customers turn into an aisle at the exact same time, and suddenly, it’s a game of chicken—who’s going to move first? Both of them do that awkward shuffle, trying to step aside but accidentally going in the same direction. It turns into an unintentional dance of confusion, with both parties waving each other on, neither wanting to make the first move. Eventually, they both fake a polite laugh and carry on, but I know deep down, they’re screaming inside."
#21
StarCrossedFriday 2 weeks ago (edited)
Never instantly look away when this happens, it’s too obvious. I tend to just unfocus my eyes and squint slightly, and then shake my head to emphasise that I was just daydreaming 😅
"And let’s not forget the 'oh no, I know them' moment," Kate adds. "Customers spot an old coworker, an acquaintance, or even a distant relative at the other end of the aisle. Do they say hi? Do they pretend not to see them? Instead of making a decision, I watch them suddenly become deeply interested in a random bag of pasta, hoping the other person will pass before they have to interact. But just when they think they’ve successfully avoided an awkward conversation, they bump into them again, at checkout, in the parking lot, or sometimes even at another store down the street."
#22
KnightOwl 2 weeks ago (edited)
My niece had the best solution to this. She turned 7 recently and informed everyone at her party that noone was allowed to sing happy birthday, when I brought out her cake a few people started to sing.. my niece shouted NO very sternly and everyone went quiet, she blew out her candles in complete silence then told everyone to stop staring at her. She is an awesome little badass; a sarcastic, animae loving, prank pulling, bunny obsessed punk. I wish I was brave enough to do the same but I don't I just stand there gritting my teeth and feeling uncomfortable, like everyone else.
Kate concludes, "Well, these things happen more often than you think. Supermarkets are like a stage where everyone unknowingly performs their own little awkward moments. The good news? No one is really paying attention because they’re too busy worrying about their own embarrassing moments. So next time something cringeworthy happens at the store, just laugh it off because chances are, someone else is having an awkward moment too."
#25
Doug Moyer 2 weeks ago
My wife, instead of repeating, gives me back story or explanations. No, dear, just repeat those three words that I didn't hear...
Well, whether it’s the supermarket or a restaurant, there are some moments we all can relate to. No matter how much we try to avoid them, awkward encounters and little social mishaps seem to be a part of everyday life. And let’s be real, sometimes they’re so painfully relatable that you can’t help but laugh. Especially the ones in these posts. Did they remind you of someone? Share them with a friend who would totally relate.
#30
antoinette maldari 2 weeks ago
I actually love that. Makes me feel more connected to the world.
#31
LillieMean 2 weeks ago
Bonus points if the family cat stares at you judgmentally and then a family member points out that I'm sitting in the cat's favorite chair. No, how embarrassing, you say to yourself as you slide down to the floor to sit like a blushing lump because that's where the cat (and you) think you belong.
#36
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
Some would regard that as a gift of fate - like dreaming of a Big Mac, then waking up at McDonald's.
#39
Little Bit 2 weeks ago
Why is it that people always ask you a question when you've just taken a huge mouthful of food and they expect an immediate answer? Then you're made out to be disgusting for speaking with your mouth full, but they're too impatient to wait until you have finished your food,
#41
#44
Kinetics Loves Apples 2 weeks ago (edited)
For me it's more like, "how many times can I reheat this bath before I have to awkwardly stand up or my skin peels off like a tangerine."
#45
Panda-sized Potato 2 weeks ago
Gotta compose it right. Can't make a mistake. You've only got one shot.
#46
real mccoy 2 weeks ago
I’m autistic too, and I feel this way all the time. I don’t think it’s an autism thing, however, because some of my friends say this happens to them too, and they aren’t autistic.
#47
#50
DoubleDoubleTiredAndTuckered 2 weeks ago
I recognize this guy, but I don’t know where I’ve seen him before!
#51
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 2 weeks ago
Showing empathy is acknowledging that you had a similar experience but allowing your friend to continue to be heard and make sure they know that your attention is on them and not yourself
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Lila Allen 2 weeks ago
100% it's a neurodivergent trait to show empathy. It gets misperceived by neurotypical people who think it's trying to draw attention away or make it about you
BookFanatic 2 weeks ago
I do this. Not because I want to take the focus away, but because I want to empathize and show that I "get it."
KnightOwl 2 weeks ago (edited)
A lot a lot of people, especially neurodiverse people do this as a way of showing empathy and moral support, they're literally trying to do the opposite of being selfish or make it about them. Just because someone thinks in a different way doesn't make them wrong.
Rinso The Red 2 weeks ago
Well, there's another item on the neuro-spicy bingo card I can cross off. Honestly, it was having a child on the spectrum that most made me re-examine my own experiences
Otto Katz 2 weeks ago
I do that. It is my way of commiserating, to show I can understand how they are feeling because I've been through something similar. It's not always a bad thing.
Marnie 2 weeks ago
It doesn't come from a bad place, but it isn't kind. The other person now is in a position of having to empathize with them. I was beaten up badly when I was 24. I had never asked to talk to someone before, but asked my 36 yo sister if I could come talk to her about it. I really NEEDED to relay the details. 5 minutes, she interrupted then went on for 60 minutes talking about the time she was beaten up years earlier. And it was horrible, and I sympathized and empathized and that combined with my own very recent trauma was just way too much. I never did get to tell anyone the story end-to-end. (The beating went on for 45 minutes and was followed up with additional horror.) I never forgave my sister for that.
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halazia 2 weeks ago (edited)
I disagree, if you do it right and allow the other person to continue talking it isn't rude. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but you giving your experience of a traumatic event isn't really the same thing, I think OP and what most ppl mean are when talking casually about smaller problems etc. What your sister did was extremely disrespectful, but this trauma dumping doesn't really fit the subject being discussed. Of course you should have been able to talk to someone, like a therapist or smth but idk, this is just a bad example imo.
#52
BookFanatic 2 weeks ago
Yep. My ex did this. Except his was more "Oh, why are you laughing...you don't even get the joke." One of many reasons he's an ex.
#55
ScarletRos 2 weeks ago
Or when someone pronounces your name wrong but you are too awkward to correct them.
#59
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 2 weeks ago
If YOU liked it, don't worry about what other people have to say about it.
#62
#63
Alex Kreitner 2 weeks ago
I once responded to someone who did that to me on Reddit, judging some judgmental thing I said, and I was like: "That was a year ago. I'm not that guy anymore."
#64
Feathered Dinosaur 2 weeks ago
Only once in my life did I buy condoms, as a grown a*s woman no less. I was so ashamed I never did it again. Good thing most guys take care of that task lol
#65
Moana Manana 2 weeks ago
My daughter has a lot of friends, and the name of 6 of her best once start with an A and sound very similar. When she talks about her friends, she says first and last name so I can tell them apart. But when I see them, I have no idea and I have to pretend to know who that is until she shouts very discretly the first and last name out loud. Thanks hun...
#69
#70
Moana Manana 2 weeks ago
There was one post I felt seen: I am more embarrassed about my calculator history than my browser history...
#72
Devin Schmitt 2 weeks ago
Someone once told me that one in three of my jokes were funny. I thought that was a pretty good statistic.
#73
Doozle bug 2 weeks ago
That’s not really awkward, unfortunately it’s a very real aspect of life. Always was always will be.
#76
CrunChewy McSandybutt 2 weeks ago
This is a tool that interrogators use to get more information without having to pry it out of a person.
#77
BookFanatic 2 weeks ago
I usually try to speak up, just because I've been the teacher and I know how awful that feels.
#78
Chefette67 2 weeks ago
I was doing early morning setup in the cafe kitchen, it's 530am, not a soul around. I bent over to get something and let off a fart that sounded like a chainsaw. Turned around and the bread delivery guy was standing directly behind me with a crate of brioche rolls! 😳 He just c*****d up laughing and said, "Geez luv!,I think you just burnt your buns!" 🤣🤣
#79
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
If you sit next to someone all during a movie, don't you usually know from their body language whether they enjoyed it or not?
#82
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
"Hello" can also be an expression of surprise. As in "Hello, that escalated quickly."
#85
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
I never sent students to the principal's office. If you crossed the line that hard in my class, you knew full well that your transgression would be dealt with right here and right now and by me. (Hardly ever had to do this. My students seemed to like me for reasons still unknown to science.)
#87
CrunChewy McSandybutt 2 weeks ago
Look, once you let me follow your page, I'm going back to the paleolithic period in your photos, and you'll just have to accept that.
#89
Moana Manana 2 weeks ago
We had a manager once he would give women the hand for an handshake, then fold the middlefinger and moves it up and down in your palm. He did it once to me and I refused his hand the next time, and all other times for that matter...
#92
#99
Panda McPandaface 2 weeks ago
I either don't understand this or I do understand it and wish I didn't.
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What do you think ?
StarCrossedFriday 2 weeks ago
That moment when you need something from the supermarket, and someone else is taking forever browsing, with their cart blocking you, so you pretend to be super engrossed in picking the right kind of sour cream until they sodding move.
RM 2 weeks ago
If they're just standing there staring at the shelf I need to get to and a polite 'excuse me' hasn't registered in their brain that they're in the way, I just move their trolley aside so I can get to what I want. If it's two people in conversation ignoring everyone around them, skip the pleasantries and just go straight to pushing the trolly aside.
Cydney Golden 2 weeks ago
I think a lot of people overestimate how much others are paying attention to them.
Georgia R 2 weeks ago
Does anyone else accidently answer or say something wrong, then it quickly becomes too late or awkward to correct, so now that’s your new reality? Like recently my hairdresser asked if I walked to the salon (I live 5 minutes away). Instead of saying the truth; ‘no, I drove because I wanted to do errands straight after’, I said yes. For no good reason. It just came out. Before I had the chance to correct the situation she went on to ask me how long it takes etc and the conversation moved on….. I spent the rest of the appointment wondering how this was going play out. I can’t just get into my car, which was parked RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, and drive away. After the appointment I left my car there and walked home, only going back to get it hours later when I knew they’d closed up.
RU Sirius 2 weeks ago
Once I got a document and translation to review and correct. I made a huge number of edits to the translation and sent it back to the client, only to receive a response that it was the source document ))))
Joanne Hudson 2 weeks ago
I walked out of the UPS store and right across the drive was a couple with a sign begging for food. I was going to the supermarket next door so I asked them what I could get for them. They mentioned peanut butter and a drink. So I went in and just shopped whatever I thought they might like. Peanut butter plus other stuff. Forgot to buy them bread.
StarCrossedFriday 2 weeks ago
That moment when you need something from the supermarket, and someone else is taking forever browsing, with their cart blocking you, so you pretend to be super engrossed in picking the right kind of sour cream until they sodding move.
RM 2 weeks ago
If they're just standing there staring at the shelf I need to get to and a polite 'excuse me' hasn't registered in their brain that they're in the way, I just move their trolley aside so I can get to what I want. If it's two people in conversation ignoring everyone around them, skip the pleasantries and just go straight to pushing the trolly aside.
Cydney Golden 2 weeks ago
I think a lot of people overestimate how much others are paying attention to them.
Georgia R 2 weeks ago
Does anyone else accidently answer or say something wrong, then it quickly becomes too late or awkward to correct, so now that’s your new reality? Like recently my hairdresser asked if I walked to the salon (I live 5 minutes away). Instead of saying the truth; ‘no, I drove because I wanted to do errands straight after’, I said yes. For no good reason. It just came out. Before I had the chance to correct the situation she went on to ask me how long it takes etc and the conversation moved on….. I spent the rest of the appointment wondering how this was going play out. I can’t just get into my car, which was parked RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, and drive away. After the appointment I left my car there and walked home, only going back to get it hours later when I knew they’d closed up.
RU Sirius 2 weeks ago
Once I got a document and translation to review and correct. I made a huge number of edits to the translation and sent it back to the client, only to receive a response that it was the source document ))))
Joanne Hudson 2 weeks ago
I walked out of the UPS store and right across the drive was a couple with a sign begging for food. I was going to the supermarket next door so I asked them what I could get for them. They mentioned peanut butter and a drink. So I went in and just shopped whatever I thought they might like. Peanut butter plus other stuff. Forgot to buy them bread.
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