Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
111
Customer Leaves Entitled Woman Red-faced After Paying For Everyone’s Coffee Except For Her
Society has deemed it unacceptable to cut in line. Yet many people seem to lack that common courtesy, and these situations can get ugly.
However, today’s story ended the opposite. An online user named CitrusSloth shared a story in the r/pettyrevenge subreddit about a personal experience with a fellow customer in a coffee shop line.
They wanted to do a good deed and pay it forward. Instead, they received an unpleasant reminder that some people don’t seem to care about anyone else but themselves. The story also shows how situations unfold when handled with class.
RELATED:
It never feels good when someone cuts in line
Image credits: Fahmi Fakhrudin / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The original poster recounted their experience while in line at a coffee shop
Image credits: dolgachov / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CitrusSloth
There’s a reason why line-cutters feel they can get away with their behavior
Image credits: Wavebreakmedia / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
The woman in the story supposedly did what many line cutters do: give a reason to justify their actions. And for those who’ve done it a lot and gotten away with it, like writer Estelle Erasmus, there is power in the word “because.”
In her article in Slate Magazine, Erasmus described the times she cut in line, whether she was stuck in traffic with her husband and simultaneously going into labor or at a Suzanne Somers book signing in Las Vegas.
She also mentioned a 1978 study in which a researcher gave different justifications for jumping the line at a copy machine. Statements like “because I need to make copies” or “because I’m in a rush” increased the chances of getting through without issue.
“Chances improved as well when the person asking to cut in line was a woman. The odds also increase if you show that you require minimal effort or less time (I did that, too). That’s why the words ‘I have a quick question’ can work to cut the line at a store or a bank,” she wrote.
The odds aren’t as stacked against one person cutting in line
Image credits: Pressmaster / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
In her article, Erasmus asserts that she shows politeness whenever cutting in line and offers a good reason for doing so. And overall, she sees it as part of human nature.
“Isn’t it human nature to use every (legal) tool at our disposal to get ahead in life? Think about it: When you are waiting in a long line for a movie or a restaurant and see a friend higher in the queue, don’t you usually jump in next to them? Most people don’t think twice.”
Erasmus has likely gotten away with line-cutting a few times because the odds of someone speaking out against such actions aren’t as high. According to previous studies, there’s only a 54% chance of a reaction if only one person is involved.
However, there is that 46% chance of it backfiring, which Erasmus experienced. After failing to sign her daughter up for a big toddler party at a Gymboree, she forced herself in. She ended up getting kicked out and received snide comments from fellow moms.
But she learned what she described to be an important life lesson: “Moms are tough and will protect their kids’ turf online or offline. That’s a bottom line I can respect.”
As for the woman in the story, the people around her may have immediately deemed her reasons invalid, which is likely why it ended the way it did.
The author offered more information in the comments
Commenters on the post lauded the OP, as well as the baristas, for serving ‘silence justice’
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
Bored something 7 months ago (edited)
50ish is not boomer, it's genX. Nicely handled by the barista, that's a much bigger sting than paying for your coffee as you had planned to.
Libstak 7 months ago
Yes, thank you, another person looking for a reason to attack boomers "for research". These types are the cause of hate and divide amongst people, always looking to stir the pot and rev up the aggression. Good and bad people exist in all ages, colours, creeds and across the globe.
Load More Replies...
Peggygirl 7 months ago
boomer here, and i have never and would never do that. chapopanda needs to get a hobby.
Mike F 7 months ago
I did a bit of research on that individual and they seem to have an unhealthy interest in the "boomer hate" boards on reddit.
Load More Replies...
Manana Man 6 months ago
Where do people live that they experience all these line cutters that are profiled in BP? I have never experienced this. Ran my own store for over 7 years. Never had it happen.
Jenny Mason 6 months ago
I used to be a bartender, people try to cut in line all the time.
Load More Replies... Bored something 7 months ago (edited)
50ish is not boomer, it's genX. Nicely handled by the barista, that's a much bigger sting than paying for your coffee as you had planned to.
Libstak 7 months ago
Yes, thank you, another person looking for a reason to attack boomers "for research". These types are the cause of hate and divide amongst people, always looking to stir the pot and rev up the aggression. Good and bad people exist in all ages, colours, creeds and across the globe.
Load More Replies... Peggygirl 7 months ago
boomer here, and i have never and would never do that. chapopanda needs to get a hobby.
Mike F 7 months ago
I did a bit of research on that individual and they seem to have an unhealthy interest in the "boomer hate" boards on reddit.
Load More Replies... Manana Man 6 months ago
Where do people live that they experience all these line cutters that are profiled in BP? I have never experienced this. Ran my own store for over 7 years. Never had it happen.
Jenny Mason 6 months ago
I used to be a bartender, people try to cut in line all the time.
Load More Replies... You May Like "Where Are Your Parents?": Karen Loses Her Cool After Mistaking 32-Year-Old For A Teen Man Parks In His Driveway As Karen Neighbor Asked, She Calls The City On Him And Burns Herself 50 People Who Weren’t Afraid To Call Out The Jerks They Saw In Public (New Pics)
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Shelly Fourer
Simona Kinderytė
Related on Bored Panda
44
27