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Companies in the service industry are no strangers to rude customers. It happens at Starbucks, McDonald’s, or, in this case, Home Depot. Fortunately, there is a subreddit for the hardware store where they can vent their frustrations. 

We’ve collected the top posts about shoppers who’ve been impatient, entitled, and downright difficult. All of them provide an insight into what these employees deal with regularly.

Scroll through each one and see if you or a friend have been this person to deal with at some point. And if you’ve been (or still are) an employee, we’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

#1

Today At Home Depot 7141

Today At Home Depot 7141

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Bored Panda previously spoke to Marlon Joseph, a restaurant server of nearly two decades and host of the Modern Waiter podcast. He has his ways of dealing with different levels of irksome behavior. 

"If a guest gets rude in a personal way, I deal with it directly and tell them 'I’m going to need you to be nice to me for me to continue.'”

#5

Some Idiot Thought The Display Was Plumbed In And Dumped Their Coffee

Some Idiot Thought The Display Was Plumbed In And Dumped Their Coffee

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rullyman
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Often they put clear plastic across the sinks and toilets for this reason

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#6

Real

Real

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Papa
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

White man over 50 here. I have never offered unsolicited advice to anyone at Home Depot, male or female, alone or accompanied by someone else.

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But if a customer is being a nuisance, Marlon makes them his least priority. “If they are being rude in an annoying way, I make them wait,” he said. 

“They will wait for me to take their order. They will wait for their food. They will wait for their check. I may even tell them their credit card has declined if that person is paying. I may even tell them we ran out of an item even though we have it.”

#7

Dog Obedience Class Inside The Store At 6pm. Wtf?

Dog Obedience Class Inside The Store At 6pm. Wtf?

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Doo Wiki
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it was approved by management, I'm all for it. A socialized dog is a happy and safe dog.

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#8

Awkward

Awkward

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George LaMonica
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, a Home Depot employee proactively asking someone if they need help. I'll take things that never happen for $2000 Bob.

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According to Marlon, people who treat waitstaff poorly are usually hungry, having a bad day, or both. But as he reminds the dining public, “servers have bad days, too.” 

"I do not think rude people are self-aware, especially if it is them being jerks. Most rude people in a restaurant are situationally on tilt,” he said. “So they use a measure of power to ease their aggravation.

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“Unfortunately, a server may not want to give their best to a guest like that, and the result is bad service."

#10

Can I Ask You A Question ”quick” Question And It Usually Ends Up Being A Complicated Question

Can I Ask You A Question ”quick” Question And It Usually Ends Up Being A Complicated Question

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#11

Customer Return

Customer Return

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sara fulmer
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Funny how a motion action Spotlight is usually used to DETER CRIME

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#12

Is It Black? Yes It Is

Is It Black? Yes It Is

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Michael Largey
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I see a red door / And I want it painted black. / No colors anymore / I want them to turn black." Well, you've come to the right place, sir.

George LaMonica
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who frequently has to match colors of paints, we do this because we need to know what shade of black. Among the hundreds of brands from various countries, There are literally millions of shades of black in spray paint alone.

Mr Pri
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tbh labels on those are sometimes very confusing. Black cap, black label, comes in black box, says ’red’ in small print somewhere on the side (written in black of course). That said testing on the floor is inexcusable!

WindySwede
Community Member
4 months ago

This comment has been deleted.

Brenda
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Years ago, I lived in a less than perfect area of town. The Home Depot had spray paint locked up. But once you were able to get an employee to open the case, they had several pieces of scrap wood you could spray to check the color. Guy said it was cheaper than having to constantly clean the floor!

SkippityBoppityBoo
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I see you do this? I'm handing you a scrubbing brush and you're gonna clean up your own mess...

Kraneia The Dancing Dryad
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Briefly worked at a Target, was told at the time this was the reason they refused to carry spray paint.

ॐBoyGanesh
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was there yesterday and was grabbing something next to spray paint. I watched an HD employee spray the paint in the ground along with the customer she was helping. I wonder if they have any policy about this.

Jupittance
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe they want to know it actually works. Hate to get home and it won't spray.

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Society can be quick to judge a bad customer, and understandably so. However, experts are revealing potential underlying reasons for such behavior. According to psychologist Reena B. Patel, humans are naturally wired to feel rattled when things don’t go as planned. 

“You walk into a restaurant for breakfast thinking you’ll get seated in 15 minutes and instead you’re waiting 45; now, your whole routine is shifting, and the stress is building up,” Dr. Patel told the BBC in a 2022 interview.  

#13

Our Return Policy Is 180 Days Not 25 Years

Our Return Policy Is 180 Days Not 25 Years

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#14

Nun Returns 800$ In Flowers Everyday. We Have A Nun Who Buys Flowers For The Church Events Depending On What Color They Need. It’s A Endless Cycle. Happens Everyday!!

Nun Returns 800$ In Flowers Everyday. We Have A Nun Who Buys Flowers For The Church Events Depending On What Color They Need. It’s A Endless Cycle. Happens Everyday!!

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Iampenny
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Employee reported her, but management told them to keep out of it, it was nun of their business.

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#15

4 Stages Of Returning Stolen Items

4 Stages Of Returning Stolen Items

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Little Wonder
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once had someone who wanted to pay a fee with her card, but didn't want to get her card out or swipe it because it was personal info. This was pre-contactless, so she couldn't just hide it up her sleeve. The fact that I had her library card account open on the screen in front of me was neither here nor there, she didn't want me seeing her name.

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The BBC article mentioned the scapegoat theory, explaining why people look for someone to blame. It also touched on why service employees are the usual punching bags.

“It’s going to happen on the phone with a customer-service worker, or at the discount store or McDonald’s,” said psychology professor Melanie Morrison. ”People that are working those jobs often do not have a lot of power, and so they become easier targets.”

#16

This Return Has Had Me Cracking Up All Day

This Return Has Had Me Cracking Up All Day

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#17

Just Know If You Start Our Interaction By Bringing Up The Price Of Lumber, I Have Already Checked Out Of The Conversation

Just Know If You Start Our Interaction By Bringing Up The Price Of Lumber, I Have Already Checked Out Of The Conversation

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Uncanny
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And on the way home, they’ll pop into the supermarket and complain to the check out operator about the price of milk.

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#18

Aisle Closed‼️‼️

Aisle Closed‼️‼️

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Dr. Patel says being a rude customer doesn’t define a person. But she also suggests managing expectations as one way to prevent scenarios from potentially blowing up. 

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“Sometimes we don't make the best choices. But you can do things differently so you don't have that same reaction,” she said. “That might be as simple as waking up 10 minutes earlier to create a buffer in your schedule. 

“If things don’t go the way you want, you’re not so stressed about it. You don’t want to be rigid in your expectations.”

#20

Shingle Man

Shingle Man

Asked the customer "What are you doing?" He said I need I pack of shingles and you guys are taking forever. I'm like "Ahhhh sir there is a full pallet in the home... "He replied with "but I need the ceramic ones..." I'm like Wth.

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Dr. Patel also suggested focusing on the situation at hand and how to move forward from it. 

“Instead of the word ‘you,’ use the word ‘we.’ Ask the customer service agent, ‘How can we solve this problem?’ It diffuses that hostile energy, and then you trying to get what you want becomes more of a collaborative process.”

#22

It’s Too Early

It’s Too Early

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#24

Lol

Lol

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CamiCamilion
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're going to have the ugliest truck in the world, may as well use it as a truck. But ugh.

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#25

So It Looks Like 12 Is The Magic Number

So It Looks Like 12 Is The Magic Number

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Aleksandras Tvardauskas
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If so many people make the same mistake that means the design is bad. We can sit here all day and expect all people to become smart, but in real life if customers make the same assumption then the store needs stronger carts or a clear labeling of maximum load.

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#29

These Customers Are Wild

These Customers Are Wild

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harold gelnaw
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then if he falls on his butt being stupid, he's going to want to go see a lawyer asshat

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#30

Don't Cry Over Spilled Paint?

Don't Cry Over Spilled Paint?

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Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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