We all have our bad days, sure, but those who work in the retail industry almost surely have them more often. Some people are just terrible customers, and when they don’t get their way, they make it everyone else’s problem.
By now, we’ve heard too many stories of entitled Karens making a scene and harassing customer service workers. Even so, these Karens manage to surprise us from time to time, and TikTok user @majinkatt knows that better than most of us. This person goes by Tré Dazaí on the platform, and on June 21, she used it to share one of the wildest customer stories you’re likely to hear.
According to her, it all started with a client warning her about a woman stealing from the store. At the time, Tré didn’t believe this was actually happening, but decided to keep an eye on the situation just in case. As it turns out, the lady did steal, but while leaving the store, she left behind some personal belongings. Of course, the TikToker didn’t waste time taking those belongings to the back of the store so that when the woman came back for them, which she did, Tré could propose a trade — she would happily return her belongings if the thief returned what she stole. This did not go over well.
For some inexplicable reason, the woman refused the deal, threatening to call the police on Tré. The TikToker could smell the bluff from a mile away, so she went ahead and called them herself. The woman quickly left after that, but the worst was yet to come. An hour later, six police cars showed up, only they weren’t there for a thief, oh no. They were there for Tré, answering to a false report claiming that she had a gun on her. While there’s no proof the thief was behind this, there’s a very high chance that she did it out of revenge.
Naturally, other TikTok users took to the comment section to air their thoughts on the situation. “This whole story made me sad,” one person wrote, while another expressed their frustration with the police: “Yup, they don’t come when you’re in danger but will come when the crazies call against you (…).” Someone else also pointed out how common these types of wild stories are for retail workers, writing “This is retail. This is it.” What a sad reality we live in.
According to a report from the Council on Criminal Justice, shoplifting is on the rise in the U.S., with statistics indicating a 24% increase in this type of crime during the first half of the year. Thankfully, though, not all thieves are petty enough to make false reports after they get caught. Customer service is difficult enough without folks making things up when they get wrongfully upset.