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 People Have To Much Time On Their Hands

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#2 Please Schedule Me Better

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#3 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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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.'”

#4 Overnight Coworker Just Sent Me This

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#5 They Be Headin To The Depot After Surgery

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#6 Us Cashiers Who Work The Opening Shift

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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 Idk If Anyone Else Has This Happen. Doesn’t Help That My Hd Is Right Across The Street

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#8 Today At Home Depot 7141

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#9 How Many Times Will I Have To Hear It?

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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.

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

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

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#11 Classic

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#12 These Customers Are Wild

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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 Since When Did We Get A Drive Through?

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#14 Is It Black? Yes It Is

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#15 Real

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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 Our Return Policy Is 180 Days Not 25 Years

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#17 This Return Has Had Me Cracking Up All Day

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#18 Lol

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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. 

“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.”

#19 Yes, This Is A Return

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#20 Who Does This?

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#21 Another Fine Day At The Home Depot

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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 When They Expect You To Be An Expert

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#23 So It Looks Like 12 Is The Magic Number

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#24 "I Bought A Range Hood, What Duct Size Does It Need?" And Many, Many Others

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#25 Customers Be Like:

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#26 Customer Return

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#27 There's A Reason We Don't Cut Under 12 Inches

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#28 Customer Survey

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#29 This Is My Safespace!

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

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#31 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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#32 Lovely Way To Start My Shift

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#33 Comedy

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#34 Never Heard That One Before

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#35 4 Stages Of Returning Stolen Items

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#36 Aisle Closed‼️‼️

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#37 Awkward

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#38 Decided To Check The Reviews On My Store On Google Maps... Wasn't Disappointed Lol

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#39 Never Gets Old

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#40 Think It’s Fine…

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#41 Sharing A Brain Cell

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#42 "I Should Be Able To Pay Cash And Card!!!!"

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#43 Pumkin

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#44 I Love Our Customers

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#45 Every Time

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#46 "You Don't Know This? Why Are You In This Department Then?" Sir, I'm Passing Through Cause I Gotta Pee

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#47 Gotta Love A Mulch Sale

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#48 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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#49 Dog Obedience Class Inside The Store At 6pm. Wtf?

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#50 This Regular Has Always Been A Piece Of S**t

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#51 An Ofa And I Had To Hand Load This Into The Truck. It’s 21° And Feels Like 8°. Meanwhile, The Customer Was Sitting In The Truck And Didn’t Help A Bit. Love It Here

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#52 Don't Cry Over Spilled Paint?

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#53 "Oh My Back Hurts I Cant You"

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#54 "Can You Help Me Load This? I Just Got Back Surgery."

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#55 "Are You The Expert That I'm Looking For?"

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#56 Why?

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#57 Me When I Knowingly Send The Customer To The Wrong Aisle

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#58 Literally Had To Watch 3 Guys Steal The Whole Bottom Shelf Of The Makita Bay

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#59 “Why Are You Pulling Out Your Phone?”

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#60 It’s Too Early

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