Retail workers already know that there is something about being a customer that brings out the worst in people. Some of these people get so used to this sort of behavior that they forget that certain professions should not be messed with.
A locksmith decided to enforce his right to refuse service for a particularly rude and entitled customer. This man made him drive a few miles to a locked car, then was shocked when OP requested that he pay him. Bored Panda reached out to OP via Reddit and will update the story when he gets back to us.
Being rude to any worker is a bad idea, particularly when they are in charge of your locks
Image credits: Sharon Hahn Darlin/Flickr (not the actual photo)
A locksmith refused service to a customer who didn’t want to pay
Image credits: onanysunday (not the actual photo)
Image credits: itstheleviathan
Retail workers are dealing with more and more harassment
Image credits: Jopwell (not the actual photo)
While OP is not exactly a retail worker, he is still in a customer-facing position, which simply means that he will have to talk to people without a shred of decency. However, given the fact that his services are generally quite in demand, he has the luxury to simply say no. If he wanted to, he could have declined this fellow’s business in the shop (no shirt, no service might apply here) but, instead, he gave him a chance.
Unfortunately, some surveys show that the last three years have been particularly bad, with an increasing number of retail workers reporting abuse. Researchers believe that an overall higher level of anxiety ends up creating more tension. This leads to more instances of bad behavior, that make everyone more on edge. Which, in turn, creates even more tension, and on and on this horrible cycle keeps going.
In general, when we are stressed, a mundane action being a bit more “difficult” can cause outbursts. More general stress means more “outbursts” which means more stress for basically everyone. This is not an excuse, after all, because ultimately an adult should be able to keep their rage in check and not take it out on the world.
Entitlement comes with a good portion of delusion
Image credits: Csegedi Joszef (not the actual photo)
But the man who locked himself out of his car in this particular story does not seem to be this sort of case. Yes, being locked out of one’s car does sound like a bad time, but the real issue, beyond his strange comments, was the expectation that he wouldn’t need to pay this person for the decent amount of time he has taken from him.
Unless he’s been living under a rock, we tend to have to pay for basically everything. Why he thought he wouldn’t need to pay a locksmith is anyone’s guess, but delusion might be one of the key components. Alternatively, he is so deeply entitled that he truly believes that people with specialist skills exist just to do some errands for him.
Just because skilled work is fast, doesn’t mean it’s not very hard
Image credits: Cristina Cernicenco (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately, there are people out there who really have no understanding of another person’s time or space. From taking up airline seats, to the story shared by OP, entitlement transcends age, borders, and really any other barriers of reality. In this case, there is also a pretty “healthy” dose of ignorance as well.
For example, just because OP, who is a professional, could open the door of his “POS Ford” in a few seconds, the man thought he basically didn’t do any work. In reality, this probably was a very simple lock, although this fellow didn’t know how to handle it anyway. Just because an expert can do it quickly doesn’t mean that the work is easy. After all, a person who takes multiple hours to make you a cheeseburger and fries isn’t necessarily better than someone who has done it so many times, they can do it in a fraction of the time.
OP gave some more details later
Readers thought this guy got what he deserved
