While the experience of working with customers is a varied one, most fall under one of two different categories. First there are those who are respectful, and then there are all the rest who overstep the mark.

There are numerous different ways in which retail and hospitality workers experience audacity from those they serve. Sometimes, what’s worse than the rude or ungrateful people are those who overwhelm you by being ‘nice’. It’s difficult to be annoyed at someone who thinks that they’re being kind, but it can often be just as insulting — and sometimes straight-up insane.

This was the overwhelming reaction to one woman who posted on TikTok about paying it forward at the Starbucks drive thru. She filmed herself telling the barista that she would pay for the car behind her in remembrance of her deceased husband. 

Claiming that she could «feel» that the barista had lost someone too and insisting on getting her on camera, viewers were shocked at the lack of boundaries. Some even suggested that there was evidence that she was lying about some aspects of her situation. Platforming your supposed generosity on social media rarely ends well.