We often hear women sharing stories of how they are not taken seriously or it is assumed that they don’t understand a particular topic. Like when salespeople won’t speak to a woman when they want to sell a car, but will explain the details to the man with her.
Turns out, it can happen the other way around as told by Reddit user DybayFlaw who wanted to help a woman choose an iron, but she wasn’t willing to listen to a man about a thing that is stereotypically a woman’s task. However, like many stories where the women reveal that they actually know more than the man they are with, this story also ends in a similar way, but has a twist of a Karen getting what she deserved as well.
More info: Reddit
A woman refused a consultation about irons from a man, so he made sure she would think before trusting stereotypes again
Image credits: Mike Kalasnik (not the actual photo)
In the '00s, the Original Poster (OP) who goes by the name DybayFlaw was a young university student who worked in a department store on weekends to earn some money. He remembers that the work was easy and he had great colleagues.
However, he was a bit saddened when his coworkers told him that the job itself was decent but it was the customers that made it unbearable sometimes. But he got to see that for himself after a while of working there.
The story takes place in the '00s and the story teller was a student working in retail at that time
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The OP was working in the basement on homewares into home care electricals. The employee had a good memory, so he didn’t have problems remembering the specifics of the appliances and could professionally consult the customers. He not only had a good memory, but also actually cared that a person made a smart purchase.
It didn’t matter if it was a Karen or if they lacked proper social skills. If the OP saw that they needed help, he would do his job. So when a woman who seemed to have a distaste for people came into the store and was looking around for an iron, the consultant approached her.
He worked in the homeware section and he knew his appliances as he had no trouble memorizing numbers and specifications
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The Reddit user found out that she was looking for an iron she could use at home because she was “the woman of the household”, implying that she knew her stuff when it comes to homecare.
The store had both professional and regular user appliances, so the OP started to describe why he would suggest a different model of the iron from the one that the woman was looking at. But he couldn’t finish his thought before the customer interrupted him and asked for a woman consultant.
Not only was he good at knowing about the appliances, he actually cared about the customers
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The customers liked him back and once a woman wanted to send him flowers but didn't want to get him in trouble with his wife if he had one
Image credits: Annie HARADA VIOT (not the actual photo)
Image credits: DybayFlaw
Such a request threw the OP off because his first thought was that he had said or done something wrong. But this feeling changed quickly as the woman explained that she wanted a fellow woman as a man obviously couldn’t know these things as well.
Bored Panda reached out to DybayFlaw and he shared what he felt at that moment: “It felt like a betrayal because she had glossed over my knowledge and abilities because I wasn't a woman. It didn't matter to her what I knew, just that I had a penis.”
The consultant wasn't making commission, so the more important part was to build trust with the customer instead of selling the most expensive thing
Image credits: DybayFlaw
As retail employees are taught that the customer is always right, the OP went to ask his colleague to help him with this Karen. The OP not only asked Doreen to help her with irons, but told her that the customer specifically wanted a woman.
Doreen understood the situation too well. “Doreen had had this before and the other way around where she had to fetch me for a man.” That is also why she was okay with referring the Karen back to the OP, telling her that her other colleague was way more competent to answer her questions.
But the Karens of the world always ruin everything and make even an enjoyable job dreadful
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The expression on the woman’s face must have been priceless when she realized that the very competent colleague that Doreen was telling her about was the OP. She clearly felt very uncomfortable and not long after rushed out of the department store, but she couldn’t say anything because the man did as she requested.
You would think that people would be more trusting of the employees who were hired for the job of consulting customers, but the OP experienced the same situation more than once. “I would say it happened almost every shift, the important distinction was to what degree.”
One such Karen came in looking for an iron, but she wouldn't listen to the consultant as she didn't believe a man was competent enough to know about irons
Image credits: Kim Siever (not the actual photo)
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The OP decided to tell this story because this one was to the more extreme degree. “Here she totally didn't believe I could know anything or be of use. Most of the time it would be to a minor degree, like a testing look at first, but once they realized I seriously knew my stuff and could help them, they would switch around and trust me.”
Many people in the comments related to the OP as they'd had it happen to them as well. They also strongly agreed with the statement that customers are a big reason why retail is so difficult. However, even though the man left retail about 10 years ago, he said, “I think everyone should have mandatory service in customer service (retail, hospitality etc.) to learn about human behavior and understanding. It's a tough gig but it can be so rewarding as well. I learned a lot from it.”
She actually was so distrusting that she demanded a woman to help her
Image credits: DybayFlaw
Stereotypes are deeply rooted in our society and even though they have reason to exist and help us navigate the world, they can be hurtful too. Assuming things is human nature and it’s a skill that helped us to survive as we had to know what to expect to be prepared for it or assume the worst to prevent us from putting ourselves in danger.
Saying that assuming is human nature doesn’t excuse rude behavior, though, and stereotypes are not always true, so the least we can do is give a person a chance to show who they are and hear what they have to say, suppressing the assumptions that arise.
The man went to call his colleague who knew the situation all too well and didn't take long to confess to the Karen that she was not the person for her
Image credits: Eden, Janine and Jim (not the actual photo)
But she knew a colleague who was an expert in irons and would be much more of a help
Image credits: DybayFlaw
Little did the Karen know that she would be referred to the same consultant she dismissed for being a man
Image credits: DybayFlaw
The Karen in the story made a mistake and the OP made sure she learnt her lesson by being professional and actually listening to her request. But we would like to know what is your reaction to the story and if you ever had any similar experiences. Tell us about it in the comments.