Someone Asks "What Was The Worst 'Adult Tantrum' That You Guys Witnessed?" And 47 People Share Hilarious Stories

I was working the guest service desk at Target several years ago with a very sweet older black lady named Julia. Julia was having a problem with a guest who was trying to return a jacket that was clearly not from our store. He was getting more and more irate, and our store manager Ron just happened to be walking by when the guest shouted "YOU F*****G DUMB N----R B***H!"

Now Ron was an older guy about 60 with graying and balding ginger hair, but he looked in exceptionally good shape for a guy his age. The rumor was he was a Green Beret in Vietnam, but he would never talk about it, even when asked. He was very soft spoken and kind, but he gave the impression that he wasn't someone to be screwed with.

Anyway, Ron heard the comment and without saying a word he walked up behind the guy, and with one hand he yanked the guys right wrist up to the small of his own back, and used his other arm to grab him across the front of his shoulders and walked him to the parking lot. He did it so fast and effortlessly.

When I worked at a major theme park, I had a guest get pissed that a family that came up the elevator got right on the ride. I explained to them that they were a "Make a Wish" family and this guest got irate and proceeded to say "I wish my kid was a make a wish kid so we wouldn't have to wait in line". Needless to say, I kicked him out of line so quickly and didn't give two s***s if it meant me getting in trouble (I didn't).

My neighbor threw a screaming cursing hissy fit and threatened to hang himself if I wouldn't rake his yard for him. I didn't rake it and he hasn't hung himself yet.

Had a woman park her car in the middle of the aisle, get out and scream at me because I didn’t move so she could have my parking spot. She started taking things out of her car and throwing them at me while cussing, screaming, and threatening to kill me. Several people called the cops and someone got Walmart security to come out and try and manage the situation until cops got there. When security came out she tried to have them arrest me and when they said they couldn’t do that she literally laid down on the ground and started kicking and screaming.

All this bc I didn’t move to a different spot before loading up my husband (disabled) and our groceries in the car. She ended up getting arrested and charged with assault and making terroristic threats.

Worst part was 1-she parked behind me so I couldn’t have moved even if I wanted to, 2-there was two parking spaces right by me that were empty and not handicap spaces, 3- I was in a handicap space and she didn’t even have a tag that would have allowed her to park there.

I saw a woman come into the Subway I worked at (at 9am) and scream at us because we no longer serve pepperoni. It was apparently so awful it not only ruined her day, but her entire life. She vowed never to return, and stormed out.

My boss and I were both standing there flabbergasted. We never had stopped selling pepperoni…in fact, I had just finished restocking it’s container. Neither of us had any clue what she was on about.

They pooed on the floor of my department.

I was running a shift and they wanted a refund. After I said no because you haven’t purchased the item from our company and it has another companies logo on it. They basically started stamping their feet and making a scene. Eventually they said if I don’t give them a refund they’ll poo on the floor. Out of curiosity I called their bluff and was like ok do it. They dropped their trousers and pooped right there in the middle of checkouts. They got a lifetime ban for that and I had to clear up poo. But at least I got a funny story out of it

My very first year of teaching (4th grade), we had a low table set up in our classroom library. During choice time students used the table to work on a 500-1000 piece puzzle. Obviously it took them a long time to complete. Generally speaking, the same kids worked on it regularly.

On curriculum night, a dad came in early, saw the unfinished puzzle and rushed up to me to ask if he could work on it while he waited for my presentation to start. I said no, and explained why. He asked me 3 more times over the next ten minutes why he couldn’t just work on it a little. Every “no” he got from me made him huffier, and when his wife arrived he blurted loudly, “SHE’S NOT LETTING ME DO THIS PUZZLE! ITS NOT FAIR”

His wife was mortified.

A woman standing up mid-flight and angrily, loudly demanding that they land and let her off the plane immediately, because she believed an air hostess had been rude. In her words, she refused to waste her money on an airline that employed rude people, and would not spend one moment longer on the plane.
She began yelling very aggressively while the staff calmly tried to explain why they cannot land. Eventually she was restrained.

The worst was when a longtime parishioner entered church on Sunday and saw a young family sitting in *her* pew.

As I once commented, she *insisted* that they relocate at once - that she had sat in that very pew for decades and had no intention of giving it up to newcomers.

When the family wouldn't move, she called the ushers and pastor over and made a loud scene for all to hear - threatening to "leave the church and take her sizeable pledge with her!"

(People practically applauded when she stormed out the door.)

I had a few happen when I worked the deli counter at a Safeway. The deli closes before the store does because it takes considerable time to clean and sanitize everything from the fryers to the slicers.

The tantrum that sticks out more than any is when a guy came in about 5 mins before I'm due to punch out. He tells us he needs a lot of fried chicken--10 orders of the 8-piece dark meat. My coworker and I are mopping the floors. The heat case is off and cleaned, the salads covered, and the fryers are drained. We couldn't have looked more closed if we stuck a neon sign over our heads saying so.

We tell him that we can't fulfill his order. He goes BALLISTIC. I've never seen anything so disproportional. I'm guessing he had a really bad day and we were the poor shmucks that got the brunt of his pent up frustration. He rants that we're lazy and incompetent and to 'just turn on the f---king fryers. Just turn them on and make my f--king chicken.'

My coworker tries to use his best deep, calming voice to explain that even if we were to fill the fryers, it takes a long time to even heat them up to the right temperature.

The guy stomps off and we think that's the end. Manager comes over, checks on us. We say we're fine and she goes back to the front.

We're just about done when the angry guy comes back. Not even saying anything, He yanks open the cool case front and starts throwing ALL the salads at us. My colleague got a face full of coleslaw and I ended up with a foot covered in seafood salad.

After the salads, he takes the lunch meats and starts spiking them on the ground as if we had just scored a touchdown. By now the manager is rushing over. The angry guy then storms out past her and out of the store, but the police station is quite literally next door so he didn't even get to his car before they stopped him.

Yes, we pressed charges. No, the smell of seafood never fully left my work shoe

I worked at a grocery store when I was 17. It was 8 am on New Year’s Day and this lady comes through with a few things and it seemed all normal until I rang up a bag of shrimp and she goes “that should be half price.” I said okay but I would have to verify to change it. I called the meat department and they said no, the shrimp was but one get one free not half price. I relay this information to the woman and she says “I don’t want two, I want one for half price.” I being the minimum wage ($5.55) high school student do not get paid enough for those decisions, so I called a manager. He tries to explain it to her, she wasn’t having it. Then the meat department manager comes up because she was telling g loud enough for the whole empty store to hear. Come to find out the shrimp she had picked wasn’t even the one on sale. Frozen shrimp was on sale bogo, not precooked. That’s when she absolutely bonkers. Literally, called me a dumb b***h and threw her bag full of canned goods at me and screamed about calling corporate. The best part was the lady in line behind her had a bottle of ibuprofen and a redbull who had watched the whole s**t show says “happy f*****g new year to you too, b***h.” She said with the driest deadpan I have ever heard. It was surreal.

Back when I used to manage a Hollywood Video we had a promo where if rented 2 new releases you would get a bag of M&Ms for free. We understandably ran out very quickly and were getting another order until next week.

An elderly gentleman comes up with two movies and asks about his candy. I tell him unfortunately we are out and won't have more until the following week. The dude says "Well then where's my voucher for a free bag when you have them again?" I explain that's not how it works, and it's while supplies last. Apparently this was completely unacceptable because he starts raving how we're all a bunch of idiots who don't want to work real jobs, that we're never going anywhere in life, and how we're stealing from him (????).

I let him yell while the other customers are telling the guy to get the hell out and grow up. I finally say "Look man, I'm just doing my job okay? We don't have M&Ms, and I can't do anything for you."

He slams his rentals down on the counter and says "You know who else was 'just doing their job?' Joseph Gobbles!" Then stormed out to the taunts of other customers in line. So yeah. That's the day I got compared to a Nazi for running out of M&Ms

I work at a humane society. We do adoptions on a first come/first serve basis. We had a super cute kitten up for adoption (all kittens are cute but it was fluffy and compact, calendar material) and this kitten was very popular. I think it had been posted on social media and we were getting a dozen or so people calling and asking about the kitten. This mid 20s couple came in (non English speaking so their was a language barrier.) they asked if the kitten was available for adoption and at that point the kitten was currently being adopted. We told them no the kitten was adopted and the girl began arguing with her boyfriend in another language, then fell to the ground SOBBING. The boyfriend then asks if they can have the info for the adopter so they can call them and buy the kitten. We told them no we can’t release their info, they continue arguing with us before turning and going down the cat hallway looking for this kitten like we were lying??

I went to the room the adoption was happening and quickly took the kitten into the back and got it in a cardboard carrier so the couple couldn’t see the kitten. The couple then stationed themselves in the lobby looking for the kitten so we had the adopter go around back and gave them the cat 😅

A sales guy I worked with just earned a huge commission on a multi-million dollar mortgage. Some of us convinced him he should take us out to dinner because we helped & he was a good sport and we (sales guy & 3 low wage earning women from support staff) went out to a local pub. The bank president was there, which was not unusual, he made the rounds of all the local places most nights after work. He came over to say hello and when he found out why we were there he got angry that he hadn't been invited and started yelling at us and banging his fists on the table, then he went back to his friends at the bar. We decided he had to be joking, there was no way he could be angry at us for that so we decided we'd be funny too. We asked the server if she would bring him the check, but don't really leave it with him and she thought it was funny too, so she did. He was not kidding. I've never seen a grown man have such a public tantrum in my life. He was screaming at us until we got up and left (and would not let us take the check back).
I went to work the next morning and my boss (who was supposed to be with us but had something come up) was coming out of the president's office and this guy, who did not swear in front of women wanted to know WTF we did to make his boss so mad that he was trying to order my boss to fire the guy that got the commission. Later on, we figured it out. Because of that commission, the sales guy earned more money that year than the bank president.

Have you ever tried telling a rich guy that the rules do indeed apply to him and that he owes taxes?

I have.

one time a guy almost punched the waiter at a sushi restaurant...all because the fish was raw

To start, I’m a girl and was 24 and about 110 lbs. at the time. I worked at an Italian restaurant in the early 2000’s. A regular customer, an older doctor (who was always a douche) came in and was drinking carafes of wine. He was with a few other dining companions including his two children who he was driving with. He got a page to come into the hospital and wanted me to pack up his remaining wine carafe in a soft drink to go cup. Now he was already intoxicated to the point that I wouldn’t serve him more even if he was staying at the restaurant. It’s illegal to pack up alcohol like that and he was clearly inebriated, so I refused him. The guy lost his s**t and was screaming at me like one inch from my face. And then he reached out and violently shook me. Things are a little blurry after that because it was really traumatic. I remember his dining companions apologized and the police came. I didn’t press charges for whatever reason, but I was really shaken up. To make it worse, when the owner found out (he wasn’t there that night), he kind of treated me like it was somehow my fault. I quit a couple of weeks later, but that night sticks with me almost 20 years later.

We were all 18 so technically adults. Anyway, this girl I knew in college was the typical spoiled rich girl. It was early into freshman year at the dorms and I was part of her friend group but we really didn’t know her long enough or well enough at that point.

It was her birthday and she wanted all of her friends to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate with her, but none of us had cars because we all lived on campus. The group was too big to get Ubers for everyone, so someone suggested we just take the bus to the restaurant. She was freaking out because she had never taken the PUBLIC BUS anywhere, but we all got on and it was a short 10 min ride to the restaurant.

We’re all sitting at the table and enjoying ourselves and suddenly this b***h breaks down at the table and SOBS because she’s so disgusted and ashamed that she had to take the bus to her own birthday party, like it was something only poor people do.

I just couldn’t wrap my head around how privileged she was. Totally killed the mood.

Sister, who works on Wall Street, went ballistic at a restaurant because my mom asked her to start paying her own cellphone bill.

Worked Security for a number of years. Saw adult tantrums on a near daily basis. One that sticks out was a dude who crossed rope barriers and a bunch of signs to a staging area that was clearly marked as off limits to the general public. He started munching on some snacks that had been set up for others. After simply asking him to leave the area... because he wasn't supposed to be there... dude freaked. He began screaming that he had a problem with authority, and that I had no idea who his daddy was, but my job was toast, and so on and so forth. Anywho, after far too long, he found himself under arrest for trespassing.