We Pretend to Fire Each Other to Teach Rude Customers a Lesson

I’m a high schooler working weekends at a coffee shop. Some customers come in already angry, blowing up over the smallest things — like coffee “not being hot enough.” One day, my shift manager (the owner’s son) and I decided to have a little fun. When a man started yelling at me, my manager stormed over and “fired” me on the spot. I acted devastated, begging for my job. The guy immediately backtracked, apologizing and saying it wasn’t that serious. We’ve done it a few times since, and it always makes rude customers reali

I work weekends at a coffee shop while finishing high school. Most customers are nice… but some walk in ready to explode over nothing. One guy once yelled at me because his coffee “wasn’t hot enough” — even though I handed it to him straight from the machine.

That’s when my shift manager, James (the owner’s son), stepped in.
“Sir, is there a problem here?” he asked. The guy ranted at him too, so James turned to me and said, “OP, this is unacceptable. You’re fired.”

I played along. “Please, no! My family needs the money!” I begged, taking off my apron.

The man instantly started backtracking: “It’s not that serious, you don’t have to fire her…” But James stayed in character: “We pride ourselves on customer service.”

Of course, I still had my job. But watching rude customers suddenly feel guilty? Priceless. We’ve done it a few times now — and it works almost every time.

Some friends think it’s mean to let them leave believing they got someone fired. But honestly? Maybe it’s the only way they’ll think twice before unloading on someone just doing their job.