To ask what's the rudest thing a stranger has done to you?

[YoungScrappyHungry]

Inspired by the lovely thread about kindest thing strangers have done for you, and also a chance for me to share this horror.

When I was 19, I worked on the tills at a supermarket in my holidays from university.

A woman I was serving was staring at me, trying to get my attention as I scanned her stuff. I looked up at her and smiled. She said, in still the most condescending tone I've ever heard:

'Don't you wish you'd studied now?'

I was so floored and ashamed, I didn't say a thing back and just carried on scanning her things. Fact was I was actually at university, but even if I hadn't been....aghh!....still gets me.

What are yours?

Ive gotton to page 2 and I cant go on. All this nastiness and horrific words said to you all is making me sad. People shouldn't be abused like this. I have put up with abuse all my life and i hoped it was just aimed at me. But noone deserves this. This world can be so cruel. Im sorry for all of you who have been abused in this way. You are all bloody amazing. They are the wankers of this world.

@THEDEACON

Shopping in shop in Eriskay for picnic the woman at till and her customer were bitching in Gaelic about tourists Woman on till blushed to roots of her hair when I spoke Gaelic to her !

We get this quote a lot - my hometown is popular with tourists, mainly American and Japanese. It's pretty unusual for white Scottish people to speak Japanese but my DF and his brothers all do due to living there for two years as kids. They've caught out and embarrassed a fair few Japanese tourists.

I was working at Tesco on the self scan checkouts (8 months pregnant) and refused an alcohol sale as the customer could barely stand. Was swiftly elbowed in the stomach. A stranger once asked if I was anorexic! Also at Tesco I was told I was f**King incompetent because a customer wanted cashback but asked after the transaction was completed. Got incredibly irate when I directed her th the nearest ATM. Tge customer is not always right 😑

I got shouted at (in French) by some random guy for speaking English on the train in Brussels and told if I wanted to live there I should learn French. I don’t speak the best French but managed to tell him that my colleague and I were both English, she didn’t speak French, & we were speaking neither about nor to him so it was really none of his business. His friend then thankfully suggested he stop being a dick and dragged him off to another carriage. I’ve also been told more than once while in the U.K. that I should fuck off back home as they don’t want any bloody polish and similar when speaking to someone in German to practice. They are invariably confused when I tell them to do one as I clearly have a local accent.

Woke up after an operation, the only patient in a recovery room, hearing 2 young female nurses discussing whether my breasts “were real”...

@CMOTDibbler (great name!) That is so unbelievably horrible, way beyond rude and into the realms of verbal abuse. The only sickening thing in the room was them.

Every day teaching in Alternative Provision and it takes its toll

When my son was 4 (he will be 18 next week) he was just diagnosed with autism and I was still coming to grips with it. Anyway I had forgotten it was Mother’s Day week so I went into town with him to buy my mum a card (dh was at home with 3 yo dd). Suppose it was my fault that I took him into a busy shop but he had a huge meltdown in the middle of the card shop. Well this woman who was about the same age as me (24 at the time) had a go at me and told me to get my brat under control, she was a customer and i explained what was happening with him to which she turned around and shouted in from of everyone in the store “Why don’t you and your little retard get out of the shop then, the likes of him don’t belong here”. I bust into tears and hugged son close, no one in shop helped and I had to run out of the shop in shame. I will never forget that day.

I was on a college trip in a big city at 17 and had gone out with a couple of my friends for a walk to a restaurant, we were in a row walking down the road without a care in the world. It was late afternoon and we were lost in conversation and laughing and joking. All of a sudden I felt myself sway to the right so quickly I didn’t have time to think. A man had tried to pull me from the end of the row into an alleyway; one of my friend’s quick reaction saved me, she pulled me back hard and shouted. It still haunts me to this day and makes me think how lucky i was.

someone commented about me to a third person that I am so ugly that I should work in a pharmacy - as a vomit inducer.

it's someone I came across at a party and we have a friend in common to who he said that.

Shame he didn't have the balls to tell it to my face.

A few months ago I had to be admitted to a maternity hospital, very early in my pregnancy.
I was in a ward with another 3 very pregnant ( and maybe a little large) ladies.

( no judgement - I’m am definitely joining them now on the rolly polly preggo side now lol)

The consultant came to ask how active I was in day to day life ( we were only separated from the other woman by the thin curtain they pull around to give the impression of privacy )
I said “ yeah I’ve a very active job but I’m not crazy fit or anything ( at this point I was still a muscly 12/14)
And he rolled his eyes and said SO LOUDLY “ fffft have you seen the state of THIS lot? ( gestures around the room with his arms) You look built for speed !”
The nurse and I just stood agog! Her face was a picture even under the mask!
I’m pretty sure the only time I’ve heard “built for speed” is to do with looking like you’d be good a sex!?
So he managed to insult us all , albeit in very different ways. PREGNANT WOMEN!?

*DH thought it was hysterical. Typical guys lol

As a youngish child about 10 or 12 Me and my mum were on a bus coming home from visiting my grandpa at the hospital we were at the front upstairs a group of late teens early 20th came upstairs and spat all over the back of our coats we could here them spitting but didn't know it was at is then started to say things to get a reaction. We got off and got another bus home.

Maybe 5 years ago I was late 29s getting the train home from visiting my parents at the coast for the day I had my lovely collie with me, gorgeous dog really well behaved. Standing on the platform it was really quite busy most people were really lovely with my dog one guy when the train came pushed past him knocking him into my legs. On the carriage we were standing no seats fine no problem apart from the same guy who had banged into us ended up standing next to us he was carrying a briefcase which when I looked round he was resting on my dogs back like he was a sodding table. I'm quite shy so just told him to get it off then I put Jas between my legs so this prick didn't do it again. I didn't drive that day I thought it would be nice to go on the train than get stuck in traffic going to the seaside in summer now I always drive.

Not to me but I'll never forget getting on a bus, the woman in front of me had a really excited little boy of about 5 with her, he wanted to pay so she gave him the money to put in the slot and he said "Hello mr bus driver! I want to drive a bus when I'm big!", really sweet; and the woman turned TO THE BUS DRIVER and said "you'd think he'd have higher aspirations wouldn't you!".

I wussed out of saying anything as I was only 20 myself at the time and didn't want to embarrass the man further.

At the register office to register our first baby, the registar turned to me and said "You do realise if you use the father's surname you can't just change it again don't you?" I was 34 and we were engaged at the time, not a naive 16 year old!

I was handed a leaflet by a random woman whilst on holiday in Melbourne years ago, which I took off her with a polite smile thinking it'd be a flyer for a show or something... then looked down to see it was promoting a weight-loss club. I was absolutely gobsmacked, not to mention furious. I actually (once I'd picked my jaw off the floor) tried to find her so I could give her a piece of my mind, but she'd long gone by then.

I gave birth abroad (Spain), and I didn't have family there, so the only other person with me while I was staying in the hospital was my DDs father (my now ex). I gave birth very early in the morning, after being up all night. I had had the ventouse and an episiotomy, and I was in a lot of pain as the drugs were wearing off.

At some point my ex had to leave the ward as the doctors did the rounds, so he went back to the flat and accidentally fell asleep there. So I had to rely on nurses to help me, and a couple of them were horrible! I was alone and in pain and at one point a nurse came and said to me in Spanish, 'I think you'll be alone forever...' Then, thinking I didn't know any Spanish, she added, 'Oh, you don't understand!' But of course I did

I had to leave my ex due to domestic violence, so I guess she was right in the end. And, my god, the comments I've had since then... the stigma is real.

One night my ex was being aggressive and I fled the flat to ask someone to call the police (he had taken my phone). I went to a hotel that was around the corner and asked them to call the police for me. It was the middle of the night and I was wearing pyjamas, the receptionist just looked at me like I was an alien and point-blank refused, said they would only do that for people staying at the hotel.

Then, not long after I had returned to the UK (having been staying in a refuge until I could fly back), I was upset and complaining about my life. My sister told me it was all because of my own choices and if I didn't like it, I could give my baby up for adoption (she was 6 months old at the time and I had never complained about nor regretted having her).

Those are just off the top of my head... I'm still a bit traumatised to be honest, probably need therapy.

Working in a pub in my early 20's - customer thought I had short changed him (I hadn't, we checked the toll and tallied ok) when he left the pub he walked past me at the bar and threw a pint of lager in my face....

What he didn't realise is that my dad was also in the pub at the time and witnessed the whole thing...let's just say things escalated from there!

When I was around 18, I'd given blood a couple of times as I'm o neg and had seen my mum have lots of problems with her blood as a result of severe anemia and pregnancy and I wanted to do my bit.

I go to the appointment in jeans and a top without sleeves for easy access to my arms. I'm sitting waiting for my appointment flicking through the booklet they give you, when a nurse taps me on the shoulder and asks for a word. She then thrusts a stale smelling fleece at me and asks me why in the world was I dressed like this at a blood donor centre, as 'it's not a disco!'

I was wearing a black and white sleeveless top... I'm not one to wear boob tubes and hot pants and in genuine shock/confusion, I put the smelly fleece on and sat down, absolutely mortified. In no way did I feel exposed or self conscious prior to this and I'd worn this top on multiple occasions such as to college and work prior, without a second glance. I was so anxious afterwards, they couldn't get the line in and I ended up leaving with bruises all over my arm and feeling totally humiliated.

There's many more examples but that's the one that's stayed with me.

Not to me, but to my sister.

We were at a family party in a pub when my sister was about 16. I was 12. My sister had dressed up nicely in a skirt and tights. There was a buffet and my sister asked me if there were any chicken legs. This woman, who neither of had ever met before overheard and said, ‘chicken legs? I think you’re wearing them love.’

So rude! We were both stunned. We use it as a joke now between us but at the time she made my sister feel really self conscious about what she was wearing.

We meet quite a few dog walkers on the school run, one day on the way home I bumped into one and he asked how many children I had (usually I only take two to school but sometimes the older ones at secondary like to walk with us too) when I said 4 he replied "Do you know who all the fathers are?"

Was thinking that myself.

@CoffeeAndWinePlease

I used to work at a venue in Central London and we hosted various club nights.

One night I was on the top deck of the bus when 2 couples got on and were generally being really obnoxious, throwing coins at me, shouting abuse etc. They got off the bus a stop before me but as they were leaving, I heard them asking each other which was it was to said club night. As an aside, they’d come quite a way from Essex for this, so really made quite a journey.

Little did they know, the next stop was closer to the venue so by the time they’d found their way there, I’d got into work, grabbed my duty managers keys & walkie talkie and briefed the doormen that this select group of 4 were not to be allowed in.

Upon arrival and being told they couldn’t come in, they demanded to speak to the manager. The looks on their faces when I came out was absolutely priceless.

This is priceless. If only most of these horrific experiences ended like this. Sooo satisfying to read.

Some of these comments are so distressing. In particular I think the ones in which medics/auxiliary staff think they can say what the fuck they like to people. Just because they’re wearing a uniform.

Also the people who work in retail saying you’re not allowed to answer customers back - surely if someone has been rude to you or hurt your feelings, you have every bit as much right to respond as if they were a stranger on the street?

@Potaoesgivemeheartburn of course you can be just as rude back, just remember to collect your P45 on the way out afterwards!

Apart from obvious assaults and such, the one that sticks with me is when I was on a transatlantic flight. I was in the middle seat of a bank of three, DH in the window seat, aisle seat empty. I’d noticed the woman in the aisle seat in front give me a filthy look when I came back from the loos. (I hadn’t touched her or knocked her seat or anything, I’m always very careful). I settled back into my seat and tried to sleep but couldn’t, so I got my book out. At no point had I touched her, she was diagonally in front of me. At this point she lowered her seat back, leaned through so she was right in my face, and hissed in the nastiest voice “I have been MORE than patient up to now, but if you don’t stop it RIGHT NOW I’m going to call the steward”. I was completely in shock as I had no idea what she was on about, and it really shook me up that she was so aggressive - I’m autistic so don’t handle conflict well at the best of times. I just put my eye mask on and cried for about an hour, then spent the rest of the flight trying to sleep with a soggy eye mask. DH was asleep throughout and was furious when I told him. I tried to rationalise that maybe she was a nervous flier, but why do some people default to aggression as their first option? It’s so horrible. (I wish I had said to call the steward over though, to see their reaction).