AITA for not telling a pregnant woman that her planning isn’t my problem?

A Reddit user (21M), working at McDonald’s, was confronted by a pregnant woman and her husband after the restaurant closed. They arrived 10 minutes after closing, asking for fries. Despite politely explaining that the register was logged out and it wasn’t possible to fulfill their request, the woman insisted, and her husband became verbally aggressive.

In frustration, the user told them that their lack of planning wasn’t his problem. The couple left angrily. The user now wonders if his response was too harsh. Read the full story below to see how this interaction unfolded.

‘ AITA for not telling a pregnant woman that her planning isn’t my problem?’

So I (21M) work at a McDonalds in a shopping centre, we close at 6pm. Its about 18:10 and in walks this young lady with her husband asking if she can order (doors are still open for final guests to leave after eating). I tell her politely that we closed 10 min ago so ordering isn’t gonna be possible anymore. She tells me “but Im pregnant I need to eat can’t I at least get some fries?”.

I tell her, again, its not possible because the register is already logged out. She asks if she can either leave cash or just get it for free. I tell her “no I can’t” for the third time. She starts to get angry and her husband starts calling me names. I was “rude and disrespectful” and I “couldn’t act so and so towards pregnant women” etc.

At that point Im frustrated because she’s making a scene and I don’t like to be stared at by other people let alone while being called names.

Here’s where I might be the AH. I tell them, annoyed, that Im really sorry but that their lack of planning isn’t my problem and they should’ve just walked in 10 to 15 min earlier if they really wanted to eat. She storms off to the exit with her husband behind her making an angry gesture at me then leaving the restaurant.. So AITA for what I told them?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

SnooChipmunks770 −  NTA. You were closed. And it’s not like there’s probably another McDonald’s pretty close that is actually open at 6:10 pm. 

_s1m0n_s3z −  You should have told him the fryers and grills are off, and the board of health won’t let you scrape cold, left over fries out of the garbage to serve to customers. NTA.

skulkerboyo −  Nah – f**k those lazy entitled assholes. Maybe tell her she should cook something nutritious so her kid isn’t born with f**king flippers.

garlicparmbreadthot −  NTA. I understand pregnancy cravings are a thing but being pregnant doesn’t entitle you to keeping restaurants open late. I also work in a retail setting that doesn’t permit me to take transactions after I send the sales reports, and some people do come in as I’m closing up and ask if I can still check them out but I literally could not even if I wanted to.

Sometimes you have to be a bit rude and firm to these types of people because their sense of entitlement will prevent them from being logical and understanding. The fact that the husband went after you too, is totally inappropriate. You tried being polite first, they escalated it to a point where you needed to be straight up.

The McDonald’s was probably open from 8-10 am when the mall opened if not just after… they had the entire day to get fries. The fact that they waited until after close is in fact, not your problem.

Everyone knows that mall food courts close earlier than other restaurants with their own building… and if you are in a city, it’s safe to assume there’s probably more than one McDonald’s.. if she really wants fries that badly she can go to one of the ones that are open 24 hours or until midnight…

tsscaramel −  NTA. Call the centre security next time, they have no right to verbally abuse you all because they can’t manage their time properly.

Successful_Activity8 −  NTA. Neither for standing your ground or for the words you spoke. Clearly that is a person who has never worked a customer service job. Honestly, you’re a better person than me for not also asking the other diners to leave by 6. I would have had them all out and the door locked, lol.

AffectionateCable793 −  NTA. Her being pregnant doesn’t exclude her from the rules. The store is closed. For all folks.

Designer-Design3386 −  i was recently pregnant and would get violently hungry or i would start throwing up. never ever did i walk into a place that was closed and demand food…. maybe look up whats open before you go.

AmbassadorSad1157 −  NTA. Since when is your pregnancy a fast food worker’s problem and when did pregnancy bring with it entitlement?

Lulu_10-21 −  NTA. Pregnant lady here. Being pregnant isn’t an excuse to be an a**hole or expect special treatment. I’m sorry they did that to you.