Biased Customer Asks For “One Of The Boys”, Young Male Employee Sides With Veteran Female Coworker And Pranks

A humming auto parts shop echoes with revs as an 18-year-old rookie, three months in, flips a sexist shopper’s script. The dude snubs a seven-year vet gal for “guy help only”. Newbie rallies the crew for a savage tag-team roast that sends him muttering off with his gears.

This gender-jab genius blew Reddit up, doling giggles and retail war stories. Mischief meets unity, frustration flipped to triumph!

Male employee takes female co-worker’s side, pulls a prank and exposes customer sexism in auto store.

Auto shops are usually male-dominated spots. Due to stereotypes, women in this field are not, sadly, as trusted as men when it comes to answering customers’ questions, despite their equal knowledge and capacity. However, some employees decide to deal with this stereotype differently.

Our Redditor’s quick-thinking prank highlights how everyday sexism sneaks into service counters, where a customer’s “preference” for “one of the boys” ignores years of expertise right in front of them.

From the customer’s side, he might’ve been stuck in old habits, assuming muscle and know-how come packaged with a certain gender, like thinking only dudes tinker under hoods on weekends.

But flip it: the female coworker, with her seven-year tenure, likely outpaced the newbie in cataloging carburetors. The Redditor’s puzzled stare and pivot to her as the “expert” cleverly exposed that gap without a showdown, turning annoyance into alliance.

Zoom out, and this mirrors broader workplace dynamics. A 2023 Pew Research Center report found that 42% of women in STEM fields report gender discrimination at work, often in subtle forms like being overlooked for expertise. In retail and trades, it’s the customer-facing version, dismissing capable staff based on stereotypes.

Workplace bias expert Amber L. Stephenson, Ph.D., in a Harvard Business Review article, notes: “Simply adding women into a workplace does not change the organizational structures and systems that benefit men more than women”.

Here, it applies perfectly. The customer’s insistence could’ve tanked the sale, but the staff’s unity flipped it, showing how supportive crews combat bias without escalating.

Neutral fixes? Stores could train on redirecting biases politely, or highlight staff creds via badges. For individuals, a calm “She’s our go-to on this” defuses while educating.

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

Some share stories of women expertly handling sexist customers.

Others recall bosses redirecting sexist demands to female managers.

Some describe rerouting sexist requests to petite female supervisors.

Others share sarcastic comebacks from male coworkers.

Some recount refusing help to racist/sexist customers.

Some note persistent sexism in technical and manual fields.

Some suggest mimicking the question to a female coworker.

In the end, our Redditor’s playful plot twist reminds us: sexism might rev up, but clever camaraderie shifts gears faster. Do you think the tag-team expert redirect was genius teamwork, or could a direct chat have nipped it sooner?

How would you handle a “boys only” demand without losing your cool? Share your hot takes!