Sometimes petty revenge does not require a grand plan. Sometimes all it takes is a grocery store deli, an impatient stranger, and an unreasonable amount of potato wedges.
Several years ago, a man stopped at a grocery store to pick up some potato wedges for his wife. The deli line was short, and he was patiently waiting near the back, fourth or fifth in line.
Then a woman arrived with what appeared to be her daughter or granddaughter.
Rather than joining the line, the woman repeatedly tried to move forward whenever someone was served. Each time, the deli worker politely reminded her that she needed to wait her turn.
She became increasingly irritated.
The man could hear her complaining to the person with her, apparently frustrated that getting a simple order of wedges required her to stand in line like everyone else.
Eventually, the customer directly ahead of him was served. The woman immediately tried again to move forward.
This time, he stopped her.
He pointed out that the end of the line was behind him and that she would need to wait.
She was not impressed.
She complained that the whole situation was ridiculous and insisted that it was supposed to be “first come, first serve.” The irony was apparently lost on her, because that was exactly what everyone else was doing.
The deli worker and the man simply stared at her until she finally returned to the side of the counter.
Then he noticed something important.
There were only a few potato wedges left.
The woman clearly wanted wedges too.
The man told the deli worker that he would need more than what was currently available. The employee explained that they would have to prepare another batch, which would take several minutes.
The man agreed.
The woman, meanwhile, was forced to wait even longer.
When the fresh batch finally arrived, she started moving toward the counter again, apparently preparing for another attempt to get ahead of him.
He reminded her that he was next.
The deli worker asked how much he wanted.
Usually, customers ordered by weight.
This time, the man quietly gave a different answer.
“All of them.”
The worker paused.
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
At that point, the employee apparently understood exactly what was happening.
He gathered up the freshly made potato wedges and packed them for the customer.
The man paid around $14, then slowly walked away.
He deliberately took his time because he wanted to witness the reaction.
And then it came.
The woman looked toward the counter, realized what had happened, and loudly exclaimed:
“HE DID WHAT!?!?”
She was apparently horrified that someone had just purchased every last wedge after she had spent so much time trying to get ahead of everyone.
The man later admitted that he wished he had thought of eating one directly in front of her, but that idea only occurred to him after he got home and told his wife the story.
Still, according to him, it was one of the best $14 he had ever spent.
Final Thoughts
There is something satisfying about petty revenge that stays completely within the rules.
The man did not yell at her, threaten her, or cause a scene. He waited his turn, ordered his food, and happened to buy all the wedges.
Maybe the woman learned something about patience. Maybe she did not.
Either way, the deli worker probably enjoyed watching the whole thing unfold almost as much as the customer did.
And somewhere, years later, there may still be a woman who sees a tray of potato wedges and remembers one very frustrating grocery trip.
Would you have bought all the wedges too, or would you have let her have some?
