Karen drags small business in Google review after mistakenly letting her daughters spend $126 on stickers (updated)

TikToker and small business owner Austin Scott recently made a $126 sticker sale, apparently much to the dismay of the young purchasers’ mother.

In a video posted Saturday, Scott said he got dragged in a Google review from the confused woman after her daughters used her card to purchase 40 stickers, which she mistakenly thought would cost around $10. 

According to Scott, stickers at his store, The Neighborhood Trading Company in Galena, Illinois, run $4 each but he gave the young girls a big discount because of their generous purchase. The reviewer, under the name Kitten Gordon, said in the comment that she saw a sign listing the stickers as 20 for $5.

“It says nowhere that we have a sale on stickers,” Scott says in the video. “The only 20 for $5 thing we have in the store … is on the incense sticks. I’m just going to assume she saw this 20 for $5 and thought, ‘Everything is 20 for $5!”

Scott then responded to the Google review and tried to explain to the disgruntled patron that there was, in fact, no sale of this kind, but that he had given her daughters a discount. He also thanked her for supporting his shop. 

While Gordon did not respond to Scott’s comment on Google reviews, Scott says she did comment on her Square receipt, writing:

“I’m sorry, my husband and I seen the same sign. It said ‘stickers 20 for $5,” but that’s fine. If it weren’t there you wouldn’t have gave them the first 20 for that price.”

“I didn’t!” interjects Scott. “I told you the sale I gave them.”

He continues reading the comment:

“You took advantage of an easy situation with two young girls. The word will spread.”

Scott goes on to explain that commenting on the digital Square receipt allowed the customer to see the itemized receipt and the discount he gave them. 

“She didn’t even try to reach out to me personally,” Scott says at the end of the TikTok. 

The video had 77,900 views and 27,000 likes on Tuesday. 

“She probably ASSUMED that the stickers are cheap how expensive could they be? And instead of taking responsibility she’s gonna blame you,” commented @shad0w_muffin. 

“Make it make sense #KAREN😳,” wrote @user8600643468438.

The store has 18,400 followers on Instagram and Scott has 948,300 followers on TikTok. It also has 63 reviews on Google with an average 4.6/5 stars. 

While most reviews are positive, Gordon is not the only patron that has left a 1-star review. A user under the name Kaitlyn Peppmeyer left this review a month ago:

The Daily Dot could not find contact information for the reviewer.

Update 6:26pm CT June 22: In a statement to the Daily Dot, Scott—who often posts retail stories from his store on TikTok—said that he received a surprising amount of support after this incident. He said that reactions to his videos are typically mixed.

“There is a belief that you’re just supposed to “smile and nod” in retail because it’s ‘the job’ but part of the reason I believe my videos do so well is I break that barrier and let the customers have it,” Scott told the Daily Dot. “The response from this video [is] shocking because it’s almost fully backing myself and my business.”

In regards to the customer’s complaint, he said that the woman has not reached out to him with proof of the sticker “sale.”

Scott further stated that stories like this and others on his page help show consumers what retail workers go through.

“These situations are not new to me or to retail workers,” he said. “Every day these kind of situations happen and truthfully it has to stop. People need to learn the respect is not just given and messes just don’t clean up themselves. Which is why no matter what side people fall on after watching my videos at least at the end of the day I’ll know I defended myself and my business.”

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