Even better than getting revenge myself, a friend did it on my behalf and then told me about it afterward!

During breaks in high school and college, I worked for a market research company as a “mall intercept interviewer.” This was back in the late-80s & early-90s.

Each mall usually had one of these facilities, including a flock of interviewers who would find people in the hallways to ask questions about products & services…often giving away free samples & even money for their opinions. I found the job fascinating and it actually led to my career in marketing.

One day, when asking a woman if she had a moment, she just went off: “Why are you bothering me?! What a nuisance! Can’t I just shop in peace?! You should just leave people alone!”

We were located at the main entrance, so plenty of people witnessed her berating teenage me. Although I’d gotten used to polite rejection, things like that still stung.

Then…the woman headed into the hair salon next door.

About 30 minutes later, my stylist friend Kelly came running out. “Greg, Greg…you won’t believe what I just did!”

“Huh?”, I responded.

Kelly continued, “I saw that woman be so mean to you, then she came in for a haircut. Luckily, it was my turn. I was very nice to her, though at the end, I kept one strand of hair really long, sprayed it with hairspray, and tucked it up so she won’t find it until she washes her hair next.” She was so proud of herself! We laughed and laughed and laughed. :D

Now you might be asking, “But what about her manager?”

Us mall employees tended to stick together. The salon manager was also a friend, who routinely got tons of free products left over from surveys, as well as cash for taking surveys on the regular. ;)

And yes, the woman DID return to complain. The manager called Kelly to the front and explained that Kelly was new (she wasn’t) and must have made an innocent mistake. They both were *very* sorry and the cost of the cut was refunded.

Still, the woman was furious, though there wasn’t anything more she could do. Plus, she took all that time to return to the mall/salon, when Kelly said she probably could have just snipped off the strand herself.

Moral of the story? Sometimes revenge is a dish best served by a friend. :)