You remember the Heelys craze, right? The sneakers with a wheel in the back of the heel so you could roller skate when you felt like it? When that was a big thing, Home Depot stores would play announcements telling people not to skate in the store.

I’m walking down the aisle one day when that played, and at that very instant a child decided to skate on her Heelys as kind of a “you are not the boss of me” move. I simply said to the kid, “please don’t do that” and carried on with my task.

The Karen who was her mother went to the assistant store manager to complain that one of us had the gall to speak to her daughter. Bad mistake: this ASM was a retired Army command sergeant major who turned in his fucks when he made first sergeant. Apparently he went off on her for letting her kid do that.

Two weeks later this ASM was gone. Not fired - promoted to store manager and sent to another building. Apparently they liked that he stood up for his people. Knowing that guy he’s probably a vice president in the company by now.