The Curious Case of the “Too Chickeny” Chicken: Retail’s Most Clucking Ridiculous Return
If you think you’ve seen it all in retail, think again. Just when you thought customer complaints couldn’t get more absurd, a customer in a grocery store strolls up to the customer service counter with nothing but the picked-clean bones of a rotisserie chicken—and demands a refund. Why? Because, in their own words, it was “too chickeny.” Yes, you read that right. Apparently, the chicken tasted too much like chicken, and they were expecting… turkey?
Welcome to the retail Twilight Zone, where logic is optional, and “the customer is always right” is put to the ultimate test. This is the story that recently took r/TalesFromRetail by storm, leaving retail workers everywhere groaning in solidarity and internet spectators cackling in disbelief.
Let’s set the scene. Our protagonist, u/Sudden_Dealer3922, has survived five years in the trenches of grocery store customer service, thinking they’ve heard every excuse in the book. That is, until a customer returns a fully eaten rotisserie chicken—just bones left—complaining it was “too chickeny.” When pressed for clarification, the customer explained they expected it to taste more like turkey. (Perhaps next time, just buy a turkey?) To everyone’s shock—and the OP’s despair—the manager approved the refund, deciding it wasn’t worth the argument.
This story isn’t just about one bizarre customer; it’s about the retail culture that enables such madness. As u/Wayanoru puts it, “This ‘enable the customer’ culture is a bane to retail workers everywhere.” The retail world has become a stage for the boldest, most shameless return attempts, because somewhere along the line, appeasing customers—however absurd their demands—became cheaper than standing firm.
But the community didn’t just roll their eyes—they dove into the deeper issues. u/anathyma was aghast: “Since when can you return ALREADY EATEN food?? What the actual, man?” Turns out, it’s not as rare as you’d hope. u/GoatCovfefe explained that many stores operate with a “100% satisfaction guarantee”—meaning if you’re not satisfied, you get a refund, even if you devoured every last bite. “Usually it’s cost effective to just do the return than risk losing their future business,” GoatCovfefe notes, though admits it’s more a corporate decision than an employee's.
Of course, not everyone buys this logic. As u/Oxyfire points out, “Odds are, someone would make a show, then come crawling back when they decide they don’t want to drive further, or can’t find the specific thing they like at the other store.” In other words, the threat of losing a customer over one denied refund is often overblown—especially when the request is, well, chicken bones deep into ridiculousness.
The post also spurred a flood of hilarious anecdotes and biting sarcasm. u/Wrathchilde summed up the absurdity: “Beach too sandy, water too wet.” Meanwhile, u/rts93 joked, “For research, should have asked them on the scale of 1-10, how chickeny did it taste.” And who could forget u/Cerridwen1981’s cheeky request: “Can I return my empty vodka bottles and get a refund please?!”
But beneath the laughter, there’s an undercurrent of frustration. Many retail veterans chimed in with tales of similarly outrageous returns: empty bottles of pet cleaner, half-eaten sandwiches, even a customer demanding a new baking sheet because they melted the chicken’s plastic container in the oven (yes, really—thanks, u/MacMoonhead1995). As u/NFERIUS lamented, “I’ve denied returns more obviously scams than this… My regional manager overrode me and provided the refund. Even with all the evidence and facts to back it up, they’ll still give the refund.”
This, in turn, breeds “Karens,” as u/Ank51974 bluntly states—the entitled customers who know they can outlast a worker’s patience. Some commenters, like u/KnottaBiggins, believe this cycle is self-perpetuating: “Customers have learned if they keep at it the manager will cave. Had managers never lost their spines, this would be worth arguing about because it would be rare.”
On the flip side, a few see wisdom in just giving in and moving the circus along. u/copperfrog42 gets it: “Sometimes you just want the stupid to go away.” After all, is it worth escalating over $7 worth of chicken, or is it better to cut losses and save everyone’s time (and sanity)?
And if you’re wondering whether all managers cave, rest assured—some do stand their ground. u/AllOfTheSoundAndFury recalled a customer trying to return chicken bones because it was “too dry”—but the manager, refreshingly, refused the refund: “Not too dry to eat apparently.”
So, what’s the lesson for retail warriors and retail shoppers alike? Maybe it’s that common sense isn’t as common as we’d like—and that the line between legitimate complaint and, well, “too chickeny” is thinner than a chicken bone. For workers, it’s a reminder that sometimes, you just have to laugh (or cry) and move on. For customers? Maybe just order the turkey next time.
Have you ever seen a return attempt that made you question reality? Or maybe you’ve got your own “too chickeny” story to share? Drop your thoughts—and your wildest return tales—in the comments below. After all, in the world of retail, truth really is stranger than fiction.
Original Reddit Post: Customer tried to return a rotisserie chicken that was 'too chickeny'