When Courtesy Hits a Low Shelf: A Tall Tale of Petty Revenge at Pak N Save
There are few places where the human drama of modern life plays out quite like the supermarket. Aisle by aisle, we navigate not just for bargains, but for social survival—dodging rogue trolleys, deciphering unspoken rules, and occasionally, exacting a little sweet revenge. One recent story from Pak N Save in New Zealand, as shared on Reddit’s r/PettyRevenge, perfectly captures the ballet of awkward encounters and the delicious satisfaction of standing (or stooping) your ground.
Picture it: a quiet Tuesday morning, the wide, empty aisles of one of New Zealand’s most iconic budget supermarkets, and a Kiwi shopper just trying to grab some milk. What could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, quite a bit—especially when courtesy is left behind at the automatic doors.
Our hero, u/FluffWit, recounts how their morning shop was interrupted by a sudden jolt—a trolley to the back, courtesy of a stranger with the social grace of a runaway shopping cart. Ever the model of New Zealand politeness, FluffWit offers an apology, despite being the one sideswiped. The response? The dreaded “vacant death stare”—that universal signal for “I’m not even going to pretend I care.”
If you thought the story ended there, you clearly haven’t spent enough time at Pak N Save, a place, as commenter u/Melmo89 notes, that “really brings out the worst in people.” Minutes later, fate (or perhaps the cruel design of supermarket shelving) brings the pair face-to-face again—this time in the oil aisle. The same trolley-wielding nemesis now needs help reaching a bottle of extra virgin olive oil perched high above. The audacity! Yet, FluffWit keeps their cool, asks which oil is needed, and then, in a moment that would make even the pettiest among us proud, holds the bottle just out of reach.
“You realize I’m the guy you hit with your trolley two minutes ago, right?” FluffWit says, letting the bottle dangle tantalizingly overhead. The request is simple: apologize, and the olive oil is yours. Silence. Death stare 2.0. In the absence of an apology, the bottle is returned to the shelf, and our protagonist walks away, leaving the lesson (and the olive oil) out of reach.
The community reaction to this tale was, predictably, a mix of raucous laughter, empathetic nods, and a cascade of puns that could stock the produce section. “You politely set a healthy boundary,” observed u/CoderJoe1, cheekily adding, “They may never admit it, but I bet they look up to you.” This theme—of looking up, both literally and figuratively—echoed across the thread. “Bet they look up to a lot of people,” chimed in u/xminh, while u/Rat-Bazturd urged, “OP should be the bigger person and not look down on them…” (groans all around).
Not all the vertically challenged took offense. In fact, many short-statured commenters relished the pettiness, provided the recipient deserved it. “As a short person who has experienced this a lot over my life, I was so ready to be mad about it,” admitted u/Willing-Hand-9063, “but after reading, I’ve concluded that this short person in your story indeed sucks and they deserved every second of being taunted. Who doesn’t apologise to someone they just hit with a shopping trolley, ffs?!”
Practical tips for the vertically challenged also poured in, from the acrobatic (“I’ve always just climbed the shelves like a monkey,” confessed u/MapOfIllHealth) to the safety-minded (“Don’t do it!” warned former retail worker u/paintergigi1941, noting those shelves are “not designed for climbing/people weight”). Others described the art of improvisation—using sticks, umbrellas, or even other groceries to nudge items closer. Yet the consensus among both tall and short: a simple, polite ask is almost always met with goodwill. As u/Blondelefty put it, “Just ask a tall person! We are used to it, and 9/10 are happy to help. (There is always the one asshat.)”
But the real heart of the thread lay in the subtleties of supermarket etiquette and the curious Kiwi (and perhaps Canadian) compulsion to apologize for everything. “Why do we always apologise when we’re the one that’s wronged?” mused u/Calm_Researcher9172, sparking stories of people apologizing to lamp posts, walls, and—most frequently—each other. As u/Fromanderson wisely concluded, sometimes a quick apology is just the social oil that keeps the shopping carts rolling, even if you’re not the one at fault.
Of course, not everyone was convinced that FluffWit’s move was the height of moral behavior. Some suggested that being the “bigger person” (in every sense) would have meant handing over the olive oil anyway. But as u/ouroborosstruggles quipped, “This is r/pettyrevenge not r/moralsuperiority.” Sometimes, the satisfaction of a well-timed, well-deserved snub can be its own reward.
So, the next time you’re navigating the wilds of Pak N Save (or your own local supermarket), remember: a little courtesy goes a long way—especially when you might need someone to reach the top shelf. And to the vertically challenged among us: be nice to your local gentle giants. You never know when you’ll need a hand… or a lesson in humility.
What about you? Have you ever dished out (or received) a helping of petty revenge in the supermarket aisles? Share your stories below—let the best (and pettiest) tales rise to the top!
Original Reddit Post: Teased a short person at the Supermarket by holding something just out of reach