When Petty Strikes Back: The Target Parking Lot Video Game Heist
Ever been the victim of a parking spot thief? You know the type—the ones who race ahead, cut you off, and nab that precious space you’ve been patiently waiting for. Most of us just sigh, maybe mutter a few choice words, and move on. But one Redditor on r/PettyRevenge took things a step further, dishing out a dose of justice that’s as hilarious as it is clever. And the story, titled “Have fun without your videogame,” has since become a goldmine for community commentary, creative suggestions, and some classic internet humor.
The Setup: A Parking Lot Power Play
Our tale begins in the wilds of a Target parking lot, where the stakes are high and tempers run higher. Reddit user u/mewikime, accompanied by their wife, spots a soon-to-be-vacant space and signals accordingly. Enter: the Chrysler 300, driven by what can only be described as the embodiment of main-character energy. After a brief honk and a bold maneuver, the Chrysler crew steals the spot, complete with passenger-side gloating.
Annoyed but unbroken, our hero finds another spot and proceeds into Target. The story could have ended here—a mere footnote in the annals of parking lot pettiness. But destiny had other plans.
The Petty Plot Thickens: Cart Wars and Candy Capers
Inside the store, fate throws our protagonist and the Chrysler crew together again. And while the initial exchange is limited to a subtle cart-blocking move (as one top commenter, u/sonal1988, joked: “The only thing missing here is them knowing it was you who did that”), the real revenge is yet to unfold.
Fast forward a few aisles and a couple of shopping cart run-ins later, and opportunity knocks: the group has left their cart—complete with a coveted video game and some Valentine’s chocolate—unattended. In a split-second decision, u/mewikime removes the video game (still in its security case) and a bag of chocolate, rearranging the cart to mask the theft. The goal? Pure confusion and inconvenience. As they explain, “If they did notice, they’d be a little confused and would have to go and get another copy of the game and another bag of chocolate, which would be frustrating for them. And if they didn’t notice, well, that would be even better.”
Redditors cheered the move, with u/KombuchaBot declaring it “Top petty revenge 10/10 no notes.” Others, like u/ratalada, relished the psychological aspect: “They probably had to question each other, wondering who did what with the game and chocolates. Seriously, just frustrating enough for their mean-spirited little hearts.”
Community Chimes In: Petty, Poetic, and Possibly Criminal?
The r/PettyRevenge community had no shortage of opinions and creative suggestions. Some, like u/splinter2424, dreamed up alternate realities: “The only thing that would have been better is replacing the game with the identical game from a different console. Enjoy trying to play your PS5 game on your Xbox.” Others joked about escalating the situation: u/aboxofpyramids mused about loosening a valve stem on the Chrysler, only for OP to clarify, “I think that vandalism or tampering would become malicious revenge at that point. I just wanted to be petty :)”
Of course, not everyone was convinced. A few skeptics questioned the story’s veracity or morality, but the overwhelming response was enthusiastic, especially for the creativity and harmlessness of the act. As u/Accurate_Ad_8555 summed up: “It doesn’t matter if they noticed or not! In a small way it made you feel better and no one was hurt.”
The poetic justice even inspired a little verse, thanks to a typo in OP’s original story (“…they were ringing their poems up”), leading u/MaenHoffiCoffi to pen:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Who took my game?
I think it was you.
The Aftermath: Sweet, Sweet Uncertainty
Best of all, the perpetrators never caught on—at least not in the store. OP watched as they checked out, blissfully oblivious to their missing game. As OP gleefully imagined, “I hope they got home and realized after they’d unpacked everything, ordered pizza or whatever, opened some beers and sat down to play their game, that none of them actually had it and their night was ruined.”
The community reveled in the ambiguity. u/Ok-Desk6624 hoped the group would someday stumble upon the Reddit post and realize what happened. Others pointed out that, if anything, OP had saved them money—maybe they didn’t really want that game after all!
The Takeaway: Petty, Not Malicious—The Art of Low-Stakes Karma
What makes this story resonate isn’t just the revenge itself, but the restraint and creativity involved. As OP stressed in the comments, “I just wanted to be petty :)”—not malicious. No property was damaged, no laws were broken, and the only casualty was a night’s gaming session and a little chocolate. It’s the kind of story that scratches that itch for justice without crossing the line, inspiring others to share their own tales of parking-lot warfare and retail revenge.
So next time someone snags your spot or cuts in front of you in line, remember: sometimes the sweetest revenge is the one they never see coming.
What’s your favorite tale of petty revenge? Share your story below—or your best suggestion for next-level, harmless payback!
Original Reddit Post: Have fun without your videogame