When Two Signs and a Divider Aren’t Enough: The Saga of Kevina and the $1.99 Slippers
If you’ve ever worked retail, you know: the customer isn’t always right—but they are always creative. Enter Kevina, a shopper who turned a simple slipper purchase into a saga of signs, conspiracies, and corporate threats. Grab your popcorn (and maybe your own slippers): this retail roller coaster, sourced from Reddit’s r/StoriesAboutKevin, is about to begin.
Sign Language: Lost in Translation at the Slipper Table
Our story begins at the front register of a typical retail drug store chain. The protagonist—our brave Shift Supervisor—encounters Kevina, who’s clutching two pairs of slippers. They scan at $6.99 each. Kevina, with the unwavering confidence of someone who’s never let facts get in her way, insists they’re $1.99. Why? “There’s a large sign,” she says.
As any seasoned retail worker knows, the Sign Debate is a classic. The Supervisor calls for a price check. Kevina volunteers to personally escort the coworker to the scene of the supposed markdown. With Kevina away, the line moves on and the Supervisor resumes ringing up customers, likely bracing for the storm’s return.
Minutes later, Kevina reappears—fuming. This time, she’ll only buy one pair. She’s snapped a photo for “corporate” (because nothing says ‘I mean business’ like a blurry cell phone pic of a price tag) and demands her receipt. Plot twist: she’s opted for digital receipts only, a choice she apparently made when signing up for the store’s rewards card. This, she claims, is a conspiracy. The Supervisor, armed with unwavering retail politeness, explains the policy as Kevina storms out, muttering about collusion.
Divider Drama: A Case of Selective Seeing
So, what actually happened at the infamous slipper table? The coworker radios in, exasperated, to share her take: “That woman is retarded.” The original poster notes this is not a word her coworker uses lightly, but it underscores the level of bafflement on display.
When the dust settles, the coworker lays out the facts: there’s a table—divider down the middle. On one side: socks with a big sign, “Socks $1.99.” On the other: slippers, equally well-labeled, “Slippers $6.99.” The two categories are as distinct as bunny slippers and knee-high woolies. Kevina either can’t—or won’t—acknowledge the difference.
Reddit users, of course, had thoughts. u/Neoxite23 offered a theory: “Weaponized confusion and incompetence.” Sometimes, as they observed, being difficult is an actual tactic—if you act confused long enough, maybe staff will cave just to get rid of you. “And it works more than you would like to think,” Neoxite23 added, echoing the experience of retail veterans everywhere.
Others, like u/BeautifulArtichoke37, cut to the chase: “Or she’s just stupid.” Reddit does not mince words.
The Customer (Isn’t) Always Right: Community Perspectives
The “weaponized confusion” theory isn’t new. As u/Jabber_Tracking chimed in, some managers just give in to squeaky wheels: “My last boss literally said directly... he gives the ones who scream what they want because it was easier.” This enables more “Kevinas” to try their luck, perpetuating the cycle of confusion-as-strategy.
But what about honest mistakes? u/ImKidA wondered if there was room for sympathy: could someone, in a sleep-deprived haze, really mix up socks and slippers? OP [u/cwu007] set the record straight: the socks were clearly socks, “several inches above the ankle,” while the slippers were classic slip-ons—“think bunny slippers but without the bunny.” In other words, only a determinedly obtuse shopper could confuse the two.
The community also veered into broader retail anecdotes. u/pacmanfunky recalled how, during the pandemic, customers would ignore four separate “keep 6ft distance” signs, blissfully unaware of both signs and global events. Humans, it turns out, are capable of incredible selective vision—especially when buying slippers.
Signs, Slippers, and Silliness: Why These Stories Matter
Why does this story resonate? Because anyone who’s worked a register has met a “Kevina”—the customer who sees only what they want, whose confidence is inversely proportional to their correctness. As one commenter put it, referencing Einstein: “the difference between genius and stupidity is genius has limits.”
But there’s a deeper lesson here. Retail workers are not just button-pushers—they’re mediators, detectives, and sometimes, unwilling participants in psychological games. The internet’s reaction—ranging from sympathy to exasperation to gallows humor—shows just how universal these tales are.
And, as u/RedDazzlr succinctly put it: “Some people just suck.”
Conclusion: Share Your Own “Kevina” Story
Have you ever faced a customer who refused to read the signs—or reality? Or maybe you’ve been on the other side, convinced you were right (until proven spectacularly wrong)? Drop your wildest retail stories in the comments below, and let’s give the front-line staff the applause (and hazard pay) they deserve.
And if you’re shopping this week, spare a thought for the poor souls manning the registers. Read the signs. Respect the divider. And remember: not every deal is as good as you want it to be... especially if it’s just on the other side of the table.
Original Reddit Post: Kevina, There’s Two Signs and A Divider