Why You Should Be Specific With Store Policies: The Comedy of Signing Up the Amish for Loyalty Rewards
If you’ve ever worked retail, you know that management’s requests can sometimes be, well, a little disconnected from reality. “Can you get more customers to sign up for our rewards program?” they’ll say, as if you have a magic wand to make people hand over their personal info. But what happens when you take that request literally—especially in a community where modern technology isn’t exactly en vogue? Well, let’s just say, hilarity (and a little bit of malicious compliance) ensues.
Let’s set the scene: A diligent cashier at a local farm store, a small Amish community, and a boss intent on boosting those loyalty rewards numbers. The boss gives a simple directive: “Ask everyone.” And that’s exactly what happens, even if “everyone” includes folks whose relationship with phones and email is… complicated at best.
When Policy Meets Reality: A Lesson in Literal Compliance
Our story begins with a post from u/Responsible_Bill_513 on Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance, where the poster’s daughter, a checkout clerk at a farm store, is tasked with signing up new members for the store’s loyalty program. The catch? The store occasionally serves members of a local Amish community—a group known for their technology-free lifestyle.
So, with the boss’s words echoing in her mind, the daughter dutifully asks every customer—Amish included—for their phone number and email address to enroll in the rewards program. The result? Not a single new sign-up from the Amish, but plenty of chuckles from the rest of the customers in line as they watch the spectacle unfold.
Retail Comedy Gold: Malicious Compliance in Action
There’s something inherently funny about following the rules just a little too literally. That’s the essence of malicious compliance: doing exactly what you’re told, knowing full well it won’t work out quite the way management intended.
In this case, “Ask everyone” becomes a delightful exercise in futility. The Amish, famous for eschewing modern technology, aren’t about to whip out their smartphones and sign up for digital rewards. But the daughter’s insistence on following orders—no matter how absurd the context—highlights just how out of touch blanket policies can be.
And it’s not just the employees who notice. The customers—half of whom are reportedly giggling in line—recognize the absurdity, too. It’s a classic moment of shared retail humor: everyone knows what’s going on, except, perhaps, the manager who started the whole thing.
The Perils of One-Size-Fits-All Policies
This story is more than just a funny anecdote—it’s a gentle reminder that not all customers are created equal, and not all policies fit every situation. In an age obsessed with data collection and customer engagement, it’s easy to forget that some people simply don’t use phones or email. Forcing employees to push digital sign-ups on offline communities doesn’t just waste time; it makes the whole process look silly.
Plus, it shows the importance of trusting your frontline staff. They know the customers. They know who’s likely to sign up and who’s not. Giving them the autonomy to use judgment (rather than mindlessly following a script) can save everyone a lot of time—and embarrassment.
A Lesson for Managers Everywhere
If you’re a manager reading this, take note: specificity matters. Instead of “Ask everyone,” maybe try “Ask everyone who seems interested,” or even “Don’t worry about signing up the Amish customers—they probably aren’t interested.” A little nuance can go a long way.
But if you’re an employee stuck in the world of blanket policies and managerial tunnel vision, take heart. Sometimes, following the rules to the letter is the best way to show just how absurd those rules really are. And if you get a few laughs along the way? All the better.
Conclusion: Have You Ever Experienced Malicious Compliance?
Retail is full of stories like this—moments when the best way to highlight a pointless policy is to follow it exactly. Have you ever witnessed (or been part of) a moment of malicious compliance that left everyone in stitches? Share your story in the comments below! And next time someone says “Ask everyone,” remember: sometimes, the best compliance is a little bit mischievous.
Retail tales of malicious compliance never get old—especially when they involve the local Amish community, a rewards program, and a cashier with an impeccable sense of literalism.
Original Reddit Post: Sure, I'll ask everyone