People Share The Very Condescending Advice They Got From Someone Who Assumed They Were Poor

While appearances aren’t always what they seem, we still judge a book by its cover. According to any social psychologist, judging others’ appearances is natural; it’s an innate instinct we all have. By presuming things about a person based on the visual perceptions we receive from them, it’s our way of protecting ourselves, deciding whether or not to converse with them, and if we do converse with them, figuring out how we might approach them (e.g., confidently, with caution, etc.).

Even if our initial beliefs about a person’s personality, intentions, or mood based on their appearance alone might be way off, there are definitely times where these instincts are correct and serve a vital purpose. Failing to judge one’s appearance, we may overlook a huge red flag and end up in a bad situation that we wouldn’t have been in if we would have just listened to our gut instinct.

That random guy on the street with a scowl on his face? He probably doesn’t want to be approached. As for that lady oddly pacing back and forth in the store frequently looking around her? She might be waiting until the coast is clear, so she can steal merchandise and make a run for it. In these scenarios, judging others’ appearances comes in handy. Although, this isn’t always the case.

Unfortunately, we don’t just judge others’ appearances as a way to protect ourself from potential danger; we also judge to criticize others. We criticize appearances due to different reasons: out of self-consciousness, to take out our negative feelings onto someone we deem “weaker,” to get revenge on our victim, and so on. We might criticize their weight, hair, skin color, or other physical attributes.

Apart from the latter, people may use one’s appearance to make assumptions about them based on other aspects of their life. In fact, some people judge others’ financial situations solely on their appearance alone. If someone is dressed in designer clothing, we assume they’re financially well-off. But for someone wearing old, ripped clothing? They’re poor in our eyes. Some may even go as far as to say that they’ve “made bad choices in life” without even knowing anything about them.

In a previous listicle on our website, three dozen people shared a story of the time they were given condescending advice from a person who assumed they were poor.  From snobbishly informing someone in a “low-paying job” how to get a so-called better job to turning away a paying customer because they presumed they “didn’t have any money,” these stories will put you in a mini rage.

28. I Bought The Dress She Thought I Didn’t Have The Money For

“When I was in my early twenties, I had a good job, a nice income and no responsibilities other than that. Sometimes I would go into town for (window) shopping, but I wouldn’t always dress up; in fact, I would just wear jeans and a T-shirt most of the time.

One day I walked passed this boutique shop and saw an amazing dress in the window. So I walked in and asked the lady in the shop about the price of the dress. She looked snobby when she approached me, looked me up and down and then said: “You wouldn’t be able to afford it.” Funny, because as a sales lady, she was probably making a lot less than I was. I was so stunned at the time, managed to get back to myself, and I replied: “That’s not what I asked. Could you please tell me the price, and while you’re at it, could you get the manager?”

She told me she was the manager, but the owner would be there the next day. Next day came and I went back to the shop and spoke to the owner, who was a friendly lady who was appalled by her manager’s behavior. She apologized on behalf of her and told me that if I waited, the manager would come back after her lunch break to apologize in person.

Meanwhile, I asked to see the dress and try it on. It fit perfectly. Because it was a boutique shop, they only had one in each size and this was the last one. I had the owner ring me up, just when the manager walked in. The owner made her apologize to me, she did, but I could feel the tension. So in front of her, I pulled a stack of money from my purse, about 4 times the price of the dress (I knew the sales ladies worked on commission), randomly grabbed an outrageously priced scarf from the rack on the counter to add to the dress, and slowly counted the money out on the counter.

I then slowly put the money back into my purse, smiled sweetly at the owner and said: “It’s a shame there is only one in my size; I would have loved to have a second dress in a different color.” I then thanked the owner, turned towards the manager with a grin on my face and walked out to my friend’s Porsche that was parked right outside the door (I borrowed him and his car for the occasion) as both women were looking.

Now, I never want to get anyone fired because I know that people have families and lives, but I went back there the next month and there was a different manager. This woman totally deserved to be put in her place.” Miriam Theijsmeijer

27. He Tried To Charge Me A Huge Deposit To Test Drive A Car

“My wife really wanted an Audi SUV after our second child was born. I got into town after a long 21-day hitch doing oil well completions and went straight to my local VW/Audi dealer. I was wearing faded jeans, a ratty of hoodie full of holes and an unkempt mop of hair that badly needed a cut. Nobody would come near me while I looked at the Q7 in the showroom.

After getting a good look, I stood around waiting for someone to acknowledge me. At this point, I was a guaranteed sale on a $90K car; what baby wants, baby gets. It’s her reward for putting up with me. After about 10 minutes of watching sales staff go out of their way to avoid making eye contact, I went to the front counter and asked the receptionist to page someone in new car sales.

When she finished her page, I shouted loudly, ‘Are there any salespeople here interested in selling cars today?!’ This guy comes over and gives me a flippant, ‘What can I help you with?’ So, I tell him I want them to check the lot for a silver Q7, bring it around and lets me take it for a drive. He tells me they have 3 and to test drive, one I’d need to provide a $500 deposit. This is an outrage in my mind. I’ve purchased new vehicles sight unseen, been handed the keys to sports cars for weekend test drives, I was insulted. ‘Why?’ I asked. ‘So we know you’re serious about buying,’ he replied. ‘I’m here; that’s not serious enough?’

‘No. Anyone can walk in here and say they want to buy something. That doesn’t mean they actually can.’

I was ready to hit this man. I knew what he was trying to say, but I kept cool. I’d already decided on my course of action.

‘You know what? Why don’t we just talk to your finance guy and see if there’s something you guys can do.’

‘He’s on lunch.’

‘That’s fine, I’ll wait.’

So, he walks off and returns 20 minutes later: ‘Follow me,’ and I found myself in the finance office. I handed the guy my ID and he entered my info. Then on to their questions: ‘How long at your current address? Own or rent? Employment status?’ And so on. I give him my tax return form from the previous year as proof of income, and by this time, my credit report comes through, and the finance guy informs me that my credit score is very good and they can approve me for whatever I want (I knew this), so how would I like to proceed? I asked the finance guy if the $500 deposit for a test drive thing was dealership policy. ‘No, it’s at the discretion of our sales department.’

‘Ok thanks, can you get that salesman back in here?’ So, he waves the guy over and when he comes in I ask the finance guy, ‘So, is it safe to say based on my credit app I could leave here with any car on this lot?’ ‘Yeah, maybe not the R8 Plus, but yeah.’ ‘What was my income last year from the T4 slip I provided?’ ‘$310 thousand,’ he says.

So, I grinned at the salesman and said, ‘My job is hard. I get dirty, I don’t get to wear a suit and tie. But I do get paid as much as a surgeon, and I could call people c*cksuckers all day long and no one would bat an eye at it. C*cksucker.’ And I left.

2 days later, I purchased a shiny new Yukon XL in Silver, and my wife still loves it. I didn’t have to call the GM salesman names either.” Mike Clark

Another User Comments:

Some great advice if you’re a car salesman looking to improve your selling game…

“A friend of mine, Chris, a very experienced (and mature) car salesman, transferred to a large, local BMW dealership. Being new, his desk was at the back of the showroom, the front desks being occupied by the younger, less experienced salesman who’d secured their places in the showroom by dint of being their longer. It gave them first pick of the punters.

Chris’s view was that if someone came into the showroom, having leaned his old pushbike bike against the wall outside and wearing bike clips around his trousers, it was because he needed to buy a car. The others assumed such people just came in to get warm.

Chris would always leap into action, where the others couldn’t be bothered, and often sell a top of the range BMW to them, much to the consternation of the ‘boys.’ He soon became the most successful (and richest – all that commission) salesman at the dealership. He’d learned many years before as a young salesman that you can’t judge a book by the cover.” Neil Vann

26. He Tried To “Help” Me Find A Better Job

“I was invited to a house-warming BBQ. It was hosted by some distant relatives of mine, and when I got there, I found an interesting and diverse group of people, around 30 in all. There were some family members I knew, but also friends of my relatives and neighbors whom I had never met before.

I am a natural extrovert and a gregarious person, and I enjoy meeting new people, especially people from different backgrounds who may have something to teach me!

At the time I was in my mid-40’s, but I guess I dress quite young, so the 30s-something man who approached me may have assumed I was younger. I was dressed very casually in jeans and a t-shirt as it was a warm summer day.

He was very well-dressed in a jacket and business pants and had quite an arrogant air about him. He came straight up to me, looked me up and down, and then said: “Hello, what’s your name, and what do you do?’ Blunt approach, but that’s OK. I can cope in most social situations. I told him my name was Cate and that I worked in the finance industry.

He replied, ‘So, you do data entry, do you?’

I replied, ‘Yes, that’s a part of my job.’

He then proceeded to tell me that he had just bought the newest version of Excel, and that it was brilliant! He told me he had just spent days teaching himself how to use Excel, including all the latest functions and advanced formulas. He said if I wanted to, I could go around to his house (next door), and he would teach me how to use Excel. ‘You never know, it might improve your career opportunities and help you get a better job!’ he finished with a flourish.

By this time, I was a little uncomfortable with the lack of body space between us – he was a classic ‘space invader.’ And I wasn’t too comfortable with being invited back to his house after a casual two-minute conversation, especially as I was a married woman who lived 40kms from my relatives. So I politely replied: ‘Thank you for the offer, but my life is quite busy at the moment.’ I thought that was sufficient a hint – but NO!

‘But you should take every opportunity to learn new skills!’ he informed me. ‘If you just remain in the same old rut, doing the same thing every day, you’ll never get anywhere and achieve your dreams,’ he said.

My patience was being sorely tested and I began to plan my escape,  but I was not quick enough. ‘Excel is a fantastic program!’ he continued, ‘Once you get to know the basics, you’ll be able to add long columns of numbers in a fraction of the time it takes to add them up manually! And you’ll be able to calculate fractions and do some really complicated analysis – all with just a few simple formulas!’

He opened his mouth to continue his condescending lecture about the merits of using a basic spreadsheet, but I’d had enough.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘But I really don’t have the time to teach you VBA coding at the moment. I’m a stock market CFD trader with a current portfolio in excess of $3M, and my current clients take up all my available time.’

With that, I walked off to find a better company.

The look on his face was priceless!

Moral of the story? Please don’t judge anyone based on their looks or your uneducated first impressions of them.” Cate Cook

25. She Didn’t Realize I Was An Attorney And Not In Desperate Need Of A Job

She most certainly was not expecting this.

“As a woman, I have experienced countless condescending comments over the years.

This is a story where someone thought I was poor and in need of a job.

I decided to clean the house of an elderly friend while she was recuperating from surgery. A wealthy friend of hers came to visit and I continued my cleaning. Shortly before leaving, she approached me and extended her card. ‘I don’t expect you to recognize me or my name, but I am prominently mentioned in the social section of the newspapers. I’m married to a very prominent attorney. I have observed your work and deemed your skills and efficiency to be above average. It is so difficult to find good help these days. (Those were her exact words) And you speak ENGLISH-a real feather in your cap. I’m so sorry that those ‘illegals’ are taking away your customers. I have a number of friends who could use the services of a good English-speaking housekeeper. Please give me your name and number.’

‘Oh, I have a card,’ I responded. I handed her my business card stating that I was an attorney for the ACLU.

‘Tell your husband I said hi and am looking forward to opposing him in our upcoming trial in two weeks.'” Nero Wright

 24. She Treated Him Like A Nobody, But He Was A Mid-Level Manager

“I still laugh about mine today. I was about 35-years-old and a mid-level manager at the largest telecommunication company in the United States. I flew into Kentucky to see a client to set up project management for his system. I walked into his office and met his secretary first.

Before I could say anything, she told me they were not hiring right now and would not be hiring for a while. I told her I was not there for a job -I needed to see her boss about something else. She said, ‘Oh, you’re the delivery guy, and you need to take the shipment to the dock on the backside of the building.’ I told her I was not the delivery guy. I said, ‘I would just like to see your boss.’ Her last response was that I would have to make an appointment because her boss was waiting for someone important from Atlanta, Georgia.

So I just stood there, while she stared at me, trying to figure out why I had not left. Internally I was laughing when I should have been mad.

Her boss comes from the back, and she says to him something similar to, ‘I don’t know what this guy wants.’

Her boss immediately comes over to me with a big smile, gives me a big huge handshake and a hug. She looks bewildered.

As we go into the back, her boss says something to the effect of, ‘You and I need to have a conversation.’

As you probably have already figured out, I was black, and in her mind, she just could not visualize a black person in her presence as being someone of importance in an executive position.

The sickening look on her face after her boss said they were going to have a conversation. Priceless!” Genette Tylerson

23. He Told Me I “Couldn’t Afford” To Buy An Airplane Hangar… I Proved Him Wrong

“I was looking to buy an airplane hangar several years ago (yes, there are airports where you can own them…it’s a long story as to why I needed to buy one). A local real estate agent who owned a hangar at the airport at which I was interested in purchasing one met my real estate agent and me to show us several hangars that he had listed for sale, including his. This guy gets most of the hangar listings at the airport because he’s already ‘there,’ which makes good sense.

A couple of them interested me, and I asked what the ‘best price’ would be on the ones I liked. He asked me how much I wanted to pay. I’d done my research and made what I thought was a fair verbal offer for each, which I was willing to put into writing for the first owner who might have had interest in my offer. Each offer was about 85% of the listing price.

After a long verbal dissertation about how the airport worked and how pleasant hangar ownership was for those who could afford it, his advice to me was to ‘come back when you get serious and can afford to buy.’

I did. I bought the hangar two doors down from his about a month later. It came up for sale and was listed with another agent, and the owner accepted my first offer.

I ran into the guy while I was working at my ‘new’ property a couple of weeks after closing. He remembered me and asked me if I was still thinking of buying a hangar.

I told him no and that I only needed one, and since I’d bought his neighbor’s, I was out of the market. The look on his face was priceless!” Don Bonser

22. She Told Me To Sit In The “Normal People” Seating

This woman was clearly in some type of mood.

“When I travel internationally, I tend to almost always fly business class upfront. I do not have stylish hair, designer clothes, or expensive luggage. I usually wear jeans, a nice T-shirt, my watch, tennis shoes, and an Adidas backpack to round it off. To be fair, I look like a college kid.

I was having a nice conversation with the kind gentleman in the window position, as I was in the center section. My ‘center-mate’ butted in, ‘Excuse me, but I think you are in the wrong seat. You have to keep walking towards the back for the normal people seating.’

So, I knew that I was already dealing with a real winner on this flight. I kindly showed her my boarding pass, which had my seat assignment on it, 3C. She grumbled and asked for my ID, as I could not possibly have been able to sit in a nice seat like hers. She then noticed four letters on the pass. NRSA. Some of you may know what that abbreviation stands for, but for the uninitiated, it means Non-Revenue Space Available, otherwise known as Employee Travel. Uh oh.

She immediately started berating me about how airline employees are the low-wage, uneducated, evil hands of the devil, and are not welcome to the front of the plane. She had no idea what my actual job was, and it didn’t matter. She was on a mission to convince me that I was not worthy of her presence and to go sit in the back. She went on about how she went to school for an Associate of Arts degree and had a real job. She also said that I should get one.

The gentleman in the window got up, stood in the aisle next to me, and told her how she should be ashamed of herself for scolding the owner of two companies and still holding a day job. He asked her what she did for a living. She had been an assistant manager at a fast-food joint for the last ten years. The kicker was that she was traveling on an airline buddy pass.

This man held three master’s degrees and was a senior vice president at a Fortune 500 company. He told me that if I ever want a change of industry, he would gladly cover the school and give me a career under him. He made sure to mention that she would not be welcome and how her attitude was what was preventing her from becoming a general manager. He was the real hero of this story.” Connor Edwards

21. She Tried To Discourage Me From Going To College

“My parents were considered ‘lower working class’ in Macomb County, north of Detroit. My father worked as an electrician for Chrysler, and my mother stayed home. None of their parents had started college, and some only attended through to the 8th grade. My father wanted to be an architect, but he had no sponsor. He served in the military during the Korean War and earned an electrical apprenticeship. He started college classes but dropped out to take a second job to care for his wife and young children. He wanted more for his children.

So, I was 17 years old in 1970, in my senior year at the public high school. After mid-term exams in January, I met with the school counselor for the obligatory discussion of what I would do after graduation. She did not know me as our graduating class numbered over 550, and I had not met with her before. She looked at my grades and test scores and notes on my family’s background and concluded, ‘You will have to get a job right after high school. No one in your family has a college degree. You should not go to college.’

I stared at her incredulously! My father had worked hard for his family to have opportunities he never could achieve. His goal was that his three children would graduate from college. I knew I must be realistic. As a young woman in January 1970, from a working-class family with no connections nor wealth, my job opportunities included only five options: stay-at-home mother, teacher, nurse, secretary, or Catholic nun. That was it! Many college programs did not allow women! I knew no female doctors, dentists, lawyers, engineers, CEOs. I discovered later that the few women in those jobs at that time came from wealthy families and had not attended public schools.

‘I am going to college,’ I told her as I steeled my jaw and looked her straight in the eyes. ‘I applied on my own to WMU in Kalamazoo in September, and I already was accepted on December 3rd. I will be studying to become a Latin teacher. I will be the FIRST in my family to get a college degree.’ She dropped her eyes and muttered, ‘Well, with your IQ and test scores, you will have to work very hard.’

That was a low blow for a school counselor to give a young girl.

The next year, my brother sat in front of the same woman. She told him the same things! I had already prepared him so he responded, ‘I have already been accepted to study engineering at Michigan Tech next fall. You see, my sister is doing quite well at WMU, and there is nothing low about her IQ nor mine. She says I can do this too, and nothing you say can change my mind.’

I had told him what had happened. I also quoted the Bible, paraphrased as, ‘I can do all things in God, who strengthens me.’ Deborah Stakenas

20. Little Did They Know That Farmer Brown’s Son Had Cash To Buy A New Car

“My mother was graduating from HS in 1954 in rural Oregon and as a graduation present. The Son of ‘Farmer Brown’ received $2000 cash to buy any vehicle he wanted. Now in 1954 $2k could get you a lot of cars, from Corvettes to Cadillacs. So after school, he goes home, does his chores then my Mom drives him into town in his dirty farm clothes.

At the time, there were 2 car lots in town. He goes to lot A, stands around for 20 minutes, tries to get people’s attention, they literally turn their backs on him. So he walks out the door. My mom goes over to the room where the staff was and says, ‘Hey, any of you know Farmer Brown? You know the guy with the 10,000 acres with attached dairy outside of town?’ They, of course, do know him; EVERYBODY knew Farmer Brown. She looks them all over and says, ‘Well, that guy you ignored is his son. He has $2,000 CASH in his back pocket. He wanted to buy a car here, but you all couldn’t be bothered. Now your competitor is going to get his business, and I guarantee his daddy will be paying you a visit regarding how you treat people in this town.’

They all turned white, tried to run out the door, but it was too late. The other lot was treating him like royalty. Daddy had several vehicles he used on the farm that he leased through them, and he returned them all and took his business across the road to the place that treated his son like any customer, **** on their shoes or not, should be treated. That car lot is still in business. The other one is a vacant lot about 65-years-old.” Ken Waid

19. She Thought I Had A “Dead End” Job Just Because I Was Covered In Paint

Many of the people I went to high school with who didn’t go to college make more money than the people I know who did go to college. A college education does not guarantee a high-paying job!

“I went to Walmart while taking a break from painting the nursery. I was fairly spattered in paint and trying to pick a pizza. I heard a lady tell her kid, ‘That is why you go to school, so you don’t have a job like that.’ There are layers to just how f*cked up that was. Not the least of which is house painters can make pretty decent money.” Mostlyaverageish

Another User Comments:

“Painters make mad bank! My buddy opened up his own painting business last summer, and by the end of the first week, he’d made 10k in cash.I can’t stand people like that lady. Annoys the **** out of me.” urbanlulu

18. My Boyfriend’s Parents Frequently Ask If We Have Enough Money To Get By

Although his parents might just be concerned, after a while, it gets old when people keep pestering you about your finances.

“My boyfriend’s parents ask us if we can afford rent and if we have any food in our fridge sometimes, despite us frequently telling them we save over half our income. Choosing to live car-free in a small apartment also contributes to that.

We don’t dress like hobos, though some of my boyfriend’s clothes are getting pretty worn out. That’s less of a cheapness thing and more of a ‘really hard size and body type to find clothing in, so **** it’ thing.” Zikoris

17. She Rudely Gave Me Advice On My “First Time” Flying First Class

“I tend to fly comfortably, like sweats and a t-shirt. I was traveling solo and took my seat in first class. After getting comfortable, another woman takes her seat next to me and says, ‘First time in first class, sweety?’ I say no and give a fake little half-smile. She then continued informing of the perks of first-class for the entire flight. ‘Oh, don’t worry; that’s free,’ or ‘Did you get your pillow and blanket?’ By the end of the flight, the flight attendants were also giving her the fake half-smile and me the ‘I’m sorry’ eyes.” EmSpracks79

16. The Car Salesman Thought We Were Stupid And Poor

“My husband and I are ‘car people’ in that our enthusiasm for cars span decades. I used to discuss cars listed in the AutoTrader with my dad when I was a young girl. In fact, I even worked at the AutoTrader after graduating university as an online business development manager, training sales reps and creating national ad campaigns. As well, I worked at Toyota for a short while and knew all the tactics of the sales team. My husband researches cars as a hobby; he and his best friends basically talk cars 75% of the time.

So when it was time for us to purchase a new vehicle, we had researched our ideal car inside and out and had pondered over a year which model and trim to get and all the advantages and features we wanted as well as the financing terms and the exact price that we should be paying for it. We went to the dealership, and a sleazy car salesman kind of looked over at us and raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. We asked him we were looking for the said vehicle, and then throughout the conversation, he didn’t acknowledge me, even though silently I knew I was going to be the one paying for it.

He didn’t seem all that interested that we were ready to buy. He spoke to us as if we were naive 17-year-olds and didn’t take us seriously when actually both of us were more than double that age. He also made us watch a YouTube video of Top Gear in regards to the vehicle. We definitely did not need to sit there for 10 mins watching it. I did cut the video short and said, ‘Yes we are interested in the car. We want to pay this much. We won’t go lower. We will buy it today at this price. The car will be under my name.’

At this point, it was as if he suddenly noticed I existed and straightened his tie and then started focusing his attention to me. He tried the, ‘Oh, I’ll have to talk to my manager for this price point’ tactic, which I was familiar with. In the end, we got the car at the price we wanted and didn’t have to negotiate. I didn’t appreciate being talked down to until it was apparent that I knew what I was talking about, I knew what I wanted and didn’t need this sales crap.” Elaine Green

15. Realtors Automatically Suggest Low-Priced Homes To Me

You’d think that realtors of all people would know not to judge someone’s financial situation by how they look. Well, I guess not!

“My wife and I go to open houses all the time, and about a quarter of the time, the realtor will talk to me about houses they are listing for a fraction of what I’m looking at. I don’t really blame them; they look at my 6-year-old car and Target Batman shirt and jump to some conclusions.” itsamesee

14. She Thought I Wasn’t Good Enough To Live In A Gated Community

“Wow, this just happened to me last week!

I was riding my bike into my gated neighborhood and a woman in a gray Porsche stopped, rolled down her window and yelled at me, ‘You know, this is a gated community for a reason! You should…’

Funny enough, I was wearing a face mask that resembles Harley Quinn from ******* Squad (to protect from sun, bugs and pollution). So, I pull down my mask, smile politely and say, ‘I know, I live here, Wonderwoman.’

At that point the gate was open so I rode on in. But, here’s the sick part…

She intentionally accelerated and sped past me so dangerously close that I thought I was going to crash!

Being the person I am, I followed her to her home but since I can only ride about 25 mph, and she was speeding at 40+ on a residential street, I had to ask a man on the street if he saw her and where she went. He told me, and I reported her to the community HOA and to the police.

She got a letter of complaint from the police and the HOA has her on the watch for future offenses.

There’s never a good reason to threaten a human being with an automobile, even if you think you are better than them.” Julia Sands

13. The Salespeople Ignored Her, Not Realizing She Was About To Pay In Cash

“My little (4′ 11″), Italian grandmother learned how to drive at 60 years of age and went car shopping for her dream car: a brand new 1977 Cadillac Eldorado. This was by far, the most extravagant thing she had ever done on her own. She went to the Cadillac dealership with my brother, in her housedress with $12,000 cash that she gleaned from her weekly allowance of $150 to run the household.

She waited 45 minutes while being ignored by the snooty dealership salesmen. She finally had enough and went Pontiac dealership where she was greeted warmly and after trying some cars out for size, bought a new Pontiac Catalina with a 400 C.I. engine with a 4 barrel carburetor. The dealer’s mouth fell open when upon asking for financing options, she said, ‘No thank you. I’m paying cash,’ and pulled out the axiomatic ‘wad that would choke a horse.’

She had it customized with pedal blocks and extra seat cushions so she could see. She never once drove it on the highway, but would occasionally hit the gas to hear the wheels squeal and remark how fast the car was…I would occasionally drive in back of her car, and I couldn’t see any driver! She was so short her head was totally obscured by the headrest!” C Casassa

12. They Look Down On Me Because I Quit My Teaching Job To “Make Less Money”

As a business owner myself, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told by others that the industries I work in “aren’t profitable.” Don’t judge what you don’t know!

“2 years ago, I left my teaching job to start a jewelry business. People assume that A) I have all the free time in the world because I don’t work a ‘real job’ and B) I must not make a lot of money.

In fact, I work 70 hours a week and make twice as much as I ever did as a teacher.

Plus, because I’m short, 25 and wear bright and weird clothes, people assume I know anything about business. *But I am* ****** crushing it.” TinCrocodile

11. I Was Disabled From Work, But She Assumed I Was Uneducated And Poor

“I was told it wasn’t too late for me to educate myself and get a life!

This was told to me by one of my then-teenage son’s STUDENT teachers!

It was an open evening for the 6th form college. My son was actually volunteering and helping out that afternoon by showing people around the high school, and I’d only come to collect him. While I was waiting for him, I was looking at some of the artwork displayed by other 6th formers.

I don’t remember how she started chatting to me. Maybe she thought she was being helpful? I know I certainly didn’t ask for her opinion. My child had already signed up for a different college with a definite choice already made, applied for and accepted. Maybe I commented on how much more choice was available? Maybe she’d made the assumption because it was 3 pm, and I was dressed in jeans?

Either way, she’d been talking a while before I caught the drift of her conversation. I thought I’d misunderstood her at first and really didn’t want to chat anyway. I wasn’t feeling very well to be honest, and although polite, I just didn’t want to be having the conversation. She recognized my son and she said and (cue head tilt and dropping voice to an almost whisper) she was sadly aware that things weren’t easy for us at the moment as she said she knew I wasn’t working but actively asking me if I’d considered ‘A’ levels and how they could improve my life was pushing things a bit I thought…..

‘Not since I did 4 in the years before my law degree, before I was disabled out of work due to an operable brain tumour’ probably wasn’t the answer she was expecting….” Katherine Waff Morris

10. She Assumed My Job Correlated With My Level Of Education

“Two years ago, I was a student getting my MPH at Columbia and working as a sales associate at the Gap in Times Square.

One night at work, about a half-hour after the store had officially closed, the only customers left was this Argentinian couple shopping in my section. As I was sorting and folding the clothes into neat stacks like we did every night after closing, the Argentinian lady, who had been told multiple times to finish up and check out, just stayed there trying on shirt after shirt over her clothes and carelessly tossing the clothes on the floor. She would mess up stacks of shirts that I had just folded, grab her size, put it on in front of the mirror, take it off, and literally throw it in my direction. I have worked a lot of retail jobs, and this behavior is pretty common, especially among rich South American tourists, so I just rolled my eyes and kept folding.

After a while, the Argentinian lady’s husband, who seemed super tired of shopping, started telling his wife he wanted to go home. They were speaking Spanish and probably assumed I didn’t know what they were saying.

The husband was saying comments like, ‘Come on, it is late, and I haven’t eaten.’ ‘Come on, we can return tomorrow, it’s almost midnight.’ ‘Please, you are making a mess for this poor girl to clean up.’

That’s when the lady responded, laughing: ‘Pshhh, come on, this is her job. Let her work. This is what she decided to do instead of going to college and getting an education.’

THAT WAS IT.

I told her to leave. I told her maybe in Argentina you can get away with being disrespectful with retail and service workers, but you’re in New York now. You throw something on the floor, you pick it up. You talk *** about someone within earshot, expect them to come for you. Maybe you have maids at home, but I’m not your maid.

I didn’t even tell this lady I was in a graduate program at Columbia. Why bother? Even if I wasn’t, who is she to say something classist like that to anybody?” Sofia Polo

9. They Thought I Wasn’t Proper Enough To Dine There

“Years ago, when I was staying in Paris, I got a call from an old friend to meet up at an upscale restaurant, Carton. She wanted to meet up in about an hour or so, and as I was already out, I had no time to go home to change.

So, I went there via metro and a stroll, wearing a casual checked shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, and rucksack. The head waiter showed me to the table where I waited for my friend, nursing an apéritif.

The table next to me had two rather bourgeoisie-looking couples sitting there, and for some reason, they started to make snide comments about how standards are falling and how anyone can walk in ‘sans gène’ into establishments for ‘proper’ people. Basically they were suggesting quite loudly that people like me shouldn’t even think of presuming to enter such a fine establishment.

That’s until Alain Senderens came out to greet and chat effusively with me. He was the chef, and I’d known him for years. He apologized for not staying longer but had to sort something out in the kitchen and dashed back to work a few minutes later.

I didn’t hear a peep from the couples afterward. They went even quieter when my friend arrived as she was and still is, a very elegant lady, and one of the few women I know who can wear Coco Chanel perfume perfectly.” Chris Le Carlin

8. She Thought I Just “Walked Off The Streets” And Suggested I Get A Degree

“I had transferred to another state to accept a teaching position in the science department.

This was the location that ultimately caused me to give up teaching for good. A student had been bullied and took his own life. Their response was to tell me that if I liked being there, I should keep my mouth shut about what I saw. I didn’t keep my mouth shut, and life became very difficult for a while.

So, I had made an appointment with the administration, but when I arrived my contact had to run. The nice lady behind the counter told me to come back in an hour.

I might add that it was July in Texas, and it was pretty hot. The lady said that I didn’t need to worry about dressing up and the job was already mine, so I could go change into something comfortable and come back, which I did. I might add that I most definitely do not look like the stereotypical teacher. I have played in a few metal bands over the years and look the part. I came back in jeans and a tee-shirt.

So, I went back to find that the nice lady was gone and had been replaced with another lady who looked like somebody had just farted in her car.

Her: ‘Is there something I can do for you?’ (Scowling)

Me: ‘Yes ma’am, I’m here to see Mr. X.’

Her: ‘Well he’s not IN right now and you need to have an APPOINTMENT!’

Me: ‘Yes ma’am, I do have one but he changed it.’

‘Uh huh. So, why are you here?!’

I was getting a little p*ssed off by this point.

‘I’m going to be the new science teacher at ____ middle school.’

‘Don’t you know that you can’t just walk in off the street and be a TEACHER?! You need a college degree for that! You will need at least a Bachelor’s Degree and certifications!’

I have a Master’s.

Then her boss walks in…

‘Hey, Mr. ___! Come on in here. Oh, and Mrs. ___, we will chat later.’

The color went out of her face. Strangely enough, I didn’t see her after that.” Mike Hunt

7. He Straight Up Told Me I’d Never Be Able To Afford A Car

This is a great example of why you should never let anyone crush your hopes and dreams.

“This happened when I was probably just 15-years-old (2009). My mother raised me and my sister alone, so she had to work very hard and most of the time she was extremely tired. She never dressed nicely and couldn’t afford a nice meal. We weren’t wealthy at all. I remember one time that the car she drove broke down. She was in desperate need of a new car. We decided to go to a dealership to see the used cars they had for sale. I remember standing by a Corvette at that time and just admiring the beauty of that car. I kept thinking about how one day I would work hard enough to buy one myself. I guess one of the guys working in the dealership noticed me staring, so he came out of the building just to tell me, ‘You will never be able to afford one of these, so just don’t dream too much.’

At that time I felt devastated. Being a non-wealthy Latina, I received ‘advice’ like this all the time. After that, when I was graduating from high school (3.8 GPA), I remember thinking how the heck I was going to pay for my university! I was seeking help from my advisor and principal in what my options were. I remember their answers. The principal suggested I go to a community college, get a short degree and start working to earn some money. My advisor straight up said, ‘Just work for a year or two save money, then if you can go to college, then great!” Keep in mind that I didn’t want to take loans and put more burden to my me or worry my mother. I went directly to the University I was interested in. They helped me to apply and fill up some scholarships. Long story short, I got many scholarships didn’t have to pay a cent for Uni. and graduated with a degree in Economics.

2017- I have a great job! I earn a lot of money, and thanks to those comments and advice, it pushed me harder to become what they doubted I could be. Successful.

2019- I bought my Corvette, I bought a house, and couldn’t be happier. I just wish all those people who gave me that depressing advice could see where I am right now. But the best part of this story is that my mother no longer has to work how she did before. It’s my turn to take care of her, the way she did so long for my sister and me.” Stephanie Cardenas

6. He Sneered At Me When He Saw My “Cheap” Outfit

I had no idea people expected others to “dress nicely” in a children’s entertainment facility! The more you know.

“I was at Chuck E Cheese with my daughter standing in line to get my coins. I was wearing my standard worn-out flip flops and jeans with my old London School of Economics t-shirt. (This is in Texas, and most people have never even heard of the LSE.)

The guy standing in front of me was decked out in jewelry, designer clothes and shoes. Noticed he had gold-framed sunglasses also. He looks at me with disgust. and says, ‘Nice shoes,’ and snickers. He then pulls out a wad of cash (probably about $200 lol, and arrogantly pays for his coins and orders food. For the next hour, I notice him looking at me and sneering down his nose. I found the whole experience entertaining because he was obviously a blue-collar worker on his day off wearing his best and didn’t live in this part of town.

On the way out, he is walking in front of me, and I notice he is parked next to me. So as he opens the door to his 10-year-old Honda Accord, I jumped into my brand new convertible Porsche 911s, put the top down and start revving the engine.

Priceless moment.” Kit All

5. My Job As A Waiter Left A Bad Taste In His Mouth

“I will never forget one particular interaction I had with a customer when I worked as a server at a casual diner-style chain restaurant in college. I had a group of people who were unusually nice. They were extremely polite with every request and seemed to be going out of their way to be sweet to me. It was a refreshing change and I appreciated it.

At the end of the meal, one of the men came up to me before they left and wanted to chat with me. He started saying how he thought I was a very professional, hard-working, and poised person and that he was impressed by how articulate and intelligent I seemed to be. He started going on about how it was important to have goals in life, and how he would hate to see someone like me go to waste in a job like the one I was in. He told me that I should really think about my future and come up with a plan to get myself out of that job and even gave me his card and told me to call him if I ever wanted some advice.

He said all of this in a very paternal sort of way and I really think that he believed he was doing his good deed for the day by mentoring some wayward young adult.

I smiled and nodded along the whole time. Inside I was absolutely incredulous at the nerve that he had in speaking to me that way and with how presumptuous he was being. He hadn’t asked me any questions at all about myself; he was just simply making assumptions about my life that he thought were reasonable because of my job.

When he finally finished, I looked him dead in the eye and said:

‘Thank you for your incredibly condescending advice, but what you don’t know about me, because you didn’t bother to ask, is that I’m a college student and that I work here so that I can afford to pay my college tuition without taking out loans. I’m in my last semester and graduating in a few months. As a matter of fact, I was just recently accepted to multiple law schools and am trying to decide which one I should attend in the fall. So I think I’m all set.’

I then walked away and left him standing there with his mouth gaping like an idiot.” Craig Synder

4. They Spread Rumors About My Finances

“Most people in our office eat out for lunch every day and even pick up food from the cafe for breakfast each morning. When I first started, people would ask me all the time if I wanted to go out to lunch with them or if I wanted them to bring me something back. Almost every time, my answer would be no under both circumstances.

I have now been with the company and in the same dept for almost 4 years, and at some point, they stopped asking me. Instead, they took to spreading rumors about my finances. So, I am not a sharp dresser and if I could get away with wearing flip flops (not allowed in the office) I would. I just barely started wearing make up a year ago on a daily basis and wearing my hair down instead of it always being in a bun.

The people that I am referring to are the ones that wear expensive makeup, and dress really nice and are constantly talking about what party they went to over the weekend. December 2017, our company announced that they would be giving Christmas bonuses for the first time, and we got it before Christmas that year. Well, the next year they decided they were not going to give it to us until after the holidays. 95% of the staff in my dept freaked out, depending on this money to get through the holidays. Which to me was crazy because it was never guaranteed that we would get it again or that we would get it before Christmas. People around here were in a panic and every day; it was the only conversation flowing through the dept.

Well, one day after lunch, I went back to my desk after lunch and there was half a sandwich. I asked someone who I thought could have put it there, why she put it there, and she said she knows that I cannot afford to eat lunch and did not want me to keep going without lunch every day, because she knew that I could not afford to have lunch.

My first thought was *** and had to stop myself from saying it out loud in the office. I did my best to be respectful but to lay it all down for her. Again, I had heard that people were under the impression that I was broke. I nicely told her that I appreciate the thoughtfulness that my finances are none of her business, that just because I don’t eat lunch does not mean I am too broke to afford it but 1. I am never hungry during that time of day. 2. Don’t judge a book by its cover. (I have lots of tattoos by the way.) 3. If she would like to compare bank account statements, I would be glad to do so.

I really did not think I owed her any explanation, but I felt to let her know I don’t spend my money frivolously, and if at any time I wanted food, I am in a position to get it I just chose not to.” Tia Berlanga

Another User Comments:

“Unfortunately, frugal people are stigmatized. When in fact, the people who have money have it because they didn’t spend it.” Jay Sagen

3. They Told Me I Wouldn’t Be Able To Afford A Taxi… I Own A Mercedes

A taxi company turning down a potential paying customer? Pretty crazy if you ask me.

“I get a lot of these, but this short story is one of the sweetest I’ve experienced.

I worked at a very busy office. With summer being high season, they needed me, or the chaos would ruin the whole day (at a time, when even organized days were heck to go through). I was very valued.

But the busy day before made me so tired, so I went to sleep straight after arriving home.

In the morning, I got up, the car was dead, the battery was dead. I’d left the car’s lights on overnight. I had no one to turn to. Living in a village where I needed over an hour to get to any public transportation, I had to call a taxi company. It went like this:

‘Hello. I need a taxi from [address] to the city. When will it be here?’

‘You need a taxi?!’

‘Yes, when will it be here? I need to get to the city now.’

‘But you can’t have a taxi.’

‘Why not?’

‘A taxi is expensive.’

‘What?!’

‘It costs too much, you can’t afford it.’

‘I can’t afford a taxi?’ I said, my eyes widened, and I was staring at my irresponsive Mercedes.

‘No, you can’t. It costs too much.’

‘Oh, thank you for telling me I can’t afford a taxi. Bye.’

I didn’t feel the need to explain to that operator that I DO take taxis, when I need them, that I’m aware of the prices, and that I even worked at the reservation office of a taxi company, and I knew what routes they drove. The distance from my village to the city wasn’t that big!

I called my boss to tell him that my Mercedes’ battery was dead, that I must sound too young on the phone, that a woman had to explain to me that taxis were too expensive for me to afford, and I was going to somehow get to the office after two hours because I’d walk to the next village to get a train to the city.

He said they’d make it without me for about an hour, since I couldn’t afford a taxi, laughing.

Seriously, she judged the situation of my finances by my voice?” Yana Ciranta Platova

2. She Felt “Bad” For Me For “Not Going To College”

“So I was in a bit of a tight spot with money. Nothing serious but I took a part-time job at Hobby Lobby in the frame shop. I had been cutting mats for years for my photography hobby and this was a natural fit.

One of my coworkers was a sergeant in the US Army reserves and had done two tours in Afghanistan. At my day job, I programmed computer war simulations for the Army so we got along fine.

One of my customers was picking up a job on my day off. Sarge was helping her. The customer was telling Sarge that she felt sorry for me. It was too bad I hadn’t gone to college. I probably could have really made something of myself. I was so nice and obviously smart…

Sarge cut her off and explained my day job to her. Told her about my college degrees. Explained that I was working there because I like doing creative work to relax. (OK. She lied about that but she was taking up for me.) She laid it on pretty thick.

I can’t say the woman treated me any better when she came back with more work, but she had always treated me well enough. She just found out that if you’re in a unit with a good sergeant, Sarge always has your back. Sergeants are the backbone of the military. Support your military and hire a sergeant every time you get a chance.” Dave Norris

1. He Thought I Never Owned An Exotic Car

“So, over the years, I liked to spoil my wonderful wife with very nice cars, like top of the line Jaguars. When she said she didn’t want to try an SUV, I got her her her a little Porsche Macan. I followed her to the local Porsche dealer for its first oil change, and I was shocked when the service desk guy told me it would cost $400, plus he recommended things like new spark plugs and a lot of other completely unnecessary ‘suggested preventative maintenance’ on a car with only 10,000 miles.

I told the clerk I thought the expense was over the top for an oil change. He was a young kid around 20, and he said to me in a very condescending tone, ‘You’ve obviously never owned an exotic car because all exotic car companies operate that way.’ I asked him to step outside for a second. I showed him my other car, a new red Ferrari convertible which cost over $250,000, and I told him my winter ride was a $115,000 Jaguar awd F type R series and that the Porsche was our economy car. I mentioned that the Ferrari came with 7 years free maintenance and the Jag 5 years free maintenance, so yea, $400 to change the oil in our economy car was a rip-off. I also told him it would be our last Porsche.” David Force

These stories remind us that you can’t always judge someone by how they dress, what their voice sounds like, how youthful they appear, or the type of job they work, especially when it comes to judging their financial situation. More often than not, it takes a conversation to actually understand someone’s life in terms of who they are, what they like, how much formal education they’ve acquired, and what they do for a living. If only we all understood this.

If you haven’t already, check out more condescending stories in part one of this listicle!