Gamer threatened store owner after refusing to pay $10 for Elden Ring — only for his mom to make him apologize in person

Running a small retail business means dealing with all kinds of customers. For one local game shop proprietor (u/HalfCircleRaida), a routine phone inquiry about PlayStation 4 stock quickly spiraled into hostile accusations, a bizarre mathematical debate, and an outright physical threat. Following this, the owner took to Reddit to detail the entire story on 13 July 2026 through a post that has garnered over 260 upvotes.

The unreasonable request 

The situation began with a phone call from a returning customer asking if the store had received any new PlayStation 4 games. When the owner explained that they process inventory constantly and asked for specific titles, the caller demanded a complete verbal list of the store's entire PS4 stock. The owner politely declined, explaining they had in-store customers to serve. The caller immediately grew defensive, accusing the owner of lying about being "busy" and calling them "unprofessional." He then hung up, claiming he'd check the website himself.

The trade-in dispute

Minutes later, the customer called after finding Elden Ring listed on the website for $30. He wanted to trade in two games he had previously bought from the shop to cover the cost. The owner offered $14 for the two games, but the customer kept repeating that he had “$6.” After some confusion, the owner realized he meant he had $6 in existing store credit, which could be combined with the trade-in value, which still left a balance of around $10 with tax. Unwilling to pay out of pocket, the customer grew increasingly annoyed, arguing the owner should lower the price just for him because "trade-ins are his best offer."

Escalation to verbal threats

When the math still left him with a balance to pay, the customer shifted his attention to a cheaper title, God of War. The owner carefully broke down the math again, explaining that the $14 trade value plus the $6 store credit totaled to $20, which still fell slightly short of the game's price. Refusing to listen, the customer cut the owner off, claiming the owner was annoying him. The exchange peaked when the caller angrily declared he was not going to buy from the owner anymore and threatened to come down to the location and beat him before hanging up.

Police notification and apology

Taking the threat seriously, the owner contacted the non-emergency police line to file a report. The customer later showed up at the store, but instead of carrying out his threat, he apologized to the owner's partner. He said his mother told him "he was wrong for how he acted," and blamed the outburst on having a bad day. He admitted that he actually understood how the store credit worked. The partner then warned him that threats won't be tolerated again. 

Widespread hostility in retail

This tense encounter mirrors wider trends across the U.S. brick-and-mortar retail sector. According to the State of Retail Safety Report conducted by Loss Prevention Research and Verkada, 54% of retail workers report observing or experiencing aggressive behavior from customers on the job. Frontline counter associates bear the brunt of this strain, with 63% facing verbal threats, most often triggered by disputes over store policies, pricing, or return terms. The report also found that 35% of workers report feeling unsafe at work. 

Customer isn't always right

That said, people sided with the owner. u/fkinclassy wrote, "If someone said this to me, I would tell them thank you for apologizing, and for that I won't press charges. Give him his store credit in cash and trespass him. Threatening violence because you didn't get your way is not how an adult should behave." u/LordGalen noted, "He acts that way because he can. Your business tolerates it. A threat of violence is a lifetime ban from any business. You don't want his money; it's not worth it."

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