Tattoo Parlor Claps Back After 'Male Karen' Thinks They're Not Allowed To Close

Updated September 8, 2021

Although it seems that nobody has come up with a name for them that sticks as well as "Karen" does, anyone in a customer-facing role can tell you that male Karens definitely exist and they're as aggressive and entitled as any other problem customer they have to deal with.

And while it's true that any business has roughly the same chance of receiving an angry message from someone who didn't see their unreasonable expectations met, that goes double when you're in a creative field as it's hard to find people who don't undervalue your work at the best of times.

But while interactions with this kind of customer are usually exhausting, it seems that at least one tattoo parlor owner has found a way to get some fun out of them.

After an apparently disappointing trip to the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland, one belligerent customer wanted to speak with a manager.

Facebook | Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio

As a Reddit post makes clear, he was not only denied entry but disallowed from booking his and his partner's tattoos (that they've been thinking about for "over a year") when he wanted.

He also didn't approve of the attitude on employee he spoke with and said, "He told us he was the owner. I find this very hard to believe as he had a large tattoo on the side of his head."

Finally, he said that if the management's reply was not to his satisfaction, he would "take things further."

However, the man soon learned that it was indeed the owner he was speaking to and while he appreciated being called a "young man," that was about it.

Facebook | Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio

In his reply, owner David McKinlay said that the man was turned away because he showed up long after business hours were over and asked for an appointment on a day that the parlor was going to be subject to a government lockdown.

He was also puzzled as to what exactly the man expected a tattoo artist to look like if the tattoo on the side of McKinlay's head threw him off so much.

McKinlay was also curious to know who the man thought he could escalate the matter with.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment via YouTube

As he wrote, "I trust this reply will be anything to your satisfaction, so I look forward to you taking it further."

But since he figured that neither the Glasgow City Council nor Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would care about their dispute, he suggested taking the matter up with Carole Baskin of Tiger King infamy, John Kreese from The Karate Kid, or his mother.

In his words, "She's the slightly haunted and disappointed woman you can see wandering around, muttering sadly about her son with the tattoo on the side of his head."

As you might expect, the man didn't find this reply as amusing as McKinlay did and said that he'd look elsewhere for his tattoo.

Facebook | Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio

But while you might expect that to be the end of it, he replied to a further message of McKinlay's by saying, "I shall be in contact with the relevant authorities as you are certainly not allowed to block access to your parlour or refuse service."

And no, in case you were wondering, that isn't any more true in Scotland than it is in the United States. And McKinlay was quick to point out that can deny service as he sees fit.

Finally, McKinlay told the man that he would have had a much friendlier conversation if he hadn't acted like a "dobber" from the get-go.

As he said to Bored Panda, "I really only respond like this when people are repeatedly rude or obnoxious. We’re all sweethearts here, and love what we do, from the initial design process to actually doing the tattoo."

But when you do inevitably get an annoying customer on your hands and you're the one calling the shots, why deny yourself some fun at their expense?

h/t: Bored Panda

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