# Exasperated man buys everyone in Burger King an apple pie to teach boy throwing a tantrum a lesson. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267 "2014-08-10T21:21:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/41 "2014-08-11T12:13:18Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > All this talk about “every parent fails at parenting sometimes” etc. is a total red herring in this case. According to the original reddit post:… Yeah, but bear in mind we only have the victor’s account, and it’s most likely fantasy anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/42 "2014-08-11T12:20:53Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Why not? I don’t know exactly how much Burger King charges for their apple pies, but ~$30 is certainly cheap enough that I could imagine someone paying that to teach a stranger to quit being so bloody annoying, do something nice for a bunch of other strangers and make themselves feel a bit happier. Because people rarely actually think of these sort of things in the moment. Far more people say they have these badass comebacks than actually do them. Personally, I was with all of you when I read the title and thought the man was the parent. It could be an awesome lesson for the kid if done right. But some stranger doing it because he’s pissed at the parent? Forcing the parent to not give the child a pie? Yeah, I don’t support that. For all he knows, the kid is like I used to be, where the punishment would have just made the crying worse. And, no, Rick’s solution didn’t work either. It’s why I wound up getting my head examined–nothing worked. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/43 "2014-08-11T12:21:04Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > There’s no way that happened. It’s just some dude that posted to reddit what he wished he had done. Seconded, thirded, whatever number it is. I don’t believe this story and if I were sure someone did this I wouldn’t take his version of events at face value. And yes, at a glance it’s a funny revenge story and I think everybody has felt like doing something like this. But when you think about someone taking this to real life it’s just weird. The guy spends $35 just to be an asshole to a stranger and her child? Neither the parent nor their child is going to learn anything from this, and now everyone else in the story has that much more shit to deal with. That’s not so heartwarming. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/44 "2014-08-11T12:49:13Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > And what if your kid doesn’t want to be where you are and wants to be picked up and taken somewhere? So now you are rewarding them by leaving. Oops. How’s your strategy going now, **AnaMen**? > > Trite cute smug little stories and simplifications notwithstanding, as I said, there are basically no parents who haven’t lost control of small children in public. Even if I was bribing the kid with M and Ms (which I’d never do), if the goal of keeping them “under control” is accomplished, you are still wrong. But don’t worry. If I have to carry a kid out, we are definitely on our way somewhere worse. Zero rewards will be issued. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/45 "2014-08-11T12:59:28Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > There’s no way that happened. It’s just some dude that posted to reddit what he wished he had done. In an adult version of the OP, I once bought a round of drinks at a bar for everyone except for one guy (an asshole who had run out of cash, was trying to get people to buy one for him, and hadn’t tipped the bartender a cent). Cost $60 or so but was worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/46 "2014-08-11T13:16:52Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > And see, that sounds to me like a parenting fail, because now I’m thinking about what my grocery cart looks like when I’m doing weekly family shopping, and I’m thinking about how some poor schmuck at the grocery store is going to have to put $100+ of groceries back on shelves, just because I decided that making a point to my kid was more important than not being a huge pain in the ass to that worker. Seriously you can’t leave a cart alone for 5 minutes in your grocery store? You never have had to go to the bathroom while shopping? Get real. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/47 "2014-08-11T13:24:16Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > You missed the “absolutely had to do what you were doing” bit. Aah going for the, what was his name? Kel Varmson latex division? Yeah you are putting forth his scenario, so in that case I’d shoot the kid. I mean what else can you do? Neither the OP or my story were life or death have to be there cases. Your adding that is just a straw man. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/48 "2014-08-11T14:45:21Z")
Dude must have been a big fan of _30 Rock_ > **[The Guy Who Wrote About Buying All Burger King's Pies Disappeared](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/man-buys-burger-king-pies_n_5658672)** > > The Guy Who Wrote About Buying All Burger King's Pies Disappeared (Link is an article that doubts the veracity of the story). Snopes take on the story > **[Epic Apple Pie Revenge](https://www.snopes.com/news/2014/08/11/epic-apple-pie-revenge/)** > > Customer buys up all the apple pies at a Burger King to thwart a misbehaving child. ---
**Author:** ![Lydia\_Phalfav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@Lydia\_Phalfav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lydia_Phalfav)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/49 "2014-08-11T14:52:30Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > When my oldest was about 2 1/2 he threw a tantrum in the super market. > I left my wife took him to the car and buckled him in his car seat and let him wail while I sat in the front seat reading. I ignored him totally > When he finally stopped crying I asked him if he wanted to go back in the market? > Yes was the reply > Are you going to act like a gentleman? > Yes was the reply. > Funny I never had a problem with with him throwing tantrums after that as he had learned they didn’t work with me. > Raising kids isn’t rocket surgery. As someone who had this used on her as a kid, I approve. > [@](#): > > These tricks don’t work always. Sure Rick, your wife was there so you could just walk out. What if she wasn’t and you absolutely had to do whatever it was you were doing when your kid had the tanty? Not so easy now is it? My mother was the only parent around at the time & she had no problem leaving her cart (parental inconvenience! _gasp!_) & letting me cool down for 10 minutes in the car while she was just out of -my- sight. This of course was the 1 tip she followed through with at my grandmother’s suggestion. A lot of the time grandma was actually parenting me & my sister. Mom was pretty much 1 of the typical party breeder types with unruly kids. Grandma was a gentle instructor with gentle, appropriate punishments. (We had to sit on the stairs for 15 minutes to calm down.) Mom would nag, threaten & become abusive, moreso as we got older. It seems a lot of parenting is like training & raising a dog. My grandma’s methods worked quite well on my pets. (settle down in crate instead of the stairs, gentle consistency, with love & respect together. Although like dogs, you might have to “alpha roll” them when they start feeling too big for their britches. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/50 "2014-08-11T15:01:52Z")
Here’s a repost of the original thread in Re > [@](#): > > Here’s the original post, since OP deleted it (I guess because he got tired of his inbox filling up with people accusing him of lying).: > > So a while ago I had decided to treat myself and go to Burger King. I hadn’t had the greatest of days and I had a headache coming on. It was a very long line and I was at the end of it waiting patiently. When behind me comes this woman yapping on her cellphone with a little monster of a child. This kid was out of control, screaming, punching his mother throwing around a gameboy whenever something didn’t go right in the game. The mother didn’t seem to pay any attention to him and his continued yelling of ‘I want a Fucking PIE’. After about 5 minutes of the line with these people behind me, I had gone from a headache to a full on migraine, but nothing was going to stop me from getting those burgers. I calmly turn and ask her nicely if she can please calm or quiet her child down. Immediately she gets up in my face telling me I can’t tell her nothing about raising her child and to mind my own business. I nod and turn around, shes still yelling at the back of my head when the child cries out again how he wants a pie, the mother consoles him, calling him sweety and ensuring they’ll get pies for lunch because she loves him so much. Things immediately go back to the they were and I wait another 5 minutes before getting to the front of the line. It turns out it was so slow because they had 1 trainee on cash during the lunch hour rush. All I can think of is how the people behind me ruined my splurge and gave me this headache. I then decide to ruin their day. I order every pie they have left in addition to my burgers. Turned out to be 23 pies in total, I take my order and walk towards the exit. Moments later I hear the woman yelling, what do you mean you don’t have any pies left, who bought them all? I turn around and see the cashier pointing me out with the woman shooting me a death glare. I stand there and pull out a pie and slowly start eating eat as I stare back at her. She starts running towards me but can’t get to me because of other lineups in the food court. I turn and slowly walk away. I donno, but it sure as hell sounds like it’s made up to me. “Splurging” at Burger King? Seriously? The woman was running after him, but he got away because of all the other lines in the food court? Seriously? They have 23 pies? How many frozen? I love the lower class “she gets up in my face telling me I can’t tell her \*nothing \*about raising her child” (my emphasis). Nice touch, and plays on stereotypes. I’m surprised that this wasn’t started off in the Pit, because any tread about kids in public seem to head there. For **Rick** , I’m happy that you raised perfect kids. I wish I knew the secret. Mine reside somewhere within the normal range of child behavior. For **Princheste** , if the story were really like it’s written, which obviously, it not, I’m sure that you wouldn’t tolerate that behavior either. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/51 "2014-08-11T15:16:41Z")
I like how the original story is reported as news on 8/10 by the _Daily News_, after being posted on Reddit on 8/5 and decried/debunked/removed by 8/8. Great news source, man. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/52 "2014-08-11T15:20:25Z")
I once had a mother whose kid threw a tantrum in the checkout line hand me a toy and say “We are not buying this.” Kid, inflamed: Why not? Mother: Because you did not behave right in the store. Kid: That’s not fair!! Mother: I make the rules, and it’s fair. Kid: Can’t we please buy it? Mother: No. And I am not discussing it anymore. You did not act right. Kid: I’m really sorry. Mother: I’m glad you are sorry, but we are not getting it. Kid: I’ll act right next time. Mother: Then we’ll buy it next time Me to Mother: Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/53 "2014-08-11T15:54:10Z")
[I see the story is also supposed to have happened two years ago in Canada, and the poster didn’t have a receipt because of bedbugs?](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/man-buys-burger-king-pies_n_5658672.html) The proliferation of excuses actually makes this less believable. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/54 "2014-08-11T16:25:48Z")
**TokyoBayer** perfect? Hardly. I mean neither one of them is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. But both of them are college grads with no long term debt as a result, both are gainfully employed, and are productive members of society. You know some people in this thread are starting to piss me off. I relate one story about my experience raising my kids and I get accused of lying or raising “perfect” kids. The positive side is some people that actually, you know tried to raise good kids agree with me. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/55 "2014-08-11T16:35:21Z")
I’m not going to say I had perfect kids either. In fact, when a high schooler in the next town was arrested for threatening a teacher because he wasn’t satisfied with the grade he received on a test, I briefly thought, “I wish my son cared a little more about his grades. Maybe not that much, but still.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/56 "2014-08-11T16:38:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [I see the story is also supposed to have happened two years ago in Canada, and the poster didn’t have a receipt because of bedbugs?](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/man-buys-burger-king-pies_n_5658672.html) The proliferation of excuses actually makes this less believable. This whole story is a far sadder indictment of professional journalism, news values, and general credulity than it is of parenting. The fact that an anonymous Reddit story was considered a valid source for a news story in the first place is sad enough, and the fact that so many outlets ran the story without even doing any further checking of follow-up is disgraceful. I guess that’s what happens, though, when news outlets fire most of their actual journalists, and prioritize light entertainment over investigative reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/57 "2014-08-11T16:42:49Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This whole story is a far sadder indictment of professional journalism, news values, and general credulity than it is of parenting. > > The fact that an anonymous Reddit story was considered a valid source for a news story in the first place is sad enough, and the fact that so many outlets ran the story without even doing any further checking of follow-up is disgraceful. I guess that’s what happens, though, when news outlets fire most of their actual journalists, and prioritize light entertainment over investigative reporting. Well, it’s the Post. But it still falls into the category of [too good to check](http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/12/03/buzzfeed_and_elan_gale_s_internet_hoax_too_good_to_check.html). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/58 "2014-08-11T16:56:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Seconded, thirded, whatever number it is. \*\*I don’t believe this story and if I were sure someone did this I wouldn’t take his version of events at face value. \*\*And yes, at a glance it’s a funny revenge story and I think everybody has felt like doing something like this. \*\*But when you think about someone taking this to real life it’s just weird. The guy spends $35 just to be an asshole to a stranger and her child? \*\*Neither the parent nor their child is going to learn anything from this, and now everyone else in the story has that much more shit to deal with. That’s not so heartwarming. Spiteful and unrealistic aren’t the same thing. I can see many people being willing to spend $35 to spite someone. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/59 "2014-08-11T17:00:11Z")
I didn’t say it was unrealistic because it’s spiteful. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267/60 "2014-08-11T17:02:39Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > My message is basically everyone fails at parenting on occasion. If it isn’t totally clear that this includes me, then it should be. If you think that’s a smug message, well, I think you need to recalibrate your smug-o-meter. From my perspective, the person who hurled the term “smug” as well as other epithets (e.g. “trite”) several times across multiple posts at others whose view didn’t match his own enlightened one is the one whose meter needs recalibrating. I’m not unsympathetic to your position. But it seems there was a parenting fail on your end as well, in that you were never taught that it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Most others in this thread have managed to express differing views without resorting to personal snark. > [@](#): > > \*\*Originally Posted by Princhester \*\* > > No, but at least some of them are able to teach their children to read and comprehend. **Your parents unfortunately…** > > Actually that’s unfair. You probably just failed to read on this particular occasion. Which is ironic really, as you will realise when you go back and read my post, **this time trying harder to do so properly**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exasperated-man-buys-everyone-in-burger-king-an-apple-pie-to-teach-boy-throwing-a-tantrum-a-lesson/695267.md?page=4)