I’ve never been banned from anywhere, but I’m guessing that you have to do something pretty offensive and unforgivable to not be let in somewhere for the rest of your life.
Let’s just hope it never happens to me because I’ve been able to avoid that so far.
Why are you banned from somewhere for life?
AskReddit users shared their stories.
1. Never come back.
“I’m banned from a restaurant in Colorado. Probably not for life, but they did say never come back.
Basically I got really bad service and refused to tip the waitress because of it, and she lost her s**t.
My food sat in the window, I had to get up to find her, three times, to get a drink refill, and to get my check. All because she kept stopping to chat with her friends, or this one other customer that was there. My food was almost cold by the time I got it.
When I refused outright to tip her, she threw a tantrum and told me not to ever come back because she would refuse to serve me.”
2. Weird.
“In 2001 or thereabouts I got banned from the small Chinese carry-out restaurant next door to the Blockbuster video in Zachary, LA.
I had just started dating a girl and her mom offered to buy us carryout for dinner if we went to pick it up. She wrote down the order and handed it off to us and away we went.
When I got to the front of the line I produced the slip of paper only to see it said s**t like “flied lice” and “don’t forget the ching-chong chopsticks”. I was flummoxed when I saw all this and the cashier assumed I had trouble reading, snatched the list from me and began to read it. A few seconds later they were yelling at me to get out and never to come back.
I wonder if their sesame chicken was any good.”
3. Trespasser.
“The big outdoor amphitheater in St Louis.
There was a Pearl Jam show back in 1998 my buddy and I went to. We had extra tickets so he held our place in line while I went to sell the extra tickets. Apparently, even if you’re selling rhem for below face value its considered scalping there.
They had me get in the back of a pickup truck and drove off somewhere, wrote me up but didn’t fine me, took the tickets in my pockets but not the one I had hidden in my sock, took me to the front entrance, and said if I ever came back again for any reason I’d be arrested for trespassing.
I watched them drive away, cut through the parking lot, found my friend in line, switched shirts and took off my hat and glasses, walked in right past the sheriff that said he’d arrest me, and went to one of the best shows I’d ever seen.”
4. Sorry about that.
“I have a friend who puked all over the Maury Povich Show shuttle bus and was subsequently banned from all Maury Show-related activities.”
5. Oops.
“A local non-name brand dvd store when I was a kid. I tripped and knocked over a shelf of dvds near the entrance.
Banned for life.
The store closed a few years later so it ended up being for the duration of their life.”
6. Hahaha.
“My college roommate got banned from Target for putting Wet Floor signs next to the 50 Shades of Grey display.”
7. No snoring!
“I snored in a hostel in Germany. Apparently I am now banned from Germany.
At least that is what some random dude told me in Germany.
I am not sure this is binding, but I don’t want to chance it.”
8. Rude.
“I stayed at the Fountain Park Motel in sheboygan Wisconsin and found bedbugs in my bed.
I complained to the front desk and received a lifetime ban. If anyone with my last name tries to get a room, they insist all guests come to the front desk to prove they are not me with a valid ID. They have a photocopy of my driver’s license in the office to ensure I am in no one else’s rooms.
I was not impolite, not loud or nasty about it, I’m the type who feels bad for being an inconvenience when it’s absolutely not my fault.”
9. The last laugh.
“I’m banned from Woolworth’s in my home town, not for anything I did I was just banned by association because some other kids were being kicked out and they said I was with them.
They were just being smarta**es, I’d never met them before, but the security guy told me to leave. He said we were banned for life and should never return.
Went back that same afternoon and continued to shop there until I moved away from the town in 1998. Never had any issues. I don’t think some random security guard on a power trip really has much say in who they can and cannot ban from their premises.
That Woolworths is now a Vision Express and Women’s Clothing store (according to Google Maps), not sure who has the last laugh here.”
10. Over the line.
“My wife and I are banned from a store by my high school.
Why? Did we destroy merchandise? No. Did we steal merchandise? No. Did we create a secret hidden puppy fighting ring? No.
We told our friends (and her boyfriend at the time) having a tea party would be more fun currently than what we were doing. So when we entered the store to “shop,” my wife and I grabbed some stuffed animals, found a some tea pots and cups, and then found kids furniture and made a tea party.
All of us got thrown out but last time I entered to buy candy for something I was yelled out by the manager. Later my wife entered to get chap stick before our date and also got chased out. So tea parties are bad apparently.”
11. Don’t go back.
“I just got a self imposed banned from Russia.
Apparently you can’t just leave a car there otherwise you get a very strongly worded letter from the government.
Not being able to afford £20k fine and I’m too busy to be imprisoned I think ill just avoid going back.”
12. Mom!
“I’ll answer for my mom; she was banned from my high school!
I graduated a few years ago so it’s something to look back on and laugh at but at that time, it was the worst situation of my life lol. I was being picked on by two girls in my art class (ironically my sociophobia drew me a lot of attention) and my mom thought it would be a great idea to barge into the classroom while it was in session and yell and curse at the girls.
I think what makes it even better (worse) is that she yelled at the wrong table of people at first! Of course she figured that out and directed her anger at the right girls but by this time I was crying as I was standing behind her outside of the classroom. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how terrified every one of my classmates looked as this 6’2” woman was interrupting their first hour of the day.
The principal ended up coming with the school’s police officer and as we were being escorted through the halls my mom was yelling at the principal (later that day my sister told me should could hear her all the way on the second floor of the school 😭) and he managed to slip in that she would not be allowed back on the premises indefinitely. After that I was homeschooled for a few months and then transitioned into alternative schooling.”
Now we want to hear from you.
If you’ve ever been banned from somewhere, tell us your stories.
We’d love to hear them!
