25 Wealthy People Who Were Nothing But Tacky, Tasteless, And Entitled
We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the tackiest things they've ever seen rich people do. From frivolous faux pas to acts of shameless entitlement — these stories have it all. Buckle up, because it's about to get wild in here.
1."I used to work at a very expensive, fancy beach resort during summers when I was home from college, and most of us babysat guests’ kids at night for extra money. One night, I was babysitting for a very wealthy family with two young kids, and the father made a big deal of telling me that they normally travel with their nanny, but the nanny was also vacationing at the time. He said they’d be home by midnight. Nope. In spite of the front desk’s numerous attempts to reach them, they were gone for nearly 24 hours."
"Finally, a day later, they reached the dad who explained that they’d actually driven an hour to Miami to party and checked into a suite there to 'sleep it off.' I’d been with these kids for a day, feeding them (as a broke college kid), and it was only after I threatened to involve law enforcement that they came home. You’re probably wondering if I was paid handsomely. No. The dad complained to the desk that I was 'insubordinate,' and I was only reimbursed for his kids’ meals."
2."I went to this really small, private university in London on a scholarship and found out after a couple weeks of starting lectures there that the university was known for being wealthy, and honestly, you could tell. Half of the uni students were dressed like they came straight from Paris fashion week with all the latest couture. Anyway, one time I saw a student rushing to the lecture hall with an iPad in hand (latest model at the time). One of the super heavy doors into the hall was closing, and instead of grabbing the handle and opening it, he used his iPad to stop the door from closing. The screen was completely cracked, but as soon as he sat down, he just pulled another one out of his bag. I was shocked. That iPad cost the same as my rent for a month!"
—Anonymous
3."My ex is adopted, and his father is very wealthy. He got used to getting thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of gifts and even more money on top of that for his birthdays and Christmases. One year, his father was moving and couldn't swing the 'normal' $5,000 for his birthday that year. My ex was livid and threw a temper tantrum that would rival a 4-year-old. He purposely broke his laptop that he had just gotten that last Christmas (his birthday is in February, so it was only two months old) so his dad would be forced to get him a new one or pay him out for it. Then, he told his dad off for being a 'lousy father' for only giving him $2,000 that year and a 'crappy dinner out.' I was so embarrassed. Warranty covered the laptop, so he didn't get anything but a replacement, and he shut up when his father threatened to cut him off completely. SPOILED."
4."My ex-boss’s wife once was upset because the first class seats were sold out on a flight. She told me to call the airline and get them the 'reserved seats for people with real money.' She literally thought the airline held back seats for rich people that weren't advertised but you were entitled to them if you were rich. This only slightly beats the time her daughter was running late for a flight (hungover) and I was told to call the airline and have them hold the plane...like, that was just a thing they’d do for someone rich."
—Anonymous
5."We were eating at a nice steakhouse in San Francisco. This place had the different raw cuts displayed on a serving platter so you could see them as you checked in with the hostess. On our way out, my boss grabbed one of the raw display steaks, headed outside, slapped it into a homeless guy's hand, and told him to have a good night. He was laughing as we walked off, and I was mortified."
—Anonymous
6."I briefly dated a wealthy jerk who bought a Corvette that he didn’t need and insisted we drive it to my blue collar, rural hometown so the people I grew up with could see how the 'better half' lives. The license plate he got for the car had his last name on it, too, which I mocked him for endlessly until dumping him after he told me I needed to go to the gym more."
7."I have a childhood friend who comes from a well-off family. I was out to dinner with her and her dad one evening, and he was such a jerk to the waitress, who I happened to know because we went to cosmetology school together. I wanted to crawl under the table out of sheer embarrassment. I addressed it with her at school the next day, and she said it didn't phase her because it happens ALL the time. I still did not feel great about it, and that was the last time I ever accepted a dinner invite from them."
8."A former boss of mine not only had a high salary, but she also had a wealthy husband. One of my coworkers applied for a promotion, and she shot him down. She said he wasn’t qualified. She confided in me that she didn’t give him the promotion because he got disability checks from the military, so he already earned 'too much' for what he did. His disability check was for injuries he received during the war, and it wasn't related to his job. When I finally found another job, I sent her my transfer notice with an explanation that I had been offered a position with less responsibilities and more money. She found out it was a $5,000 raise and said during her speech at my going-away luncheon that if she had known I would 'turn on her' for only $5,000, she never would've hired me in the first place."
9."My husband is a server at a ritzy hotel restaurant. Once, a customer wasn’t happy with his fish. He requested that the chef come to his table and taste the half-eaten dish in front of him. He also asked that a family move tables because he didn’t want to sit near kids. He also threw a fit when the wine he wanted was sold out."
10."I used to be an escort. I was often hired for black tie events, where I was usually expected to be sophisticated and charming. One guy, however, introduced me to a group of eight people at a high-class event and said to me, 'Show them all the cash I just gave you.' Tasteful!"
11."I was a household manager for mega-millionaire family. New furniture was being delivered, and it was my job to inspect it and sign off. The husband showed up just as it was being unloaded by two Black men. He told me: 'I will handle this.' He jovially greeted the guys, high-fived them, and asked all about their weekends. Then, he asked these young guys if he could make them an espresso. He showed off his $15,000 huge espresso machine and was super chatty. The guys were shooting me glances like 'What's up with this guy?' They went to leave, espressos in hand, and my boss patted them on the backs and waved goodbye. I shut the door, and he turned to me with a smirk and said, 'See? I can, at any time, mingle with the lower class.' I was speechless. This guy also had bankers over one day and told me, 'When you have my kind of money, bankers come to you.' I no longer work for them — my choice."
—Anonymous
12."I babysit for a very wealthy family. They have four kids (two sets of twins ages 4 and 5). They also have a live-in nanny, so they just hired an extra babysitter for help. I get having more expectations for the live-in nanny, but as a babysitter, I was also responsible for the kids' laundry, taking out the trash, and raking leaves in the driveway. It was unreal. The kids were also super rude and bratty because they got whatever they wanted."
13."There is always a 'favorite' (e.g. favorite son/daughter, favorite sibling, favorite grandparent, favorite grandchild, etc). I did not grow up wealthy, but I had the privilege of going to a pretty posh school and marrying into a posh family. Over time, I have noticed a pattern in rich people's families where there is, without exception, a 'golden child' in every generation. Sometimes, it's concealed, and sometimes, it's very intentional that someone is being groomed for a specific family role. The people that are not the favorites have a very strong longing and resentment, which makes them sometimes petty, sometimes mad, and sometimes kiss-ups. The person that is the favorite is, predictably, very manipulative. Of course, because there is money and inheritances involved, the dynamic is exacerbated to a point of constant tension. The whole thing is very tasteless and uncomfortable, although sometimes entertaining to watch."
14."My future brother-in-law (my SIL's fiancé) comes from a wealthy family who got their money by being a landlord in NYC. He constantly asks us why we can’t afford to move out of our parents' house when it’s because of people like him who keep us from affording rent. Drives me nuts."
15."I have two best girlfriends. One is middle-class (like me), and the other is super rich. My middle-class friend picked us up in her Honda Accord. It was pretty messy, and she said, 'Sorry about the car.' Our super rich friend drove a Ferrari. She scoffed and said, 'It’s fine. One day you’ll be able to afford a nice luxury car like me!' I was so embarrassed!"
16."I worked for a mid-sized consulting firm in NYC when I was younger. One quarter, I did exceptionally well and was invited to lunch with a handful of people and the president of the firm. The lunch was going great, and everyone was having a good time. Then, the president dripped some salad dressing on what I have to assume was an expensive tie. He lost it. He took the tie off and had someone at the lunch go try to clean it for him. Then, when the stain wouldn't come out, he got frustrated and left. I get that ruining a $200 tie would stink, but this guy made millions. It kinda ruined the whole experience, and to this day, that's the only thing I think about when I think of my two years working there."
—Anonymous
17."I briefly decided, as a naïve 18-year-old, that it would be a good idea to offer to clean houses on Craigslist. What I was offering was basic — vacuuming, surface cleaning, etc. One of the people who responded was a very wealthy woman who was hoping to hire a combination companion-cleaner-dog walker-babysitter-tutor for about $10 a day. On Craigslist. She told me it shouldn't be a problem since $10 was more than I'd be getting otherwise. I told her she needed to hire a professional cleaning service for her house and got out of there. Her house, which I saw when I met her to discuss what she needed, was a disaster zone. No one picked up after themselves. They threw dirty clothes on the floor, left a massive and disgusting mess in the kitchen, and the bathrooms were a nightmare. They needed a full-on cleaning team to tackle that space."
18."I used to work at Whole Foods and cringed whenever the super rich people came in. It was never for groceries; they had people to do that for them. They just came to browse for fun some evenings, and would always leave the nastiest sample trash in their carts and baskets or would insist on handing me their sample spoons. I’d always take a step back and hold out the trash can for them instead. They’d also always put their gooey, raw meat right on the belt! Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you aren’t germy. They never brought their own bags, and they were usually entitled. Our best customers were regular people doing their shopping who were kind and considerate, wouldn't leave messes for others to clean up, and would bag their groceries themselves if we were busy."
19."I’m family friends with an upper-middle-class couple who has three kids. The parents planned on having three kids, yet spend almost no time with them. They have a live-in nanny who does EVERYTHING. The mom works from home, so she is always around, and neither of them have any real friends (mostly because both are insufferable to be around). Whenever we see them, all they do is complain about their kids, brag about how they have a live-in nanny, and brag about how they have the best of this or that. They spend most of their free time buying the biggest of everything so they can brag and look wealthy, but they come across as ignorant, arrogant, and insecure. Needless to say, we try our best not to see them at all or take them up on any of their invitations. I don’t know why rich people like to flex about having kids and not taking care of them. I always feel so bad for the kids."
20."They didn’t attend the funeral of their live-in housekeeper/nanny who raised their three kids and lived with them for over 30 years because the service was the day after Thanksgiving, and it was too inconvenient for them to drive that day."
—Anonymous
21."My dad grew up in extreme poverty and is truly a self-made man. He is literally obsessed with wealth and having the best of everything. When I got married, someone gave us a full set of Wüsthof knives. My dad lost his mind and went out and bought himself a larger set so he could have more knives than I did. Pettiness level achieved!"
22."I worked at a deli counter a few years back. A woman who was very well-off came up to the counter and asked for the cheapest deli meat. This stuff was hardly even meat with all the fillers and junk in it. Anyway, I discovered that it was priced incorrectly and told her I would correct it before printing the price tag. She not only proceeded to yell at me, but also at the manager when he came over to see what was going on. I told him she was giving me a hard time (not the best course of action, but it was true, she was), and I swear she almost popped a vessel yelling some more. When I tried to apologize, she cut me off and yelled some more. Screw you, lady."
—Anonymous
23."I work in a preschool, and we had one family who was loaded. They had a custom-built house worth over a million dollars with an indoor pool and a fitness room on private land. The mom was a stay-at-home mom, and both she and her kids dressed in expensive labels. Being a label girl myself, I complimented her on the boots she was wearing one day. Instead of saying thank you, she told me they were expensive and I couldn’t afford them. My boss couldn’t stand her because not only did she complain about everything, she thought the world revolved around her. One day, her 4-year-old misplaced her jacket, and all hell broke loose."
"My boss sincerely apologized to her and did everything she could to diffuse the situation. She screamed at my boss, telling her that she couldn’t do her job, and that it was her choice to dress her children in expensive things because they had money. She also remarked how she didn't have to work and pointed out that my boss was 'poor' and had to work. One of my after-school students and I caught the tail-end of the conversation. My boss was visibly upset, and the coat was found a few days later."
—Anonymous
24."I delivered furniture when I was younger. One Saturday, we delivered way out of our range for a customer to a beach house in New Jersey. It was a large mansion with many floors. We were delivering an armoire that was extremely heavy. We were not allowed to place it on his exotic wood floor. We had to lift this very large and heavy item up multiple flights of steps without putting it down. It was very dangerous. He tipped us $5 — $2.50 each. Later that day, we delivered a mattress to a modest, one-story home. It took 10 minutes. The tip: $20."
—Anonymous
25.Finally: "I used to work for a luxury bathroom store. Out of the billions of stories of being treated like trash by rich ladies in fur coats, I think this is the worst. My client had spent a couple thousand dollars on towels and bathroom accessories and needed to take them outside to her car. I worked on a busy street in a city, so it was not uncommon for clients to pull around to the front so we could put things in their trunk. However, this particular client didn’t want to waste time pulling to the curb and stopping the car, so she just slowly rolled down the street and popped her trunk. I had to jog behind her car in heels tossing bags into the back, then shut the trunk so she could speed away. She then reported me to my manager for my unprofessional behavior because I didn’t send a thank you note for the sale."
—Anonymous
I'm honestly speechless. I'll never understand how people can behave SO poorly. Wow. Have you ever experienced something similar to one of the stories above? Have you ever encountered an entitled rich person? Tell us your story in the comments.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
