Petty Revenge Stories That Prove Karma Can Be Sweet, Small, and Savage

1. The Alarm Clock Swap

In college, my roommate had this horrible habit: setting her alarm for 6 a.m., then hitting snooze every 5–10 minutes… for an hour. Every morning was this endless cycle of BEEP BEEP BEEP followed by silence, followed by BEEP BEEP BEEP again. I tried talking to her, I tried joking about it, nothing worked. So one night, after her fifth “oops, I overslept again,” I set her alarm for 4 a.m., tucked it into a shoebox, and slid it under her bed. At exactly 4 a.m., I woke to muffled chaos as she scrambled around half-asleep trying to find it. She was so tired she skipped class that day. Never heard that snooze button again.

2. The Cookie Thief’s Downfall

At my old job, I’d bring homemade cookies in for myself - stress-baking is my coping mechanism. But every time, my officemate would “accidentally” eat them. I’d label them, hide them, and somehow he’d still find them. So I decided to bake a new batch… but swapped the sugar for salt in half of them. Sure enough, he grabbed one without asking, took a huge bite, and his whole face scrunched up like he’d eaten a lemon. He spat it out into a tissue, muttering something about “weird recipe choices.” Funny thing - he never touched my baked goods again.

3. The Reserved Seat Payback

There was this guy on my morning train who acted like he owned a certain seat. Didn’t matter if someone was already sitting there - he’d hover until they moved. He even pushed past an elderly lady once. One day, got to the station early and took “his” seat. He walked up and said, “You’re in my spot.” I smiled sweetly and said, “Sorry, I’m saving it for someone.” He stood there awkwardly for a second before walking off. My imaginary “someone” never showed up, but it was the most comfortable train ride I’ve ever had.

4. The Petty Parking Win

My neighbor had a habit of parking right in front of my driveway. I’d asked him nicely to stop - he shrugged it off. The next time he did it, I parked behind him and went about my day. When I came back hours later, he was pacing the sidewalk, fuming. He didn’t even try to talk to me - just sped off the second I moved my car. Funny enough, he’s never blocked me since.

5. The Pen Hoarder

I like nice pens. Not expensive, but the smooth kind that makes writing feel good. My coworker liked my pens too… so much that she’d “borrow” them and never return them. So I bought the cheapest, scratchiest pens I could find and left them out in a cup on my desk. She kept taking them, and within a week she stopped raiding my desk completely. I went back to my good pens in peace.

6. The Chair Revenge

In high school science class, I had a decent, non-wobbly chair. My lab partner, for reasons known only to him, would steal it every time I got up. So one day, I loosened the screws on the wobbly chair just enough so it tipped forward a little. He grabbed it the second I stood up, plopped down… and almost fell forward onto the floor. He never touched my chair again.

7. The Loud Texter Lesson

My flatmate loved texting - fine. But she insisted on keeping that click-click-click keyboard sound turned up to full volume. She’d sit next to me on the couch, tapping away like she was typing a novel. One night, I turned on every notification sound my phone had - camera shutter, typing clicks, sent-message “woosh” - and sat next to her fake-texting for 20 minutes straight. She stared at me, sighed, and turned hers off. Sweet silence.

8. The Microwave Justice

In our office, we had a “microwave hog.” She’d heat her food for ten minutes, then wander off and leave it in there for another ten. Nobody could use it in the meantime. One day, when she wandered off mid-reheat, I took her food out, microwaved mine, and put hers back in… but set the timer for one second. She came back, pressed start, and got a single beep before it stopped. She had to start from scratch.

9. The Elevator Button Payback

There was a guy in my dorm who loved to jump in the elevator, mash “door close,” and leave people standing there waiting for the next one. One night, I caught the elevator first and pressed every single floor button. Watching him ride in silence as we stopped on all ten floors was a joy I still think about sometimes.

10. The Overstayer’s Hint

A friend came over for “a quick drink” and ended up staying until 2 a.m. I had work at 7. I dropped hints, yawned, even changed into pajamas. Nothing. Finally, I started cleaning like a café closing - stacking chairs, wiping surfaces, turning off lights. He left five minutes later, looking mildly offended. I slept like a baby.

11. The Petty Print Job

One coworker printed massive, pointless documents and left them in the shared printer for hours. Once, he printed a 200-page meme collection during peak work hours. The next time he printed something, I quietly moved it to the furthest printer in the building. He wandered around for 20 minutes looking for it. Somehow, his printing habits improved after that.

12. The Playlist Revenge

At every party, my roommate would hijack the Bluetooth speaker and play the same EDM playlist on repeat. Nobody else could get a song in. So at the next party, I connected first and played “Baby Shark” on loop until he begged me to stop. I told him we could - as long as he let other people choose songs too. Problem solved.