It turns out it's really easy to get banned for life from some places!
All content has been edited for clarity.
Universal Studios
“I was at Halloween Horror Nights a couple of years back with my friends, we were all under twenty-one. We linked up with some friends who were over twenty-one and they bought drinks at the drink kiosk.
After walking around for a bit, one of the guys gave the rest of his drink to my friend, and with one sip left, he gave it to me and said I could finish it.
I threw it back to get the last sip and right when I approached a trash can to toss it, two tiny women in NFL jerseys jumped out of nowhere and start edscreaming at me, ‘Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!’
They were undercover cops at Universal Studios. Long story short, I got taken back to the security room with all the other delinquents and get banned from Universal until 2099 for one sip of a drink. Nice.”
Mistake Identity
“I was on a day trip to a different city and popped into a shop to get a drink.
A woman, who I assumed to be the manager, stormed up to me and yelled, ‘You’re not allowed in here! I’ve told you before,’ and then forcibly grabbed the bottle of water out of my hand and got the security guard to walk me out of the store.
I tried to argue my case, I had never been into that shop before in my life and even offered to show my driving license to the security guard once we were outside to prove I didn’t live in the area.
He said he didn’t need to see it and told me it was probably best that I didn’t come in again.
The whole time this was going on, the manager stood in the doorway shaking her head and yelling, ‘You can’t come in! You’re banned! I told you before!’
I had an entirely different accent to them, I literally just wanted a bottle of water. I don’t know what the person who looked like me did in that store but I’ve never been back to that city again!”
Forever 21
“I had just paid for a dress in Forever 21 and noticed one of the seams was ripped as the cashier was bagging it up. I pointed it out and asked if I could just exchange it for one that wasn’t damaged.
The cashier hit a button on the register to print my receipt and slid it across the counter to me with a nasty smile as she recited their strict return policy. I can’t remember the nonsense reason she gave, but she refused to exchange the item.
It had been a long week. I didn’t even think before I reached out and swiped all the little containers filled with cheap items off her counter. Thousands of keychains, nail files, earrings, and a bunch of other items flew across the floor. The cashier immediately lost her mind and started screaming about how long it was going to take her to sort them all out.
I was already at my car when mall security caught up with me to let me know I was banned from the store.”
Fake IDs
“When I was fifteen, my friend and I forged Drivers Licenses stating that we were both eighteen. We then applied and were granted membership at our local Returned and Services League. A club that had a nightclub and cheap drinks.
All was well for several months, we headed to the RSL every Friday night for cheap drinks, dancing, and flirting but unfortunately, we flirted with someone’s boyfriend. The girlfriend’s younger sister was a couple of years above us at school and reported us to management.
Management then called our home contact numbers and spoke to our parents asking to talk to their eighteen-year-old daughters. Let’s just say, my mom was shocked and I was suitably punished.
When they found out we were both fifteen, our memberships were canceled and we were banned for life from all RSL’s across Australia. We did sneak in a few times after this but were caught and thrown out each time.
I have never tried to re-apply for RSL membership to see if the life ban stuck.”
Walmart
“Technically I’ve been banned from Walmart for life. Literally like almost twenty-five years ago now, I went into a Walmart with the intention of stealing a video game out of the computer game section. This was in the early 90s.
I grabbed the game I was going to steal, walked around the store with it looking for a place where I could actually do the deed, but got too scared and changed my mind. I ended up just leaving the game on a random shelf and leaving the store. On my way out, I guess the security guard, I don’t know, it was some dude dressed in regular clothes, came over and started screaming at me, ‘Where’s the game CD?’
I very accurately asked him, ‘What game CD?’
He didn’t like that at all. He demanded to search pockets, and me being like ten or however old I was, let him do it. All he did was touch the sides of my pockets though.
When he realized I didn’t have anything, he got even angrier and just said, ‘I don’t want to see you in here ever again.’
Jokes on your security guard, I still shop at Walmart. However, I don’t steal.”
Bar
“I was banned from a bar I worked at, the same night I got fired.
The owner’s wife had a friend, who had her bachelorette party at the bar. The bar had hired me because they had already been in lots of legal trouble for overserving and other bad things. Someone was assaulted in the bathroom and they needed a woman that could walk in and check on things.
I saw the man sitting at the bar, wearing his winter jacket indoors where everyone else was wearing their ‘desperate for a lay’ skimpy clothes. I noticed the badge that he wore on his belt, mostly hidden. I was doing my job the way I was supposed to.
I cut off a super hammered man after he threw up all over the place. It turned out he was part of the little party the owner’s wife’s friend was having. She screamed at me in front of staff and customers. She fired me and banned me from the bar for life. I smiled and left, knowing what would happen.
As they had already had multiple warnings, they were one warning away from being shut down. Guess what happened? Yep, the psycho washed off the X’s I had put on the guy’s hands and told the waitress to serve him anyway. The cop busted them for intentional overserving, they lost their license again and got a huge huge fine. That was the last day they were open. They had to sell the place.
That lifetime ban? Well, the bar died that night, so it turned out it was for the life of the bar, not my life. I was back in there as soon as the new owners had their grand opening.”
High School
“My mom 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 the time, it was the worst situation of my life. 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 to yell and curse at the girls.
I think what makes it even better, or 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 six-foot-two 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 walked through the halls my mom was yelling at the principal. Later that day, my sister told me she could hear her all the way on the second floor of the school.
The principal 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.”
Banned From France
“When backpacking in Paris, a friend of mine tried to make a call from a payphone while absolutely hammered. For some reason, probably the drinking, he ripped the receiver from its cord. He tells the story like it was an accident.
All this transpired right in front of a Peugeot full of cops. When they caught up with him and confronted him he denied it, of course, while he still had the phone. They probably never thought someone would be so dumb. They took him to their station and pushed him around a little for their amusement like literally just shoved him to each other and watched him stumble. They threw him in an overnight cell that was full of homeless people.
He said he will never forget the smell.
In the morning, they tried to get him to pay for the repair but he pretended he couldn’t understand their heavily accented English. They eventually got an interpreter who told him plainly if he didn’t have the money, I think he was able to communicate he was a backpacker on a limited budget, that he would be expected to have it wired where possible to him, and pay it before he left a French border or else he would never be allowed to step foot in France again.
So naturally, he never paid.”
Cafe
“I’m banned from a cafe in a town in North Wales; neither of which I had been to prior to this experience.
I walked in and the guy behind the counter said, ‘You! I’ve told you before! You’re banned!’
I said, confusedly, ‘I’ve never been here before,’ but he just pointed at the door, so I turned around and left.
Almost 30 years ago.”
Diner Steak Challenge
“My uncle got us banned from a mom and pop dinner in the 90s. The unintended but totally foreseeable consequence of doing their ‘eat a 72oz steak in under an hour’ six freaking times in two weeks.
I know for a fact he does not regret it.”
Local Diner
“My childhood neighbor was banned from a local diner in the 60s and told never to return, he was seventeen years old at the time. He was banned for typical teenager shenanigans. He subsequently moved away from the town.
In the early 90s, he moved back and went to that same diner for lunch.
The owner saw him walk in and said, ‘Nope, not today. Get out!’
She had a really long memory apparently.”
Late Night Shows
“I was banned for life from attending Late Night with David Letterman because I canceled my reservation. I guess it was hard to find people for the audience in freaking New York City?
The intern, I assume, who I talked to was very serious and said, ‘You should know if you cancel you will never be allowed back. Ever!’
Somehow I got over it.”
College Bookstore
“In college, at the local college book store, I attempted to sell some books back to the store. After hearing what the buyback value was, a guy behind me said he would pay twenty dollars more for my books.
He was taking the same course the next semester and the store’s mark-up was by about a hundred percent.
The bookstore owner warned me if I sold to this other dude, I would be banned for life.
I told him money makes the world go round and took my extra twenty dollars.”
Library
1. “I got banned from my high school library, while I was in school still mind you. I used the computer there to email my mom that I didn’t have a practice that night and would need a ride home.
The librarian didn’t like that because I wasn’t doing research.
She ordered me to stop and I told her, ‘No, I need to make sure mom knows about today,’ and finished sending the email.
She screamed at me the whole way while I was walking out about how I was never allowed back.
I basically told her, ‘Good, I wasn’t planning on coming back here again anyway.'”
2. “A friend was banned from our local library because she was playing around and ended up knocking over all the bookshelves.”
Target
1. “I got banned from my local Target because I pressed on a bunch of squeaky toys all at once and caused a noisy disturbance.”
2. “My college roommate got permanently banned from Target for putting Wet Floor signs next to the ’50 Shades of Grey’ display.”
Grocery Stores
1. “I was banned from a grocery store for shoplifting when I was a kid. I ended up working there like a year or two later.”
2. “I wasn’t allowed to come back to this one restaurant in the airport where I worked. Now I work in that restaurant plus my other job.
Can’t be tamed.”
3. “I got my mom banned for life from a local grocery store because apparently when I was three or four, I wanted a toothbrush really bad and when she said no I put the toothbrush in her purse when she wasn’t looking.
She got caught on the way out and banned from the store.”
4. “I’m banned from Woolworth’s in my hometown. 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 obnoxious, I had never met them before, but the security guy told me to leave. He said we were banned for life and should never return.
I went back that same afternoon and continued to shop there until I moved away from the town in 1998. I 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 Maps, not sure who has the last laugh here.”
Disneyland
“My cross country teacher got banned from Disneyland ‘for life’ when he was a kid because he and his friends hijacked a canoe at Tom Sawyer’s island.
The dude was like six when he was teaching us, he had been to Disneyland dozens of times since.”
John Lewis
“I got banned from a John Lewis, a kind of upscale retail store in the UK, for browsing items. The jobsworth of a guard came up and told me to leave since I was and I quote ‘just picking stuff up and putting them back again.’
I responded, ‘No kidding, Sherlock, that’s how browsing in a physical store works.’
So now I’m banned from John Lewis.”
Prison
“The prison I used to work at. I had tried numerous times to receive therapy to treat the PTSD I gained while working the job and thanks to the HR taking their vacation, I was not able to get it.
The administrative assistant warden told me, quite literally, ‘Officers don’t need therapy and if they do then they aren’t cut out to be officers,’ and refused to help me find help.
When they somehow learned that I had sought therapy on my own, they attempted to place me on ‘indefinite administrative leave’ citing ‘officer has conducted themselves in a manner unfitting their position.’
So obviously, I sued them and quit.
They banned me for life. From their prison. Okay.”
Planet Fitness
“I was banned from Planet Fitness after I tried to cancel my contract. This was the ten-dollar plan which said I could cancel anytime with them.
However, they said I had to pay a hundred fifty dollars to cancel for who knows what reason.
I called my bank to tell them to not let them withdraw from my account since they had my checking account information.
My bank said they had multiple situations happen with Planet Fitness about their unusual financial practices.
Two months later, I got a letter from Planet Fitness saying I was banned from ever signing up with them again. Planet Fitness is a sketchy corporation.”
Holiday Resort
“I went to a holiday resort and got my whole family banned for life. It all started when I went to the kids’ playroom and didn’t properly clean up the legos.
The manager, instead of cleaning up legos, reviewed the security footage of all kids entering the playroom and discovered me. Then he reviewed the front desk footage for the last week until he saw the family. Then looked at the check-in records to discover which condo we were in. Then phoned our condo mid-dinner and demanded we all go to the front desk right at that moment.
At the front desk, the manager explained what I did, and pointed to a sign listing many rules about the playroom. My mom told me off and sent me to clean the legos.
I said to the manager, ‘Sorry, I forgot,’ and went to clean up the legos.
Something about this really made the guy angry. He said not to because we were banned and had to leave. My mom seemed to think that was unreasonable, and refused to leave without a refund.
The manager became unhinged and threatened to call the police, then started accusing me of chasing off the ducks at the resort.
My mom looked at me in fright and I said, ‘No way, you know I would not do that,’
She questioned the man for further details. He said he had security footage of me terrorizing the ducks around the resort.
She expressed doubt about the story.
He then started making up some other weird accusations, something about relations with another boy in the playroom.
We got out of there the next day. I never forgot to clean up legos again in my life.”
Roller Rink
“There was a roller rink in town that posted on social media that they were having a deal on handmade pizzas and a pitcher of soda to try and drum up business.
The picture clearly showed a DiGiorno pizza and I commented saying that it was.
My comment was deleted, and then I went back to say, ‘You deleted my comment saying that this is a DiGiorno pizza.’
They direct messaged me and told me I was never allowed to set foot in their skating rink. RIP to my dreams of going to Skateland.”
Restaurant in Colorado
“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 mind.
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 who 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.”
Beverage Store
“The local beverage store in my old neighborhood never had a ding dong that went off as people came in and out of the store. I would crawl into the store mission impossible style and steal adult magazines from the front counter where you would normally find candy bars and such.
The day I got caught, a quarter had rolled off the counter and onto the floor where I was and the owner came around the corner to pick it up and picked me up by my shirt, and threw me out.
He never said I was banned but I never went back due to being embarrassed as possible.”
“Fried Lice”
“In 2001 or around that time, I got banned from the small Chinese carry-out restaurant next door to the Blockbuster video in Zachary, Lousiana. 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 stuff like ‘fried lice.’
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.”
Pearl Jam Concert
“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 them for below face value it’s considered scalping there. They had me get in the back of a pickup truck then drove me off somewhere, and wrote me up but didn’t fine me. They 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 would 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. I walked in right past the sheriff that said he would arrest me and went to one of the best shows I have ever seen.”
DVD Store
“A local non-name brand DVD store when I was a kid. I tripped and knocked over a shelf of DVDs near the entrance.
I was banned for life. The store closed a few years later so it ended up being for the duration of their life.”