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Portrait of restaurant security guard stopping drunk man from entering luxury establishment due to dress code, copy space
SeventyFour/istockphoto

Ever been kicked out of a place for life? It’s kind of a cool thing to brag about — depending on the reason. There are tons who have, it turns out, and thanks to a recent Reddit forum, we’ve got a collection of the strangest stories from around the world.

Curious as to what kinds of things people have done to get banned from places for life? Here are 15 of the best ones.

Fit for a Cancellation

Greenwood - Circa August 2022: Planet Fitness local gym and workout center. Planet Fitness markets itself as a Judgment Free Zone.
jetcityimage/istockphoto

One user attempted to go around the famously awful Planet Fitness cancellation policy by telling their bank not to let the gym withdraw from their checking account. In exchange, they got hit with a notice informing them they were banned from signing up ever again.

All the Bacon And Eggs You Have

A gloved food service worker is using tongs to plate bacon from a breakfast or brunch buffet line. This chafing dish has sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs, to the right are waffles and gravy for biscuits and gravy.
BanksPhotos/istockphoto

If you’re planning on eating all the bacon in the building before 9 a.m., you might find yourself banned from the local buffet. This place is more like a only-some-of-what-you-can-eat buffet.

Bittersqueak Symphony

Pet section
Pet section by Mike Mozart/ Flickr ((CC BY))

If Target is the store you’re looking to get kicked out of, this one’s easy: Just set off every single squeak toy at once. Not sure how many arms you’ll need to pull that one off, but best of luck to you.

Grand Theft Canoe

Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland
Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland by J Etzel/ Flickr ((CC BY))

Those canoes on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland may look fun for a joyride, but don’t even think about it. The park will ban you just like they banned this person.

Dominos

Library dominos
Library dominos by Movieclips/ YouTube

One person pulled a real-life Evie O’Connell and knocked down all the bookcases in their library like a bunch of dominos. A bummer to be banned from the library, but that’s a bucket list moment to witness.

Ultimate Security

Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam by Lugnuts ((CC BY-SA))

One person was escorted into the back of a pickup truck and banned from the amphitheater when they were discovered trying to sell a few extra tickets at a Pearl Jam show. Eddie Vedder would be so disappointed.

Stupid Letterman Tricks

The Late Show with David Letterman
The Late Show with David Letterman by Victoria Pickering ((CC BY-NC-ND))

Don’t even think about canceling your reservation to be part of the audience of a David Letterman taping (if you’ve got a time machine, that is). You might find yourself banned like this person.

Banned From the Slammer

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Tashka/istockphoto

One user got banned from their job at a prison for seeking therapy, which is terrible. Probably not a bad thing to be banned from prison, though. I wonder if that means if you get sent there for disciplinary reasons, you can just be like, “Actually no, I can’t go to jail. I’m banned.”

You Rock Too Hard

Hanging out in a coffeeshop
freerangestock.com

“Played a very loud and rowdy punk show at a coffee shop,” writes one Redditor. Pop that one on your punk rock resume.

The LEGO Incident

Lego store
Lego store by Simeon87/ Wikimedia Commons ((CC BY-SA))

At a holiday resort, one user “forgot” to make their kids clean up the LEGO bricks they were playing with. The manager then allegedly went off on a tirade that included accusations of killing a duck. We’re gonna need some additional facts to suss this one out, I think.

No Emails to Mom

Library computer
Library computer by derekbruff/ Flickr ((CC BY-NC))

Librarians are not to be crossed. If you want to talk about a place where rules are rules, the library is one of them. Therefore, our hero shouldn’t have used the research-only computer to email their mom about needing a ride home.

The real question is: Why are you emailing somebody about timely information?

Temporarily Banned

Retail Shoplifting. Woman Stealing In Supermarket. Theft At Shop
AndreyPopov/istockphoto

One person got banned for life from their local grocery store for shoplifting, but wouldn’t you know it? They ended up working there a year or two later.

No Alts Allowed

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tommaso79/istockphoto

One Quora user in a similar situation found themselves banned from the A.I.-art generator Nightcafe when they made an alternate account as a backup. Not sure how much I buy this story as it stands, but I ain’t Judge Judy.

A Good Excuse Not to Go to Russia Right Now

Street in Russia
Russia by Gennady Grachev/ Flickr ((CC BY))

Look, not many people are trying to go to Russia right now, but if you’re looking for an excuse to get yourself kicked out permanently, just leave your car there.

Badmouthing the Penguins

Club Penguin
Club Penguin by Amber Case/ Flickr ((CC BY-NC))

Remember Club Penguin? It was an adorable online world where kids could build colorful little penguins and share them with people. Hilarious to think some people were getting tossed for bad language.

Meet the Writer

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism who has written for publications like The Washington Post