Heading to work is a mundane task. The dull routine of answering calls, pushing papers, and helping customers is a drag and gets old quickly. Once in a while, though, the universe steps in, and—for better or worse—something completely unexpected happens. Keep reading to hear some of the most bizarre days at work people have ever experienced.
1. This Penguin Was Flipping Me Out
I once worked at an aquarium where one of my tasks involved helping the penguin keeper. On this particular day, I had to assist with a baby penguin, who was roughly the size of a housecat. The penguin keeper was busy, so she relied on me to safely carry the baby penguin down a tricky staircase.
Holding that adorable animal, I thought I was incredibly fortunate.
Suddenly, the keeper gave me a bone-chilling warning: "Don't loosen your grip on her neck, otherwise, you're at risk of losing an eye within seconds,” she said. She continued, “Don't worry about being too firm, you could apply more pressure if required. It won't harm her, it's just for the duration of the stair descent".
To say the least, that adorable creature gave me a run for my money trying to safeguard my eyes without hurting her.
It was a complete showdown. Fortunately, in the end, I kept both my eyes and the little penguin continued living happily in the aquarium.
Wikimedia Commons, Harald Hoyer
2. Seeds Of Doubt
I was handling the customer service desk at a supermarket. An older lady called several times, angrily criticizing me and doubting my honesty because she bought oranges that didn't live up to her expectations.
She wasn't just disappointed about the oranges lacking flavor, she also accused me of intentionally misleading her.
I had suggested either a full return or replacement, but she declined these options. She exclaimed, "What's happening here? You display the best oranges, then, after someone recommends them to friends, you replace them with the bad ones"?!
My response was, "I apologize, ma'am, for your unpleased experience with our citrus fruits, and I guarantee there was no intent to fool or cheat you". She didn't take my word for it.
3. Up In Smoke
I was peering through the window, watching two guys prepping for their yearly summer BBQ near a store. Out of nowhere, an ear-splitting "Boom"! rang out. One man was frantically wiping his face, while the other one just stood frozen. Then, they both disappeared.
Later, I discovered that the propane they were using had blown up in his face.
The poor chap ended up in the hospital with burns of the second degree. Needless to say, they definitely reconsidered using propane for their next BBQ.
4. I Couldn’t Cut Him Loose
I was on shift at the sports section of a popular retail store that also sold munitions. A gentleman and his partner approached the counter, expressing interest in buying a rifle.
Once he inspected it, he made up his mind to buy it. As per routine, I filled out the necessary documents and rang up the FBI hotline. That's when I made a chilling discovery.
Apparently, he'd once done time behind bars. I had to break the news to him that there was a problem and the sale couldn't go through.
I handed him the hotline number and the reference code, a standard procedure in our store. He then suggested his wife buy it instead. I explained that wasn't viable since she was present during his initial attempt.
I was hopeful they’d just leave, but he oddly requested two machetes thereafter. He was visibly irritated by this point, so I told him I needed my supervisor's approval to proceed with the sale.
I called my manager over, and the customer totally lost it, upset that I wouldn't sell the machetes without obtaining permission first.
To my surprise, my manager ended up selling him the machetes and reprimanded me for "subpar customer service". Can you believe that?
5. Saved By Some Famous Last Words
I used to work as an extra in television and films, a gig that barely paid the bills and where speaking to an actor on set could cost you your job.
One day, I found myself sitting next to Jimmy Smits during a bar scene. I tried to stay inconspicuous.
Out of the blue, my brand new and perfectly silent phone started ringing. I wasn't aware the alarm could go off even with the silence mode on. Panicking, I dashed out of the room, only to come back to another actor suggesting I should be fired.
I was on the verge of crying, then something unbelievable happened. Jimmy Smits stood up and addressed the room, "Apologies, everyone, my phone rang. It was my agent". He gave me a small nod as he resumed his seat, effectively saving my job. Just a reminder that there are genuinely decent celebrities out there.
6. Not For Sale!
I used to work at a place similar to a local IHOP. We'd showcase fresh pies upfront, but there was also a tray of caramel pecan cinnamon rolls, frozen in time, for at least four years. These were hardened with food preservatives and other substances. One of our hosts actually sold one of these rolls to a customer.
When a woman requested a roll, specifically pointing at the display piece, he made a mistake. Instead of disclosing that these rolls were only for display, he sneakily brought the tray to the kitchen's back—how it went unnoticed is puzzling—and struggled to cut it with a blade.
He boxed the relic and sold it to the unsuspecting customer.
Oddly, no one noticed the missing display-piece tray. A few hours passed, and the lady called back, demanding a word with a manager. After a stint in the microwave, the roll had started to smoke. She was torn between calling the health department or the authorities.
As you can imagine, we quickly apologized and refunded her full amount, throwing in a fresh pack of cinnamon rolls for good measure.
One would've thought that the struggle of cutting the roll would've hinted that something was off with it.
7. Full Steam Ahead
We were short on employees, so I found myself in the front of a submarine launching torpedoes valued at more than $6 million each. In the films, it seems like the captain launches a torpedo with a control room button, but that just sends a message to the front torpedo room.
There, someone—in this situation, yours truly—uses a lever with a tiny button on it to propel the torpedo out of the chute with a puff of pressurized air. It was seriously amazing, and certainly not my standard work duties.
8. These Customers Were Whey Out Of Line
I used to work at a frozen yogurt shop where all sorts of crazy stuff happened.
One afternoon, a man came in when it was reasonably crowded. He made a few jokes with my coworker and asked if he could leave his bag behind the counter for about ten minutes. She agreed, and off he went.
Not long after, a woman who was obviously older than him came in, claiming the left bag was her husband's.
She said she needed to add something into it, but would return it immediately. A bit strange but, since you couldn't spot the bag from the entrance and I saw her walk from across the parking space, she must have known about the bag somehow. I gave her a nod of approval.
She then took the bag to a table, and while I was busy with a customer, I could hear her express gratitude and replaced the bag before heading to the bathroom and getting some yogurt. About ten minutes later, the man returned, and boy, was he ticked off.
He stormed in, threw a fit of rage at the woman. They had a heated exchange before he roughly grabbed her arm, pulled her to the counter, and seized the bag. I tried interrupting, but they paid zero attention to me and continued their squabble, culminating in her slapping him.
Honestly, I was baffled. As they were leaving, I yelled out again, "Excuse me"! This time he snapped, swearing at me loudly in front of my other customers—and I'm talking about 15 upset faces, some of whom were innocent kids under six. Then he stormed off.
Just like in a movie, an elderly man at the counter reacted, shouting, "Hey"!, and a group of college kids who were also present got up from their seats.
His wife, along with the elderly man and the college kids, decided to follow the irate man to the parking lot, leaving me their yogurts to hold.
Initially, it seemed like they were trying to reason with him, but then he tried to punch the elderly man.
Luckily, the college guys were quick to react and put him in a headlock. The old man then said something to both him and the woman that left them looking like they'd seen a ghost.
All the drama ended as quickly as it started, the group returned inside, paid for their yogurt, and acted as if nothing weird had just happened.
9. One Two Too Many
I accidentally billed a gentleman an extra $20,000 on his credit card. His initial bill was $2,222, but I mistakenly keyed in $22,222. I was surprised that such a high amount was approved by the credit card machine and that someone's credit limit could even exceed $20,000!
After the accounting team alerted me, I immediately contacted the customer to explain the situation and assure him that the overage would be refunded.
To my surprise, he responded, "Oh, that's embarrassing. I didn't even realize the money was gone".
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10. Sticky-Fingered Granny Was Being A Ham
A buddy of mine managed a grocery store. Surprisingly, it was often seniors, not younger folks, who snatched products the most. He once saw an older lady stash a ham under her dress, thinking she could sneak out unnoticed.
He caught her, ready to report it to the authorities. Then the unthinkable happened.
She ended up having an embarrassing bathroom accident right then and there. He was caught so off guard that he just let her leave instead. Turns out, this "distraction technique" is something some older folks resort to if they're caught red-handed.
11. What A Novel Idea!
I used to work for the government, and oddly enough, I only needed about an eighth of my contracted work hours to finish my tasks.
So, I ended up writing a novel while on the clock, using the office computer. I carried out my research using the office internet and even printed my drafts for editing on the office printer.
Just to top it off, while I was starting my second novel in that same little cubicle, I managed to get a 5% salary increase.
12. My Career Experienced Excessive Storm Damage
When I was a university student, I had a job at Sears in the lawn and garden department, earning my income from commission. One month, our town was hit by a huge storm that took down trees everywhere. Some folks were trapped in their homes for a while, waiting on the city services to clear the debris.
People started figuring out how to get to the main road so they could reach our store, thinking they could buy chains to haul the trees away, or a chainsaw to cut them into manageable pieces. But when they got back to their homes, these folks started realizing their Honda Civic wasn't going to move a 40-foot tree.
Or that they didn't actually have the skills to handle a chainsaw.
So, the majority of what they bought ended up getting returned to our store. I remember coming in one weekend, clocking in, and seeing I was already $1,500 in the red on my sales. No one had ever witnessed such a deep negative starting point in a single day.
13. A Shiny New Addition
I used to work at a car dealership where one day, our lot porter was taking inventory and rearranging new cars. He found one with a lockbox on the window—that's where we would keep the keys. But, he couldn't open it.
We ran a check on the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in our inventory system, and it turned out, we had never received that car.
But, there it was on our lot. After about an hour, we discovered that the car was reported as stolen from another dealership far away—about 200 miles from us.
The thief had driven the car to our town, parked it on our lot, and just left it there.
It had been sitting there unnoticed for more than a month.
14. We Thought He Was A Total Fake
I used to work at a car dealership. One day, a man came in wanting to buy a car but his driver's license looked suspiciously fake. We're highly alert to identity theft situations, so we got in touch with the local authorities to figure out if we should send him away or if they needed to come take him in.
Within 10 minutes, a patrol car was outside our dealership and the man was sitting in the back seat. The reality of the situation was even stranger than I had imagined. The officers checked his ID against their database and it turned out the man had created a fake replica of his own driver's license because he had misplaced the original one.
They didn't arrest him but advised him to visit the DMV to get a replacement. He had the audacity to ask, "So, can I still buy the car"? after everything. It was such an ordeal!
15. Something Did Not Compute
Once, working as a bank teller, I found myself $30 short while tallying up my drawer.
Our guidelines were clear, if you're over or under by more than $25, it calls for a formal warning. Panic quickly set in because I was still a newbie, only three months into the job. I didn't want any trouble piling on this early.
For half an hour, I thought through every conceivable explanation for missing those $30.
Eventually, I checked my computer. It displayed $980 in fifties. I immediately brought this discrepancy to the boss's notice for rectification. She verified that the mistake was indeed why I was $30 short.
16. I Had To Make The Dreaded Call
One time, I ended up being the sole manager in charge of a warehouse featuring 14 miles of conveyor belt and around 300 employees on shift.
My higher-up rang me, informing that my supervisor and two other peers unexpectedly took a day off. Wrapping up the conversation, he jokingly told me, "Only ring me back if the building's in flames".
Funnily enough, later that very day, I found myself dialing his number for that precise reason.
17. Frankly My Dear, They Didn’t Give A Darn
While I was employed at a bustling cinema with 20 screens, an electrical fire occurred in one of our projector rooms. Each staff member was tasked with letting each cinema audience know there was a fire in the building, reassuring them to remain calm, and guiding them towards the exit points.
However, barely anyone stirred. Besides the movie with the affected projector room, all films were still playing. The odd thing was people didn't want to leave; they were so keen to finish their films. It was really strange.
18. Gone For A Joy Ride
So, this couple strolled into the car dealership where I used to work and went for a test drive.
You know, most folks only take about 10, maybe 15 minutes, usually 30 minutes at the most. But these two? They were gone for much longer.
One of the salespeople tried ringing their cell, but got no answer. Hours started ticking by—one, two, then five, still nothing. Eventually, as the working day wrapped up, the sales folks got in touch with the authorities to report the car as missing.
However, the officer told us technically the car wasn't stolen because "we willingly handed them the car keys for a test drive without instructing a specific duration or mileage limit". The car eventually turned up the next morning, clocking in an extra 500 miles and an empty gas tank.
Safe to say, we never saw that couple again.
19. Spun Out Of Control
I once worked as a lifeguard at a swimming pool. We had machines specifically for drying out swimwear. You would place the wet suit inside, seal the lid, and the machine would vigorously spin the garment until it was dry.
However, the one in the women's changing room had a glitch.
It didn't stop immediately once the lid was opened. Most users had the common sense not to reach in while the machine was still spinning, except for this one elderly lady. She inserted her hand into the machine as her swimsuit was still spinning, causing it to wrap around her finger and ultimately sever it.
Needless to say, that day at work is not one I will forget in a hurry.
20. He Needed To Lay Off The Bottle
I once aided a patient dealing with addiction, who somehow managed to fit his "downstairs" into a 20-ounce Coke bottle and then passed out for a good 32 hours after the effects of his high wore off. I couldn't believe such an act was possible.
The emergency room doctors examined the very lifeless looking organ and suggested it was likely to be lost. It's surely not wise to deprive your body parts of most of their blood supply. Occasionally, I come across a patient who does something that leaves me utterly perplexed, thinking "How in the world did they manage that"?
This was one such incident that got seared into my memory.
21. Five-Alarm Fired!
During my college years, I took up a night shift job as a security guard at a factory. Once the evening shift crew departed at 11 PM, I found myself alone for the rest of the night. One particular week stood out from the rest.
On my first shift of that week, Monday night, a factory fire erupted at midnight.
The fire department suspected someone had inadvertently ignited a fire with welding sparks.
On Tuesday night, a grass fire flared up at the factory's rear around 1 AM. According to the fire department, it might have been the doing of kids lighting up near the rail line.
Wednesday evening was barely underway, just five minutes into my shift, when a car burst into flames in the staff parking lot.
The next night, Thursday, a fire ignited in the lunchroom, right after the employees left at 11 PM.
By Friday morning, I received a call that they no longer needed my services. They accused me of having a fascination with fire but, honestly, it wasn't me.
22. He Couldn’t Cut The Mustard
I was an employee at Subway, and one gentleman requested mustard on his meatball sandwich.
I initially thought that was pretty odd, until a customer came in who upped the game: He wanted every single sauce we had on his meatball sandwich! He asked for mustard, zesty mustard, sweet onion dressing, vinaigrette, you name it.
I couldn't believe someone's flavor preferences could be so out of the ordinary.
23. He Was One ToughCustomer
Once I was working in a supermarket. During one shift, an old guy was at my register paying for his items. Suddenly, he clutched his chest, had a bit of a heart attack, and collapsed right there. As the ambulance team was placing him onto a gurney, he actually tried to get up and insisted on settling his bill.
He ranked as the most committed shopper I'd ever come across.
24. Who Was Behind The Wheel?
One morning, our service department boss spotted a car from a client in parking lot, up on a jack with a missing wheel. It was apparent that someone had taken it, as only one rim was taken.
As the day was winding down, a man was seen returning the wheel to the car.
Turns out, this random person had a flat tire, so during the night he wandered down and plucked a wheel from a stranger's car for his. When he managed to get a new tire later that day, he returned to replace the wheel he'd "borrowed" earlier.
25. Get A Room—And A Cab!
One night, when I was working at a restaurant, a couple in their late 40s spent hours in the bar, kissing non-stop.
They were obviously very tipsy, yet their server kept serving them drinks—absolutely not allowed. My boss wasn't aware of what was happening because she was having some computer trouble, so I let her know.
To be honest, the couple's behavior was rather distasteful. They seemed wealthy, yet lacked any sense of decency.
The woman wouldn't stop clinging onto the man, and he, completely gone, was falling backward into the window and getting tangled up in the blinds. When they tried to take off without paying, my boss intervened.
She had them sit on a bench outside and called them a taxi.
Thoroughly plastered, the man still insisted that he was fine to drive. My boss had to explain that she was obligated to ensure they left the place safely. They finally gave in after some arguing, and my boss made them settle their bill before they left.
26. The Sixty-Million Dollar Man
I used to handle merchant services in a company that dealt with credit card payments.
Once, a firm contacted us because they couldn't complete their batch of credit card transactions. This was a usual issue and generally tied to a shaky internet connection.
On investigating, I found a glaring mistake—a card showed a $10 purchase but an incredibly high tip of $60 million. Obviously, it was an error and the transaction didn't get finalized.
However, it still came up as an awaiting operation on the customer's bank statement for about three days.
27. She Was A Wild Card
I used to work in a Hallmark store. It seemed like everyone who walked in was over 55, and the priciest items we sold were Christmas decorations. I remember one day, a lady, probably her 80s, interrupted her rant about a coupon to compliment me on my "amazingly clear skin". I was taken aback and muttered, "Thank you,” before she resumed her freakout.
28. We Got Boxed Into A Corner
When I was working in an electronics shop, my colleague and I inadvertently left a table outside on the pavement, laden with different electronic devices' display boxes that were actually empty.
The local authorities stopped by that night and collected them all—they thought they were doing us a favor as they didn't realize the boxes were hollow.
The following day, we ended up having to shell out a fee to recover all the boxes.
29. She Threw In The Towel
One evening, just as we were about to close up the coffee shop, a lady burst in carrying a Pomeranian.
We were on our way to lock the front door when she rushed past us, headed straight for the restroom. Realizing she needed the key, she hurried back, grabbed it, and dashed back in.
We were stuck, unable to lock the place up or start closing duties till she was finished.
Also, we kept having to turn away latecomers who didn't understand that we were closed since the door remained open. A quarter of an hour went by, so my manager decided to knock on the restroom door.
The moment he did, the dog started barking, “YIP YIP YIP". He didn't even know there was a dog until then, and it really freaked him out.
Thirty minutes after our official closing time, she comes darting out of the place. I headed into the washroom to see the state she'd left it in.
The toilet was clogged up to the brim with paper towels, water spilling everywhere, but that wasn't the worst part. Blood speckled across the room.
We hurriedly searched for any needles but found none. There was a strange dampness underfoot, and an unbearable stench filled the entire ladies' restroom.
After the toilet was unclogged, we deduced that the dog was likely frightened by the knocking, resulting in it having a bout of bloody diarrhea on our floor.
Following that incident, we made sure to hide our restroom keys five minutes before locking up.
30. He Caused A Major Brewhaha
I was employed at The Beer Store in an Ontario city. One day, I saw a guy mistakenly drive his car right into our store's wall. Half his vehicle was inside our lobby, but oddly, he just stepped out of the car and lined up to order a beverage.
It was truly bewildering and left everyone in a state of shock.
31. Keep On Truckin’
At the place I used to work, we had a unique system for keeping track of inventory. Every item had its own unique code made up of two letters followed by four numbers. My friend was trying to add some returned items back into our stock and made a small mistake. Instead of adding a $12 part back into our system, he accidentally added a $5 million truck!
To make matters worse, the company rules allowed us to only make adjustments up to $500 and we had to report anything over $300. Anything more than $500 needed approval from our head office. Imagine the shock everyone had when they saw an unexpected extra $5 million in the inventory, without any explanation.
Despite the momentary chaos, we all ended up having a good laugh about the whole situation.
32. Looks Can Be Deceiving
My first gig in a restaurant was washing dishes which also came with bathroom clean-up responsibilities. One day, a man walked in and started performing magic tricks for our staff and some kids having their meal—it was fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. However, about 20 minutes later, the men's bathroom door was jammed, and I had to figure out what was going on.
When I managed to open the door, I found the man lying in a pool of blood as though he had banged his head on the sink. We promptly called for medical help, and the hospital informed us about unusual injuries on his head that didn't make sense.
They tasked me with sifting through the restaurant's garbage, where I found a broken tape dispenser—just the sharp part.
It appeared that the man had purposely wet the floor to make it seem as though he slipped, wounded his head with the dispenser blade, and then lay there, gearing up for an illicit money collection.
33. Never Underestimate Someone
I used to run a mechanics garage and did some car trading on the side. I had an old Dodge Caravan that I just couldn't find a buyer for, even after nearly a year on the market. There was this homeless fellow who used to pass by my garage, looking for soda cans and any scrap metal.
One day, he showed up as usual but asked me something unexpected: He wanted to buy my Dodge Caravan. I played along, joking, "Sure, flash me $1,500 and the van keys are yours". I took it lightly; the thought of a homeless guy affording a car felt pretty far-fetched.
But in an hour's time, he was back—handing me 1,500 bucks, all in small crumpled notes. I was taken aback and inspired in equal measures. Without a second thought, I signed the bill of sale, handed him the keys and he promptly drove off, license plates or not.
34. Lucky Mistake!
A while back, I worked at a 7-Eleven running the lottery machine. One time, I was entering the numbers for a customer who frequently visited and was quite superstitious. I forget the exact number he wanted, but I erroneously input "3333" ten times for $1.
Given his superstitions, the customer didn't want his tickets torn—so, he bought those malformed tickets. To everyone's surprise, "3333" was the winning number that evening. He got enough cash from this lucky incident to fully pay off his house.
35. What Are The Odds?
Back when I was a server, we were asked to keep our credit receipts until the end of our shift. We had to then enter tips into the system, taking into account the bill amount, card type, last four digits, transaction time, and table/seat details. One day, I had a couple splitting their check, each using Visa cards.
Both cards were used at the same table and seat, and interestingly, they had identical last four digits. As they were dividing the bill, they both paid the exact same amount at the same time. However, each gave a different tip, and I was left completely at a loss trying to figure out who tipped what.
The sheer improbability of the situation was overwhelming.
36. I Was Part Of The Jet Set
During my initial week as an intern at a major corporation, the seasoned intern I partnered with had the week off. Despite this, they required at least one intern to attend a meeting happening across the country. I seized the opportunity to travel with some of the company's leading engineers and executives on the corporate jet to our East Coast office for a day.
37. An Accident Waiting To Happen
As I headed into work, I spotted a piece of paper on the pavement. I bent down to grab it and, wouldn't you know? Got a paper cut. I figured, "Great, that's going to bug me throughout the day". When I arrived at work and started up the stairs, I somehow tripped and grazed my shin.
All I could think was, "Clearly, today's not my day".
I went into the bathroom to clean up my scrape, but my streak of bad luck wasn't finished yet. While leaving the bathroom, I slipped and whacked my head on the sink. So now, I'm nursing a paper cut, a scraped knee, and a burgeoning bump on my forehead.
And I was thinking, "How could this day get any worse"? Well, it managed to.
During my work at my desk, I had to photocopy something. In the process, I bent over the machine, and it snagged and tore off my tie. I returned to my seat, deflated, and tried to get on with my work, but to little avail.
Near the day's end, I received a letter. As I was opening it with a letter opener, it slipped and sliced into my thumb.
Deciding I needed medical attention, I headed to the hospital. But as fate would have it, I stumbled on the curb and came crashing down in the middle of the road.
A careless teenage girl driving past didn't see me in time and hit me. The only thought in my mind then was, “These things happen, don't they"?
38. Hiding In Plain Sight
While I was serving in the Marines, I was responsible for unloading a couple of new generators using a forklift.
The generators had a camouflage design and they were placed next to each other on the truck bed. I mistakenly assumed it was only a single large generator due to their arrangement.
Unfortunately, I ended up dropping and wrecking a 30K generator off the truck. Temporarily, they conducted a minor investigation, and for several days I was incredibly anxious.
Thankfully, the only consequence I faced was a stern lecture.
39. I Wasn’t Loving It
At the McDonald's where I was employed, the restroom doors were incredibly heavy and poorly designed, leading to them shutting violently fast. A child ignored the caution sign and didn't retract her hand swiftly enough from the doorway.
Consequently, the tip of her finger got completely severed.
I quickly secured a cup of ice for her to place the severed bit. As I prepared to call an ambulance, her mother expressed they couldn't afford it, so she rushed the child to the hospital herself. I was left with the aftermath of blood everywhere, which I had to clean up.
40. This Was Not In My Job Description
My chief and his spouse had me craft a creative, yet entirely fictional, recommendation letter for their privileged son in an attempt to get him back into college following his expulsion due to dishonest behavior. This interesting task added 'Marketing Analyst' to my resume, even though my actual role was an office assistant.
When his wife had to spend three weeks in a medical facility due to chronic pain, my boss had me expedite a care package to her containing magazines. Just before I closed it up, he neatly tucked some medication within the pages.
41. I Had To Deal With More Than Just Sneakers
I once worked at Foot Locker, and one day a retired Green Bay Packers player walked in when I was alone on the shop floor.
He kept asking for different shoe styles, and his indecisiveness had me a bit frustrated. My manager, who was working in the back, came out to check up on things when he heard me grumbling.
Seeing the former player, my manager got excited and offered his assistance.
Soon, the two of them sent my manager to the back to fetch more shoes. But by the time we returned with the requested pairs, the guy had taken off, shoes and all.
I suggested calling security as we knew who he was, but my manager said, "No chance, he's a Packer"! insisting we'd let it slide.
A few days later, another Packer came in with friends. They started asking for several shoe styles and sizes, and it felt like déjà vu.
Worried it was happening again, I asked if they could return the unwanted pairs before I fetched more, despite not having such a policy.
One player didn't take this well. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pile of cash, and shoved it at me, declaring, "I got money"! Before I could react, he gathered the scattered money, gave out a stern look, and left, leaving his shoes behind.
While I was explaining this incident to my manager, we heard furious knocking at the store window.
There was the guy, holding a Champs bag, rudely gesturing at us, and loudly commenting, "Your competition gets my money now"! Little did he know, Foot Locker owns Champs, and by the end of the day, his money had made its way to our safe.
42. Looking Good Until The End
I spent three days sprucing up a building that was slated to come down soon.
The demolition had been penciled in for the next few weeks. My job was to tidy up a place that was on the brink of being knocked down. Why? Because a general was due to visit in a couple of days.
He was coming to check on how the demolition work was going in that area.
And they didn't want him to find the place in a mess.
43. Put On The Brakes!
I once held a job at a camp dedicated to children with disabilities. One day, a fellow worker was up the stairs with her camper who was in a wheelchair. She briefly turned around to pick up a hat for her camper but forgot to set the wheelchair brakes.
Because there was a minor incline, the wheelchair started moving and unfortunately, the child went downhill on the concrete steps, leading first, which resulted in a severe head injury. The scene was incredibly distressing and has since been etched in my memory. I doubt it'll ever leave my mind.
44. The Lone Wolf
I used to be employed at a cloth shop close to my home where my role was refilling the shelves with goods. Some time ago, a customer dressed as a wolf character was trying to indicate their needs without using words.
I helped this individual find what they were searching for, and in response, they expressed appreciation by squeezing their costume's nose which triggered a faint, squeaky sound.
It was rather unusual.
45. Trying To Talk Trash
I was at work and noticed a man struggling to use a trash bin. He might've had dementia, as he just circled the bin over and over, seemingly unable to locate the opening. To give him a hint, I picked up some rubbish from my floor and threw it in the bin, showing him where the opening was.
Sadly, it didn't seem to help him understand.
46. Bathroom Bungle
One evening, I was burning the midnight oil at work, under the impression that I was the only soul left in the building. Given a past unfortunate event where two women tragically lost their lives right here on a Saturday, I was naturally on edge.
Suddenly, while I was in the ladies restroom, an individual who I mistook for a man walked in. I exclaimed, "Excuse me, this is the ladies restroom. Please leave"! As it transpired, it was indeed a woman. She responded, "I beg your pardon, what did you say"? Feeling embarrassed, I quickly apologized and exited.
47. Copy That!
I was once in charge of a photocopy and printing shop. One time, a harmless-looking elderly lady in her 70s turned up. She wanted me to duplicate several covers for maintenance and repair guides for a variety of weapons and high-powered ammo.
This didn't seem too unusual since my shop was nearby the county fairgrounds, which hosted shows for that kind of stuff every month or so.
However, less than a week later, she returned with an even stranger printing request.
I checked her documents and it sent a chill down my spine: They were covers for about six manuals on how to make homemade explosives, markers for maps indicating things like IEDs, friendly/enemy troops, rally points, objectives, and intricate maps of our local air force base.
This was a definite alarm bell, and yet, for some odd reason, I wasn't comfortable denying her request. Once she had left, I informed my area manager and the FBI. Two FBI agents turned up at my shop in less than quarter of an hour. They deleted all the data on my photocopy machines, and I was interrogated for the next two hours.
A few days later, one of the agents called me with some last-minute enquiries and a standard, "Thank you for serving your country". After that, I heard nothing more about this occurrence.
48. That Punk Took A Bite Out Of My Paycheck
On the night before Thanksgiving, I was working at the bar. It was crammed full of people.
My boss, always looking to save a buck, wouldn't hire any extra staff, leaving just me and my tiny fellow bartender to handle the rush. This forced me to be both a bartender and a security guard.
A rowdy young man approached the bar, clearly had too many drinks already, and demanded free drinks as compensation for the jam-packed bar.
I explained to him politely that he could either buy a drink or leave—he chose to stay and buy drinks for his friends.
Before I served them, I asked for their ID or stamps. When they failed to produce any, I asked them to leave, as it's unlawful to remain in the bar without proper identification.
Everyone except the rowdy young man agreed to leave. Things escalated quickly when he refused to go.
After a heated argument, he decided the best way to resolve the situation was to spit on me. I had to put him in a headlock and physically remove him from the premises.
As I held him, trying to calm him down, he bit into my hand.
Once I had regained my composure, I realized the young man had taken off. Exhausted and fed up, I decided to close the bar early. It was 6 AM by the time I'd finished cleaning up, and my bite injury was severe enough to need hospital attention.
After nine stitches and tests for any possible diseases, I finally got home at 9:30 AM on Thanksgiving. That wasn't the end of it though. I had to be back at the bar by 8 PM to open for business. When I arrived, a local officer was waiting for me.
Turns out, the biter was his son.
He issued four citations for serving underage customers, informed my boss, and I was sent home. The fines foisted on me wiped out my earnings from the night before and, with a night off, I lost a further $700 in potential earnings.
So, not exactly the best Thanksgiving eve for me.
49. This Job Stung Like A Bee
I used to work with a landscaping team. One day, while mowing a new client's backyard, I found a big hole swarming with bees. The noise from the mower seemed to agitate them. Wishing to dodge a possible painful bee attack, I told my boss about it.
His proposed "solution" was absolutely wild.
He planned to douse the hole with gasoline and light it on fire! And I did just that! As soon as I threw the match, the hole flared up. But immediately, I realized something was off... The fire drove the whole underground bee colony out through another six or seven holes we hadn't noticed before, surrounding us with thousands of livid bees.
I really should've quit on that day. But no. It took nearly getting squashed by a tree and being paid in toy race cars for me to finally seek employment elsewhere.
50. We Were On A Roll
While I was working at a diner, we were low on staff and our oven steamer was out of order.
Consequently, everything had to be cooked in the microwave, even a lobster tail. Then the barman invited my teammate and me to the dining area. There, a customer told us that it was the finest lobster he'd ever had, even better than at Red Lobster!
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