It's difficult to always provide service with a smile...but there's truly no excuse for these (usually) terrible customer service stories. From surly waiters to downright bizarre encounters at the cash register, these Redditors faced down some of the nastiest service agents and lived to tell the tale. Ready for some retail therapy? Strap in.
1. Flying Footlong
A seven-year-old girl came into my store to get the sandwich with a note listing the ingredients she wanted on it. At the cash, I rang in the sandwich, and the little girl passed me one filled-out Sub-Club card, which used to be good for a 6" sandwich with a purchase of a 28 oz drink. I cleared the cash and rang it in again, discounting half the sub.
I told the girl how much she owed me and she just stood there, looking at me. I asked her what was wrong and she said that her mom never gave her any money. I asked if her mom was outside and if she could go get her. This is where the nightmare started. The girl left and came back in crying, getting towed behind a raging mammoth of a woman who was demanding to talk to my manager about how she was being disrespected.
I explained to her the usage of the card and pointed out where the details were printed. She screamed, reached over the counter, grabbed the sandwich, and then threw it at my head. My manager later saw the security footage and called me laughing his butt off about it.
2. Fast Food PTSD
I went through a McDonald's drive-thru once and the place was slammed inside and out. After ordering, I was asked to park next to the curb and someone would bring my order to me as soon as possible. A girl walked up to my car visibly shaken and as she handed me my food, she said something that made my heart sink: "Please don't slap me." I said, "What?" Apparently, the last lady she delivered food to yelled at her and slapped her across the face because it took so long.
3. From Hero To Zero
I was working at a gas station a few years back on the graveyard shift. It was around 1 am when a really heavy guy walked into the store with a brown bag on his head. He came up to the counter and showed me the brick he had in his hand. He said that if I didn't give him the money in the register, he would beat me with it. Now, I am a pretty big dude, so I just smiled at him.
This set him off and he chucked the brick at me, but it flew right past me to the side. He then ran out of the store. I called the authorities and my manager. I told him what happened, and his response floored me. I ended up getting fired for not giving him the money...Apparently, it was policy to just give robbers whatever they ask for. I was a liability because I didn't follow the procedure. What made it worse was that my son was just born and I was the only one working in my family at the time.
Shutterstock
4. You've Been Framed
I used to work at an Applebee's. One of my tables was an elderly couple and what I assumed was their granddaughter. They ordered their food (steak, salad, and chicken fingers). In the kitchen, a random server, let's call him Matt, was running people's food because everyone was busy. Well, the table next to mine belonged to a server named Ashley.
Matt accidentally ran Ashley's food to my table. He asked the elderly couple if they were at the table that had ordered a chicken penne pasta, onion rings, and a chocolate dessert, all of which were completely different than what they had ordered. They said yes, then. proceeded to yell at the manager about how their food was wrong and how bad of a server I was.
I hate people.
5. When In Doubt, Smile
I worked in retail for a bit during my senior year of high school and sometime after. I once had a customer rudely ask me if I had gone to high school. She even had the audacity to say that I was probably a dropout towards the end of a transaction. I was so stunned, I didn't know how to react...then I just gave her an exaggerated shrug, a big, dumb smile, and I crossed my eyes as I handed her her bag.
6. The Hair Scare
I was a hairstylist at a salon when this lady in her late 60s came in. She said she wanted to go a shade darker than she had, so I picked out a medium blonde. When she left, she was happy. That was around 3 pm. Then, around 6 pm she called us and said she didn't like the color...She wanted to know if she could come back in at 8 pm to get it fixed. I told her she could come in first thing in the morning since we closed at 8:30 pm.
So the next day, at 8 am, she came in...but she was totally tipsy. Yet it was even worse than I could have imagined. While I was finishing up her highlights, she started screaming at me, telling me I made her look like "a freaking dog" and that her husband told her she couldn't come home until she got her hair fixed. The latter part was weird because she told me earlier that her husband was blind...
Anyway, I was seven months pregnant at the time and she pushed me up against the wall, telling me I better fix her hair or her son-in-law, who is a well-known lawyer in Houston, was going to sue me. She was acting so crazy that the other stylist was freaking out. The guy that was in her chair even got up and told her to screw off or he was going to call the authorities.
She got in his face and started yelling at him, and then she went over to my client and told her that her hair color was beautiful and that she wanted her to be the same color. My client's hair was actually darker than the lady's, and it was still blonde. Anyway, I ended up fixing her hair and she thanked me at the end of the night. I sat in my car crying for an hour.
I regret not calling the police on that witch. I also wish I was able to thank the guy who stood up to her for me.
7. In Her Defense
I was in a McDonald's during the lunch rush. This old guy in front of me started harassing the girl at the register who was obviously fairly new. He asked her where she was from and then asked her if everyone from her town was as dumb as she was. He turned to me after saying this and was just like, "Am I right?" I flat out told him right then and there that she was doing her best (during the busiest part of her shift, mind you) and that his jerk behavior wasn't making things any better or easier.
When I got up to the counter, I told her I was sorry she had to deal with pricks like that at her work.
8. Out Of Change
I worked at Chick-Fil-A when I was 16. I was a cashier working the counter during breakfast. The manager hadn't come back from the bank, so I didn't have a lot of change left in my drawer. I had a line of a few people in front of me and so did the other girl next to me. I let the guy know that unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to take his order at my register because I didn't have any coins to give him as change.
I told him that the girl next to me would have to take him. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. He got super upset and started screaming at me, telling me how horrible and stupid I was. Apparently, I ruined his entire morning. He totally created a scene in front of everyone. On top of this, I was super emotional and I burst into tears. The owner came out and asked the guy to leave, telling him he wasn't welcome at that Chick-Fil-A anymore.
I moved over to the end of the counter and started portioning out cheesecake while trying to compose myself and a few ladies came up to me to tell me I was doing a great job. That kind of restored my faith in humanity.
9. Let Me Downgrade You
A young woman walked into the cinema I worked at, and as always, I was at the ticket office. I sold her tickets to the show she wanted to see. She then proceeded to the 'Candy Bar' and ordered a cup of coffee—black, not too hot—and I offered to take it into her theater for her, to which she said, "That would be great!" Before I took it in, I decided to upgrade her cup to a mug, which was the larger of the two containers we offered, as we were pretty much out of cups.
I made her coffee and headed up the theater stairs to give it to her. I handed it over to her and she stared at me as if I'd just ended her firstborn. She shrieked in the packed theater, yelling: "DID I NOT ORDER A CUP?" I was shocked, but I rolled with it and said pleasantly, "I upgraded your coffee for free," to which she replied, "I ORDERED A CUP AND IT'S WHAT I BETTER GET, MAKE ANOTHER ONE!"
So I grudgingly made her another coffee and brought it back to her. She then offered a snide remark: "Looks like you finally did it right!" Now, I know she ordered the cup and I was obliged to carry out her order for her, but for heck's sake, isn't a free upgrade a GOOD THING?
10. Sketchy Parenting
I worked at a local sports bar and I had two men come in with their dates...and their children. The eldest child was running around the restaurant picking food off of people's plates, while the middle child was changing the TV stations in the middle of baseball playoffs. The youngest child was sleeping on the table while the adults proceeded to drink margaritas.
I served them their food and as soon as the youngest child woke up to take a bite, he proceeded to vomit, covering the table completely. I attempted to be a hospitable server and I cleaned it up, expecting that the customers would be appreciative. Nope. They simply ordered more margaritas. At that point, I refused to serve them anymore (they each had two margaritas) because they were extremely disrespectful and I was not comfortable serving drinks to people who are responsible for getting children home safely.
That's where everything hit the fan. These women proceeded to stand up and scream at me from across the table, saying, "You don't know me, you want some?" Thankfully, I had my manager come over and kick them out. The kicker? Before they left, they poured out two full ketchup bottles underneath the table and left no tip.
11. Need For Speed
My friend was visiting a northerly city for a job interview, and he got a rental car from a typical car rental chain. He was waiting in line for 5+ minutes while the lone worker at the desk deals with someone on the phone. He’s only really hearing one side of the conversation, but basically, the guy on the other end is demanding that they have a BMW M7 available and that they will have it waiting for him.
The guy is also nickel-and-diming the worker the whole way through, haggling the price and asking for upgrades and perks for no better reason than that he was demanding them. Doing it all with a threatening tone and numerous profanities. The worker finally cuts the conversation short with, “Look, sir, if the car is here you can have it but I have other customers waiting!” and hangs up abruptly.
Wishing to break the tension, my friend steps to the desk and playfully says, “What was that? Some people can be jerks!” The worker agrees and they make small talk for a minute to lighten the mood. The worker regains his cool and they proceed with the car rental as per usual. Halfway through the transaction, the worker just stops typing and looks up at my friend with this mischievous smile. He had the most incredible idea.
W: Hey man, can I interest you in an upgrade? We’ve still got a few luxury cars on the lot, and you qualify if you’re interested. F: Oh, I can’t. I’m kind of on a budget for this trip. Thanks though. W: Oh, it’s not expensive. Actually (looks down and starts furiously typing)…it looks like I just got you a free upgrade. F: Uh…ok thanks.
W: Alright, so we have upgraded you from a compact to a luxury rental, and it looks like we will be putting you in a BMW M7. F: ...(confused) W: There’s only one M7 left on the lot, and I’m giving it to you. So now when the jerk on the phone comes to get it, I get to see the look on his face when I tell him it just got rented. So my friend got to cruise around the city all weekend in a borderline supercar for $24/day, all because the worker at a car rental desk wanted to spite some entitled jerk. Beautiful.
12. Cooking Up A Storm
One day the Breakfast House had a new waiter. This kid was a space cadet, and hid most of the time. He showed me to my table, and then vanished. It was only the waiter and cook working that day. The cook came out and took my order, brought me my drink, brought me my food, refilled my drink, and kept checking on me. The cook was also taking care of the other two tables, and he was cooking everything.
He really looked exhausted. Plus, this cook looked to be about 60-70 years old! When I went to pay, suddenly the waiter popped up out of nowhere...all smiles and asking me how everything was. I charged the meal on my card. I then took out a $5 bill and handed it to my waiter, saying: "I want you to hand this to him" and pointed at the cook who was standing a few feet behind the waiter.
The waiter did so with a confused look. The cook took the $5 and laughed at the waiter. Ever since then, when I go there, the cook throws some extra goodies on my plate.
13. You Are What You Don’t Eat
My wife and I went to eat at our favorite out-of-town restaurant. We ordered a meal to share that was $15. We told them no mushrooms, due to my wife's allergy. The food came and I took a bite. Mushroom. People make mistakes, but this is a big one. The server came to check on it and then got the manager. I said just remake a small portion, because I was fine to eat what they sent.
Nope. Nothing. The only thing they did was send her a free dessert of their choosing. She didn't like it. No discount, no remake, and no meal for my wife. Who does that?
14. Older Than I Look
So it's finally happened. As a retail manager, I'm usually on the other end of the spectrum, but the most bizarre thing happened to me this morning. The guy I'm seeing stayed over last night, and I went out to get breakfast sandwiches and orange juice this morning. There's a liquor store next to the convenience store, so I decided to get a bottle of Prosecco to make mimosas. Here's where it gets weird.
I've been in this store many times, it's the store I mainly go to for drinks. I don't usually go in the morning though, so there was a lady working who I had never seen before. I went inside, said good morning, and picked up the bottle of Prosecco from the refrigerator. I set it on the counter and she was giving me a shifty look. She asked for my ID, which is fine.
I'm 35, maybe look a bit younger, but I get that store employees can't be too careful. I gave her my ID, and she studied it for a minute. Kind of weird, people usually just glance at the date and ring me out. She'll be C for cashier, I'll be me. C (studying my ID): How old are you? Me: 35. C: You look young. Me: Thanks. At this point, the cashier goes to a stack of papers and starts looking through them.
I noticed that she hadn't actually rang anything up, and I started to get uncomfortable. I was just standing at the counter with my credit card in my hand. She came back to the counter and resumed looking between me and my ID. I was kind of worried that she would confiscate my ID or something. Finally, I cut to the chase. Me: Do you not think it's me?
C: It doesn't look like you. Me: I mean, I'm not wearing makeup now and the picture is about 10 years old. I proceed to tell her my full name, address, birthday, height, eye color, all the information on my license. The height alone should have convinced her, I'm almost 6' tall. C: I'm sorry. Me: So you're not going to sell to me? C: I'm sorry.
At this point, she gave me my license back and I said something like “Wow...Ok,” put my license and credit card away, and left. Thinking about it now, I'm not really mad at her. I understand that they'll get in a lot of trouble for selling to minors. But it was just so bizarre. I'm 35 and you saw my ID. This has never happened to me, even when I was 21. Just weird.
15. A Rare Experience
So my wife is in hospice and really does not eat much anymore. A little earlier on in hospice, she would get hungry for very specific things that were sometimes odd. One day, she says she would like a Chateaubriand steak—we had shared one on a special night years ago, so maybe that was the reason. We are in “whatever you want” mode, so someone googles up a location and I make the call.
It’s a very nice restaurant that doesn’t do To Go, so I explain the situation. The manager gets on and says it will be ready in 20 minutes. We arrive and the manager and two other employees have the steak with two soups. I realize this guy must be familiar with hospice to include the soups when I notice the chef has cut the Chateaubriand into very tiny pieces, understanding that’s probably all she could handle and we wouldn’t have quality steak knives at a hospital.
It brought tears to my eyes and one day I will return to this place. I talk it up every chance I get.
She ate like two bites, but it was worth it.
16. If The Dress Fits
Let’s rewind 18 years ago to my high school graduation and the disastrous hunt for a grad dress. My mom and I went to one of the major party dress stores in the mall. A saleswoman in her early 30s started “helping” by pulling together dresses for me to consider. Salmon pink. Baby blue. Nothing that a punk-loving high schooler would go for. Then she went way over the line.
The saleswoman grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into the fitting room. Now, I’m trapped in a 3 x 3 box with her. “I don’t like any of these,” I said meekly. “These are perfect for you! You just need more confidence.” “I don’t like pink.” “You’re just self-conscious because you’re top-heavy. I got a breast reduction and it was the best thing I ever did!” And with that statement, she flipped her sweater up and revealed her bra.
“Mom!” I shrieked. “She’s showing me her breasts!” At that point, the saleswoman realized she messed up. She unlocked the door to find my angry, 5-foot Slavic mom ready to unleash her rage. Unfortunately, my mother didn’t get a word out before this odd lady burst into tears and ran into the back of the store. It remains the weirdest shopping experience I’ve ever had.
17. Simple Math
I’m at a big box store. I go up to the deli counter and asked for a half-pound of pepperoni. It’s 6.99/lb. The lady at the counter says they already have some sliced in front of the deli. Cool! I must have missed it. I know they sometimes will have markdowns, and she walks around to show me where it is. I’m about ready to fall over in shock at actually getting good customer service.
Yeah, that’s not what happened. The lady shows me some prepackaged pepperoni in 4 oz packages. It’s 4.99. I tell her thanks, but I’d prefer the deli sliced as it’s cheaper. She looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “This IS cheaper. It’s 4.99” “It’s not cheaper. It’s nearly four times the cost.” “4.99 is less than 6.99.” I stare at her. “Just slice me half a pound.”
She walks off saying, “Crazy lady, can’t do math.” And this, my friends, is why you need to understand unit rates from math class.
Pexels
18. Fighting Back
One time, I had a customer come into my workplace complaining that her breadsticks were cold. After putting up with about five minutes of vicious verbal attacks (she called me every terrible name under the sun), I finally told her that she couldn't talk to me that way. She responded with this absolute gem: "I can talk to you however I want, you're just a pizza girl". Well, snap. I lost it.
I was paying my way through university and I was holding down two jobs at the same time. I was tired and stressed. I didn't know until that point that "seeing red" was an actual thing. I literally saw red (I think it was probably my blood pressure). I proceeded to tell her that she was a small, spiteful, stupid woman, who would never amount to anything in life I also explained to her that work is work, and the act of trying to support myself was honorable in itself.
She ran away and sent her husband in. He threw the bread at me and a napkin holder off one of the tables. The security guard saw this, and he grabbed him while the manager called the authorities. He got taken to the station, but he was released later because I decided not to press charges. It just wasn't worth the stress. I'd never been so angry in my entire life.
19. With A Side Of Sass
When I was 17, I worked in a fast-food restaurant. An elderly man came up and placed his order which included french fries. We needed to drop some more in the fryer and it was going to be about a two-minute wait. When I informed him of this, he called me an offensive slur, then took the rest of his order and sat at a booth in the restaurant. I was stunned, to say the least.
When the fries were done, I walked them over to his table and just said, "Here," semi-slamming the food on his table before walking back to the counter. He sat there and ate his food for about a half-hour, then he got up and left. The real shocker came when I went to go clean his booth. This crotchety old jerk had smeared his food all over the booth and left a handwritten note on the back of a placemat that read: "Since you can't get your orders right, I won't be coming back to this horrible place!"
Well, good riddance. The only thing that makes me smile about the whole incident now is that I can take comfort in the fact that he's lifeless and rotting.
20. Grandma Gone Wild
Where I used to work, a grandmother came in with her granddaughter to purchase a bathing suit. They came up with a green, stripey swimsuit the young girl had on. The price was $18.99. The grandmother swore it was on sale, so I had an employee check the price on the other suits just in case that suit had gotten missed in the markdown. It was not on sale. When I told the lady this, she flipped her lid.
She paid for it anyway because her granddaughter was already wearing it and I wasn't about to be nice. As she was leaving, she stopped, turned around, looked at me, and said, "I do not wish you well in life." I was completely and utterly baffled that someone would go so far as to say something so cruel over a $19 bathing suit for a grandchild.
21. A Bad Example
The worst I've ever had was a customer telling me he was going "tear this freaking store apart" if he didn't get his way. I looked him in the eyes, looked down at his grandson standing by his pant leg who couldn't have been older than four, then looked back in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and calmed down enough to finish the transaction and get the heck out of my store.
22. Pizza Frizbee
My brother and I were working at Pizza Hut in high school. A lady rolled up to our drive-thru to pick up an order. He passed her the pizza, and when she looked into the box, she apparently wasn't satisfied with her order (I can't remember the specific problem). She passed it back through the window to my brother. While she was doing this, she told him she was going to get him fired.
That did NOT fly with my brother. He launched the pizza box back through her car window and told her to get the heck out of here. She bobbled the box trying to catch it and it careened off into the passenger seat. Now she was shaking like freezing a puppy. She started to yell, but she was not really sure what to say; just babbling really. She slammed the gas and peeled out of the parking lot.
She called later to complain to the manager, who apologized to her. Then he told my brother not to worry about it: "She's a witch anyway".
23. Zero Tolerance
A lady walked in with a phone in hand and slammed it hard on the table in front of me and my manager. We asked her, "How can we help you?" She yelled, "You can fix this dang phone. I have been in here three times and this piece of garbage still doesn't work thanks to you idiots!" He pointed at the door and just said, "Leave." Her face dropped. "What?" "Leave, and never come back." "I pay my phone bill here." "
Not anymore you don't. Leave or I'll call security." We ended up having to call security on her. They came and told her she wasn't welcome in our store anymore. She sat outside of our store for nearly an hour talking to a security guard. She's not been in the store since.
24. Exchange Of Fists
I used to work in the bakery department at Kroger. There was this one guy who was trying to order a steamed plate lunch. He wanted a certain piece of chicken and I kept getting it wrong every time I picked up a piece. He got mad after my second attempt to help him. I even grabbed a pen and paper so he could write down exactly what he wanted, but he declined. He then came behind the counter and hit me in the shoulder.
Let me tell you, he had this special strength. His punch sent me back a few steps, and right before I was about to take a swing back at him, security tackled him.
Pexels
25. The Wrong Crowd
In high school, I was heavily involved in a local church youth group. We gathered together for bible study every Thursday night. After service, a large group of us would drive to a nearby restaurant. They specialized in making anything that was greasy or grilled and could fit in a plastic basket. Well, one night, our group was larger than normal, so we split into two groups and for some reason, we chose tables on separate ends of the restaurant from each other.
We got our food, good times were had, and we stayed until closing time. The people at my table cleared our trash and left through the front door to the parking lot. I didn't really think about the other group standing around their table—they were in a corner, and in hindsight, they were acting suspiciously. After a few minutes, they joined us in the parking lot and we all started making plans to go to someone's house to watch a movie.
Suddenly, one of the employees burst out of the door extremely upset. The group from the other table ran to their cars and drove away. The employee walked the rest of us back into the restaurant. My jerk friends had filled up several paper condiment cups with ketchup and placed them face down on the table, so when you picked them up, the ketchup went everywhere.
They also littered napkins all about the floor and table, and as a coup de grace, they unscrewed the light bulbs just enough to make the lights go out. We offered to help clean up, but the employee was so angry she just told us to leave and never come back. I returned a week later and apologized again, but the manager was there and said that he had told his entire staff to call the authorities if we ever showed up again.
26. Just Leave Him
I used to work for my parents in a cafe they ran in our extremely tiny town. Since it was so small, everyone knew everyone. This one guy came in with his wife, who a few years earlier had been in a car accident, so she could hardly walk or talk. It was strange because I had known her for a long time previously and she was the nicest lady, but it was hard to even recognize her afterward.
Anyway, everyone in town, including his wife, was aware that this jerk had been cheating on her since the accident, but he still tried to keep up appearances for whatever reason and she couldn't do anything about it because he had control of her assets. So they came into the cafe for dinner one night and I waited on them. I took his order first, as he insisted, then I turned to his wife to take her order.
I asked her if she wanted the special that evening because I knew she had gotten it before and liked it. Before I could finish my sentence, this jerk exploded: "WHY DO YOU EVEN BOTHER ASKING HER, DO YOU THINK SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE WANTS? SHE CAN'T EVEN PUT HER OWN CLOTHES ON, JUST BRING HER A SALAD, SHE WON'T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!"
Keep in mind that nothing was wrong with her mentally—she could understand everything anyone said—she just couldn't really respond. So I calmly told him that the week before she wanted the special and we had it again, and I asked her if that's what she wanted. She nodded, and this really ticked him off. He said once again to "just bring her a salad".
When I brought the food out, I did not have a salad, and instead, I served her exactly what she wanted. He was furious. He picked up her very hot plate and threw it at both of us. She started to cry and I began picking up the food that was now all over the floor. At that point, my mom came out and told him to leave and that he was not allowed to come back, so he stormed out the door, leaving his wife behind.
She had to sit there for about an hour while we tried to get another member of her family to come to pick her up. I have never in my life been so angry. The worst part is, after that, he started having his new girlfriend spend the night at his house...with his wife in the other room.
27. A Horde Of Karens
I delivered an EXCHANGE pizza since the first pizza had the wrong toppings. I gave them the correct order and asked for the incorrect one back. The whole family came out to the front yard and started yelling at me about how they deserved to keep the first, incorrect pizza, as compensation. THEN, they brought out two Pitbulls and threatened to send the dogs after me.
I told them to go screw themselves, then I got in my car and called the authorities. I now keep a lead pipe in my car, even though I don't deliver pizzas anymore.
28. Hot And Not-So Ready
One night, I ordered five pizzas with in-store pickup for my son’s birthday party through the pizza company’s app: two cheese and one pepperoni on normal crust, and two deep dish pepperonis. I had set the order to be ready about 30 minutes into the party so that everyone would have time to arrive and get comfortable. At the expected time, I was notified that the order was ready.
I told my husband and he drove the seven minutes to the store to get the pizzas. When he arrived he was told that they were out of the deep-dish pizza, but he was welcome to come back tomorrow for those. He was like, “I don’t need them tomorrow; I need them now! The party is today!” The guy said there was nothing he could do. My husband replied that we had a houseful of hungry people, and we’d paid for five pizzas, not three.
The guy said, “Oh you just need five pizzas? Ok here!” And gave him two sausage hot and ready pizzas, which are considerably cheaper than the deep dish which I had already paid for. My husband didn’t know what else to do, so he took them. We ended up having enough pizza, and it was something for us adults to talk about while the kids were going sugar crazy, but jeez.
29. The Goodest Boy
So this isn't an actual brick-and-mortar store, but rather one of those online clothing subscription companies. One gives their preferences, a stylist picks out clothes, and the customer pays for what he or she chooses to keep from that month's selection. I've been a member of this company "Thread Solution" for about a year now, and I've always been satisfied.
The clothes can get pricey ($150+) but as a plus-sized woman who has cried in-store fitting rooms finding nothing that fits, this service has been a lifesaver. I actually feel good about myself and have many stylish clothes. That wasn't what made me cry, though. That was something truly horrible and wonderful at the same time. See, this company has a policy of paying three days after getting the box of items.
They also have the option to extend the payment day through their app, if one needs X amount of more time. On October 28th, 2018, my dog Niko (10 years 10 months) was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and had to be hospitalized. After his hospitalization, there were a lot of bills to pay (my boyfriend and I didn't have pet insurance). Since my dog’s sickness as very unpredictable, money would have to be spent suddenly.
I had to ask for long extensions many times, apologizing but stating that my dog was sick and money was tight. I received many kind messages from customer service allowing me the extension and wishing for him to get better, and it was extremely thoughtful of them. On December 11th, 2018, just one week after his 11th birthday (I believe he hung in there for us), my good boy became extremely sick and fell into diabetic ketoacidosis again.
We rushed him to the hospital and the vet said there wasn't anything we could do. My boyfriend and I had to make the painful decision to have our little brother cross the rainbow bridge. Pet cremation fees are a fortune ($800) so I postponed my clothing subscription for January, explaining that my dog had died and there were bills so I couldn't afford that month's box, but that I was so thankful for their well wishes through this tough time.
A few weeks ago, I get a small package from the company, which surprised me as I had postponed my box for the month. Its contents were heartbreaking. I open the package, and there is a handwritten card from someone from the company expressing their condolences regarding my dog's passing. They also sent a candle that has a paw print on it and has written: "No Longer by My Side but Forever in My Heart."
I broke down ugly crying, and when I told my boyfriend when he came home from work, he began crying as well. If you've lost a beloved pet, you know how awful the pain is. The fact that this company did such a nice gesture during such a trying time was incredibly touching. I wrote to them and thanked them for such a kind gift especially since I'd had to keep postponing payments and had to cancel one month's shipment.
They replied: “Thanks for reaching out. I'm so glad we were able to brighten your day. I understand how difficult this time must be for you. We're always here if you need anything.” My boyfriend and I will light that candle on the 11th of every month to remember our dog's beautiful spirit and soul. He's irreplaceable. So, so, so good and so kind. There will NEVER be another Niko.
Thank you "Thread Solution" for such an unexpected but wonderful gesture.
30. Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
This is a rollercoaster. I got a pimple on my nostril, simple right? So I left it alone because it was in a tender spot. In a day, it swelled up and popped. Well, I thought life would be grand after that despite this horrible ugly blemish on my face. I was so, so wrong. I woke up around 3 am that night in incredible pain, and the entire lower half and left side of my face was completely swollen.
I go to the ER. I was there for quite a while and was told that my swollen face wasn't a big deal and given a mild antibiotic. I was reluctant at their lack of care but left anyway with my pill. The next day it's even worse. I'm even more swollen, running a fever, and vomiting. My aunt rushed me to the ER. I am again faced with the same doctors as before. They say I'm fine and decide to give me Percocet.
I tell them I'm in a great deal of pain and the doctor tells me, "Well you actually have to let the medicine I give you work for a while for you to notice a difference." There was a difference, it was WORSE. A nurse talks to the doctor about her concern for me, and she badgers him to take a sample of my leaky nose blemish. He is visibly annoyed but agrees, and they take a sample.
The doctor is short and cold to my concerns and pain. While this is going down, my aunt is calling around for an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist in town. She gets in contact at a local clinic with a doctor’s assistant. My aunt gives me the phone and I explain what's happening to me. The assistant says she can’t get me in that day but she thinks the doctor might come in the next day on his day off for me.
Upon talking to her, he immediately wants to see me and agrees to see me on his day off. My mom is freaked out about my health at this point and is on her way to see me from a few states away. She arrives just in time to take me to this doctor the next day. He walks in the room and simply glances at my swollen face. My eyes were basically swollen shut at this point.
"You need surgery, now" is the first thing he says to me and my mother. And then he cut open my nose and drained 2.5 cups of pus and disgusting fluid from my face. He asked me what the hospital did to treat me, and he was angry when I told him they basically did nothing. I was guided out of the room, and he pulled my mom aside and told her the horrific truth.
He told her I'd have been a goner two days from now if I hadn't come to him. The infection was in the "triangle of death,” a highly fatal area that goes straight into your bloodstream via your brain and heart. I would have had a massive stroke, no way I'd have made it. It's fairly common; my grandma had a classmate who passed from this very same thing.
A month later, the hospital calls and tells me that what they sampled was a combination of staph and other infectious garbage. A MONTH LATER. I refuse to go back to that hospital because they treated me like I was a nuisance and wrote off my condition.
Pexels
31. Nickle And Diming
I was in the grocery store last night and the lady in line in front of me was on her phone while the high school girl cashier was ringing her up. She said, "$15.33 please." The woman handed her some money, said "Don't worry about the change..." while still on the phone, and walked out. The cashier looked confused and I was like "What's up?" She said, "Her bill was $15.33 but she only gave me $15 and told me to keep the change.”
I was like "WHAT? Screw that! Want me to go get her?" The girl clearly was not looking forward to a confrontation, but I was. I ran out and told the lady she just stiffed the kid .33. She was like, "Hold on a sec. There's a guy here ranting and raving about something. Yes? What?" I said "You didn't pay your whole bill. You still owe the store 33 cents." She took out her purse and said "33 cents? Are you kidding me?" and started rummaging in the bag.
She held out two quarters towards me and I said, "Do I look like the cashier?" and she made a huge grunt and stomped back in and paid, but made a big show of saying "33 cents? REALLY? I'm here like three times a week!" The poor girl was embarrassed but grateful. Nobody clapped or gave me $100 but I still felt like Batman. Screw that entitled stuff.
32. I’m Getting Hangry
One day, I wanted to have food delivered, so I set up my UberEATS. I order my food, and it’s over $50 of sushi for me and a friend. The driver is highly rated. Cool. My phone is across the room, my food is supposed to arrive around 10:01 pm. I look at the clock and see, “Oh shoot, it’s 10:00 exactly! Better check my phone and see if Driver is looking for me!”
I have a notification that he arrived six minutes ago, but no missed calls. Odd. My phone was on vibrate, which I would’ve heard from across the room, so if he had tried to contact me at all I would’ve heard it. So it’s crazy inconvenient and rude that he didn’t call at all once he arrived. I have an accompanying notification from Uber saying that “Your driver can cancel your order with no refund after 8 minutes.”
I walk outside and text that I’m coming, and ask where he is. Good thing it hasn’t been 8 minutes, and I have documentation of that fact, right? At this point, I’m outside searching for him. I send him multiple texts and call him multiple times. I can see on the app that he “read” the texts, but no reply ever comes. Both the calls ring out to voicemail. I’m starting to panic, and I have good reason to.
I can’t find his car, because it’s not outside my apartment building, meaning it’s somewhere else in the complex. At this point, it’s obvious that the man is running out the clock. I keep walking around looking and finally spot him…driving away. He drives right past me, I see his face and recognize him, I wave frantically. I’m in the road behind him, there’s no way he doesn’t see me.
He keeps driving. He cancels the order. My $50 of sushi drives away with this man, and he now owns all of it. My order disappears instantly from the app, so I lose all ability to contact him. I immediately call UberEATS customer service, and here’s where it somehow gets even more ridiculous. The person I’m speaking to isn’t just scripted, they’re not even TRYING not to sound scripted.
They start with “I’m sorry this happened to your order, what happened?” I explain in detail what happened. She seems to absorb none of these details, and in a conversation so circular it made me dizzy, she managed to repeat herself seven times, saying, “It shows here your driver waited over nine minutes, so it is impossible for us to offer a refund.”...Yeah, and I couldn’t find him for those nine minutes because he never contacted me and dodged my calls once I checked and saw he was there.
And then he saw me and drove away anyway. Does she care? Of course not. She repeats herself mechanically, zero listening. I ask if there’s someone else who CAN offer a refund, so she says “I can transfer you to my supervisor” and I go on hold for about two minutes. The line picks back up, and I couldn’t believe who answered. It’s the same woman. Claiming to be a supervisor.
Call me crazy, I don’t care, this woman’s voice was INCREDIBLY distinctive. I’m not a suspicious person or a disgruntled customer by nature, but both of my friends who were in the room listening at the same time said, “Oh my god is that the same woman?” There’s no way it was someone else. She reads from the same script, acknowledges nothing I say, and I wish her a good night and end the call.
My friend tries calling, since $25 of her sushi was also in the car and she’s angry. The call goes exactly the same way, and although she’s much more insistent and persistent, it goes nowhere, and this time THEY hang up on HER. I ended up calling my bank to reverse the charge, and even though it was 11 at night, I had no problem explaining the situation to them, and it was a quick pleasant call.
Moral of the story, if you must use food delivery services, be sure you have a good bank first.
33. Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You
I've been leasing my car for business purposes since 2007, and I’ve been with the same dealership since the beginning. I've always taken the vehicles to the dealer for service, as I wanted the records to show it, hopefully ensuring I'm getting the best value I can when I turn them in for new. The service department was always exemplary in the way they treated me and got the work done. And then one day I came to a stunning realization.
I brought the vehicle in for an oil change/checkup. While I was waiting, the service writer came to me and told me they thought I should get a wheel alignment and tire rotation. I have 10 years+ of what I thought was a trusted relationship, so I told them to go ahead. Didn't think anything of it. When the car was ready, it struck me to check something before I left.
Backstory, this past summer, one day when picking up one of my granddaughters from school, I grazed a curb when I parked, causing a relatively painful-looking scratch on the right front wheel. Well, when I went to pick up my car, I went to look at the wheel. And there it was, the same dig on the same wheel. I called over the service writer and said, "Hey, when they do a tire rotation, they're supposed to CHANGE the location of the wheels, aren't they?"
He said yes. I told him what I was looking at, and his face went white. He called over the manager of the service advisors and there was a lot of scurrying about. "Where are you going?" I asked. They were going to take it back for tire rotation. I told them I didn't want to wait any longer, just give me my money back on it. They did that, offered me some free oil changes (which I already have included with my lease), and I told them no thanks.
I spoke with the GM of the dealership, and everybody is oh-so apologetic. I filed a complaint with their motor division, asking for someone to get back to me. The wind-up? The only person that called me was the service advisor. "If you get an email survey, I'd appreciate it if you'd be kind. I think you realize I didn't do it, and if the survey comes back bad, it all falls on me." Sorry, pal.
Well, it's now over three weeks later, and no one else has reached out to me. I'm amazed. 10 years of getting my cars and service from them, and they apparently are okay with letting it all go away for a lousy $28 tire rotation. I don't really want anything other than someone in upper management/ownership reaching out to show me some kind of indication that they care.
34. Dog Day Afternoon
My vet has been after me to take my dog to get his teeth cleaned. I made an online appointment to drop him off and received a confirmation email of my appointment time being 9 am. A couple of days before the appointment, I received another reminder email with 9 am. I arrive to the clinic at 8:45 am and check in with the receptionist. They ask me to have a seat and they’ll come get my dog quickly to take him back.
About 30 minutes later, after no one had come, I asked the receptionist if there was a delay and she responded, “Well, you should have been here at 7 am. So since you’re late it’s taking longer.” I replied that the appointment time I received and confirmed was for 9 am. She refused to accept my answer and continued to say that it was 7 am and it doesn’t matter what I received.
I politely sat back down to wait again instead of engaging in an argument. Shortly after, they came to take my dog back to clean his teeth. I spoke with the vet tech and they said that the reason for the 7 am arrival was for blood work but it wasn’t a big deal and they’d get it done still. Before leaving, I looked up the email on my phone and of course, it said 9 am. I proceeded to try to show the email to the receptionist, who didn’t even look at the email and instead said, “I don’t have control over the emails sent. That’s corporate.”
I responded that she may not be responsible for sending the emails but she works for the company that does and should be able to provide the feedback. She smirked at me and kept to her story, that it wasn’t her problem and it was my fault I wasn’t informed of the early arrival. The smirking is what sent me over the top. She began to act as if she wanted to physically fight, which was fine with me, but the lead tech came out to defuse the situation.
Eventually, I left to do a few errands while they completed the teeth cleaning. But it was far from over. 3 pm rolls around and I began to get worried that I hadn’t heard from the vet since 9 am. I attempted to call with no answer. After a few tries, someone answered. I asked about my dog and they simply responded with, “He’s doing good. He’s been out to pee and they should be calling you soon.” We hung up. 4:30 pm comes and I’m starting to get more and more upset that I have no idea what’s going on.
I tried calling and despite numerous calls, I couldn’t get through. I called corporate, who also was having trouble getting through. Corporate told me the only way to truly speak with someone was to GO THERE. I tell the guy on the phone he better hope he gets a hold of them before I get there to warn them I’m coming, because it won’t be pretty. I drive 30 minutes with corporate still trying to get a hold of them.
I park, get out of the car, walk up to the front desk and wait for the receptionist. Corporate comes back on the phone saying they still can’t get a hold of them. I tell the guy “I know. I’m right here waiting for the receptionist to stop ignoring me and I’m watching them ignore your phone calls.” At the vet, I ask about my dog. THEY HADN’T EVEN COMPLETED THE TEETH CLEANING. MY DOG HAD BEEN KENNELED FOR 8 HOURS FOR NOTHING.
At this point, my voice is raised and I’m not holding anything back. The same lead vet tech comes out to discuss with me and while I’m explaining that just that morning the receptionist (who wasn’t there anymore) had argued with me about needing to be there at 7 am FOR NOTHING. That it wouldn’t have mattered whether I got there at 7 am or camped out in the parking lot, they wouldn’t have completed my dog’s cleaning anyway.
I also pointed out the fact that NO ONE communicated with me about them not being able to get to my dog. Then I got sent over the edge. What does this vet tech do? SHE SMIRKS AT ME. I couldn’t even contain the rage anymore. I started lecturing her about the smirking and the fact that the SAME behavior is what set me off with the morning receptionist.
She swore she wasn’t smirking and apologized but it was too late. I told her if they don’t bring me my dog I will go back there myself and get him. An employee in the store (the vet clinic is inside a pet store) who was leaving stopped in his tracks and began watching the altercation between me and the lead vet tech. He stood there for about five minutes, holding an empty water jug, about 15-20 feet away.
After I finished giving the vet tech a lecture I turned to the employee and said “Can I help you? You can keep it moving. This isn’t a show.” His response was to turn around and walk back into the grooming salon that was right next to the vet and point at me as he gossiped to his coworkers. Me? I waved! I yelled: “Where’s YOUR manager?” He came back out and told me HE was the manager and he was worried about the vet tech’s safety.
I turned to the vet tech and asked her if she felt threatened and she replied no. I pointed out to him that he wasn’t needed and if he was soooooo worried about her safety he should have been much closer than 20 feet away for so long and shouldn’t have retreated to his grooming salon until I called him out for gossiping. As I’m talking to him, a woman appears and asks what’s going on. It got real interesting.
Guess what? SHE was the manager. I tell her that homeboy wanted to be an onlooker and then go and gossip to other employees. She tells me he wouldn’t do that. I tell her at this point all I want is to leave. All I want is my dog and I’m gone. They bring my dog out while the manager, grooming employee, and lead vet tech are there. Homeboy tries to pet my dog!
As I’m trying to leave, the lady who runs the clinic comes out and tells me she wants to talk. I respond that I’m done talking and they’ve lost my dog as a patient. She continues to try to get me to speak with her so finally, I give in. I don’t wanna be rude to an older lady. As I’m describing everything I’ve been through, the incorrect time on the email, the receptionist with the attitude, my dog being contained for 8 hours for no reason, the lead vet tech’s smirking, the employee who couldn’t mind his business...she proceeds to tell me that they KNEW when I dropped him off that they wouldn’t be able to get to him because of another emergency.
SAY WHAT?! She also tells me they’re having a lot of trouble with the employees at the clinic and she’s upset at my experience and wants the opportunity to do better. She offers to clean my dog’s teeth if I bring him in again, to which I replied absolutely not. I’ve got problems with at least two of your employees and you want me to trust your team to take good care of my dog?
You’re crazy. I left and vowed never to shop at the pet store nor use the clinic or grooming salon ever again. Good riddance!
35. Bon Voyage
I booked a cabin through Expedia for a little two-night getaway with my wife and 11-month-old son. Their “front desk” (a remote building miles away from the cabins) is only open until 7 pm. We wouldn’t be able to arrive until much later, so they suggested that they could just give me the combination to the door lock over the phone the day of arrival and I could formally check in the next morning.
This seemed reasonable so we got the code and drove out there. We arrived around 10 pm and I had my wife stay in the car with our son. I wanted to make sure we had the right cabin and that the code worked before waking my son up and carrying him out of the car in 30-degree weather. When I walked into the cabin, all of the lights were off except for the bathroom...I could see light under the crack in the door.
I assumed the cleaning crew just left the lights on in there. I’ve never been more wrong in my life. As I got closer, I heard someone was clearly on the toilet. To my surprise, my immediate reaction wasn’t fear or surprise, I was just trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Do I knock on the door? Do I say something loudly from the living room? Do I wait for him to finish and walk out on his own? This was certainly a first for me...
I decided to turn on all of the lights, get a good sense of the floor plan and layout, and see if anyone else was in the cabin. It appeared that everything in the rooms was untouched and it was just the one guy in the bathroom, so I just got prepared to confront him when he got out. I wasn’t expecting a physical altercation but I made sure I knew where anything was that I could trip on, anything that could be used as a weapon, etc.
In hindsight, I probably should have just left the cabin and called the front desk, but it didn’t seem necessary in the moment. The mystery pooper (or “MP” for short) walked out of the bathroom and was pretty shocked to see me standing there. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” I said, firmly. MP: “Uh...um...I thought this was our unit. Sorry...”
Me: “This is not your unit. Again, how did you get in here?” MP: “Uh...” Me: “What is the code to the door?” MP: “XXXX” Me: “How did you get that code?” MP: “The guy at the front desk gave it to me.” Me: “Why did he give you the code to my cabin, and if you thought this was your unit, where’s all of your stuff?” MP: “Uh...umm...” Me: “OK, I don’t even care at this point. You need to leave, now. Do not come back in this cabin again.”
MP: “Ohhh oh ohkay, sorry.” I then watched him leave my cabin, walk 30 feet away and walk straight into the cabin next door, where a group of three of his friends were drinking. “Oooookay then...time to call management,” I thought to myself. I found the 24/7 support number on the fridge and called. The person who answered had no clue where I was staying and didn’t recognize the name of the cabin I was staying in.
Clearly, the 24/7 support was outsourced to another company unrelated to the group that owns the 20 or so cabins. After much back and forth, she figured it out and connected me with the person responsible for the cabins. Me: “I just arrived at cabin #X and a strange man was using my bathroom.” Manager: “What?” Me: “I’m in cabin #X and a stranger was just in my bathroom. He said you gave him the code to my cabin.”
Manager: “Oh, that must have been the guys next door. There was a mix-up earlier and I gave them your cabin number and code...but we moved them to the correct cabin. It’s all good now.” Me: “You gave them my code and then didn’t change it? You need to come change the code immediately, that is completely unacceptable.” Manager: “I mean, we told them that wasn’t their cabin, they shouldn’t have gone in there. Maybe they thought it was vacant since you arrived so late.”
Me: “So how do I lock my door if these guys can just come unlock it at any time with the code? That is a huge safety concern.” It took a turn for the worse. Manager: “Well now that they know you’re there I doubt they’d come back.” Me: “Are you serious right now? You need to come to change this code.” Manager: “There’s nothing I can do tonight, I can have the manager call you in the morning.”
Me: “So you’re not the manager?” Fake Manager: “No.” Me: “This needs to be rectified first thing in the morning. I don’t have a choice, it’s freezing outside and my son needs to sleep so we’re going to stay here tonight. But this is completely unacceptable.” Fake Manager: “I’m sorry. The manager will call you in the morning. I will also call the guests next door and make sure they understand not to come back.”
I brought our stuff in from the car and got everyone settled. To make things extra fun, the entire cabin smelled like poop, so I went into the bathroom to find that the fan was broken. Opening the window and letting in 30-degree air was also not an option. Awesome. We went to bed and I’m happy to report that our neighbors didn’t come back. In fact, my son slept amazingly well. Yay!
The next morning the real manager called me and asked how I was doing. I told him we were OK but that he needed to come to change the code and rectify the situation. He then asked if he had to come right away or if he could come to change the code in the early afternoon. I was in disbelief at this point, but I didn’t even know what I was in for. He then followed up saying “I doubt they’re going to come back, we already spoke with them. Are you in the cabin now or do you have valuables you left in there?”
What the heck? I told him that I was out eating breakfast with my family and that he needed to get to the cabin ASAP and change the code as it was a major privacy and safety concern. He reluctantly agreed. Then we started to discuss how he would make things right. Manager: “I can offer you a free night on a future stay for the inconvenience. When would you like to come back?”
He was on speakerphone and my wife and I looked at each other like, “Is this guy serious right now?” Me: "No, thanks. I'm going to need a refund for last night, not a credit for a future stay." Manager: "OK, let me see...I can refund you $XX.XX for Thursday night. Is that OK?" Me: "No, that's not even close to the full amount we paid for Thursday night. Are you not including Thursday's portion (half) of the cleaning fee? That cleaning fee is more than Thursday's rate by itself."
Manager: "Well the cleaning fee isn't per night, it's for the entire stay." Me: "If I'm paying a cleaning fee, I'd expect that my room would be clean when I check in. Instead, I checked in to a room where someone pooped in my bathroom, used my soap and towels, and smelled up my entire cabin. By the way, did I mention the bathroom fan doesn't work?"
Manager: "I see. I can refund you half of the cleaning fee. In total, the refund would be $XXX.XX.” Me: "OK, I booked through Expedia. Are you going to refund them and they'll refund me, or how does that work?" Manager: "Oh, no. Refunding through Expedia is way too complicated and would take hours. We will just refund you directly. Do you have a PayPal account?"
Me: "Yes." Manager: "OK, if I send you PayPal can you promise to write us a good review on Expedia?" Me: "I can write an honest review on Expedia and say that you eventually took care of things properly and provided me with an appropriate refund." Manager: "OK, umm...how about you don't waste your time and I send you the refund if you agree to just not write a review on Expedia at all?"
I look at my wife and we're both thinking "What the heck?" and not sure if we should laugh or not. Me: "OK, that's fine." Manager: "Alright, I'll send you a text asking you to agree not to post a review. Please reply with your PayPal and state 'I agree' in the text. I'll send the refund immediately." Me: "OK. Bye." He then proceeded to send the text (which I screenshotted) and it reads:
"Hello. It is good to talk to you today. If you agree to NOT write any review on Expedia, I will refund you $XXX via PayPal. Please reply agree and your PayPal email. Thanks a lot <name of manager> <address>" I replied to the text and he sent me the money. I just wanted to make sure we'd get something. While I doubt the text message is binding (and maybe it is, since a transaction was paired with it) I only agreed not to post on Expedia.
He said nothing about every other travel site or social media. I'm not sure if I should try to post (a much shorter version of) this on the various travel sites to warn potential future guests.
36. The Jerk Tax
This happened about 10 years ago. I used to live in the countryside, and by countryside I mean there is a one-lane road that goes about 500m away from the main road with no streetlights. There is only one other house on the lane before you get to my house, and that one is half-collapsed and has been abandoned for years. My friend was staying over so we ordered takeaway from a place about three miles up the same main road that my lane is attached to.
The order came to $20, I had cash so all is good. Fast forward half an hour later, and I get a call from the delivery driver (D). D: I can't find your house. I look out of the window and can see his headlights parked outside the abandoned house. Me: You’re pretty much here, it’s the house at the end of the road with the lights on. D: No, I'm not driving up, you can come and get your food.
I can see where he is, and it’s only about 100m away. I tell him I'll be there in a minute, so athletic 15-year-old me I set off running down the hill. Literally less than a minute later, I get there and he's pulling out. I wave at him so he opens his window. D: $25.00 Me: What? I ordered [list foods and prices], and it’s $20.00 D: Your house is too hard to find, $5.00 for the inconvenience.
Me: Screw off, you can see my front door! D: Guess you’re not getting your food then. To which he drove off. So I get home and call the place, say he drove off with my food. The manager says "Oh God, not again." Apparently, the guy was new and had been trying to scam customers for extra money all night. I was the fourth person to call with the same complaint THAT NIGHT! He got fired, and I got a free meal the next night.
37. What A Pain
I have rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that causes severe chronic pain. I take a narcotic pain medication as part of pain management, but yesterday, my doctor decided to increase the dose. That’s when it all went wrong. My pharmacy did not stock the medication in this dose, and neither did any other local pharmacies, so my doctor called around, and found this boutique-like compound pharmacy in an upscale neighborhood that had it.
He called the pharmacist, explained the situation, and sent me over there. The moment I walked through the door, I was greeted with hostility. The pharmacist angrily asked what I was doing there because he had not seen me before, and when I told him that my doctor had called him, he said he did not remember. When I showed him my prescription, he rolled his eyes and said, “Oh you like narcotics. Give me your ID and insurance card.”
This irritated me, but I complied. When he pulled up my patient profile, he ran a background check and asked why I was trying to fill this prescription when I had gotten one two weeks ago. I explained that I had been given that medication, and my doctor was giving me another prescription to increase the dose. His response? “Well, I’ll see to it that you won’t see this prescription until you bring the old one back. You’re probably selling these pills to your little friends.”
I was frustrated, but I told him that was no problem, and that I’d have to go back home to get the old prescription and that I would return in a day or two. But he wasn’t finished. As I was walking out, I heard him mutter, “She probably has to get those pills back from her crackhead friends.” This was a day ago, but I’m still very hurt and angry. I never fill CII prescriptions early, never misuse them, and I was nothing but polite to that man.
38. A Game Of Chicken
My fiancé and I wanted to order some pizza on Saturday and I felt bad because I was craving wings, but wings are totally awful in the cost/benefit ratio for most places. My fiancé instead suggested we get a second pizza and ask for Buffalo sauce and chicken on it, best of both worlds. So we ordered two large stuffed-crust pizzas, one of them being in effect a hot-wing pizza, from our local establishment.
When I picked up the pizzas and took them home, I realized that in addition to what I ordered, the cook had taken the liberty of tossing the chicken pieces in buffalo sauce prior to spreading it over my pizza, giving me hot-wing tasting chicken pieces on my pizza. Thank you, mystery pizza cook, for 100% understanding what I was actually craving, and going above and beyond to help satisfy it.
I wish I had known you did this, I would have asked to tip you specifically.
39. Tell The Truth
I was in a chain beauty store that has a hair salon in the back. I was looking at a display that happened to be right next to the salon, and I overheard the woman in the chair finishing up with the stylist. I was there for a few minutes, so I heard a decent portion of their conversation. A little while later, I got in line to pay and recognized the woman in front of me as the woman from the salon.
There was only one cashier working, and she was currently helping someone else. When they finished and the cashier called her over, the woman dropped her items on the counter and handed the cashier a coupon. Cashier (C): “I’m sorry ma’am, but this coupon can’t be applied to the items you’re purchasing.” Salon Lady (SL): “What do you mean?”
C: “There are some restrictions to what this coupon can be used towards. They’re listed down at the bottom of the coupon here,” and she attempted to show her. SL: “That’s absolutely ridiculous. I’ve used coupons on these items before. I buy them all the time.” C: “I’m sorry ma’am. The previous coupons you used may have had different restrictions, however, this one specifically states that it cannot be used on these items. The coupon actually mentions this brand by name in the restrictions.”
SL then began screaming at the cashier about her horrible customer service and the fact that last month they wouldn’t give her a free birthday gift even though she’s been a rewards member for over 10 years just because she tried to redeem it two months after her birthday. She demanded the number for corporate and the cashier’s name. The cashier started to write down the number.
SL: “No, tell it to me right now. I’m going to call them right now to make sure you aren’t lying to me!” She pulled out her phone and the cashier told her the number and her name. SL proceeded to dial and stand at the register. C: “Ma’am, if you could just step to the side so I can ring up the other customers...” SL: “NO! YOU WILL FINISH MY TRANSACTION! I AM GOING TO TELL CORPORATE HOW HORRIBLY YOU’RE TREATING ME AND THEY WILL COMmAND YOU TO HONOR MY COUPON AND GIVE ME MY BIRTHDAY GIFT!”
The cashier attempted to flag down another employee and drew even more screams from SL for “attempting to leave.” By this time, the manager had overheard the yelling and come over, but SL refused to speak to her, refused to let the cashier open another register, and refused to move from where she was standing. She stood at the register fake crying to the rep on the phone.
It was total lies, all about how she came in to get a haircut and it turned out horribly and the stylist refused to fix it and how her mother was dying in the hospital and she just wanted to see her one last time and now she looks awful and the employees in the store were treating her horribly and she couldn’t believe how such a loyal customer was being mistreated and publicly humiliated “all over a free birthday gift.”
The manager, having no other option, opened up another register to try to move through the massive line that had backed up and called me over. At the end of my transaction, I said, “Thank you. I would also like the number to corporate, your name, and that employee’s name, so that I can tell them how calmly and politely you attempted to deal with this completely irrational woman. I was here for the whole thing, including when she told the stylist she liked her hair and her mother had been released from the hospital last week. Hopefully I can counteract whatever damage she may be doing.”
The manager thanked me and gave me the number and their names. I got in my car and called, telling the rep who answered the entire story and insisting that the cashier and manager did nothing wrong and that the woman was lying to get what she wanted. She thanked me and said she would make sure that my message got to where it needed to go. I sure hope it did.
40. Wake Up Call
Last Friday night I stayed at an inn. I made my reservation at 4 pm and checked in at about 9:45 pm. I get to my room and do the usual. Order a pizza, shower, watch TV. At midnight, two women in their 50s open my door. They both apologize and immediately walk out. I had a little chuckle about it and let it slide. I figured the doors didn't automatically lock for whatever reason so I flip it and go back to watching TV.
At 12:15 am I get a knock on my door. It was a different front desk attendant than earlier. Female, 50s. Employee: "I'm going to need you to come downstairs." Me: "Why?" The answer sent a chill down my spine. Employee: "Because I don't know who you are, why you're in this room, or how you got in here." I get dressed and head down, more than a little agitated.
I give her my ID and she says the guy earlier checked me into Room A but had me to go to Room B. She says she's going to go ahead and let me stay in Room B since I'm already there. Gee thanks. So I walk back up to my room, undress, and hop into bed because I'm ready for it. At 12:30 am the room phone rings. It's the front desk attendant again.
She tells me she needs me downstairs again because she can't find my payment info. So once again I get dressed, trudge downstairs, and hand her my card. She doesn't do anything with the card except read the numbers and check her screen. She had the information, she just wanted to verify it, it seems. So I go back up and crash. The next morning I go to check out and it's a different attendant at the desk. Female, 20s.
Employee: "How was your stay?" Me: "There isn't anything in the computer about what happened?" Employee: "Ahh yes. I am deeply sorry for everything and I can give you $10 off of your stay." Me: "$10? I would think having two women walk into your room and then getting called down to the front desk twice all after midnight would be worth more than a $10 compensation."
Employee: "She had you come down here? She didn't tell me that part." I explain the whole story. Employee: "Oh my God. I am so sorry, I apologize. That never should have happened. I can knock it down to $75 but anything more than that I have to get approval from the GM who isn't here this weekend." So I accepted that with a smile. Not the girl's fault. I'll definitely be writing corporate this afternoon though.
41. Buttering Her Up
So me and my family went to lunch with another family. We went to a steakhouse for two reasons. First, we all loved steak, and second, it’s the safest thing for my mom to eat; she has a severe dairy allergy. So we all sit and order the steak, and my mom asks and we find out they dip their steak in butter before they cook it. So my mom asked to have the cooks cook the steak in another pan.
The waitress said no problem. Cut to all of us getting our steaks. Ohh they were perfect. My mom is about to take her first bite when we hear someone scream “NOOO!!!” from across the restaurant. We look and there comes our waitress running at us. She gets to the table and takes my mom’s plate, out of breath. She tells us the cook messed up and put the butter-less steak on the wrong plate.
She had just seen my mom about to eat the steak. Mom got a new steak and we left the waitress a big tip. It’s been rare we find a waitress who doesn’t get huffy about helping out with my mom’s food needs a bit. But there has to be another one who went this hard to make sure my mom didn’t die. Anyways, that’s my one really great story of the most amazing waitress.
42. Puppy Love
I had just received my eight-week-old golden retriever puppy from the breeder. I’d traveled to see and select her a few weeks previously, and the breeder sent her to my town via airplane when she was old enough to fly. I, naturally, had arranged to take her to be checked over by a vet early the next morning. It was my first visit to the practice, so I wasn’t familiar with the staff.
I arrived with my bundle of adorable, checked in, and sat to wait in the foyer. A young woman soon invited me into an examination room, greeted me, identified herself as a vet and proceeded to examine my pupper. As it was just a checkup to be sure she was healthy and hadn’t been injured on the flight, the whole thing took less than 10 minutes, with an additional five minutes for the vet to soak in some puppy cuddles, before I was on my way out with a clean bill of health for my brand new fur baby.
I had literally just stepped out of the first examination room when the door directly opposite opened and an older gentleman stepped out. He looked at me and said my name. Me: Yes? Gentleman Vet: [gestures into his examination room] You can come right on through. It’s nice to meet you. Me: What? But I’ve already been seen. The shock on the gentleman’s face was visible.
As one, we both turned to look at the lady vet who had seen me. She let out a laugh that is instantly recognizable to anyone who has had siblings—a legit “mwah-hah-hah-hah-ha!”—and shut herself back in her room. I looked back at the gentleman. Me: Did she…steal my appointment from you? Gentleman Vet: [downcast] Yes... I have never before seen a man of that age and dignity so crestfallen.
He looked like a little boy who had just realized Santa didn’t exist. His co-worker had nicked the chance to play with a puppy from him, which seemed to be a sought-after prize. Now that would not do. I had a lot of puppy to go around, after all. Me: Would you like to hold the puppy? That’s pretty much why you wanted my appointment, right? [I hold out pupper] Gentleman Vet: [lights up like a Christmas tree] Really? That would be wonderful!
He took my puppy and began to coo. Like, he actually cooed—dignified older gentleman cooing—over her while she licked his nose. The vet nurses started to gather and I took a seat until everyone had done the rounds. My baby loved meeting everyone and gave out kisses like they were going out of style. She was fed so many treats that her little tummy bulged by the time they were done.
It was a solid half hour before I got her back, but totally worth waiting to see the faces of the nurses and the gentleman vet. Everyone deserves puppy love!
43. Craving A Discount
First, you must understand that my father is the ultimate weasel when it comes to his bills. Especially his phone/TV/internet bill. He often calls up the company and complains about this or that and demands something for free. He's a long-standing customer with them, and has managed to secure a lower monthly bill than anyone I know. It's actually ridiculous.
Anyway, my father was going over his monthly bill and started freaking out. It was $20 more than it usually is, so he started scanning the charges until he settled his attention on Crave. He had ordered Crave so that he could watch Game of Thrones. Not just the new season, but all of it. So he called up the company a few months before the new season was out, and said he wanted Crave but that he didn't want to pay for it.
He used all his tricks and stated many times that he was their best customer and blah blah blah (I really hate when he gets cheap about things). Somehow he managed to get it for free for six months AND lower his overall monthly bill to the point where when they did start charging for Crave, his bill would still be lower than it was. He was happy.
Fast forward to now. He sees his first $20 charge for Crave and immediately calls the company. He starts berating the poor employee and accusing them of adding something to his account without his knowledge or permission. Then he really outdid himself. He said he didn't know what Crave was, didn't know what Game of Thrones was, and requested a FULL REFUND of his entire bill for the last THREE months for the "inconvenience."
Instead of caving to his demands, like the company usually does, the employee played the original call transcript back to him. He was forced to sit there listening to his original call where he requested Crave, talked about how excited he was to watch Game of Thrones, rambled on, flirted, and finally weaseled his way into a lower bill yet again.
He was finally called out on his stuff, and I couldn't be happier. So thank you to that employee who held their ground. My father is a jerk and is so used to getting his way. You're the first to stand up to him, and he's still sulking nearly 24 hours later. You did good. He tells every employee that they deserve a raise as part of his sweet-talking, but you actually deserve one.
Note: He did cancel Crave, but they gave him no money back.
44. Over The Edge
My wife and I went to a Dollar Store one evening a few years back because she needed a bar of deodorant. She asks me to come in with her and I say no you're just getting deodorant no need for us both to go in. This was one my life's greatest regrets. Next thing I know, she comes out of the store with no deodorant. I ask where's your stuff? She replies we'll need to go somewhere else for it and she isn't allowed back to that store anymore.
I'm immediately curious and very confused, as my wife is truly one of the sweetest people I know. She lets me in on all the details that happened in the store. She entered the store to a cashier screaming at a few young kids playing around. They had knocked a couple items off of the shelves and she was berating them to pick it up. Well, as my wife was grabbing a stick of deodorant from the shelf, a couple fell on the floor as the shelf was overstuffed.
Apparently the cashier snapped her head around and screams at my wife, "You better pick that up!!” My wife, taken aback by her talking to another adult this way, let alone a customer, says, "Excuse me?" To which the cashier replied, "You heard me...pick it up NOW!" As I said, my wife is an incredibly sweet woman and normally doesn't get angry or act petty. But something snapped in her.
What she said happened next was very out of character for her. According to her, after the woman snapped at her twice to pick them up, and after my wife hearing her scream and cuss at a few kids for playing around, she just calmly put her entire arm into the shelf stuffed full of deodorants and just ran her arm across the entire shelf, spilling dozens of deodorant bars all over the floor.
The cashier loses her mind and starts screaming, "You're cleaning this up, I'm not doing it!” My wife just says, "Make me," and walks out of the store. In hindsight it was a jerk move on her part and she knows it, but had the cashier not been such a monumental dick about it, it would've gone very differently. Anyway that's my wife's most gangster moment story...
Unsplash
45. Make Good Choices
During the Great Recession, my mom found herself struggling for work, and eventually landed a job on the night shift. She was a cashier at a slightly nicer supermarket chain. She had a regular customer. He came in at 3 am every morning, five days a week. We'll call him Rick. Rick was a nice guy, and always greeted everyone with a nice smile.
One of those people who just loves other humans. Every morning at 3 am on the dot, he would buy a bag of chips. Not just a small one either, but a family-sized bag of potato chips. Every night. One night, my mom decided to ask Rick about his habit. He explained that he had to drive from the Twin Cities to his work, which is an hour away.
To keep himself from falling asleep, he had to buy something to munch on. Since the gas station was always closed, he came here. The next night he came in at 3 am as always, and my mom decided to try to change his habit. When he went to purchase his giant bag of chips, my mom took it from him and gave him a bag of carrots instead. The exchange went something like this.
Rick: Maaaan, you took my chips! Mom: Take the carrots. Rick: I can't believe you took my chips! He wasn't angry, but he was a little stunned. Mom: Take the carrots, your wife will thank me. Rick: Alright, fine. I'll take the freaking carrots. So he left with a fairly large bag of carrots. When he came in the next day, he got carrots as well. Pretty soon he was buying apples, orange juice, celery, and other healthy food.
About two weeks later, Rick came up to my mom. In a quiet and begrudging tone, he said, “My wife said to thank you.”
46. A Wrong Turn
I ordered from a delivery pizza place a little before 9 pm because I was way too tired to make food myself. I get a notification that the driver is on the way, and it should be here in 30-45 minutes. Woo! I was so hungry so I was really ready to eat finally. 30-45 minutes passed and nothing. I got worried that maybe he got into an accident or thought maybe he was a new driver so he didn't know the place well.
I was waiting a little over an hour and get a call that he is lost as well as he was a new delivery driver. I tell him exactly where he needs to go and told him I'd wait outside for him so he could see me, since I live in an apartment complex and it's hard to know which building is which. When he arrives, he apologizes a lot and I told him it’s all okay, I understand how it is and it's easy to get lost around here.
He said his GPS brought him to the wrong address and it was no biggie. He went to go grab the food and he said that I didn't have to pay since he was so late, and all I could think about was how stressed and worried this guy probably felt, and I wasn't going to let him go without a tip or have to pay for the food himself. I handed him the money and a really good tip and told him good luck with the job and to drive safe! I hope I made his night and made him feel less stressed.
47. Must Be This Old To Ride
I’m a 24-year-old girl. I was attempting to buy booze from a large well known superstore. I go to the register with my purchase and am asked for my ID. I hand it over and it seems to be taking a while for the cashier to give it back and finish ringing me out. She asks me how old I am which I tell her, and then she says she cannot sell me the drinks. I’m like “Why?” Her answer stunned me.
She says “You’re not over 40.” I’m like whhhaattt? She flips her little screen to show me a question the register asks, which was something along the lines of “Is customer over 40?” The register asks this to remind cashiers to card, not to DENY bottles to of-age people. I look at her and she’s just looking at me 100% serious. I tell her you only have to be 21 to buy and attempt to explain why the register asks that—I previously worked for a grocery store so I know.
She just says no, she can’t sell it to me. I take my stuff and go to the next lane over, where I successfully pay for it. I couldn’t believe it. Someone needs more training.
48. Every Dog Has Its Day
This happened about six months ago. To make a long story short, I had adopted a Doberman dog after having two in the past. I adopted him out of a situation where he was kept in a very small apartment and wasn't let out a lot. I knew this, and I was prepared to take the steps necessary to help him adjust and cope with such a huge life change. Jack (the dog) is a sweetie and is super lovable, but he had some behaviors that I wanted to work on, so I decided to get a trainer.
With my current financial situation, I was able to afford a dog trainer who does home visits and does one-on-one training. This woman, let’s call her Becca, would come to our home three times, do one training session at the local dog park, and three at her business with other dogs she trained. She did show dog training as well and had an agility course that she said we could use during one of the training sessions.
It would cost about $500, which I was okay with. I was going to pay a premium, with the expectations I would receive premium service. In other words—we had specific instances with Jack that we needed help with. He had been trained before and he retained most of it, but because of his previous owner's neglect, he struggles with being overstimulated or with specific issues such as suckling.
If this was just a “sit, stay, go” training that was needed I would have gone to a way cheaper trainer. Becca made it seem as if she was this pro who dealt with dogs who came from difficult situations. I was willing to pay that extra bit for her expertise. Becca also had great reviews online, claimed to be trained by some big people, and it all looked well.
There was a $75 charge beforehand in case I canceled my session, as it was non-refundable. I say this so I can make it 100% clear that my name was on the paperwork. My debit card, with my very feminine name, was charged. It was clear that Becca would be working with a woman. The day of our session comes up and I have my dad home with me just in case any shady stuff went on.
Just for my own comfort and all. Becca shows up, and she's an older white lady in her 60s or so. Okay, whatever. I don't judge on age. She comes in, and instantly it goes downhill. She starts asking my dad questions and ignoring me. Super awkward. I let my dad answer and she begins her spiel about what we're going to do the first day— according to her, just basic command stuff in case he didn't know them already, even though we showed her that he does know the specific ones she wanted to review.
She then pulls out these laminated sheets and it's literally...the most basic stuff you have EVER seen. They were screenshots of a PowerPoint. One card read: “Sit: to command your dog to sit down on his hind legs.” Um.. what? First off, why do we need a definition of what sit means? Second, this woman is showing us screenshots of a PowerPoint.
I swallowed down my complaints, though, and she went on to show us two other screenshotted “slides” which were for lay down and call/come. She had a bunch of others but never showed us or addressed them. When we came onto the call/come command, I tried to engage her with a question. It went from mildly uncomfortable to totally off the rails within seconds.
Me: Jack's previous owners didn't take him out much because of their own obligations, so when we do go out he gets overstimulated. Even just going into the backyard makes him act a little wild. Sometimes it's to a point where he won't come in when I command and just won't budge. He listens to me when he isn't so distracted, so what should I do in this specific situation to calm him down?
Becca: *Turns from my dad, to me. Slow blinks, turns back to my dad* So, how about we take Jack for a walk out front so I can show you how to keep him under control? She continues to do this two more times. Just straight up ignores me. My dad sort of shrugs it off and I think he was doing his best to just take in what she's saying because if she's not willing to teach me, at least she can help him out.
Whatever. So, she takes my dad and Jack and heads out on this walk. I follow, but the entire time I'm ignored. We get back to my house and she stops outside of her car. Mind you, the sessions are 1 hour and 30 minutes. We're 35 minutes in. She opens the back of her van and starts to show us some dog food. She claimed it was “best for his breed and had all the nutrients he needed.”
It was $50 for a small bag that would last him maybe half a week. For a larger bag, it was $150. What the HECK? I shot her down instantly. Me: No thank you, we have good food. Our vet recommended it and we trust her decision. Becca: You mean that bag I saw on your counter? No, no—that's just full of chemicals and it's really no good. If you're going to have a purebred you're going to have to shell out more for the expensive food to keep him healthy.
She drops it after realizing I won't budge because guess what! I'm the one paying for this so-called “session,” so of course I'm the one who would be paying for any of her other stuff. Then she starts pulling out these collars and leashes when we have a perfectly good, high-quality body harness and leash. She starts trying to sell us another $60 worth of walking gear.
At this point even my dad is angry. We're not even halfway through the session and this chick is trying to sell us some overpriced stuff and NOT train my dog. We did what we had to do. My dad pretends to take a phone call and makes up a fake family emergency to get her to leave. She does, but she has the NERVE to call us the next day and tell me that I need to send a $500 check to continue on with the session.
So, now she'll talk to me? When she wants me to pay for her time so she can ignore me some more? I told her to shove it. We were willing to pay for a premium service, yet she comes in and ignores the paying customer and instead spends the majority of the session talking only to my dad and low-key flirting with him, honestly. Plus all of her other antics.
She sputtered some stuff about how I need to at least pay $150 for the first session and how I would regret it if I didn't. I stood my ground and told her it wouldn't happen and if she wanted to go to court, I'd be willing to. After all, her “premium dog training” consisted of three screenshots and walking four houses down and back. Becca never called back after that.
I didn't get anything in the mail. I rechecked online and she still has handfuls of raving reviews, so I left my negative one so no one falls for her ploy. I'm guessing that maybe it was because I'm a young woman she didn't take me seriously. Maybe all the positive reviews were also cranky boomers who bonded with her over her business, who knows. I seriously sat there for a week after what happened, angry as heck.
49. Reeling Them In
I wasn't going to share this story, but I keep being reminded of it, so here we go. My son and I started fishing this past summer. I live about an hour from the bay system, and money's been tight, so I saved the coin and got freshwater reels. His mom lives a three-minute walk from a bay-fed saltwater lake, so I should've known better.
Anyway, little man has caught just about every freshwater species we have in our local waters, and desperately wanted to fish in the salt, so I scraped together the money for a decent entry-level saltwater combo. I went to my neighborhood big box, buy underwear, art supplies, lunchmeat, and a tent while you get new tires installed store, and grabbed it on my lunch break.
Just as it was my turn at the checkout, I got a phone call from a client. Since it drives me nuts when I'm stuck behind someone holding up the line with a phone call, I just handed the cashier my $100 bill, stuffed my change in my pocket, and got out of there as quickly as possible. When I got to the car and went to put the change back in my wallet, I noticed that I had almost $90 when it should've been like $18.
I checked the receipt, and sure enough, I'd been charged $9.77 for my $74.99 combo. I went back in, spoke to customer service, who couldn't understand what I was doing there, so they called a manager. I explained that I'd been charged incorrectly. He scanned the sticker, peeled it off, and scanned the one underneath it. Then he went, "huh," shrugged, handed it back, and said, "Lucky you. Have a nice day!"
Pretty cool of him, I guess. We went out pier fishing that weekend and caught a nice little run of redfish, so for about 30 minutes we were getting hits almost before the bait even hit the bottom, catching our limit, with me casting and hooking, then li'l man playing them in. It worked on the day, but I needed another rod. At an entirely different location, while I was buying some terminal tackle, I noticed the same rod on sale for $64.99.
I thought, "Great. I'll buy this one, and it'll average out a bit, and everyone wins a little." Not the greatest logic, but whatever. This one rang up at $14.99. I pointed it out to the cashier, who shrugged, looked me in the eye, and said, "Do you wanna pay the...$14.99 and be on your way, or do you wanna wait here, holding up the line, while I call a manager so he can charge you more money?"
I paid the $14.99. That saved cash, bought loads of bait, and has fed us several times over.
50. Food Fight
I spent two awful years at an overpriced private Christian school in California. I’m not going to outright say the name of the company that caters to their cafeteria, but they are notoriously terrible. Important background: I have anaphylactic allergies and we are paying about 10k a year for our meal plans. A few months in, I realized I was getting sick from cross-contamination.
In one instance, they said on their menu app that they were serving fettuccine Alfredo for dinner and it didn’t contain any of my allergens. I grab what was advertised as fettuccine Alfredo. Turns out, they last minute switched to pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce (I’m allergic to mushrooms) but neglected to change the menu. After this incident, I tried to get out of the meal plan but the school refused, claiming that if I see something unsafe for food allergic people, to speak up.
My worst allergy, though, is sesame seeds. They would never change the cloth in the bread baskets between morning seedy bagels and dinner rolls. I politely ask a worker if they could change the cloth. The worker rolls her eyes and asks why. I say, “I’m allergic to sesame seeds and was told to speak up in order to make the cafeteria more accessible.” The woman rolls her eyes again and tells me my allergies aren’t her problem.
I ask to speak to the supervisor and she says the manager is out, and she is the floor lead. I tear into her, telling her that if I die due to her unwillingness to do her job she has at the very least a lawsuit. After this incident, my allergist emails my school, threatening a lawsuit if they don’t release me from my meal plan. They thankfully released me, but I felt like such a Karen.
51. Going The Extra Mile
I am totally blind. I was flying home today and not expecting anything out of the normal. I listen to the announcement at the beginning, fall asleep, drool copiously just to annoy my neighbor...Well, color me surprised when one crew member offered me a Braille safety guide before he began announcements. I expressed my thanks and surprise, however, it wasn’t over yet.
While he made the standard announcements, another crew member came over and offered to allow me to explore the life vest and oxygen mask, orienting me to all the important pieces. This is something that has never been offered to me before by any other airline or crew. I didn’t even know they had Braille safety guides! Perhaps I should’ve asked in the past but it was so refreshing to have this crew take initiative and make the effort to make sure that I was just as informed as the sighted passengers around me.
Often times we get so caught up in advocating for ourselves, that it’s nice to have others pick up on ways to help us feel included and safe.
52. Nice Guys Finish First
I would usually never go out on Christmas Eve. I hate being the reason people have to be open, but having just gotten out of a double shift at my own restaurant and with my family plans being canceled last minute, I had no food at home and was too tired to cook. I found a certain chain Italian place was still open near me, so I called and ordered some take out.
They said, “It’ll be a while” but I already assumed they’d be busy so I didn’t mind. I walk in, and boy is it busy. I go up to the takeout area and I have to wait a bit. The girl handling it is clearly very overwhelmed, but I told her to take her time. She’s handing off a very large order to this lady with a sour look on her face, and apparently forgot something simple (breadsticks, which were not quite done yet) and the lady was very irritated.
Takeout girl walks away and sour lady looks at me. Sour lady: “You know, we’ve been here a half an hour.” Me:”....Okay?” Sour lady: “It’s insane, you should just cancel your order.” Me: “Well, I’m just glad they’re open. I just got out of my own restaurant job so I get how crazy the holidays are. They can take as long as they want with my order.”
Sour lady huffs and looks away. Takeout girl comes back, has trouble finding my name and order, no big deal we just made a new order and I pay and give her a $20 for a $13 dollar check. So about a 50% tip, because it looks like she ain’t getting anything from the other grouches. I go sit and wait for my order, playing on my phone but still listening to what’s going on.
This old man starts yelling at the takeout girl about how long his order is taking, and blah blah blah. She looks ready to faint and just tells him there’s nothing she can do about the kitchen, because he seems to think there is. He comes over and sits next to me. Me: “You know, you should be grateful they’re even open at all.” Old man: “Why, because otherwise I’d have to cook myself?”
Me: “Well yes, and they would be home with their families if we weren’t all here. It’s the holidays, so of course they’re busy. There’s no need to be mean to them, it isn’t going to help.” Old man: “Well it’s ridiculous how long I’ve been waiting, I’ll do what I want. Just you wait and see how long you have to wait!” Me: “I’m fine with that, sir, Merry Christmas.”
The takeout girl and I make eye contact and she smiles. I tried, you know? About five minutes later, I hear my name called. My order is done. Magically before the angry old man. I don’t know if that was on purpose or my food was easier to make, but I can tell you it felt like karma. Just be nice to people on the holidays, nothing is going to come from being rude.
53. Run Rabbit Run
Growing up, I adored rabbits (still do!) and had a black rabbit called Hades when I was nine years old. He was gorgeous and I loved him dearly. Sadly, one day my mom came up to me and said she accidentally left the gate open when Hades was running around outside and he ran away. I was so distraught but it was a genuine mistake on my mother's part, so I was never overly mad at her.
It took me a while to get over it but my parents agreed to buy me a new one. So off we went to the pet shop and, when picking out a rabbit, I told my story of woe to the pet shop employee. What she said to my nine-year-old self I still remember to this day. "Really? You lost a black rabbit? That's weird. There is a group of wild rabbits that lives in the woods by where I live and I always see them when I leave for work. Recently, a black rabbit has joined them and they all seem very happy."
My eyes lit up! I knew it was Hades and he was okay! He was living a happy wildlife out there! I rested easy after that and brought home my new rabbit. Believe it or not, it was only recently I realized that she lied to me, but what a wholesome lie. I wish I knew who she was so I could thank her personally because it really helped a nine-year-old me feel okay with the passing of my beloved rabbit Hades.
54. Coming On Strong
I’m a 20-year-old girl from Scandinavia, but last summer I was backpacking through the US when I was still 19. This story takes place in Panama City Beach, Florida, at some Asian buffet-style restaurant. The first time I was there, a male server told me I was so beautiful, complimented my hair, etc. He also asked my age, I figured it was in case I wanted to order drinks?
I told him 19 and he said something along the lines of “I really like that age.” He looked early 20s himself. None of this really creeped me out, and he left me alone after I was seated. I went back the day before heading to New Orleans, alone, armed with a book and my socially acceptable “I’m ignoring you” device, headphones. Neither did the trick.
The second I walked in, the dude grinned and said “YOU CAME BACK!” This time I wasn’t feeling too chatty, but he certainly did, and he started complimenting me a lot, then asking for my Facebook. I told him I didn’t have one. He then kept asking for Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter...I eventually gave him my Instagram. Then, the following conversation happened, according to the log of the group chat, in which I live-texted this whole ordeal:
Him: So how long are you staying? Me: Only until tomorrow, actually. Him: What?? I only get to see you for one more day? At least we can hang out tomorrow? Me: Um...no, my Greyhound leaves super early. (A lie, but he was already making me feel unsafe.) Him: Awww, but at least we can Skype! And you’ll be back, right? Me: Probably not? I’m a backpacker, just traveling through.
At this point, he left to do his job, but he touched my hair briefly on his way by. In retrospect, I should have left, but I really needed to get some food and get back to the cheap motel to pack up. I didn’t have the time to walk to a different spot. I would eventually regret this decision so badly. After about 15 minutes, he sits down by my table, with his dinner, and started eating as if we knew each other.
He asked me a lot about my personal life, and told me about himself, quickly turning it into date-type topics. Meanwhile, I tried to pick up my book to hint that I was busy, texted my friends what happened, and tried to get eye contact with other servers to let them know I was uncomfortable. Eventually a woman, I think it was the hostess, called him over, and he left in a hurry.
I kept texting my friends, especially this one friend who’s got a unisex name, but it’s usually considered a male name in English-speaking countries. And suddenly this dude is hovering over me, leaning over my shoulder, so close I could feel his breath. Me: WHAT? (Finally getting a bit angry.) Him: Is that your boyfriend? Me: No, it is not. I’m trying to eat.
Him: Oh ok, cause you don’t have a boyfriend, do you? Me: No. (I should’ve lied and said yes.) Him: Ok good! As he walked away I was getting so uncomfortable I didn’t even get dessert, although I wanted to. He kept making excuses to visit my table and was beginning to talk as if I was his girlfriend or something. So I went to the register, he followed.
I asked for a to-go box for my friend, since they offered them. (My friend being next-morning-me.) Him, holding the box out of my reach: Is the friend a boy or a girl? Me: A girl, can I have it? Him: Yes it’s ok then. I don’t want you to go to any boys. I snatched the box, filled it, and tried to pay, but he immediately told me to leave without paying because he had a “special prize for a special girl.”
It was obviously without permission because he was whispering and looking around. I paid full price and walked away. Him: WAIT! (And of course, he’s running after me.) I forgot to ask your phone number! Me: It’s a Scandinavian number, you can’t dial it. Him: Where do you live then? I’ll see you tomorrow before you leave. It was dark. I’m 5’2”, alone with this guy on an almost empty street in a foreign country.
I am not planning to pick a fight. So I gave him the name of a different cheap motel in the area, then I started walking back. He followed for a few blocks, so I took a detour, hid in a store for a few minutes, and went out a different exit, and got to my motel. Closing that door behind me and hearing the click was so relieving. Sadly the restaurant didn’t have a number, email, or anywhere to let them know what happened.
All I could do was edit my Google review from my last visit to include this story.
55. Straw Man
This happened a few years ago when I made the mistake of ordering from a popular sandwich delivery chain, one that prides itself on speedy delivery. What you need to know about me is that I'm pretty easygoing when it comes to food service. The last thing I want to do is upset folks who are handling my food, largely because I don't want to give them any reason to tamper with it.
I'm polite, I don't complain, I don't send food back or ask for compensation, and I always tip. Apparently, that's not always good enough, but I digress. I was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't feel like cooking, so my wife and I decided to order a couple of sandwiches for dinner. She ordered hers with extra peppers and a bag of chips. I got mine with a cookie and a drink.
And then we waited. An hour goes by, and I start to worry. We had ordered online, and delivery from this place usually doesn't take very long. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe they're busy. 30 more minutes go by. I call up the store, and am greeted by a friendly employee (FE) Me: "Hi, sorry I was just calling to check on my order, we ordered about an hour and a half ago and haven't received it yet." FE: "Oh, sorry about that" confirms order details "Yes, it should be out to you soon, I apologize for the long wait, we only have one driver this evening and we're busier than usual." Me: "No worries, I just wanted to make sure it was still coming."
Approximately two hours after we had originally ordered, the delivery driver shows up. Having been delivery drivers ourselves, we give him the benefit of the doubt and tip him normally. No complaints. Then it hits me. He forgot my drink. I rush outside hoping to catch him, but he's gone. Now, ordinarily, I might have shrugged it off, but since I'd already waited two hours for my food I decided to call back and was once again greeted by FE.
I explain the situation and he offers to have it sent out immediately, with a free cookie of my choice for the inconvenience. I ask if he can just take off the price of the drink from my order, and he refuses, so I accept his offer. Another 45 minutes go by before the delivery driver returns. I'm pretty annoyed at this point, but I thank him for the drink, and apologize to him since it is now just 10 minutes to closing time.
Nearly three hours after I originally ordered my meal, I sit down to enjoy my long-awaited beverage. I open the bag that contained my consolation cookie, and surprise: It's the wrong cookie, but more importantly there's no straw. Now, I still had no reason to suspect that the delivery driver was angry with me. I had been polite. I didn't complain about the extremely late delivery, and I had tipped him generously.
I hadn't wanted him to make an extra trip just to bring my drink. I just didn't want to pay for something I hadn't received. But I soon discovered his revenge. You see, in the absence of a straw, I had to take off the lid to enjoy my soda. Upon doing so, I realized in a moment of rage and disgust that I had been saved by his incompetence. There, on top of the ice, was an unmistakable glob of translucent off-white slime; a big, fat, hate-infused loogie.
From there, it went exactly as you might expect. I proceeded to call the store for a third time, and as calmly as possible I asked to speak to the manager, who was cooperative. This was the result: I received a full refund, obviously, and the assurance that the delivery driver would not be receiving the tip for that order, and that he would most likely be let go.
I was offered a generous store credit, which I declined since A) I would not be ordering from them any time soon, and B) I didn't want it to seem like I just wanted free food. I was contacted by the regional manager, who was extremely apologetic and understanding, and tried again to compensate me with free food, which I again declined. He also confirmed that the delivery driver had been fired.
I was mailed an apology letter from the corporate office which included a gift card (which I gave away). I have since resumed ordering from there, but I no longer get drinks. Every time though, I still think about how I narrowly avoided becoming a victim of his poorly executed revenge. Thank goodness he forgot the straw.
56. From Beyond The Grave
Unfortunately, I lost my dad back in 2017 and then had to start the process of getting his accounts closed, which let's face it, when that happens you can't really be bothered to deal with it because you aren't really emotionally equipped. Pretty much all services I called up were clowns, but the pay-TV service was the worst. So I started off giving them all the account details and my details as I was an authorized contact for the account.
Finally, get my ID confirmed, and that's when the nightmare starts. Me for me and FCC for them. Me: Hi, unfortunately, my dad has died and I need to cancel his account. FCC: That's sad (in a very monotone voice) but you aren’t authorized to do that. Me: I'm an authorized contact. FCC: You are able to change the plan, upgrade, and pay for the account, but can't stop it.
Me: Ok who can then? FCC: The account holder. Me: Unfortunately he has died, that’s why I called to cancel the account. I can email or fax the death certificate to you if you need. FCC: Can you please put your father on the phone, we need to talk to him to confirm the cancellation. Me: No. Again, he is dead (I was very blunt this time) he can’t talk to anyone anymore.
FCC: You need to put him on the phone so we can confirm your story Me: Ok, you grab the candles and I'll get the Ouija board and maybe we can get him on the line. FCC: If you aren't going to be serious I can’t fulfill your request Me: Me be serious? You are the one asking me to put my dead dad on the phone to talk to you. You know what dead means right?
FCC: I'm aware of what dead means, but he is the only one authorized to cancel the account. I can’t speak to you about it in case you are canceling it out of spite. Me: No, I'm not trying to cancel it out of spite. I am canceling because he is dead and doesn’t need to watch TV anymore, so I don’t want to pay the bill for it. Can I please speak to a manager?
FCC: I'm sorry, until you want to take this matter seriously and allow us to talk to him to get the account canceled we can’t help. Goodbye. And she hung up on me. That’s when I had a genius idea. I messaged them from my dad's Facebook and told them "I'm dead can you cancel my account?" About 10 seconds later, I get a message back "Sorry for your loss, your account has been canceled, where would you like the final bill sent?"
I didn’t even have to verify his date of birth, account number, nothing. What was she expecting? To hear me yell out, "Hey dad, this lady wants to confirm you’re dead, can you talk to her for a minute?"
57. The Hero Of The Night
Location: A local Italian restaurant, tiny venue, tiny kitchen staff, obnoxiously busy. Need a reservation. Dinners here usually take between 2-3 hours. I'm here with my mom, cousin, and a few others. The door to the waiting room/entrance is about three feet behind my seat, and the register is three feet to my right. Like I said, tiny venue. So I'm eating my starter salad when I hear a stressed-out waitress behind the register.
She's talking to an older lady of about 50-60 years old (from here on, "Mother"). The Mother asks to see the manager. Surprise, there is no manager. Mother wants to see the owner. "No, she's cooking. We won't be able to seat you if she stops cooking, because no one will be able to finish their dinner." (Excellent comeback, waitress!) Mother wants to stick tables together. Can't do that.
This goes on for a while. My attention is piqued. Then...Waitress: I'm sorry ma'am but I have to go help my tables, they're waiting for me. [starts to leave] Mother: [mocking voice] ooooOOOOHHHhhhHHH, heeeerrreee you go [implying that waitress is making excuses]. I just couldn’t stop myself from causing a scene. Me: [turns around] What is WRONG with you?
It was loud in the restaurant and I got no reaction, so I assumed she didn't hear me. But five minutes later...Mother: Excuse me, I really don't appreciate the way you talked to me back then. Me: Well, I don't appreciate the way you were talking to that waitress. Mother: We've been waiting here an entire hour and we haven't been seated, and we have reservations.
Me: And I'm very sorry for that, but you don't need to treat the waitress poorly. The restaurant is very busy, obviously. There's nothing she can do until someone finishes. Mother: Well, you need to understand that my daughter is six months pregnant. Me: That's great. Mother: And she's very tired and needs to sit. Me: There's chairs outside, she can sit there. Mother: She has been, for over an hour. Me: [sarcastically] Well, maybe she needs to lie down in a bed.
Mother: YES, maybe she DOES. Me: Oh! Then maybe you should go home with her so she can lie down. Mother: She's six months pregnant and we've been waiting an hour. Me: I know, and I'm sorry. But you don't need to be rude to the waitress about it. My 16-year-old brother has a better attitude than you! Mother: [huffing] WELL I'm feeling very sorry for my daughter right now.
Me: I feel sorry for her too, because she has you for a mother. At which point someone at my table audibly says "ooohhhhh" and my mom starts stifling a laugh. The Mother widens her eyes and stares in horror from me to my mom. My mom quickly waves me back to my dinner. The Mother eventually leaves to the waiting room without saying anything back.
The waitress comes back to the register and I apologize for the Mother. Waitress thanks me for sticking up for her. Anyway, the Mother and her family come in, finally ready to be seated. Then it got sticky fast. Her son comes up to me with Mother in tow. Son: Did I hear you were talking back to my mom? Me: Yes, because she was being rude to the waitress.
The entire family (six people) start to loudly shame me as they walk to their table, just five feet away from ours. They're all saying different things. Highlights: Son: I think I know my mom better than you. This restaurant is a JOKE. Me: Then leave. Mother: [to my mother] You better not have been taking pictures of me. My Mom: What?! Why would I take pictures of you, I don't want pictures of you!
Lady 1 (Daughter?): [shakes her head, staring me down as she walks by] Shame on you. Me: You're having SIX PEOPLE gang up on one person and you're saying shame on ME?! Lady 2: You need to stay out of other people's business. You don't know anything about what's goin—Cousin: YOU WEREN'T EVEN IN THE ROOM! The waitress runs between us and tells us to chill.
She sneaks in a, "But thank you, I really appreciate it" to me. My table gets back to our dinner. I'm shaking and feel like throwing up, but I try my best to get it together. For the next hour or two, both the waitress and another waitress came up to our tables to thank us multiple times. One called me the "hero of the night." They comped our two plates of garlic fingers, which was nice of them.
It was a bit hush-hush, but if the other family tried, they could definitely hear the waitresses doing all of this. I hope they did. We ate lots of food, laughed a ton, and had a great time. Meanwhile, random family members would turn and glare at me, especially whenever I was laughing. Maybe they thought I was laughing at them? Anyway, we get up to leave, and the ENTIRE family is blatantly staring at us.
Then my dad stands up. He's a real tall, big guy who's done physical labor his whole life. And he looked back at them. They stopped staring after that. We walk out and have yet another laugh at their expense. The best part is that I have more of those comped garlic fingers to eat tomorrow.
Unsplash
58. A Night On The Town
So this actually happened a few years ago. My daughter reminded me about it recently. I have friends that we'll call J and D. J and D are old-school country folk with old-fashioned down-home values. They are not poor, but save money and are frugal (but not cheap). So J and D were heading home one night on a lonely bit of highway in the middle of nowhere when they see a car on the side of the road and stop to offer assistance.
J is a bit of a shade tree mechanic and takes a look and the car had a cracked radiator hose and had overheated. While patching it up, they start yakking about this and that. J and D were celebrating their 25th anniversary in a few days and were excited about going into town and eating at their favorite restaurant, Red Lobster. Their new friend explains that he was in town to check on a restaurant he owned and would love to host their anniversary dinner as a thank you.
J and D try to decline but the guy isn't having it. He asks them to meet him tomorrow night at the restaurant at 6 pm and gives them his card. J and D go home and tell the story to their daughter, who looked at the card and gasped. She realized that the guy was a famous actor who co-owned a VERY expensive restaurant downtown. J and D don't want to take advantage and were tempted to not go when their daughter threatened them with anything and everything she could.
So J and D dress up in their countryfolk finest and hop in their truck. Now…their truck purrs like a kitten, but had been around. It was at least 10 years old and had been used as a truck should but was kept clean. They pull up in front of the fancy restaurant and a valet comes to open the truck door, hands them a ticket and everything seems fine.
They walk in the restaurant and this is where things get interesting. They walk up to the host stand and the host tells them that they only accept applications on certain days and that they were currently fully staffed. J and D are confused and explain to the host that they were here for dinner. The host makes a point to look them up and down and then asks if they realize dinner is minimum $100 per person?
J pulls the card out and hands it to the host, attempting to explain that he was invited by the owner. The host laughs and says something like, " I don't know how you got this but you are not welcome here and need to leave before I call the authorities.” J and D didn't want to cause a scene and decide to go. While they are waiting at the valet booth, the owner shows up and asks if they enjoyed dinner and apologized for running late.
J and D don't want to get anyone in trouble and try to mumble some excuse but the owner realized this wasn’t the same bubbly, friendly couple from last night and knows something is up. He escorts them back in for dinner. The host looks shocked to see them back but doesn't say anything in front of the owner, who personally seats them before disappearing.
J and D ordered drinks but said they felt so out of place they just really wanted to leave. Soon the owner returns and asks the couple what happened. Not wanting to get anyone in trouble still, they try to explain it was a simple misunderstanding, but he had already gone to review the CCTV. They learned the whole truth at that point. Turns out, one of the valets had seen their truck and had come in to warn the host to turn them away because everyone knew the owner was due in and they had been told to make the best possible impression.
The owner asked for the valet and the host. He asked them both about the incident and warned them he'd already watched the tapes. Amid a hail of excuses and apologies, the owner asks if they would treat his parents that way? He never CALLED them his parents, but kind of implied it. J and D are shocked but play along with their "precious little boy" going over the top and having a blast.
Dinner is saved and J and D end up having the time of their lives being fawned over by the staff and acting out with their "son.” The owner ends up becoming fast friends with J and D and invites them to dinner whenever he's in town. They were finally able to return the favor and had him over for dinner, which almost gave their daughter a heart attack.
As for the valet and host, neither were fired (J and D insisted) but the owner made the entire restaurant undergo retraining and warned he'd better never have similar complaints from "other relatives in the area," leaving them to always treat customers like family.
59. Chris Is Cross
BOY do I have the story for you. It was my best friend’s 20th birthday, so we and our third best friend decided to go to our local chain restaurant. They don’t take reservations on the weekend, so we understandably waited a good amount of time to get seated. However, our waiter made sure to take extra time before he took our orders. He was a middle-aged guy, drenched in sweat and undeniably unhappy.
But I get it, I work food/retail, as do my friends, so we are probably more understanding than most. We waited about 20 minutes, watching him buzz by us and serve all the tables around us. At one point, a couple was sat down across from us about 10 minutes after us, and he took their orders first. By then we had politely told him we were ready to order.
My friends ordered their food, and I ordered their Cubano sandwich, specifically asking for French fries with my side of ranch. He looked at me funny, and said, “Cubano? Who orders it like that? Literally no one.” I nervously laughed, mainly because I didn’t know what the heck to say. So he took our orders and went. About 45 minutes go by. No food, which isn’t a big deal.
We’re having a good time. And then our food comes. My friends get theirs, and I get my sandwich…and no fries. He says they’re taking extra time. No worries man, I can wait. And I do. I wait 25 minutes. I decide to go to the bathroom, which had a ginormous line, and think, “Surely they’ll be there when I get back.” About 15 minutes goes by, and I head back to the table and they aren’t there.
So I decide it’s time, and head over to talk to a manager. I really hate going there, but I really just wanted my fries. The manager greets me, and I explain the situation. His response to me is, “Oh Chris? Yeah he’s been having a few rough nights! Doesn’t surprise me.” I had absolutely no clue what to say to that, so we walk back to the table where my fries are still not waiting for me yet.
The manager says he’s going to get them right away! As he stepped away, my friends tell me the strangest story. They say that the waiter actually stopped by our table (without fries) demanding where I went. They felt super uncomfortable and told him the bathroom. He responded by laughing and saying, “That better be where she is.”
The manager returns with my fries, and we let him know the comments made. He kind of shrugs and walks away. By now, my food is cold and the waiter comes back. My friends dashed to the bathroom as they saw him approaching and I pretended to take a phone call to avoid him. Instead of taking the hint, he literally stood at the corner of our table and just side-eyed me the whole time.
I didn’t even know what to do, so I pretended to hang up, asked him for the check and a box after he wouldn’t leave! My friends came back as did he with the check. Two of them put their meals on a card, and I put down a $20 towards the bill towards my meal. When “Chris” came by to collect our bill, I told him personally, “Cash first then card” and my friends also said, “Please do cash first then the card.”
He then repeated it back to us. Great! The bill was around $60. He came back, set down the checkbook, and walked off. My friend went to look at the bill and said, “Uh I think he charged the full amount on my card.” She checked her bank account and he had indeed charged the full amount on her card. At this point, my friends called “Chris” over and we asked him about the $20.
He responds with “What $20 bill?” I swear to god, smoke came out of my ears, and I was ready for revenge. So I went to find the manager again. When I explained the situation, the manager seemed really unaffected, which surprised me. The only thing he said to me was, “Well, that’s his third strike! Thanks to you, he’ll probably be out of a job tonight.”
The manager adjusted our bill to show my $20, and we left. Let me tell you, it felt like I was in a different universe.
Pexels
60. One For The Money
There was a vending machine at my high school that gave $1 coins for some unknown reason, so I sometimes carried dollar coins with me. No big deal, right? WRONG. I went in this store downtown one day with some friends and ended up finding some cute gloves on sale for a few dollars so I grabbed them. Thinking I had a great opportunity to rid my purse of clanking, I handed the woman a $5 bill and my coins.
She asked me what the coins were and I replied that they were $1 coins. She asked if they were American and I said yes. She responded by paging her manager. At first I was confused, but I very quickly realized that she thought the coins were fake. As in, she thought I had invented a whole new currency. At this point (several years ago) I was a very anxious and shy high school student.
Today I would probably have said something, but back then all I could do was stand in shock as her manager approached. The cashier triumphantly held out the coins to her manager who was, thankfully, dumbstruck. I was able to complete my purchase and I imagine the cashier was given a lecture on different types of coins in circulation. C’mon, lady.
Shutterstock
61. In The Bag
I went to the dentist last week with painful broken teeth. My simple appointment should have taken maybe 30 minutes tops, just checking out the damage. The wonderful hygienist I had ended up making my appointment a full exam, which all in all took four hours, just so I wouldn’t have to pay anything after my insurance. After the exam, the dentist of course wants to do the most expensive things, root canals and crowns.
I express to this woman that I can’t afford over four grand. She then starts moving stuff around and letting me know if I get them pulled and do an implant and a partial I’ll save a hefty amount of money. This wonderful woman spent four hours of her day sitting in that room with me making every adjustment possible to help me out and chatting with me to keep me company.
She complimented my bag and expressed really wanting one, even calling other ladies in to look at it. I bought another one and I went back yesterday for the actual dental work and brought her that same bag as a token of my appreciation for her going above and beyond her job to help me and keep me company. She burst into tears and hugged me. She ran around showing all the ladies that she had that same bag now.
Pretty sure I just made her the queen bee of the office, hah. I feel like people aren’t vocal enough when someone does a fantastic job. They only complain when things go wrong, especially at the dentist. I hope the rest of her day was awesome because I’ve never felt that comfortable or taken care of at any other dental office. And yes I did leave a raving review with her name on their customer surveys.
62. Try Something New
I went to my usual sushi place to pick up a takeout order, and it wasn’t ready yet so I grabbed a drink while waiting, and overheard this conversation. Some lady comes up to the bar to place a sushi to-go order for her and some friends, and she’s clearly never eaten sushi before. She asks a million questions about every roll (which is fully described on the menu).
Her questions start not that bad, like, “Well how much cream cheese is in the roll?” and “What is panko?” This is mildly annoying, but completely fair. Then things go downhill. She takes a break to call her friends and asks similar questions to them. “Well, which one will I like more?” It’s about a 15-minute phone call about what sounds good, and what sounds “disgusting” loud enough for everyone to hear.
Eventually, it sounds like she has an order in mind. Then she says, “I’m allergic to shellfish, so I can’t have anything with shellfish touch my stuff.” Again fair, but sort of annoying at a sushi place. And she starts to place the order. After placing an order of about 10 different rolls, she ends with the banger. C for customer, S for server. C: “Oh wait, does that last roll have any rice in it?”
S: “...Yes” C: “Oh boy, a lot of us don’t eat rice.” S: blank, defeated stare. C: “Can you make that roll without rice?” S: “I guess we could, but it won’t hold together well. And just so you’re aware, every roll has rice.” C: “REALLY? Every sushi has rice?!” S: “Yes, that is what the rolls are rolled around with. We can try and make them with no rice, but it will just be seaweed wrapped about the filling, which may not hold together well.”
C: “There is seaweed on the rolls?!” The menu only specifies what the fillings are, it doesn’t explicitly say that rice and seaweed are included. I left after that, and gave the server a big tip. I’m all for people trying new foods, but please understand what you’re ordering.
63. Power Tripping
This happened when I was in my early 20s. Although I did look younger, I was over 21. My girlfriend and I were at a coffee shop that we went to a few nights a week. One of her friends shows up with her boyfriend who was 19 at the time, and he had just gotten a fake ID. There was a bar next to the coffee shop and he wanted to try it out, so I said I’d go with him.
He shows his ID to the bouncer and he lets him in. I show my ID to the bouncer and he says, “This isn’t you, this is mine now.” Granted, I had long hair on my ID but had chopped it all off. It was still obviously me if you compared faces, as my family has very distinctive eyes. I asked for it back, then told him I really didn’t care about going in as I wasn’t going to drink anyway.
His response was “call the authorities,” with a smirk on his face, thinking I wouldn’t out of fear of getting in trouble with a fake ID. Well, it’s not legal for a bouncer to confiscate a real government-issued ID, even if it's not yours. This was also a busy shopping center, and there was always an officer walking around for security. So, I found one and reported the theft.
We both walked over to the bar and the officer asks for the ID. He looks at it then hands it to me. The officer then looks at me and asks if I’d like to press charges. I say no, but the guy still proceeds to rip the bouncer a new one, saying how lucky he is that I’m not pressing charges and that confiscating a government ID is a major problem (I think he was overly embellishing this).
The officer honestly seemed angrier than I was. I went back to coffee with my girlfriend and the officer went inside the bar, I’m assuming to speak to someone in charge, as I never saw that bouncer again at the place.
64. One Woman’s Trash…
This happened a few weeks ago and I still have a grin on my face. I went downtown to this Mexican-themed local restaurant that makes arguably the best burritos in town. I went in around lunch and it had a few customers but wasn’t overly crowded. There are two people in line: me and some woman who is ~40 or so. Now, I want to note something: If you want something like guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or anything like that that isn't beans, rice, or meat, it costs extra.
All of this is clearly stated on the menu board. So anyway, the woman orders the three base ingredients along with a bunch of extras. The entire time, she's friendly with the guy making the burrito. It all goes to all goes to heck when this happens. E is the employee and B is the customer: E: That'll be $11.45 B: What the heck?! The menu said the burrito only costs $9! Why'd you jack up the price?
E: You got guacamole, pico, and salsa on your burrito; those cost extra and add to the price. B: Well, how was I supposed to know that? E: It's on the menu board. You should have seen it. B: I don't have time to read the entire menu! Either sell it to me for $9 or I'm gonna talk to the owner. He's a good friend of mine and always helps me out! E: First of all, I'm not gonna give you a discount. Second, either pay for your burrito or leave. Third, I'm the owner and I've never met you.
What happened afterward was what I pretty much expected. B stormed out, flipping the owner off and saying she's never going to eat here again and she's going to give it a 1-star review on Google (that'll show him). I suppose the owner simply ran out of patience I walked up to the register and said that I'd buy the burrito so it wouldn't go to waste. Good burrito, too.
65. Read The Room
I decided to stop eating at one of my regular workday lunch spots because of a new employee they hired. I’d been coming in once or twice a week for lunch for years, usually by myself. I knew the daytime staff and we would have a friendly chat when I came in, just like the staff did with all their regular customers. I got busy and didn’t come in for a couple of months.
When I finally made it back in, the restaurant had hired a new assistant manager/head waiter. This was a completely new employee who I had never met before, and I was seated in his section at a table for one. Immediately upon seeing me, he freaked me right out. He grabbed my hand and started gushing about how much he’d missed me. Then he stopped talking and just stared into my eyes like we were long-lost lovers.
Every time he passed by my table, he would stop and hold out his hand for me to take it, then stare longingly into my eyes and talk about how much he’d missed me, but we were together now. It was annoying as heck. I reiterate, I never met this guy before. The lunch staff was always the same small crew. If we’d met before because he was filling in or something, it would have only been one time.
Whatever the case, his fake romantic stuff was unwanted and very annoying. I looked around to see if there were any other lone female diners that he was carrying on with, but there weren’t any. I think his idea was that since I was a lone female I would be starving for romantic attention and his flattery would lead to a larger tip. Nope. This was not the first time I’ve had a server put on this overly-familiar act and probably won’t be the last.
If you are a server, please don’t engage in this behavior! Nobody likes it!
66. Not A Dry Eye In The House
Years ago, my father was taken in by ambulance to the ER and immediately put into an induced coma (that would last nearly four weeks) due to a very severe case of swine flu with double-sided pneumonia, septic shock, and organ failure. He was hooked up on 100% oxygen as he could not oxygenate himself. There was about a 20-30% chance he would make it.
Since the situation was so severe, the close family were there almost every day. The thing with intensive care is that the air is so dry (probably to keep humidity down to prevent bacterial growth or spread between patients), and as someone who wears contact lenses, it’s awful to spend hours in that sort of air. It took me ages to realize why I kept getting dry eyes—and with dry eyes, my vision starts getting blurry.
This was of some concern to me because I had to drive quite a long way home and didn’t want to risk my vision being poor. So I asked my aunt if she had some sort of lens solution, but she didn’t, so I mostly voiced my stress about driving home. Just a minute later, this sweet nurse plops her head in and hands me some of those one-use saline solution packets so I could use them as eye drops.
I was so taken aback by the kind treatment of all of the staff. Not only did they take impeccable care of my father, they made sure that all of us were as comfortable and informed as possible. Dad made it, not in small thanks to the incredible care he received. One of my life’s most memorable months, no doubt.
67. No Judgment
In the food court in our shopping center, there’s a donut place and I just realized today that the last three times I’ve been to this place I’ve been served by this teenage boy and it’s always been really bad times for me. The first time I almost fainted. I’m pregnant and my iron and blood pressure was low at the time. I felt fine waiting in line, but when I got to the counter to order I started to fade and felt my blood draining from my face.
Hands flat on the counter, head hanging down, low mumbled voice while ordering. After I got my donut, I sat at the closest table and put my head down for a few minutes. Recovered and ate my donut like nothing happened. The second time while ordering, I had just gotten some bad news and it was clear I’d been crying. Ordered an ice coffee through sniffles, stared off into the distance while waiting, then went on my way.
And last time I was having a panic attack. I was super out of it, crying a little, and hyperventilating while basically clawing my arm and looking around frantically. Got my stuff and shuffled away, hiding behind my husband with my face pressed into his back. So I guess thank you teenage boy for always smiling while serving me and never making me feel awkward during our encounters.
Also I swear I’m not a weirdo, I just have very unfortunate timing for wanting donuts.
Shutterstock
68. Going Green
I asked the waitress if they had spinach. She said they do. So I ordered a spinach and cheese omelet. She comes back, right about when I'd expect the food to be ready, to apologize that they don't, in fact, have spinach. No problem, I'll take broccoli instead. She goes to the window and tells the cook, "She'll have a side of broccoli." So I call over, "No, I want broccoli in the omelet."
"But he already made the omelet." "Then please remake it, with all the ingredients." Brains were in short supply this day.
69. Your Lucky Day
I'm feeling both happy and guilty about this. I've been at the mall all day searching for a black dress. Found a few I liked, but nothing that felt right. That is until I went into one store. I found a cute little black dress, with a tag of $44. Tried it on and liked it. It was a little big, so I asked the girl to grab me a size down to try. She brings me the dress, I try it on, perfect fit.
That's when I notice the tag on this dress has a $15 sticker. I think, "Hm, this wasn't in the sale section," and bring it to cash. The girl scans it. Sure enough, $44. I tell her that's fine because I knew it had to be a mistake. She says no, and insists on honoring that price since it wasn't fair to me. I feel kind of bad since the dress came to a little over $16 and is gorgeous, but I'm very thankful to that girl.
70. Standing Up For Yourself
My wife has been an endurance runner and triathlete for years. She’s in incredible shape. Two months ago, however, she got into a horrible car accident. A sloshed guy plowed into her and her sister. Thankfully they both are ok, but my wife suffered multiple fractures and two leg operations with pins, etc. Recently she’s been feeling much better and is home from the hospital and rehab, so we wanted to go out for dinner.
Now, she does have a wheelchair but she’s been doing really great with her physical therapy and is using crutches, so we decided to go to a chain restaurant here in town. Mind you, my wife has a heavy brace on her leg and obviously, it’s visible that she’s got an injury. We go into the restaurant with a six-minute wait. Cool, we take a seat and suddenly a family of 10 piles in.
It’s kids, a pregnant woman, and a miserable older lady. I get up, as does one of the other men sitting. The pregnant woman says thank you and gives us a smile as she sits. Granny gives my wife the stank eye, then she sits down and asks her, “How old are you? Didn’t your mother teach you manners?” My wife looks at her, like what the heck lady. She tells the woman she had surgery and has to stay off her leg.
The woman grunts and then looks at my wife, “lazy cow.” My wife ignores her and starts showing me something on her phone. This woman then intentionally knocks my wife’s crutches onto the floor. “I said get up!” She gives us both a glare. Thankfully, her daughter and son-in-law stepped in, and our table was ready. We get our food, eat our delicious meal, and get our bill.
The manager comes to see us, he’s a Black man, as is my wife. He tells us the hostess told him how rude the lady was to us. Apparently, she let loose with a bigoted rant after we left. Her family was completely mortified and the hostess had alerted the manager. Unfortunately, they turned away her party thanks to her behavior, I say unfortunately as her family seemed like good people.
The manager offered us free dessert and apologized again. Class act and we will definitely be going to eat there again.
71. Never Have I Ever
I was not there when this happened, but my husband told me right after the event. He was in line to pay for his groceries later at night, and the young female cashier checking out the woman in front of him was being talked to by another, older female cashier. The older cashier is bugging the younger one about any boyfriends, and the young one is looking uncomfortable about the conversation.
She looks shy and possibly a bit underdeveloped. The young one is saying she hasn’t had a boyfriend, and the older one puts up her two fingers in a “v” and goes “it’s because you’re one of these” and then smirks at the customers in line. Obviously very embarrassed, the young girl tells the older woman to stop, and that she’s uncomfortable. The older woman doesn’t stop.
My husband is furious at this behavior and obvious harassment. He is a wonderful and sweet person, but the moment you behave poorly, you will be getting a stern talking to. It’s like when you get in trouble from your most respected teacher. He means business and you will know deep down in your bones that you were in the wrong. He turned the full force of his anger on this woman.
He calls the older woman out for making the girl uncomfortable. She makes a comment about it being “just a joke.” He tells her it’s not a joke, it’s harassment, and that she’d better apologize, right now. She makes some sort of other excuse and he cuts her off and demands the apology again. She finally meekly apologizes to the girl—She actually apologized to him first, and he says, “Why are you apologizing to me?! Apologize to her!”
He got the name of the manager and told her to expect to be hauled into the manager’s office tomorrow. He let the woman sweat, and didn’t call the manager for a few days to make her think that maybe she was in the clear. When he did call, the manager was appalled that this happened and said he would deal with the woman right away. I bet it wasn’t the first time this happened for that poor girl, but I’m hoping it was the last time.
72. The Milk Of Human Kindness
I had to run some errands in town on the third consecutive day above 113°F and my three-month-old baby was not having it. I walked into a new café to sit down and feed her when she started screaming loudly. I went up to the counter pretty flustered and ordered a coffee quickly. The waitress says, “I’m sorry but the machine is down, do you have cash?”
My baby started crying louder so I apologized and asked if they don’t mind me leaving my stroller behind for a minute so that I’d run down and withdraw some cash while I feed my little one. Meanwhile, the waitress had stuck her head back into the kitchen and spoke quietly to an older man (presumably the owner), then said to me, “You sit down, you’re not to worry about it. I’ll bring the coffee over to you, which size were you after again?”
I thanked her and said I’d go to get the money as soon as I’d finished feeding, and she shook her head and said, “No way, this one is on the house.” I went and got the money anyway as soon as my baby settled, and when I got back to the counter I ordered lunch from a different waitress and asked to pay for both the food and the coffee I’d been given earlier. The new waitress shook her head as well and said, “Nope, she gave you that coffee for free didn’t she, you’re not paying.”
I left the change in the tip jar (despite their protests) and will be back for many a meal in the future.
73. On A Wing And A Prayer
A couple of nights ago, I was getting off the night shift at my own restaurant and craving some chicken wings, so I went to this place down the street. It's this sports pub-type joint on a college campus. It was some night in the middle of the week, so it wasn't really busy. I asked the hostess if I could get a seat near an outlet (phone was low battery) and she took me to a four-top.
The server comes over and asks if I'm waiting for anyone else. I said no and his face immediately changes. He’s like "Oh...okay..." before taking my drink and app order. Now, I was the soul unlucky enough to have a table near the point-of-sale system. This dude either had no idea how to whisper or just didn't care, because I soon heard everything he was saying.
He and another server were debating on whether or not I got stood up. He also said something along the lines of, "She better be a great tipper because I’m losing money having her at that four-top” and "I could be serving a bigger party there and make better tips." Stuff like that. But it got so much worse from there. First, he brought me the wrong flavor of wings.
I politely told him (I get it, mistakes happen) and he huffed and made that same snarky annoyed face before taking the wings back. When he dropped off my wings and drink, he plops them on the table and rushes off before I could even say anything. I had to call him a couple of times so I could put in my entree. After receiving my entree, it had been so long since he came to my table that I had to ask another server to flag him down so that I could order dessert.
The options on the dessert menu were different types of sundaes, but I just wanted the ice cream, so I asked if I would be able to just get a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. This dude snickers and is like "Yeah, I guess we could do that..." I watched almost two episodes of TV on my phone in the time it took for him to come back to my table for the check.
I probably could've just flagged another server again, but it's not their responsibility to check on my table, it's the other dude's. I usually tip 25-30% but I tipped 15% because the service wasn't that great. He goes to the point of sale and he's laughing with the same server from before and showing her my receipt and being like, "Wow seriously? I can't believe that's my tip."
I'm not usually a "I wanna speak to the manager" person, but if it weren't late at night and if I weren't ready to go to home and sleep, I probably would've gotten a manager. I liked the food there and everyone else seemed nice except for those two servers. Thank God for nametags, so next time I go, I can request to not be put in either of their sections.
74. An Unhappy Ending
I am so angry. Earlier today, my boyfriend asked me to schedule him a cupping appointment at this place I go to because the woman who does it is amazing. He was by me when I was making the call. About an hour later, I get a call from the place. I answer. LM = manager. LM: Hi, you booked an appointment and asked for a “gift” at the end. Me: Uh, what?
LM: You called and booked an appointment for your boyfriend and paid for it and asked if he could get a “gift” at the end. We don’t do that. Me: What?! No...I booked a cupping appointment for him, LM: It says here you booked a relaxing massage. Who is the appointment with? I say who. LM: She isn’t in today. Me: The appointment is on Sunday.
LM: looks it up Umm yeah. And you already paid for it. Me: No I didn’t. At this point I should have just said cancel it. LM: Oh well, it wasn’t you! Haha yeah, the receptionist said someone asked for a “gift” at the end and we are trying to nip that in the bud! Laughing I then call my boyfriend and tell him the story and he goes, “Well I’m afraid to go now! It’s going to be awkward!”
I had been sitting thinking about it and how she automatically said it was me and didn’t even look up any information about the appointment! And I have been to that place at least five times so my information is in their system.
Pexels
75. Made To Order
I went to a prestigious boarding school in a major city around four hours from my hometown, and after I graduated I didn't get to see my school friends as often as I would have liked. A few years after school, one of my closest friends had a birthday party, canapes and drinks at this lovely venue, where many of the girls I knew from school attended.
It was a pretty big deal for me to see all these friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, and we were all dressed up and having a great night. I have social anxiety, so basically in situations like this I can't eat. The thought of food makes me nauseated and so I generally find polite ways to avoid it. The servers were coming around constantly with plates full of delicious-looking food, which I politely declined.
"No thank you," "Oh, I'm not hungry, but that looks great!" and "Oh sorry, I had a huge lunch!" can only be thrown around so many times. After a while, the servers were looking at me with increased confusion as I continued to decline, and was evidently the only person not eating the amazing food that they were offering. Next thing I know, I'm sitting chatting with a friend and a young waiter, beaming with pride, comes up to me with a small platter of food.
He kindly informs me that he had the chef make a vegan platter just for me as they had noticed I wasn't eating the other food. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't vegan, and graciously accepted the platter, which I actually managed to eat some of, and yes, it was amazing. It made a funny story to tell, but honestly the kindness of the servers and chef, going out of their way to try and accommodate me and make me feel comfortable and welcome was amazing!
76. The Root Of All Evil
So yesterday was my son's 10th birthday. Last year we put his $50 birthday money from his grandpa into a new savings account at a local bank. He was crazy excited about the concept of his money increasing over time (simple interest). We even took him into the bank and explained the whole concept in front of the bank officer. He was more excited about getting mail than anything else, so we gave him the envelopes unopened.
Yesterday, we went over with his new birthday check…only to find that his balance had dropped and was around $35. The bank was charging him $5 every quarter to let him know by US mail he had earned a few pennies. The bank never mentioned the $5 charge or offered e-statements. I guess the good old days of opening a savings account to learn about simple interest are behind us and the days of banks sucking every fee they can off their customers are upon us.
Still, the kid actually did learn a lesson about banks.
77. Service With A Snarl
I'm a rather tall and heavy-set Black guy who lives in the ultra-liberal capitol of WI. My city has a large social justice warrior base and a minuscule conservative base; if so much of a whisper is heard supporting our governor our streets are flooded with rallies. This means that the conservative folk who need to live relatively near are pushed to smaller ancillary towns miles outside the metropolitan area limits.
Despite my liberal sanctuary where most people are pleasant, the surrounding area isn't. Context set, moving on. I had a job where I needed to travel daily all over the southern part of the state. I don't have a car, so I would check out our branded company vehicle to get where I'm assigned. I had to wear red scrub tops and black scrub bottoms and my badge on display at all times from the time I picked up and dropped off the vehicle.
So I swing by a gas station that's very popular in one of these small towns. Decked out in my gear that usually garners very positive community support. Except for today. Today was much different. I walk in. Look around. I'm starving and they have these amazing-smelling donuts that just came in. I grab a couple and a Nos Energy Drink, it's gonna be a busy day.
I stand in line patiently and when it's my turn, I hear the cashier scoff. Cashier: eyes my food, then me Are you sure you need this? Me: I'm sorry, come again? Cashier: Don't you think that's a bit...much for the morning? I assume she's talking about my energy drink. Me: Hahah, no, I just don't like coffee. Cashier, with a visibly annoyed face: I meant the donuts.
She rings me up as I fake smile. It's not the first nor last time someone will make that comment. I'm used to it, but I'm hungry and I don't care. Carrots won't do it. I dig through my wallet and don't see any cash, that's cool, I'll just use my card. Me: Just checking, you take cards, right? She gives me the most disgusted look. Then she says the most disgusting thing. Cashier: I'm sorry, but we don't take EBT.
Me, with a brief pause: What? Cashier: We. Don't. Take. Food. Stamps. I slowly pull out my card. Me: I meant Visa... Cashier, easing off on the attitude: Well, why didn't you say so, I knew you all weren't poor [referencing my badge] I give her my card and she swipes it on the register. Me: Debit please. Cashier, motioning to the PIN pad: Go ahead and put in your PIN.
I was a bit flustered, so I accidentally missed a number and the card was declined. Cashier: Maybe you are. Figures. At that point, I just put my stuff down and walked away. I wasn't hungry anymore. While I was walking out, I saw some of the customers behind me (I didn't realize I was holding people up) put down their things and walk out as well. I got to my car and just sat there for a second.
I'm trying to look on my phone for any other places nearby that I can find food and that's when I hear a knock on my window. Apparently one of the customers complained to the shift supervisor, and she came out to apologize. She told me to take the stuff for free and that she didn't mean for any of that to happen. I thanked her, and she thanked me for being so positive about the situation.
I drove away after she thanked me one more time. When I got to my location, I ate my food and slammed my Nos. It got me through the day that wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. Nameless shift supervisor, if you're reading this, thanks for making a bad situation pretty pleasant in the end.
78. Drive Me Crazy
When I was about 16, I had a 2006 red Ford Mustang and was having some car troubles, which ultimately led to finding out I needed my catalytic converter replaced. Keep in mind that this is a very expensive repair. Me and my dad took it to an auto shop to get it fixed along with a tire rotation and an oil change among other work. I can't remember the exact price, but it was somewhere around $1.5k-$2k.
When the car was repaired and ready to pick up, my dad came with me, as he knew stories of auto-shops "stretching" the truth. As we paid and got the keys (the repairman seemed nice enough, very outgoing and helpful) he looks me in the eye with my dad right there and asks me, "Do you drive this car a lot, or do you drive mainly to work? Joyrides?” Obviously being 16, yes, I loved driving my red mustang around.
"Well son, the entire steering/braking system is about to go out. The days of joyriding are OVER. You're going to need everything replaced, you're going to be driving one day soon down the highway and the steering is going to snap or you won't be able to brake and you don't want that to happen going 65 mph." My alarm bells started ringing.
The guy probably saw a 16-year-old with a nice mustang with daddy there to pay for everything. Little did he know, I saved up and paid for the car completely by myself, and I took great pride in that. Ultimately after doing some research, the parts he said were about to go out generally are never in bad enough shape to need replacing. For the next six years, every day I drove by that car shop and honked to let him know I still lasted another day.
I basically lived in that car. I sold it to a Ford dealership with no problems in the inspection. To this day, I still laugh at how much he tried to scare me. "Son, the days of joyriding are OVER.” What a joke.
79. Nothing To See Here
I was shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores today. They were having a 50% off all tag colors, except blue. So I was looking for mostly non-blue tags, and found one item that didn't have a tag on it. I had planned to ask an employee when I saw one. I went around an aisle and saw a female employee texting on her phone. She looked up and saw me and said, "You did NOT just see that."
As an aside, I don't care if an employee is on her phone. Doesn't matter to me at all. But I guess some customers might have snitched on her. I said in reply, "I didn't see anything, I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled and said okay, then started walking away to continue her work. But I said, "Wait a minute, I have something here that doesn't have a price on it."
She came back and looked at it and said, "Since you did not see anything, you can have it for $2.99." And I said, "Cool!" It probably would have been at least twice that, maybe with a blue tag or not. I didn't know or care. A little while later I saw her and said, "Just to let you know, the only thing I saw was an employee doing her job." And she said, "Thanks."
80. Secret Menu Item
So, my husband loves decaf iced lattes from a very popular coffee and donut store in New England. He has one at least 3-4 times a week. Today I go to the drive-thru as normal. E = Employee at drive-thru. Me: Can I get a medium iced decaf latte please? E: We don’t have decaf lattes. Me: I got one here yesterday? E: Nah, we don’t have decaf lattes, only decaf coffee.
Me: It’s on the menu... E: Listen, I’ve worked here over a year and I’ve never heard of a decaf latte, we don’t do those. Me: Okay... I’m gonna go somewhere else. At this point, I drive off because I didn’t want to argue. I drove five minutes to a different store in the same chain (we have them every couple miles here) and got the latte without any issue.
How does that lack of knowledge happen? How do you work somewhere for year and not know something on the menu?
81. Fake It Till You Make It
A few weeks ago, I stopped to get a pack of smokes at the gas station closest to my house, which I frequent pretty often. I'm on a first-name basis with most everyone who works there, but this guy was new and I had never seen him before. It was late, and he was working by himself, and had a pretty significant line forming. Apparently his computer had frozen and he had to do a whole system reboot of it, and it was going very slowly.
No problem, I wasn't in a big hurry, but some other people waiting didn't have my patience. It finally gets to be my turn, and he asks for my ID. No problem, I'm 31 but I look really young and this guy didn't know me yet. My regular, state ID is expired right now and I haven't been able to get it renewed just yet, but I have a Passport card that's still valid that I've been using in the meantime.
It's different than the standard passport book. It's an actual card and not valid for international flights. It's mostly for cruises, which is why I got it in the first place. It's was cheaper than the book and I only needed it for the cruise so figured I'd save myself a few bucks and could just upgrade it one day for a discount if I needed to. I've definitely had cashiers and such before look at it weirdly since they'd never seen one before, but once I explain what it is, it usually just ends in us having a conversation about cruises, ha.
So he asks for my ID, and I show him the card. He stares at it for a minute, which is not unusual at this point. I tell him my birthday is in the middle of the card, since sometimes people will have trouble finding it. I try to point to it on the card, and he snatches his arm back and tells me not to grab it back from him. Ummm ok. Whatever man. He stares at it for what felt like an incredibly long time, and tried to scan it on his computer.
It didn't take it, since those machines are only set up to scan state IDs, then he tells me he can't accept this, since it's not a valid ID. Not only that, but he's going to have to keep it as it's clearly fake. Umm excuse me, what?? No. No to both. It's a valid ID and not at all fake. I try to explain to him that it's a passport card, issued by the government, and actually it's more of an ID than a state-issued ID.
And he's not keeping it. He just keeps shaking his head and saying, "Well I've never seen one like this before." OK so that makes it fake??? Well, I’ve just never seen one before. Customers behind me have heard this all go down and start taking my side, explaining to him that it’s a passport card and totally legit. One guy pulled up the info page for passport cards off the official website and showed him the picture and kept telling him it’s legit.
He's still sticking to his story. Keeps saying he's never seen one, so he can't accept it, and is refusing to give me back my ID. I figure at this point, screw it. I'll just go somewhere else to get my smokes, but this dude is NOT keeping my passport. He kept insisting he has to keep it, since they destroy all fake IDs. No sir, you're not keeping my passport that isn't at all fake.
I told him look, you can deny the sale all you want, I don't care at this point, but he has to give it back to me, or I'm calling the authorities, who will not only make him give it back to me, but will prove that it is, in fact, real. He digs his heels in for a minute, thinking I was bluffing, but when I took out my phone to start dialing the non-emergency number, he said fine, I could take it, but I "Better not come back up in this store trying to pass off a bad fake ID."
Oh really? That's how you wanna play it? OK then. So I leave and go somewhere else to get my smokes, and they have no issue with my passport card. The next day, I go back in that gas station, and since, again, I go there just about every day, I know most all of the employees, including the manager. The manager happened to be working, so I asked him about the new guy, and tell him what happened.
He apologized profusely for what happened and promised me he would take care of it. Apparently, the dude had to retake a bunch of tests about proper forms of ID, and it turns out he had already taken all of those quizzes before he was allowed to even work the register, so he had definitely seen pictures and been told what a passport card was and that it is valid.
I saw him again a few nights later working, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He didn't ID me though.
82. You Again
Me and my family would go on 3-5 day Thanksgiving cruises for vacation. You have the same waiter each night at dinner and they ask your name for a more personal experience. We had this awesome waiter, I can’t remember his name unfortunately, but I do remember his awesome useless skill he taught us. He showed us how to push a plastic straw all the way through an apple.
He then gave us 10 straws each and a few apples while our food was getting prepared. We were always excited to go to dinner each night and this made it much easier for my parents to deal with us as kids. Fast forward three years and we do the same Thanksgiving cruise on the same boat as last time. We sit down at dinner and are looking and the menu when we hear an upbeat but cautious, “Mr. Mike??” (My dad).
We all look up to see our waiter. We got the same waiter again and he remembered my dad’s name!!! He even proved it by doing the apple trick for us! It was so crazy and made the experience that much better.
83. Too Cool For School
I was waiting in line behind some annoying high school kids at this burger joint. When they put in their order, the employee (who had an accent) repeated it back, but the "alpha" of the group starts making fun of his pronunciation, like, "No, I want to order four cheeseburgers not four 'cheeseboogers.' That sounds gross. Also, what are 'prench pries'? Are you trying to say French fries?"
He'd glance back at his buddies and they'd all giggle like some little gossiping schoolgirls, which pressed the alpha to make the cashier repeat their order several times, correcting every perceived mispronunciation. The cashier seems pretty frustrated, so I step in and attempt to translate for the idiots by repeating the order all nice and slow, loud and dramatic to them as they were doing to the cashier.
They fall silent and kind of stared at me, obviously surprised to see someone else getting involved. I tell them, "Doesn't feel good when someone talks to you that way, does it?" They almost looked ashamed. They paid for the order then shuffled off to the side to wait. I can hear them talking about me, as if I care. I recognize the cashier's accent because my mother is Filipino so I speak to him in Tagalog for a minute so the idiots can't understand what we are saying, but we keep glancing over at them and laughing.
I apologize to the cashier for our education system and lament how many Americans their age rarely learn to speak another language and tend to not travel anywhere unless it’s to get wasted, get laid, etc. then explain that not all of us are like that. When I put in my order, the cashier refuses payment, so I got a comped meal because some idiots were being rude.
84. Bad First Impression
So I recently switched doctors. I’m under Tricare as I’m a veteran and the doctor I’ve seen since I’m 14 suddenly doesn’t take my insurance. Anyway, I made my first appointment. Me and my significant other arrived at the appointment a half hour early as stipulated to fill out paperwork. I fill out the paperwork and I’m sitting waiting for the doctor.
The doctor is in a practice it’s her and another female doctor. Anyway, I’m sitting there and my SO and I are browsing the Internet, and out comes this tiny terror of a doctor. I hear the front office lady going, “Doctor, it’s not them!” However, too late. She gets in our faces and starts going off on me about how her time is precious and how I showed up an hour late, etc.
Meanwhile, two of her staff members are literally shouting at her, “It’s the wrong patient!” The patient, as it turns out, is an elderly lady who was late because the facility she was at was told the wrong time. She is now sobbing. The lady is like 85 with severe Parkinson’s, and her aide is this big burly guy who is now also ticked off.
I’m still being told what a piece of trash I am. Finally, my actual doctor comes out and basically drags this other doctor into her office. The medical assistant is trying to put out fires, but the old lady is just done by now and her aide takes her home and tells the front desk his facility will be filing a complaint and not bringing back any of their patients. My SO, who is fiery, is really mad, but I’m way laid back and was just amused by the entire thing.
I was more upset she made the old lady cry. Finally, my doctor comes out to me again and she takes us into an exam room. She apologizes and tells us her partner is going through some personal issues. She was nice and did apologize but pretty much left it at that. We told her we won’t be back and my SO and I will be filing a complaint as well.
85. Try, Try Again
So I stepped on my glasses and bent one of the arms at a crazy odd angle, making them unwearable. Still, they are repairable. I know because I’ve done this before. So I headed over to my usual cheap glasses chain (two pairs for about a hundred bucks) in search of my usual technician who has saved my glasses multiple times. This particular woman is pure gold at twisting then back in shape.
But my usual woman isn’t at the store when I get there. No worries, I figure the technicians are all trained and can probably help me. So I show the glasses to the guy at the main desk to see if he can help. He takes the glasses and starts trying to bend the arm back in place. I give a little yelp and say, “Wait dude shouldn’t you heat them first??”
He was like “Huh?” So I take the glasses back because clearly he will end up breaking them and I ask if I could see the technician. He said, “I am the technician!” And then says he will show them to the optometrist. He heads off and comes back like two seconds later and says, “These glasses are unfixable and you will need to buy new frames.” He clearly didn’t show them to anyone.
He went through a door and came back out. He just wants to sell me new glasses. So I just say ok thanks and leave the store. Next, I head to a little independent shop that repairs glasses and ask if my frames are fixable and if so what would the cost be. The guy there said, “Oh yeah these can be repaired but the cost will be $60” I said, “Ok, well they are cheap frames and that’s about what they cost me new,” so I thanked him and left.
I decided to give it one more shot and head to a big chain store in the same strip mall. I show the lady at the desk my frames and asked if they could fix them. She said maybe but in doing so they might break the frames. I said give it a shot. So she took them back to the optometrist to give it a try. Five minutes later she walks back smiling and hands me my repaired glasses.
Wow!! I asked the cost and pulled out my wallet. She said no charge! Have a great day! Persistence pays off!
Pexels
86. A Bright Idea
I am in between teaching classes and I ran out to my favorite noodle spot to eat. It’s a tiny place with only a few tables and it’s not that busy this time of day. There was only one occupied table when I arrived. A woman with a shrieking baby in a tiny room. Oh no. I don’t have enough time between classes to find somewhere else to eat. I’ll just deal with it.
I don’t love to listen to a screaming baby while I eat but I’m not someone who gets especially upset about it. As I’m settling in, I hear her asking the staff for a to-go container so she can get out of there. I feel bad for her as her bowl of noodles is pretty full. She obviously didn’t get a chance to eat much before the kid started up. I am grateful that she has the consideration to think of getting her fussy baby out of the restaurant.
Just then, the staff got an idea. Suddenly, the pop music that normally plays in this restaurant stops. A few moments of silence. I don’t exactly know how to describe the music that plays next but you all know it. It’s that classic “baby music” style. Like a xylophone or a music box. It’s gentle, not obnoxious like a lot of kid music. I recognize the melody as “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King.
The next song to play is “Baby Mine” from Dumbo which, if you don’t know it, is both soothing as heck and an absolute tearjerker. I’m sitting here sipping a pint and enjoying my noodles while the mother is able to stay and finish up with her baby softly snoozing away beside her. As a service industry veteran, I usually bristle at the notion of a restaurant altering its atmosphere to suit the needs of one guest.
In this case, it’s just a great example of staff thinking on their feet and showing somebody some compassion. If they weren’t already my favorite, they would be now.
Pexels
87. Whipped Into Shape
I recently went to my local coffee shop for a blended frozen mocha with extra whip. Normally at this chain when they make your drink they will fill the cup but a little extra remains in the blender, which I assume gets tossed. If you ask for extra whipped cream you might get slightly less beverage, which is fine with me. I’m just here for the whip.
Anyways, she made my drink, then poured it into the cup. Seeing that there was a little extra in the blender, she poured it into another cup and then topped both cups off with heaps of whipped cream and a delectable drizzle of mocha sauce. She did the same with my friend’s drink. Maybe it’s not great for the environment to use so many cups, but this gesture absolutely made my day.
I told her this and thanked her, and also contacted the company to tell them of her outstanding service (leaving out the particulars of supersizing drinks at no charge). If you’re reading this, thank you generous barista, for knowing what I really mean when I ask for extra whip!
88. What A Drain
I moved my family into a new house, and the first night there I tried to take a bath. My boys came running to the bathroom to tell me my bathwater was draining into the kitchen. After getting out and doing some investigating, I discovered the overflow drain was not attached to any pipe. When I took the plate off, I could see the light defuser over the kitchen light from the hole in the tub.
The landlord was a nice man from my church who was giving me an awesome deal on the rent and I didn't want to rock the boat. So no baths for me. I replaced the useless drain cover and then taped plastic over it and we just took showers. Then a few months later, the tub drain clogged so we had to ask the landlord to call a plumber. In comes this guy. He’s an older guy.
Turns out, a small child of the previous tenants had let a plastic necklace go down the drain and it collected enough to stop the water. At this point, I got an earful I never want to hear again. The guy lectured me about not letting my kids have toys in the tub. I explained that I had boys and this was a little girl’s toy and not ours. He just shook his head and smiled.
Then when I asked him if he could fix the overflow drain, he took off the plate himself. The pipe was clearly not attached and you could see down into the kitchen. He said it was fine and replaced the cover. I watched him. He didn't attach anything and this guy, I kid you not, gave me that same stupid smile and told me, "You're a woman. You just don't understand how plumbing works."
So I asked him, completely incredulous, "So the tub is supposed to drain into the kitchen?" He refused to believe me. I called the landlord after the guy left and told him what happened. The landlord fired that guy and a new guy came the next week and actually fixed the drain. I may be a woman, but I understood plumbing better than that guy sure did.
89. A Little Patience Goes A Long Way
My boyfriend and I went to a restaurant for dinner on Easter. The whole shtick of the restaurant was the 90+ beers on tap. When we got there, the hostess let us know their CO2 had blown and they were working on getting a new one, and she wouldn't be upset if we wanted to leave. We ended up staying anyways, and I'm glad we did. I used to work as a server, so I could tell right away they were in the weeds.
The service was still great, and they did their absolute best. I asked for a cup of ranch to go with my fries, and the server forgot to bring it out. He remembered halfway through the next time he checked in and immediately began profusely apologizing. I interrupted him right away with "Don't even worry about it. I've been there before. It's all good."
I could SEE the relief wash over him. I'm talking his whole body relaxed as he asked, "You're a server?" I told him I used to and that I know exactly what he's going through right now. He relaxed even more and began describing the horrible shift he was working. It was nice to see how he relaxed when he realized I was a server and wasn't going to blow up on him, but it made me a bit sad that servers/retail workers/etc. have been so conditioned to automatically expect mistreatment from customers.
90. This Isn’t A Game
I used to visit the local games store a lot. Mostly, I went in to pay off pre-orders for my then fiancé, now husband, and I, but I also spent a period tracking down old games for my husband that he thought were impossible to find. One of these days, I decided to check out the PC games while I waited to see if the manager was out back or not, since the manager was the one helping me find the games.
Well, the PC games are in the back corner, next to the storeroom door. The door swings outward and nearly hits some free-standing shelves. Because of this, the only way to get to the games was on the other side of the shelves, leaving you right in the corner. While looking, I bend down a little to see the games at the bottom when I noticed a pair of legs right behind me.
Straightening up, I turn to see a new employee standing there, looking me up and down. I've had zero interactions with him before but have seen him in the store once or twice. This guy was over 6 feet to my 5 feet 3 inches, and he was heavy. His hair was a mess and greasy, and the uniform for the store was half tucked in, half not. He didn't have a neckbeard and I didn't know the label back then but yeah, neckbeard.
His bulk blocked the only exit unless I closed the storeroom door. The door was heavy-looking but I was definitely thinking about it when I noticed him staring at...not my face. "I see you here a lot. I noticed cause pretty girls like you don't normally play games," he informed my chest. Lies, since two girls he worked with were very pretty, but they had smaller chests so maybe that was his way of measuring beauty.
I muttered something like "Okay...I'm going to go back to looking now." "Why are you looking at PC games? No one plays PC games anymore. If you want to be a real gamer girl you need an Xbox!" "My fiancé and I have an Xbox, I just also like PC games. "PC games can be cool, I guess." Steps in closer, literally cornering me, and giving me what I think he thought was a seductive gaze.
"I can pick you out some good ones." "I'm good. I have more shopping to do. Can you let me out?" "Nah, seriously, I can even get a copy and we can talk about it next time you’re in. Come on, it'll be fun. Or we could play together." He tries to put his hand on my shoulder or touch my hand, but I hit it away. The whole time he has been looming over me and leering at me.
The shelves with the PC games are digging into my back as I try to put space between us, but he just keeps edging forward. "No." I'm about a minute away from having a PTSD panic attack at this point and probably look like a caged animal. My breathing is heavy and my voice has gone up a pitch or two. Everything about me says I am uncomfortable and terrified.
"Leave me alone. I don't want your help." His "seductive" vomit-inducing gaze turned annoyed. "Why are you being rude? You flirt with the manager all the time but when someone flirts back you turn into a witch Are you just trying to get a discount off him?” "I don't flirt with him, I just chat to him about games FOR MY FIANCE!" My breathing has become erratic by this point and I've started clawing at my throat and arms, a sign of my PTSD being triggered.
I had just started trying to work out what would be easier, ramming into this buffoon's stomach and making him fall over or pulling the standing shelves onto him (both would have been difficult) when the storeroom door moved. The storeroom is fairly big, I knew from the times I had stood at the entrance to talk to the manager, but apparently in my panic I had used my normal speaking voice, which is actually quite loud, allowing the manager to hear and come forward to eavesdrop.
The moment the manager closed the door enough for me to get through, I bolted out of the corner. The manager opened the door again hard enough to wedge it against the shelves before moving around the shelves to corner the employee like he had to me. "That game isn't in yet," he shot over his shoulder, sounding angry. "It'll be at least a couple of weeks.”
I bolt, run to the closest bathroom, and lock myself in a stall to have a breakdown. A few days later when my fiancé and I went to the shops together, I wouldn't cross the threshold of the store and started freaking out. I couldn't see the employee but I didn't want to risk it. About three weeks later, I braved the store after looking around for the new employee.
Only the manager and one of the female workers were in sight but I still kept close to the door. When the manager saw me he looked relieved and very clearly moved behind the counter to greet me. "Hey, your game was actually in the last time you were here. I made sure it was held though." Store policy is to only hold unpaid orders for one week.
"I'm sorry about that employee. I heard what he was saying to you, and saw the way he was standing over you. I sent him home after you left and called my regional manager. He has given a couple of other girls the creeps but until he trapped you in the store I had nothing to really fire him over. I told my regional that he basically intimidated you and they agreed to the firing."
According to the female workers, they had all wanted him gone but they can't fire people easily.
91. Three’s A Crowd
This happened on Valentine’s Day back in 2019. I had just got off work and stopped at a very well-known chicken place that’s famous for its wings and chicken strips and a special sauce they have in the south. I typically stop at this location every Saturday night, but this particular night I thought I’d treat myself. I get my usual order and sit down. Now it was, of course, busy due to it being Valentine’s Day.
I sit myself at a corner booth and get on my phone. Also, I was the only single individual in the entire restaurant eating alone. Everyone else was on a date, this is important. I’m sitting, browsing on my phone when I notice two young adults (maybe 19-20 years old) who appear and stand right next to me with trays of food in their hands. M = Me, MD = Male Date, FD = Female Date.
M: Can I....help you? FD: Yes, could you get up please? Or soon at least? We need a place to sit down. I’m a bit appalled by this, and look around to notice that there are no more available tables. M: I’m still eating my dinner. I’m sorry but maybe If you two wait a little longer another table will soon get up. MD: She told you to get up, and soon at that. Since it’s obvious you don’t have a date why don’t you be respectful and let a couple like us enjoy their date?
I had considered getting up and asking for a to-go box if another table didn’t get up beforehand, but after that snarky remark, I wasn’t going anywhere. M: I have no idea what your issue is, but any thought I had about getting up just went away after you turned your tone up a few notches. FD: Let’s go babe, since this jerk doesn’t want to get up since it’s just him.
I’m just staring at these two, not sure what to make of this interaction. MD: I hope you learn respect, because you severely lack it, have a great day. They go up, ask for a to-go box, speak a few minutes with the cashier, who happens to be the manager on duty, and with that they both leave. I finish and get up to leave, and me and the manager make eye contact and we both let out a chuckle.
The entitlement in others never ceases to amaze me.
92. Mr. Moneybags
When I was younger, like 12-17, my mom always gave me $40 if I was going to eat with friends. For some reason, I thought the tip had to equal or be above the price of my check. I did this for years, until one day my dad asked for the change to get gas. I said “What change? I used it to tip the waitress.” He wanted the receipt, and sure enough, I had tipped 115% on an order of chicken fingers and fries.
He asked me why I tipped so much and I said, “Because the tip has to match the total of the bill and then you tip more to add the percent in.” He laughed so hard he cried. Then he had to explain to me, a 17-year-old, how tipping works. Well, I’m in my late 20s now, and I have a firm rule of tipping at least 30%. I hope the tips I gave as a teenager made a lot of waiters and waitresses happy.
93. Working Hard At Failing
I went to a 24-hour diner after work with some co-workers because it was the only place open. Our server was not happy to see us. I ordered a milkshake and he goes, "Well I just took apart the machine." I felt awkward and ordered it anyway because it's not like this place closes soon…it’s 24 hours. He takes forever with our food and forgets some of our co-worker’s stuff, but he never came back so we couldn't say anything.
He finally comes back 30 minutes after we got our food with the bill and says, “I'm busy here’s the check for when you're ready." He charged us for the stuff we didn’t get and we knew he wasn’t gonna come back. Thank goodness we all had cash so we crossed off the stuff we never got, wrote a note, and added the new total, and gave him that in cash so when it came to voiding it he still wouldn't have gotten a tip.
I felt bad but thing is, this place was empty. It was 2 am and he just acted like our entire presence was an annoyance and literally did nothing except to take our orders and still did that wrong. If he gave us even just normal service he would have gotten over a 20% tip.
Unsplash
94. Put A Ring On It
Last year, my then-girlfriend-now-fiancée and I (lesbians) traveled to Chicago and picked out our engagement rings together. The company was going to send my custom ring a few months later through the mail carriers with three letters and brown coloring as a package that had to be signed for. The jeweler had done this thousands of times before with no issues. So of course it all went to hell in a handbasket with me.
Well, the day rolls around it’s supposed to be delivered and it’s not. It’s also right around the holidays so we leave to travel home, assuming that they will hold onto the ring until they can get a signature for it. We tried to contact them to confirm this and they were impossible to get a hold of. Long story short, my girlfriend gets a notification the package was delivered while we were away.
There’s even a picture of her signature on it! Funny, considering we were in another state when it was delivered. Because the delivery man didn’t want to deal with coming back, he forged her signature and left the package in the communal walk-in area of the apartment complex on the ground. The only good part of this was the amazing customer service we received from the jeweler, who opened an investigation with the delivery company.
All in all, I got my ring safely, but darn that was stressful!
95. Pay It Forward
I got up early this Sunday morning and treated myself to a buffet breakfast at a restaurant I frequent. The buffet is self-serve and the waiters clean up and bring drink refills. The place was slammed. I was seated in my favorite waiter's section, a young man from Bosnia who is working his way through college. He's always pleasant, friendly, upbeat, and highly attentive.
I love being served by him. On this very busy day, people are being very demanding, as well as rude, but my boy takes it all in stride and just keeps on working. I noticed, however, that these cheap, demanding jerks are all leaving a dollar or two, or stiffing him altogether while leaving a nasty mess at the table. When I left, I went to the wait-station and pressed a $20 into his hand.
He processed it for a second and then said, "Let me get you some change." (His first thought is not of himself.) I said, no, that's for you. Looks like you have a bad day ahead of you; I hope this helps make up for it. He started tearing up, pressed both my hands and said thank you, which made me tear up!
96. Not A Drama-Free Evening
My boyfriend and I were out for an anniversary lunch. We went to a slightly fancy place because it’s a celebration, but somewhere we had been before, so we knew it, and most importantly trusted them. This is because my boyfriend has celiac disease. He was diagnosed years ago, before going gluten-free as the fad began. This means zero bread, zero pasta, zero pastry—simple enough to understand, right? Apparently not.
So we went to this place before because they claimed to have contamination-free areas for preparing dishes for those who requested it. They also had specific “free” products, including gluten-free bread and pasta. They were as good as their word—my boyfriend had a great meal, and didn’t have any pains or repercussions afterward, something uncommon for us.
It was a no-brainer to go here again, and we checked online to make sure that there weren’t any bad reviews or red flags about dining with allergies. This time was different. We got there in good time, were sat down and ordered drinks, and decided on what we wanted. The menu, as it had done before, clearly stated the gluten-free options available.
We’d seen online that someone had ordered a gluten-free filled pasta, which is something my boyfriend loves. Our initial waitress was as helpful as anything when we asked about it, saying that they did indeed have the pasta but served it in a slightly different sauce as the kitchen couldn’t promise that the original sauce was safe from cross-contamination. My boyfriend was happy enough with that and ordered it as his entrée.
He had a plain salad as his appetizer, which we were also told was gluten-free. Appetizers come and are eaten, we drink and shamelessly flirt because why not, and wait for our entree. They both come out promptly, but it’s clear that the sauce served with my boyfriend's pasta is the normal sauce and not the sauce that the waitress said would come with it. We queried it, and the waitress said that it must have been a mix-up with a normal meal placed at the same time.
She came back a few minutes later saying that the kitchen had already sent out the gluten-free meal, but was making a new dish already and it would be out as soon as possible. She also comped our appetizers and said she’d see if she could sweet-talk the shift manager and get us a free dessert since it was our anniversary and since we’d be in there for a little bit longer. Then it all went so wrong.
I can only say what I saw, which was the waitress going over to a middle-aged woman standing by the bar, talking for a minute, and pointing over in our direction. The next thing we know, the woman has sped over to our table and is asking what kind of scam we’re pulling. We said nothing since we were confused about why she was being so confrontational, and she started going on about how the pasta was definitely gluten-free and we had no reason to send it back.
My boyfriend started to explain that it was the sauce that was the issue since we were only going on what we were told and apparently it wasn’t safe for celiacs. The manager then started snarling about how she was so fed up with the “craze,” and that kids like us (we’re in our early 20s, so we’re probably just arrogant millennials to her) are so sensitive that we need all these labels.
The waitress brought over the new dish of pasta at that point, but the manager snatched it from her and started taking it back to the kitchen, saying that the “precious table” couldn't eat anything unless the chef told her that it was all safe to eat. I really wish we had left then, but the waitress looked so nervous that I felt like we had to stay just so we could tip her well when we finally left.
The manager and the food came back a couple of minutes later. She kept a tight hold on the dish, asking sarcastically if we felt safe yet, or does she need to drag the head chef away from his job to please us. My boyfriend said that everything was fine and even thanked her for her level of care (he’s the calm and collected one, I was ready to flip) and started eating as quickly as possible, if only to get out of there.
I was halfway done with mine anyway, so we just sat and ate until we were both done. I was seething that our anniversary had been ruined so soon by the manager’s attitude, but the worst was still to come. We flag down the waitress as soon as we are done and say we want the bill. She says she understands completely and apologizes for everything.
She's gone for a little while and comes back as white as a sheet. She says she went into the kitchen to check on another order and saw a pasta dish that looked exactly like the dish my boyfriend had sitting alone on a side. She asked if it was meant to be going out, and she is told that it’s the one that the manager brought back in about 15 minutes ago.
The waitress says the manager brought it back out to the customer, but she is told that the manager cornered the chef who was doing the pasta style dishes and told him to drain some normal pasta and serve it with the gluten-free sauce for a particularly demanding customer who didn’t “need” the gluten-free pasta. Guess who just ate a whole dish of gluten? My celiac boyfriend.
The waitress had comped more or less everything but the drinks. I insisted that we paid for all of my dishes, and then gave her a pretty big tip on top. We didn’t know what the deal with comped meals was, but she didn’t deserve to lose out on a table because of her manager. To cut out the gruesome bits somewhat, my anniversary afternoon and evening has been and will be spent with my boyfriend shut in the bathroom as things come out of both ends.
His stomach has bloated so much that he looks several months pregnant. He will be having repercussions from this for weeks, and maybe even months. I am so annoyed that I don’t even want to write a review about it since I will end up threatening the manager on a very aggressive, personal level. I want to call anyone and everyone, from my mom to the local news, about this.
I keep on bearing in mind that if I go nuclear, and I can, then people like the poor waitress who served us will be out of a job.
97. Smile! You’re on Camera
Many many many years ago I worked at a retailer in the UK. A grimy-looking family came in and started acting shifty, having over exaggerated discussions on washing machines, asking ridiculous questions about our returns policy. They bought a reasonably expensive Hotpoint washing machine from us, and wanted to take it with them that day, which we were happy to do.
They paid cash. They took their washing machine, loaded it into the back of their van, and we watched them drive over to the McDonald's on the other side of the trading park. About an hour later they drove back and said that we'd sold them the wrong machine. They'd gotten it home, unwrapped it, and it was the wrong machine.
We told them to bring it on in and we'd sort it out. They went out to their van and brought in a CLEARLY DIFFERENT, DIRTY, OBVIOUSLY SECOND-HAND WASHING MACHINE. Oh, and they didn't want an exchange. Just a refund. With every alarm bell ringing, my boss and I had a quick scan through the security cameras.
Sure enough, they had driven to McDonald's, and come straight back. Whilst I was "running the refund through," my boss called the police, who turned up, had a little look in the back of their van where, unsurprisingly, there was a brand new Hotpoint washer, still in its wrap. They were carted off by the cops. Didn't get charged, unfortunately, but it was a definite get out moment.
If they'd only been more patient and less greedy and gone home for a few hours first, they probably would've gotten away with it, knowing how much my boss would adhere to the “customer is always right” principle.
98. Every Office Needs An Otis
A while back I was working in an office that allowed dogs. It was an open floor plan and since customers never came into the office, we kept the dog food and water bowls right by the front door, just because it was the most convenient space and no one else would see them but us who worked there. Of the six of us who worked in the main office area, I was the only one who didn’t have a dog and I always felt horribly left out.
To make matters worse, across the way was a doggie daycare. One day, a very frantic woman came in and she had an absolutely massive Basset Hound with her. Usually, the only people who came into the office were associates who had appointments with someone working there, but it was rare they brought their dogs. She ran up to me and said, “Do you work here?”
I said, “Yes, how can I help you?” And she said, “I wasn’t sure if you took walk ins but I read online I could just drop him off? I tried to call but no answer.” I didn’t know what she was talking about at that point and I said, “Come again? Who did you call exactly?” Thinking if I could just saddle her off to whoever she came to see, I wouldn’t have to decipher her problem.
She said, “Well it doesn’t matter now. Look, something urgent has come up and I really need to leave him here. Here’s his food he likes and I’ll be back in a few hours and—" At this point I wasn’t thinking of the doggie daycare. I thought maybe she was a friend of someone here. I said, “Well alright, can I get your name please?” And she said her name and then asked if I needed her to sign anything.
I was so confused at this point I just said, “Why would I need you to sign something?” And she left almost immediately. So I took Otis (the dog) to the back and showed him to my coworkers and no one knew the woman or dog. I was worried she wouldn’t come back, but at the same time, my wish for an office dog had been granted! And Otis was supremely chill.
All he did all day was lie around and drool onto his own ears. I just freshened him up every now and then, took him out every couple hours, and he was happy as a clam on a big cushy dog bed we thankfully had an extra of. He just loved attention from anywhere he could get it. At the end of the day the woman, thank God, came back. She said, “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver. How was he?”
I said, “He was a champ.” And was about to say “But why is he here” when she said, “That’s a relief. Most kennels say he gets anxious around other dogs. I heard you operated at a much higher capacity, I was thrilled to see you had so few clients in the room at one time. So, how much do I owe?” It honestly took me this long to realize what had happened.
She thought we were the dog daycare. Now, I probably should’ve corrected her. But I loved my day with the office dog and I did want to get paid for supervising this strange dog all day. I just threw out the number that sounded fair and appropriate “That’ll be $20.” I said. She replied “Reaalllly?!” In this very high tone, and I couldn’t tell if I’d overshot or undershot.
But she paid me and left. My coworkers were laughing hysterically when they realized what had happened and we thought it would just be a good story for the future. Wrong. The next week...she came back! She said we were so much more affordable and less overcrowded than her other place, and that she was happy to use us. I was glad for the company so just took him.
I didn’t think there was any way she couldn’t have at least some idea we weren’t a dog daycare. The whole ordeal was so strange I just figured, “don’t question a good thing.” I was much younger and dumber then. Not long after, Otis started getting dropped off two, sometimes even three or four days a week. I was in heaven. He was such a love. And he made fast friends with the delivery guys and visitors.
One day, we took our office Christmas card photo and Otis was over that day, so we included him. In a Santa hat. It was pretty great. But it turns out Otis’ owner was friends with one of our clients who I guess happened to have the card out on her table or was kind enough to display it alongside her other holiday cards. Because one day, Otis’ owner came in holding the card and walked up to me and said, “I can’t even believe I’m asking this but... is that my dog in this photo? This isn’t a dog daycare at all. This is just an office, isn’t it.” I froze in my tracks.
She said it with a note of surprise, as though she was looking around and putting it all together for the first time. No coincidence that this was the first time she wasn’t in some crazy rush either. She was like, “Then who are all these other dogs?!” And I explained. I was terrified she was going to demand her money back, or worse, take some sort of action against us for misrepresenting ourselves as a dog care business, or complain to corporate.
Instead, she basically said, “Why didn’t you ever say anything!” And I explained we just really liked having Otis around. She stopped for a minute and seemed to be thinking and said, “Is that right?” And I said yes and told the story of how I was the only one in the office without a dog so loved the company. She seemed a little flummoxed or hesitant, understandably, because the whole thing was so weird.
She turned to my coworker and asked if I was telling the whole truth. I don’t know why she thought my coworker, also a stranger to her, was any more trustworthy than me, but hey. Strange times. Coworker backed me up. So she said, “Well, I wish you’d said something sooner. Could’ve saved me a lot of embarrassment with my friend back there. Alright, I have to get going. See you at 4:00.” And she left Otis!
I couldn’t believe it! I said, “So he can stay?!” And she replied, “Where else could I find someone to watch him one on one all day for $20?” And off she went. Otis stayed my office dog until his family moved away, luckily right around the same time I took a new job.
99. Bad Service Kills
I went out to dinner a few months back with some friends at a pretty typical chain restaurant. Me: “I’ll have a diet coke please.” Waitress: “Oh, we only have Pepsi, is that ok?” Me: “Sure. A diet Pepsi would be fine.” I have my soda and a few refills over the course of dinner and start feeling really, really bad. Right about here is where I should mention that I’m a type 1 diabetic and (since I always just drink diet coke) don’t know the difference in taste between diet and regular Pepsi.
I checked my blood sugar, which had been perfectly on target before the meal, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. My meter just read HIGH, meaning that the value was so high that the meter actually couldn’t process it. What I had eaten for dinner couldn’t possibly have put me there (and I’d dosed with an appropriate amount of insulin to cover for it) so we flagged down the waitress and I asked “This isn’t diet Pepsi, is it?”
She responded by telling me that it wasn’t, that the diet Pepsi fountain was out of syrup and she didn’t think I’d mind, and besides, I’m plenty skinny and don’t need to drink the diet stuff. I started cursing, pulled out my insulin syringes to dose for the 4 full-sugar sodas that I drank, and told her exactly what I was doing. I then told the manager what had happened, and that I wasn’t planning on paying for the meal but would instead put the money toward the ER bill that I was about to incur.
Went to the hospital where the lab determined that my blood sugar was still in the 700s even after I dosed, and I ended up staying overnight because my glucose level stubbornly refused to come back into range.
100. Projecting Gossip
I worked at a restaurant and the hostess was convinced I was sleeping with the owner. I was not. She was convinced the money I was using to take a vacation must have come from him and that I was hooking up with him behind his family’s back. She made things really weird and horrible for a couple of days. She told the new hires I was saying nasty things about them and made up really bad rumors about me.
I walked out of a shift after she confronted me in the storage room demanding I admit I was banging this guy. This guy who I never interacted with outside of the occasional table transfer or inventory update was bald, fat, and married, and had hardly said more than a hundred words to me beyond work instructions. After I left, I found out the dark truth. It turned out they were sleeping together and she was crazy. I'm so glad I quit.
101. Thank You, Next
After the standard customer temper tantrum, which ended with "And I am never shopping here again!" I gave her a smile and said, "Thank you, we sure would appreciate that." She stood there with her mouth open while I moved on to the next customer.
