(A customer has knocked the lid off of a milk bottle and some has leaked onto the floor. She is very upset and embarrassed.)
Customer: “Oh, I’m so, so sorry! Can I clean it up? I’ll pay for it, too. It was my fault!”
(I look her dead in the eye and speak in a completely dead-pan voice.)
Me: “Hun, there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”
(My other customers laughed, and the look of relief on her face cheered me up no end!)
(My husband and I go to the supermarket deli to pick up dinner, and we get in line behind a lady picking out fried chicken pieces.)
Customer: “Are you sure that’s done?”
Deli Worker: “Yes, I’m sure.”
Customer: “It looks too light to be done. The outside should be darker.”
Deli Worker: “It’s done. It just came out of the oven.”
Customer: “Can you take out a piece to show me?” *to me* “Sorry this is taking so long.”
Me: *forces a polite smile*
Deli Worker: “Okay…” *takes a drumstick out of the hot case with tongs and holds it up*
Customer: “Let me see the inside.”
(The deli worker pulls apart the very HOT drumstick, wincing away from the heat several times in the process. The chicken is clearly white and cooked all the way through.)
Customer: “Let me see it.”
(The deli worker gives it to her. She proceeds to pick it apart and eat it.)
Customer: “I still don’t think it looks done, but I’ll take a dinner box.”
Deli Worker: *after the customer leaves* “Sorry for the wait. What can I get for you?”
Husband: “No worries. It wasn’t your fault.”
Me: *joking* “If I say the chicken doesn’t look cooked, can I get a free drumstick, too?”
Deli Worker: “I can give you a free sample, if you want.”
Me: “No, thanks.”
(We place our order.)
Deli Worker: “Have a nice day.”
Husband: “You, too. Hope the rest of the customers aren’t that difficult.”
Deli Worker: “Yeah… me, too.”
Me: “I think she used up the day’s quota of crazy.”
(After we check out, we hear our cashier ask another:)
Cashier: “What do I do with this box of chicken? The lady said it didn’t look done.”
Me: “Seriously?!”
Customer: “Yeah, lately my Internet has been really slow.”
Me: “It looks like we’re not providing your Internet, just some email boxes. If your Internet is going slowly, it looks like it’s not through us.”
Customer: “Well… the email was really slow, too.”
Me: “…”
(I am ringing customers. A woman gets in the small line that is forming, followed by a gentleman who is spouting about seeing Jesus and being pure of heart and spirituality. He was in earlier in the day so I know who he is.)
Man: *mumbles about seeing Jesus*
Woman: “I don’t want to hear it.”
(They continue like this until the woman comes up to me to be rung up. The gentleman continues while the woman silently pleads for help. I decide to step in.)
Me: “Sir, I am sorry, but we are in the middle of a transaction here.”
Man: *mumbles about being rude*
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but we are still in the middle of a transaction.”
Man: “I was talking to her.”
(The woman mouths, “Thank you,” to me, I nod, and we finish the transaction. The gentleman is next in line.)
Me: “I’m sorry about before, sir, it’s just that we were in the middle of a transaction.”
Man: “Oh, you must be a devil worshiper, then.”
(I am shocked, since I did NOT expect to be accused of being a devil worshiper. I barely know what to say. I see he has a skull cap on and decide to go the Jewish route, since I am Jewish, as well.)
Me: “Sir, I’m not a devil worshiper; I’m Jewish.”
Man: “You are?”
Me: “Yes, I am.”
Man: “Oh, well, that doesn’t make a difference; you could still be a devil worshiper.”
(After going back and forth on this subject for another minute, I gave up and just “yes”ed him to death while finishing the transaction.)
(I work in a well-known sub shop. It’s set up where the customer goes down the counter and tells us what meats, cheeses, and veggies they want. A middle-aged woman approaches the counter to place her order.)
Customer: “I would like a turkey sub without the bread, please. Everything else on it but the bread.”
Me: “Well, uh… I’m not really sure how to do that, but I could make you a salad?”
Customer: “No! I need a sub without the bread. I can’t eat bread. I’m allergic to bread.”
Me: “Is it okay if I put your vegetables in a bowl with the turkey and cheese on top, then?”
Customer: “Yes. That’s all I really wanted. Why did you have to make this so difficult?”
