Best Of The Decade! 2012
Dear readers,
Welcome back to our walk through the last decade of Not Always Right! Starting with 2011 yesterday, today we tackle 2012, the year that the world ended, London put on a very pretty Olympic games, and a bunch of superheroes got together to avenge stuff.
It was also the year we published the following highest-voted stories of the year. Enjoy!
Grocery Store | USA
(I have just finished ringing up a good-sized amount of groceries—slightly over $100 worth—for a woman. A man has been waiting quietly in line behind her. When I tell her the total, the man speaks up.)
Man: “Ma’am, I’d like to pay for this for you.”
Woman: *surprised* “ALL of it?”
Man: “Yes. I’d like to pay for your entire order, if you don’t mind.”
(Several seconds pass, as the woman blinks repeatedly.)
Woman: “Well, certainly, if you’re willing. But… can I ask why?”
Man: “Well, slightly over a year ago I was diagnosed with advanced neuroblastoma. They started me on aggressive chemotherapy almost that same day, and my doctor said I only had about a 30% chance of even making it to 2012. That was on August 28th of 2011. My final round of chemo was last Monday, and today they got back the results from my latest MRI: it said ‘no evidence of disease.’ So, I’m feeling very rich right now, and I’d like to spread it around.”
(And then he paid for her groceries!)
9. The Gift Card That Keeps Giving
(I am working the register over Christmas.)
Me: “Find everything today?”
Customer: “Yup.”
(Note: she is silent through the transaction, which includes a gift card.)
Me: “How much would you like on this?”
Customer: “Oh, sorry. Can I have $150?”
Me: “No problem.”
Customer: *after paying* “Can you do me a favor?” *she hands me the gift card* “The next customer you see that you think could use this, could you give it to them?”
Me: *stunned* “…Of course!”
(After a minute another customer comes up, a visibly upset young woman.)
Me: “Hi! How are you?”
Customer #2: “I’m okay, thanks.”
(Clearly she is not ok, but she is trying very hard to be pleasant. She is getting very basic items: milk, bread, eggs, etc. Nothing very festive.)
Me: “So your total comes out to $0.00.”
Customer: “What?”
Me: “The person before you gave me a $150 gift card to use for the next person I thought could use it. You look like you’re having a rough day, so here are your groceries, and there’s about $130 left on this card.”
(The customer just started crying. Once she could, she thanked me about 100 times. Made my whole Christmas season.)
8. Why Nurses Should Rule The World
Hospital | UK
(My five-year-old son has received a serious injury to his eye. After a pediatrician recommends us to an eye doctor, we are referred to a specialist that works out of a university two hours away from home.)
Nurse: “These are all the contact numbers you should need. I also went online for some directions, and called ahead to let them know it should only be a few hours.”
Son: “I don’t want to.”
Nurse: “What’s the matter?”
Son: *visibly getting upset* “I’m scared.”
Nurse: “But you’ve been so brave this whole time! How about this: if you go see the new doctor, I’ll give you my phone number and you can call me if you get too upset, okay?”
(The nurse writes down her work extension and cell phone number on a piece of paper and adds it to my paperwork, insisting that I feel free to call if I have any problems or questions. My son stays calm all the way to the university and through the appointment with the specialist until we’re told he’s going to need surgery. Crying and upset, he begs me to call the nurse from the clinic.)
Me: *on the phone* “I’m so sorry to bother you, I know you’re still working, but he’s really upset and asked to talk to you.”
(I put the phone on speakerphone so my son, crying on the exam table, can hear.)
Nurse: “Hey, buddy! What’s wrong?”
Son: *crying* “The doctor here wants to give me surgery!”
Nurse: “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’ll make your eye all better. You’ll be able to see again, like we talked about.”
Son: “But I’m scared! It’s going to hurt!”
Nurse: “Of course it’s not going to hurt. That nice doctor wouldn’t hurt you!”
Son: “Have you been given surgeries?”
Nurse: “Yeah, kiddo, a few.”
Son: “And you came back to life?”
Nurse: “Every single time.”
Son: “Promise?”
Nurse: “Swear.”
(My son has calmed down considerably throughout the conversation, and there’s not a dry eye in the room.)
Son: “Okay…”
Nurse: “See? I knew you were brave.”
Son: “Thank you! Love you!”
Nurse: *laughing* “Love you, too.”
(I thanked the nurse a thousand times, and she insisted I call her ASAP to let her know how the surgery went. Later that day, she texted us a picture of herself and her family with a ‘GET WELL SOON’ sign they made for my son!)
7. Not All Knights Are In Shining Armor
Grocery Store | USA
(Two of my children suffer from a rare, genetic bone disease and they both have recently had major surgery. My 10-year-old had his hip rebuilt and is using a wheelchair, while my 13-year-old had a tumor taken out of his ankle and is using a walker. The 10 year old also uses a walker to move from his chair to the car. I am parked in a handicapped space, and am trying to get them loaded into the car. There are 6 open handicapped spaces, but this elderly man decides he needs the space directly next to my driver’s side.)
Elderly Man: *honking horn* “Get out of the way!”
Me: “I need to get the kids loaded. I’ll be out of the way shortly.”
Elderly Man: *honking even louder, scaring my 10-year-old* “Get out of the way, lady! You don’t even need this spot.”
Me: “Sir, my two disabled children do need this spot, but there are several other open spots if you’re in a hurry.”
(By this time, I have my wheelchair-using child in the car. I set his walker aside to push the chair to the back of my car and retrieve my older child’s walker from the other side of the car. Unfortunately, I am not fast enough. The elderly man honks again, then bullies his way into the spot and DRIVES OVER the walker. I am nearly in tears, and have just put my head down trying to get the wheelchair folded up and put in the trunk of my car. The elderly man gets out of his car while I have the chair half way from the ground to the trunk.)
Elderly Man: “You’re very rude! You should be ashamed of yourself! You shouldn’t even be using this spot. It’s obvious you don’t need it!”
Me: *literally slack-jawed* “I’m sorry you feel that way…”
(As the elderly man leaves, two young men who look like thugs approach me.)
Young Men: “We’ve seen everything and feel really bad for you. Can we help you get the wheelchair and walkers into your car?”
Me: *crying and trembling* “Yes…”
(Not only do the young men get the medical equipment in my car, but they get my 10-year-old laughing again with their non-stop jokes. After they finish helping me…)
Me: “Thank you! Can I do anything to repay your kindness?”
Young Men: *wave me off* “We’re just doing what decent people would do. Have a pleasant day!”
(I found out later that they’d noted the elderly man’s tag number and had gone inside to report the incident to the manager. The police were called and the elderly man was held responsible for the damage to the walker.)
Movie Theater | USA
(The theater I work at is cheap; the tickets are roughly half-price of the regular theaters. We get a lot of families, children and seniors, but have recently had a rash of extremely rude children. I’m working concession when a young boy—about 7 years old—comes up with his Mother. He takes a long time reviewing the menu and prices, so I ask him if I can help.)
Boy: “I need to buy snacks, please. I have $9.”
Me: “$9 is a great amount! Let’s see what we can get for you.”
Boy: “Hmmm. May I have a water, please?”
Me: “Of course, but if you’d like, I could sell you a cup instead. The water is $2.50; the cup is $0.25 and you can refill it as much as you’d like.”
(He agrees to get the ice cup, and starts counting his money on the counter.)
Boy: “Ma’am? Thank you for your suggestion about the cup!”
(Stunned that this small child is so polite and well-spoken, I turn around to see if his mom is coaching him. She’s not.)
Me: “You’re very welcome, young man! What else may I get for you?”
(The boy thinks a little at this point, looking at the candy case.)
Boy: “Every month I take my mom on a date. I already took her to dinner, then we got ice cream, and now I’m taking her to a movie! I need to make sure I treat her right!”
Me: “That’s so thoughtful! You are a wonderful son, and a very polite young man!”
Boy: “I love my mom. She’s the best!” *smiles*
(Moved by his thoughtfulness, his manners, and his absolutely charming smile, I decide to help him out a bit.)
Me: “Okay, here you are: your cup, a popcorn and a candy. It’ll be $3.25.”
Boy: *confused look* “Okay?”
(He hands me $4 after I assure him that his total is $3.25, so I start ringing him up.)
Boy: “Ma’am? Can you keep the change for yourself as a tip?”
(My heart melts at this. I did keep the change, but I put it toward the remaining $3.25 I hadn’t charged him, and then covered the rest out of my own pocket. He thanked me again and walked off hand-in-hand with his mom. All of the employees were tickled to see this little boy on his ‘date’ with Mom, and were very glad we were able help by paying for part of his concession but also get to let him feel like a grown-up by paying for part of his snacks. Later, as he’s leaving, I see him putting his trash into the can in the lobby. He sees me and begins to wave.)
Boy: *waving* “Have a very good night!”
Retail | USA
(I am the only female working in the parts department in our store. Note: at my previous job, I was involved in a violent fight against a male coworker who tried to assault me. The guy ended up at the hospital and no charges were pressed against me since I acted in self-defense. This story is well known by my current coworkers and my boss and I’m teased mercilessly about being a “man-beater.” This particular day, I’m training a new guy to work on the floor and I’m also acting as the shift supervisor since the department manager is off.)
Customer: *to my coworker* “I need to find this.” *shows a trailer connector*
Coworker: “It’s my first week here and I’m not sure if we carry this. However, let me ask my coworker here; she’ll tell me if we have some.”
Customer: “Her? How can she know something about trailers? She’s a girl. Girls don’t know s*** about trailers!”
Coworker: “Let me assure you, sir, she is the most knowledgeable employee we have here.”
Customer: “Well, if she thinks she can do a man’s job, let’s ask her.”
(I take a look at his connector.)
Me: “I’m sorry sir, but we do not carry this kind of connector. I could order some, but it will take over two weeks before they come in. May I suggest you go over [trailer store] or [another trailer store]? Both are down the road. They are more specialized than us, and they’ll probably have one in stock.”
Customer: *to my coworker* “I told you she’ll be useless.”
Coworker: “Sir, I don’t know what she can tell you more. We don’t keep that kind of stuff in stock, and she suggested two other stores where they sell those kinds of products. I think you’ve gotten all the help you need.”
Customer: *suddenly starts screaming* “Why do you refuse to serve me?! I AM A MAN! I AM A CUSTOMER! I deserve RESPECT and OBEDIENCE! Now you will tell me where the f*** you keep those f***ing connectors!”
Me: “Sir, I already told you; we do not carry them. Those other stores will happily sell one to you, but I can’t because I don’t have any on hand.”
Customer: “You useless b****! Find me a manager with something between his legs so we can discuss man things between men!”
Me: “I am the shift supervisor today, so you’ll have to deal with me. I’ll need you to remain polite or you’ll have to leave.”
Customer: “Well, I will just stay behind you and get on your nerves! You’ll crack and resign from your job and find yourself a man that will teach you what is it to be a good woman! You’ll find a guy who will beat you into a submissive b****, like any good woman should be!”
(I send my coworker, who is on the verge of tears, to call the store manager so we can remove the customer from the store.)
Me: “Okay, sir, the store manager is on his way. I need to ask you to leave the property.”
(At this point my coworker returns, saying the store manager has called the police and is coming as fast as he can. Meanwhile, the customer starts acting very aggressively toward me; he tries to push me and effectively prevents me from going anywhere. He then turns his attention on my coworker, who doesn’t want to leave me alone with this freak. I’m really fearing for our safety, so I drop down and catch the longest, heaviest drawbar I can find. I smile at my coworker and put on the best “death stare” I can do towards the customer.)
Customer: *suddenly scared* “…What are you doing? Stop that! You’re scaring me, b****!”
Me: *grinning but saying nothing*
Customer: “What are you doing with the bar? Put it down! I am a man… I am the customer… I demand obedience and respect!” *to my coworker* “What the f*** is she doing?! Tell her to stop looking at me like that. She gives me the creeps!”
Coworker: “I don’t know sir, but around here, she’s known as a ‘man-beater.’ That’s because she sent a man to the hospital… a man that was trying to assault her at her previous job.”
Customer: “How could they let a crazy woman like this work in a store and deal with customers?!”
Coworker: “Well, she’s pretty handy for customers like you.”
Customer: *very frightened* “Um, I’ll just go now, okay? I’ll go to those other stores and see if they have any in stock.”
(As the customer turns around and starts walking out, he walks directly into the store manager, who is a very tall and broad-shouldered guy.)
Customer: *to store manager* “Your employees are crazy! Women shouldn’t beat men! It’s the other way around! You should break her and make her obedient and submissive, like any good woman!”
Store Manager: “Get out of my store now, or I’ll lock you in my office with her!”
(The customer starts heading towards the exit, but runs straight into two police officers who have just arrived.)
Customer: *to the police officers* “You gotta protect me! She’s crazy! She’s a man-beater!”
Police Officer #1: *sarcastically* “Get into our car. You’ll be safe there.”
(The customer was arrested then and there, which was a good thing: it turned out he was wanted for multiple cases of domestic violence. After his arrest, several ex-girlfriends came out and testified against him, putting him away for good.)
Grocery Store | USA
(I am at my regular grocery store at the checkout. The bagger is a sweet man with a mental disability, who is carefully bagging my items.)
Bagger: “You want this one?”
(He holds up one of my canvas bags, which I see has a hole in it.)
Me: “No, use another. Thanks.”
Woman behind me: “God! Hurry it up!”
Me: “I just finished paying. He’s fine.”
Woman behind me: “Oh, so you’re slow like him too? God all you special people need to stop interfering with normal people.”
Bagger: *looks offended* “Ma’am, she’s not not-smart. She goes to [University].” *points to my university logo on my sweatpants* “She’s real smart.”
Me: “And he’s the best bagger here! He’s very careful, ma’am, which is a good thing with groceries.”
(My bags are done. Since he knows I walk back to my dorm, the bagger just hands them to me and helps me shoulder them.)
Woman behind me: “God, he won’t even help you take them to your car? What a delinquent. I want to see a manager about this!”
Me: “I walk, lady. You want to call a manager over something I have intentionally asked him to do many times?”
Bagger: *to me* “Have a nice day!”
Woman behind me: “Retard.”
(The cashier, who hasn’t said a word through the whole thing, looks at the woman calmly.)
Cashier: “Refusal of service for massive discrimination towards a valued employee, as well as a regular customer. You may leave your items here; we’ll shelve them later. Please leave.”
(She instead decides to cause a massive disturbance, eventually breaking a shelf, and needing to be physically restrained while the bagger leads me and another customer behind the cigarette counter for our safety. We have to wait for a cop to come.)
Bagger: “Still… coming next week?” *he looks worried*
Me: “Yep.”
(His smile made me really happy for the rest of the day.)
3. Best Not To Exchange With Haters
Electronics Store | USA
(I’m a manager. I am ringing up a woman I have sold things to before. We are making small talk as I ring her up. Note: I’m a lesbian.)
Customer: “I can’t believe the president came out in support for gay marriage!”
Me: “I know; kind of unbelievable!”
Customer: “That f** lover is going to burn in Hell for that!”
Me: *biting my tongue* “Okay.”
(I finish ringing her up and hand the customer her bags.)
Customer: “They should round up all the gays and put them down.”
Me: “That would be bad for me, seeing as I am a lesbian.”
(The woman turns pale and walks out without saying a word. A few hours later, I get a call from the manager of another one of our stores. On the line, I can hear the same customer I previously sold items to ranting.)
Manager: *also a woman* “So, this woman is here wanting to exchange a bunch of stuff from your store. When I asked her what was wrong with the items, she said you tainted them; I have no idea what she is talking about. Could you maybe clear this up for me?”
Me: “Well, I bet it is because she found out I am gay.”
Manager: “I see.” *starts talking in sultry voice* “Well, I’ll see you tonight for our date. You should put on that that black lace bra and panty set I got you for your birthday! I love you!” *hangs up*
(I am very confused, seeing as I have never dated that manager, nor did she ever get me underwear, and as far as I know, she is not gay. Fast forward a few days later to the manager weekly conference call: apparently, the customer left the other store after thinking the other manager was also gay. That manager then called every other store in the area and told everyone about the customer. Over the next few days, the customer went to every store in a 20 mile radius trying to exchange the ‘tainted goods.’ Everyone she talked to pretended to be gay when working with her and she left every time. To my knowledge, she never got her exchange.)
Public Transport | France
(I’m on the Metro (subway) during rush hour. Arriving at a station, I see a little girl with a bandaged leg and a crutch getting in the car with her mother. Since there are no seats available, she stays up. A few seconds later, a young man dressed like a thug on a seat behind them calls to the mother.)
Young Man: “Ma’am, take my seat for your child.”
Mother: “Oh, thank you.”
(As soon as the young man gets up, however, a middle-aged lady in a business suit jumps into his seat without saying a word.)
Young Man: “Ma’am, I gave my seat to the little girl, not to you.”
Middle-aged Lady: “You should’ve said so.”
Young Man: “You were right in front of me and clearly heard me. Besides, it’s obvious this girl needs a seat more than you.”
Middle-aged Lady: *angrily* “What’s your point?!”
Young Man: “My point is that you’re rude and impolite.”
Middle-aged Lady: “Who the f*** do you think you are to talk to me like that?! Do you know WHO I am?!”
Young Man: “I think I am someone much more polite and well-educated than you. And to who you are, I frankly don’t care.”
Middle-aged Lady: “YOU LITTLE F***! My husband owns [some big company]! I’m infinitely much richer and more powerful than you!”
Young Man: *grinning* “So, powerful and rich you take the metro to go home?”
(Stunned, the middle-aged lady looks like she’s been struck by lightning. She sheepishly leaves the car at the next station. The young man then turns to the girl and her mother, who are literally speechless.)
Young Man: *to the mother* “Sorry for that. There’s your seat!”
(The whole car cheered and applauded him. Whoever you are, Metro gentleman, you have my thumbs up!)
Coffee Shop | The Netherlands
(Note: I’m a male customer at a coffee shop. I’m standing in line behind an obnoxious man and a beautiful blonde woman he’s unsuccessfully trying to chat up. The server is a young woman who appears to be new at her job.)
Man: “Excuse me! I ordered a non-fat, non-sugar, orange mocha chip frappuccino! This isn’t non-fat, and there’s no whip cream on it.”
Barista: “I’m so sorry, sir. I’ll remake it immediately.”
Man: *to blonde woman* “What is up with these guys!? They screw everything up.”
Barista: “Here’s your drink, sir. I hope this one is up to standard.”
Man: “What are you, f****** r*****ed?! This is a plain mocha frappuccino! I wanted an orange chip mocha frappuccino! Get it f****** right!”
(The barista remakes his drink again, but is clearly on the verge of tears.)
Man: “Oh, my God, you people need to learn to speak English! I said non-fat. Don’t tell me it is non-fat, because I can taste—”
(At this point, the blonde woman decides she’s had enough of the man and interrupts him.)
Blonde Woman: *in a strong Irish accent* “WILL YOU STOP BEING A JERK FOR FIVE F***ING MINUTES?! The girl has made the d*** coffee perfectly this time — I watched her! And, even if she hasn’t, she’s young and clearly new at her job. It’s a f***ing coffee! Cut her some slack!”
Man: “Excuse me, but I want what I asked for! I don’t see why that’s so hard!”
Blonde Woman: “She probably looked at you, assumed you were a man, and was therefore completely confused by your non-fat, non-sugar, orange mocha chip frappuccino order. Real men drink real coffee, and they don’t bully teenage girls until they cry. Now, can you please stop being an almighty dickhead, and just f*** off?!”
(Everyone in the coffee shop clapped, and the man left, embarrassed. I paid for the blonde woman’s coffee, and found out she is from the same part of Ireland as me. One thing led to another, and I asked her to marry me this Christmas. She said yes!)
Previous ‘Best Of The Decade’ roundups can be found here!
Check back on Monday, for our 2013 roundup!
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
