(One of my employees is on the phone:)

Employee: “Systolic… that’s “S” as in Sam, “Y” as in Wyoming…”

(I accompany my friend to have her eyebrows tattooed on at a small eyebrow shop in the suburbs. When we arrived there are two staff members, and my friend and I are the only customers. I know we will be there for some time so I try to take the opportunity to have my eyebrows shaped and tinted, which I had booked in for, while I wait for my friend. As the girl is tinting my eyebrows, I enquire about the cost and ask if she could also tint my eyelashes.)

Shop Girl: “No, you’ll have to make another booking to have your eyelashes tinted!”

Me: “Why? There is no one here and I thought I could get mine done while I wait for my friend as she is going to be over an hour having her eyebrows tattooed.”

Shop Girl: “We are too busy! You’ll have to make another booking!”

Me: *looking around the empty shop* “But there is no one else here.”

Shop Girl: *almost yelling* “We are TOO BUSY!”

Me: “Okay.”

(I sat there for another hour and in that time not one other customer walked in the door and the shop girl spent the entire time sitting behind the counter playing on her phone.)

(We are shopping at a retail store for clothing for an important occasion that night and running late, so we are in a hurry.)

Cashier: “Would you like to purchase a membership?”

Mom: “No, thank you.”

Cashier: “Okay, but if you get a membership your total will be reduced by 30%.”

Mom: “I said no, thank you.”

Cashier: “Are you sure? Because—”

Mom: “NO!”

Cashier: “Oh, so you’re not sure. Okay, well you just need to sign up here. All we need is your name, phone number, home address, annual income, and- ”

Mom: “NO. I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE. WE ARE RUNNING LATE. STOP.”

Cashier: “Fine, sheesh. You don’t have to yell about it.”

(We were on time for our event, thankfully.)

(During a day off, I get a phone call.)

Me: “[My Name].”

Caller: “Hi, this is [Caller], about [some renovation project]…”

Me: “I’m sorry, what?”

Caller: “…Isn’t this [Plumber]?”

Me: “No, this is a private number.”

Caller: “Well, do you by any chance do plumbing for living or something like that?”

Me: “Telecom engineer, so different kind of pipes. Sorry.” *click*

(I work in a popular hardware store. The following happens as I’m dealing with a family of five or six. The mother and one of her daughters approach my register, both looking at their cell phones.)

Me: “Good afternoon! Did you find everything you needed today?”

(Both women stare at their phones; 15 seconds go by.)

Woman: “Huh?”

Me: *repeats myself*

(Another 15 seconds go by.)

Woman: “Oh, yeah, just this stuff here.”

(I proceed to ring up their merchandise.)

Me: “Okay! You’re total is [total]; would you like to use [Store] card on your purchase?”

(Neither the woman or her daughter answer me. Another 15 seconds go by.)

Woman: “What?”

Me: *repeats myself*

Woman: “Oh! They aren’t done playing yet. We have some more.”

(We wait for a few minutes while the rest of the woman’s family “plays” with some of the stuff we have set out on display so that people can test out the merchandise before they buy it. The rest of the family finally comes to the register, but no one says anything to me although I have smiled and asked what else I can get for them. They are now all on their phones and I ask repeatedly for the husband to please tell me what they need from a different department. Several more minutes follow of me asking for information, followed by silence, and then a confused “what?” As the rest of their merchandise is relayed to me between riveting bouts of cell phone induced silence, I finally complete the order. By this time I am extremely frustrated, but manage to smile and try to tell them their new total.)

Me: “Okay! Your new total is—”

Woman: “Wait! I have a coupon!”

(She proceeds to scroll frantically on her phone. When she turns it to face me, it is the store’s cell-phone app, but it is on a black screen with only a search bar showing.)

Woman: “What do I do with this? It’s for five dollars off.”

Me: *finally fed up* “Ma’am, I don’t know. Our coupons are actually sent through—”

Woman: “Oh! Never mind. Let’s just finish this up.”

Me: *unable to control my exasperation and sarcasm drips through* “Thank you!”

Woman: “Wow! You sure are in a hurry to get rid of us now, aren’t you?!”

Me: *internally screaming*