Not Amused At The Amusement Park

(I have just turned 16. I work in the game department of an amusement park, where we operate the games and give out prizes to the customers manually, as only a few games start when the customer puts money in. I am stationed at one of the more stressful games, where up to fourteen people can play against each other, and the winner gets a prize determined by how many people are playing. I have had several full rounds with 14 people playing, and have a big crowd waiting to play. A young couple and their son, maybe five or six years old, come up and join the next game. It’s full, and I activate all the sections, but manage to deactivate the sections that the father and son are playing on. I realize midway through the game, and talk to them after it has ended.)

Me: “I’m very sorry; I managed to deactivate your sections before we started the game. I would be happy to either refund your money, or let you play a game with just the two of you so that you are guaranteed a prize, but I cannot give you the first prize since it would only be the two of you.”

Father: “I just feel like we should be allowed to play for the first prize, since you messed up.”

Me: “I am very sorry for messing up, but I cannot let you play for the first prize as I would get in a lot of trouble.”

(I can see the mother getting angry as I apologize, and before the father can get another word in, she snaps.)

Mother: “I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE THAT THEY HIRE SUCH STUPID CHILDREN FOR THIS JOB! IT HAS BEEN A HOT DAY, AND THE LINES HAVE BEEN SUPER LONG, AND WE CAME HERE TO WIN A BIG PRIZE FOR OUR SON BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN HAVING A HORRIBLE DAY!”

Me: “I’m very so—”

Mother: “THIS SHOULD COME OUT OF YOUR PAY! YOU SHOULD GIVE US THE FIRST PRIZE AND PAY FOR IT YOURSELF, YOU USELESS B****! I’M GOING TO SUE YOU AND THIS WHOLE STUPID PLACE, YOU STUPID B****!”

(The father finally manages to calm her down and turns to me.)

Father: “We will take our money back, please.”

(I give them their money back and realize that there are several people still around the game. As soon as the couple and their son leaves, all the people that had gathered also leave. Shaking, I step out of the game booth to breathe, when a coworker comes up to me.)

Coworker: “Are you okay? I could hear her screaming all the way up at my game. You’re doing a great job.”

(I promptly start crying and ask her if she can watch my game so that I can go and breathe in the office for a second. My supervisor hears me crying and asks what has happened. As I tell her, she gets more and more angry, and asks me to come back out and see if the lady is still there so that I can point her out.)

Me: “That’s her, over there.”

(The lady obviously spots me with my supervisor and comes stomping down towards us.)

Mother: “Look, I obviously upset you earlier, so I’m here to apologize.” *steps a little closer to me* “I’ve been working in this kind of industry for several years, and you just have to suck up and get used to it. I mean, you have to just own up to your mistakes and listen to the customer.” *steps even closer, causing me to step back*

Supervisor: “Ma’am, you need to step back from my employee.”

Mother: “I’M JUST TRYING TO APOLOGIZE! SHE MADE A MISTAKE AND SHOULD OWN UP TO IT; LET ME APOLOGIZE!” *looks as if she is going to shove my supervisor.*

(My supervisor then radioed in to security that they needed to get up there ASAP, and not even two minutes later they came running. I had started crying again, and two of the security officers took me away with them to calm me down. I ended up getting a free soda from one of them, and the lady was told if she ever got within a 50 meter radius of me, they would kick her and her family out permanently.)