I work at a little sushi shop inside a large superstore/mall, and my main job was to take my trolley full of sushis and wander around the mall, asking people if they wanted to taste some, and basically advertising the (very new) shop.

Customer #1: “I don’t eat foreign food!”

Me: *Eyeing up the couscous in his cart.*

Customer #2: “Why are you selling that? You’re not Chinese!”

Customer #3: *Takes one, starts chewing.* “What is sushi?”

I explain, including telling her that it’s made of fresh raw fish.

Customer #3: *Still chewing.* “Oh my god! I don’t like fish!” *Takes another one.*

Two customers are looking at the names of the movies we’re showing.

Customer #1: “What is that Fury about?”

Me: “That’s a World War Two movie about tanks. I’ve seen it, it’s very good.”

Customer #2: “World War Two… was that the Cold one or the Asian one?”

Customer #1: “I think the cold one was the first one.”

Me: “Uh, the Cold War wasn’t actually a specific war; it was just a time when the USA and Russia were being very aggressive to each other.”

Customer #2: “So it was the Asian one, then?”

Me: “Well… it was a bit more Asian at the end.”

Customer #1: “We’ll take two for Fury then, please.”

They got their tickets and snacks. Two and something hours later:

Customer #1: “We enjoyed the movie, but is there going to be a sequel?”

Me: “I don’t think so. Why?”

Customer #2: “There weren’t any Asians!”

Related:
World War Who?

I was working the morning shift and was the opening cashier. I was hovering near the front door, organizing some things, when this grumpy old fellow strolls on in and asks:

Customer: “Hey, do you have elastic? Like, for sewing?”

Me: “Of course! It’s on aisle nine!”

And off he went, only to return a mere two minutes later.

Customer: “It wasn’t there. I called yesterday, and you guys said you carried purple elastic, but you don’t have it.”

Me: “It would be in the sewing area, sir. Aisle nine is just the main one, so it may be on eight or ten, but we do have it!”

And off he went again. I felt mildly bad that I couldn’t show him where it was, but I had to stay near the front since I was technically the cashier.

Another two minutes pass, and I see him leave the store empty-handed, again feeling bad that I couldn’t help him further. Maybe we really didn’t have purple elastic…

I walked down aisle nine later on in my shift. The purple elastic not only existed, but it was in plain sight.

And then later on in the day, the cashier who took over for me radioed saying that there was a man on the phone asking if we had purple elastic for sewing. I wonder who that could’ve been…

My dad, who’s balding, looks at my thick head of hair and sighs.

Dad: “If only I had one quarter the hair you do.” 

Me: “You already do.”

A woman is at my checkout, chatting as I scan her items.

Customer: “Yeah, I came in the other day to get [item], but you guys were closed! What’s the deal?”

Me: “Was it a Sunday?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Me: “Was it Thanksgiving Sunday?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Me: “Well, there you go.”

Customer: “Oh, but why did you have to be closed?”

I just stare at her, trying to think of a polite way to say, “So I could see the family I never get to because I work every other Sunday except holidays?!”

She blinks, then giggles.

Customer: *To herself.* “Oh, right, silly me, other people have families too!”

I don’t know how to respond, so I just hand her the bag.

Me: “Have a good day.”

She walks off, still chuckling at her sudden realisation.

Related:
Because Retail Workers Aren’t Human, Part 5
Because Retail Workers Aren’t Human, Part 4
Because Retail Workers Aren’t Human, Part 3
Because Retail Workers Aren’t Human, Part 2
Because Retail Workers Aren’t Human