We have a table of men’s shirts in different colors at the front of the store. There are about forty or fifty different versions and colors on the table. I’m helping a man who loves the shirts and wants a few black ones.

Me: “These are the options we have for black.”

Customer: “That one’s not black.”

Me: *Looking at the shirt* “Yes, sir, it’s black.”

Customer: “No, it’s not black enough.”

Me: *Pulling out the tag* “Sir, this is the color code this store uses for black items. This is as black as it’s going to get.”

He puts his shirt up next to the one on the table.

Customer: “See? It’s not really black.”

Me: “Fabric dye saturates different fabrics at different levels. Just because they look slightly different it doesn’t mean they’re not both black.”

Customer: “Well, it’s just not black enough for me.“

I answer calls for a plumbing business and get a lot of clueless, impatient, rude, entitled people on a regular basis.

Caller: “Yeah, my gas range is not working. Do you do this?”

Me: “We can come to check the gas line and connections to make sure the problem’s not with the gas, but we do not work on the appliances themselves.”

Caller: “My stove is not working. Can they fix it or not?”

Me: “If it’s a problem with the gas line or connections, yes, but if it is a problem with the stove itself—”

Caller: *Cutting me off* “Okay, I get that, but my stove is not working.”

Me: “So, just to be clear, you want us to come to check the gas as a start?”

Caller: *Yelling* “LOOK! You’re not understanding me here. My stove is not working. You—”

Me: *Cutting him off, but staying calm* “Yes, I do understand you. I just need you to acknowledge that we won’t—”

Caller: *Cutting me off* “YOU KNOW WHAT?! F*** YOU!” *Hangs up*

Me: *To my coworker* “Wow… Did that just happen? All he had to say was, ’Yes, okay!’”

I’m a customer service manager on a very busy Saturday with callouts that have left us short two cashiers. We are processing returns and ringing people up to the best of our ability and trying to make it fast and friendly.

Our lines, even when they are long, don’t last more than fifteen minutes. We also have a separate line just to process returns quickly to take some of the strain off the main line.

A couple comes up complaining because they bought a sweater that wasn’t part of a promotion we are having.

Customer: “We waited thirty minutes in line and the cashier didn’t take the discount off this sweater!”

Coworker: “Not all sweaters are part of the promotion; it’s for ‘selected full-price sweaters.’”

Customer: “We want to talk to a manager!”

I’ve already overheard the conversation since I am ringing right next to them. I come over.

Customer: “If we don’t get the discount, we are going to return the sweater!”

Me: “Let’s return that for you, then.”

As I return back to my register, I hear:

Customer: “YOUR MANAGER HAS A BAD ATTITUDE!”

I’m known for being incredibly accommodating and very friendly, but I’m not having any abuse towards me or my team, and I have little time to accommodate people who don’t deserve any of my friendliness.

Me: “So away you go, then!”

And away they went!

I work for a national phone company, receiving call from clients with various requests: overcharging, Internet problems, product upgrades, etc.

Client: “I want to change the day you charge me the bill.”

Me: “Sure! You can choose between the sixth, the twelfth, the eighteenth, the twenty-fourth, and the thirtieth.”

Client: “Mmm, can’t you charge me on the first or second? By the sixth, I will have spent all my money and the bank will reject it.”

I mentally ask myself how changing the date will solve what, apparently, is a problem of income, but I continue.

Me: “I’m sorry, but those are the only dates that are available.”

Client: “Can’t you do something? I don’t want to be overcharged.”

After some minutes of discussion and him remarking his inability to pay after the first days of the month, he finally accepts the situation and desists on changing anything. I actually feel sorry for him.

Me: “I am sorry, sir. I would change it if I could.”

Client: “Nah, it’s okay. By the way, there’s something else I want.”

Me: “Of course! What is it?”

Client: “I want to buy [Smartwatch from a very expensive tech company] in instalments.”

Me: “Well, um… I can’t sell those. I will transfer you to the sales department.”

Client: “Okay, thank you!”

After the transfer, I stood at my desk, completely shocked. I had met low-budget clients spending too much before, but how on earth can you ask for credit for a smartwatch right after explaining how bad your finances are?

A few years ago, I stopped at a big retail chain to grab a small item or two. Since I was coming from work, I had on my work uniform — a black V-neck top and khaki pants — nowhere close to the uniform colors of this particular store. And since I was only grabbing a small item or two, I didn’t bother with a cart or a basket.

I was making my way down the aisles toward my shopping destination when, in front of me, a little boy, around eight, was goofing around and knocked over an entire endcap display of items. The boy froze with a complete look of terror on his face.

Being the Midwesterner that I am, I walked up to him and said, “Ope! That’s an easy fix,” with a smile.

The little boy stuttered, “T-thank you,” still looking like he got caught robbing an entire bank vault.

As I was helping this little boy clean up the end cap items and place them back on the shelves, his mother came round the corner. She looked up and down at the scene in front of her, then looked up and down at me, sneering. She grabbed the boy by his arm, saying, “That’s what they get paid for,” as she dragged him away.

The boy looked at me and mumbled, “Sorry…”

I tried to utter an “I don’t work here!” but the mom and her son were quickly out of earshot. I quickly placed the remaining items on the shelf, got my items, and got out.

I’ll never know what made that woman think that I was working, or why she would look down on a worker of a store she was currently shopping at, but I did feel bad for the kid.