(A customer has just put six items in front of me. I ring them up and tell her the price.)

Customer: “No, that’s not right. They are supposed to be discounted; there’s a sign.”

Me: “Oh, that sign’s supposed to have come down by now. I can give you the discount on this one, but the others are a different brand and were not part of the sale.”

Customer: “But they are the same thing.”

Me: “They are different brands. The sign does clearly say [Brand], which this one is; it’s the most expensive at $9.99 but giving you the discount brings it down to $7.98. The others are $7.99 at full price.”

Customer: “So, what is the difference? The expensive one is bigger?”

Me: “It looks bigger because the packaging is bigger, but it holds exactly the same amount as the others.”

(I point out the sizing.)

Customer: “And what is the price?”

Me: “Those are $7.99, and that one is $7.98”

Customer: “Okay, I’ll be back.” *takes the $7.99 items with her*

(Ten minutes later, she was back with five of the other items that I had to mark down manually. I spent time doing that. Then, she handed me one of our customer cards, which cancelled out all of my deductions and I had to redo everything. The customer wasted twenty minutes of her time to save just five cents.)

(I am working in a farm shop as a student. The shop is located close to a farm but is independent of them from an administrative point of view — just selling some of their products amongst others. The shop is always full of posh people willing to buy local and organic products. I am alone in charge of everything, and ten people are queuing, when some weird lady opens the door of the shop:)

Customer: “I saw a dead pigeon outside the shop.”

Me: “Yes, and?”

Customer: “It has clear signs of poisoning.”

Me: “I don’t know; everything outside our shop does not depend on us because it’s part of the farm, so I cannot tell you.”

(I go back to my customers, but she comes to me again, screaming.)

Customer: “You kill pigeons!”

Me: “I don’t. I have nothing to do with this. Miss, I have many other customers waiting; may I proceed?”

Customer: “You work in this shop; you are responsible!”

Me: “This really does not depend on me. Please go ask the farm responsible about this.”

Customer: *furiously* “I WILL NEVER BUY YOUR PRODUCTS!” *slams the door*

(My coworker is taking orders for the drive-thru and a customer comes through.)

Coworker: “Welcome to [Coffee Shop]. What can I get for you?”

Customer: “I want a chicken wrap.”

Coworker: “What wrap would you like?”

Customer: “A chicken wrap.”

Coworker: “What type of wrap would you like?”

Customer: “Chipotle chicken wrap.”

Coworker: “With the crispy chicken or the grilled?”

Customer: “Chipotle wrap.”

Coworker: *getting annoyed* “With the grilled or the crispy chicken?”

Customer: *mumbles something about potato wedges*

Coworker: *getting louder and more annoyed, though still maintaining a chipper customer service voice* “Would you like the grilled chicken or the crispy? I need to know what kind of chicken you would like to continue the order.”

Customer: “Also potato wedges.”

Coworker: *snapping* “Do you want the grilled or the crispy chicken, or I can decide for you?!”

Customer: *mumbles something* “Crispy.”

Coworker: *back to chipper voice* “Great! Crispy chicken. Would you like anything else?”

(The customer finishes their order without incident.)

Coworker: “All right, that will be [total] at the window.” *turns around to face me* “Oh, my God! Did anybody hear that?”

Me: “I just heard you kept talking about what chicken they wanted.”

Coworker: “That was infuriating.”

(I work for a company that supplies and fits massive tyres on mining equipment, earthmovers, dumpers, backhoes, etc. Some of these things can be nearly six feet across.)

Customer: “I need a new tyre for [big earthmover].”

Me: “Okay, can you tell me what size you need?”

Customer: “It’s big. But not as big as the other ones.”

Me: “…”

Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland. The day has become celebrated by all and is associated with fun and beer and shamrocks, which are supposed to represent good luck.

Here are some of our favorite stories about luck, good and bad.  We hope you only have good luck this Saint Patrick’s Day.  Enjoy!

The Luck Of The Irish — Even when you’re not Irish, you’re Irish?

The Matrix Rejected — There are superstitions, and then…

Lady Bug Luck — When luck turns into an infestation.

Worst Of Luck To You — Maybe good luck is a jinx?

BLT, Better Luck Tomorrow — Seems to be a new definition of BLT.

As-Sale-ing Your Manager — Bad luck brings a good sale!

From Lucifer To Lucky — A quick change of numbers means a quick change of luck?

Incoming Comments About Outgoings — What some think is luck can actually be hard work.

Unlucky For Some — Different cultures, different unlucky numbers.

Pulling Your Leg — Now that’s bad luck!

The Customer Is Fruit Loops — This customer is magically delicious!

Has luck been good or bad in your life? Do you have any good stories about your luck?  Tell your tales in the comments below, or send it to us here!

NB: An earlier version of this roundup said that shamrocks are four-leaf clovers. As our astute readers mentioned, they are three-leaf clovers. The editors of NAR regret our error.