(I work at a thrift shop. For our Halloween season, we have our own merchandise for sale; that is, it’s not used or a donation. We have already set up our Halloween section, as it’s the busiest time of year for us. I’m working as a “Costume Consultant,” which means it’s my job to help customers find their perfect costumes. I see a customer looking at some costumes and looking confused.)

Me: “Hello! Did you need any help in Halloween today?”

Customer: “Yes, I was looking at these costumes.”

Me: “No problem! Was there something else you wanted to add to your costume, or did you have a question about the product?”

Customer: “I was wondering if there was a bigger size.”

(I go to look through the costumes for the sizes, when I notice in big block letters along the front it says, “ONE SIZE FITS MOST.”)

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, but there is only one size for this costume. If you’d like, you can take it to the fitting rooms to try on.”

Customer: “Oh, no, I just came from the fitting rooms. It’s too tiring to try it on again. Just find me the biggest one.”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but these are all the same size. There isn’t a ‘bigger’ one.”

Customer: “I know that you guys have a bigger one! I can’t possibly fit into these ones!”

(The customer is not overweight by any means, and the costumes are fairly stretchy.)

Me: “I’m certain you can wear these ones. I have bigger hips and bust than you do, and I wore this costume last year.”

Customer: “No, we’ll just have to look through all of them.”

(The customer then takes every costume off the rack, and stretches them all out to see which one is “the biggest.”)

Me: “Ma’am, I would appreciate if you didn’t stretch the fabric so tight. It could tear. Now, I can promise you, on my life, that these are all the same.”

Customer: “Well, I guess I’ll go with this one. It’s the biggest.”

(The customer then just walked away. I was left standing there, confused.)

(It’s Halloween and many of the employees are dressing up for charity. I’m wearing a vampire costume with a long black wig. I’m currently scanning a customer’s items through while my coworker bags them. I’m growing my hair out, but it isn’t even touching my shoulders yet.)

Customer: “You look so much like Meat Loaf with that wig!”

Coworker: “I told you! You should definitely grow it out like Meat Loaf?”

Customer: “Oh, have you got long hair already?”

Me: “Well, I haven’t been growing it for very long, so it’s shorter than it is longer.”

Customer: “But why wear the wig?”

Me: “It’s not very long.”

(For the rest of the transaction, the customer looks bewildered and stares at me constantly. It starts getting creepy, so to appease her I decide to take the wig off briefly…)

Customer: “It’s not very long!”

Me: “Like I said…”

(I finish the transaction and we bid farewell to her. She thanks my coworker and deliberately ignores me as she leaves the store. Several hours later, near closing time, the on duty manager comes up to me.)

Manager: “I’ve just had a complaint about you.”

Me: “Me? What did I do?”

Manager: “She… didn’t like your hair.”

Me: *completely forgetting the customer* “The wig?”

Manager: “No.” *pulls my wig off*

Me: “…”

(She came back to the store just to complain about my hair…)

(I work in the back room of a thrift store. It is Halloween and we are encouraged to dress up. I’m cheap, so I take some of my older clothes, tear them to pieces, and spray them and my face and arms with fake blood. I go to the washroom in the middle of my shift and encounter a woman and her daughter awaiting a cubicle.)

Mother: *notices me and clutches her daughter tighter*

Me: *a little offended*

Mother: “OH, NO! IT’S A ZOMBIE! SHE’S GOING TO EAT US!”

Daughter: “Mom, it’s just a costume.”

Mother: “NO, SHE’S A ZOMBIE! SHE’S GOING TO EAT US! WE’RE DOOMED!”

Daughter: “Come on, Mom.”

Mother: “DOOOOOOMED!”

(I work for an accessory store geared towards girls 18 and younger. Corporate is holding a contest for upcoming Halloween. To get in the spirit of Halloween, I’m dressed in a pirate costume that goes way beyond my knees, nearly to my ankles, and I’m barely showing any skin. I’m alone in the store when a woman, no younger than 40, comes in.)

Me: *smiling* “Hi. Are you looking for anything in particular today?”

Woman: *angrily* “No.”

Me: “Okay, let me know if I can help you with anything.”

(The woman glares at me but continues to shop. After a while she comes up to the counter.)

Me: “Did you find everything you wanted okay?”

Woman: *rudely* “Does your boss know you’re dressed like that?”

Me: “The costume? Oh, yeah, she saw it when she left for the day.”

Woman: “I bet you think you’re smart, dressing like a tramp to lure in men.”

Me: *stunned* “Excuse me?”

Woman: “How dare you dress like a seductive harlot?! You’re going to rot in Hell if you continue to dress like that! You shouldn’t wear something like that around children!”

(She continued to yell at me beyond the point of tears before taking her receipt and items. She turned and stomped out abruptly, leaving me in tears with four hours left of my shift.)

(The shopping center my store is located in is doing a special Halloween event for children where they can go trick-or-treating in the different stores. I am manning the bowl of candy, which my manager has taped a sign to asking customers to please leave the candy for the children. An older customer has come up to me.)

Customer: “Oh, candy!” *she reaches in to grab a piece*

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, but would you mind leaving it for the children? We’re running low ,and the event’s supposed to last another couple hours.”

Customer: “Oh, that’s all right. I’m just going to look around for a bit.”

(She moves away, and I turn back to giving out candy to a group of children who’ve just entered. A few minutes later, I hear a rustling sound behind me and turn to find the customer from before reaching in and grabbing a huge handful of candy.)

Me: “Ma’am, could you put that back, please?”

Customer: “No!” *smiles, shoves the candy into her bag, and leaves*

Me: *speechless*