(I work at a store where the policy is to ID everyone regardless of if they look old enough or not. I especially adhere to this policy if I don’t recognize the customer. A lady I don’t know enters the store and, without a word, goes to the pull-tab lottery machine and starts putting in money.)

Me: *approaching with a smile* “Excuse me, ma’am. Could I see your ID, please?”

Lady: *rudely* “I’m 51 years old.”

Me: “I understand that. Store policy is that I need to see ID.”

Lady: “It’s out in the car.”

Me: “Okay, well, can you get it for me, please?”

Lady: *suddenly rude and annoyed* “Seriously? That’s r*****ed.” *goes out to get ID from car*

Coworker: *who is not on duty, and is annoyed* “She’s just doing her job!”

Me: *to coworker* “I don’t know her; do you?”

Coworker: “No, I don’t.”

(The lady comes back in and shoves her ID in my face, barely letting me see that she is, indeed, 51 years old.)

Lady: *rudely* “That is a stupid policy! In [Town we’re in], everyone knows everyone!”

Coworker: “To be honest, I don’t recognize you, either.”

Coworker’s Dad: “I also don’t know you, and I’ve lived here a long time.”

Lady: *grabs her pull-tabs* “Well, you’ve just lost a customer today!”

Coworker: *under her breath* “Good riddance.”

(I work at a public library and this is what I have to put up with. It happens a lot more often than you’d think. I don’t expect young children to understand how a library works, but you’d think a pre-teen would have some knowledge of library procedures.)

13-Year-Old Patron: “Are the books free?”

Me: “Well, you have to check them out with your library card. If they’re late or you lose them, then you’ll have a fine. But otherwise, they are free to borrow.”

13-Year-Old Patron: *looks extremely confused* “So… I can have it?”

Me: “The book belongs to the library, but you may check it out and return it on the due date.”

(He put the books back and walked out without saying anything. These are our future leaders, people.)

(We are having a sale in which almost everything in the store is 50% off. With the sale, our registers are not accepting coupons of any kind. We have already explained the situation dozens of times today, but many customers have become irate because they can’t use their coupons. The manager has gotten tired of explaining.)

Manager: “Okay, I have some signs to display to let people know that we can’t accept coupons.”

(The manager puts signs everywhere, including on the counter right behind the register. A customer approaches the register.)

Customer #1: “So, I have this coupon; can I use it?”

Me: “No, with the sale we have right now, we are unable to accept any coupons.”

(She pays and leaves.)

Me: “Hey, [Manager], your signs aren’t working.”

Manager: *taping a sign right on the register at customers’ eye level* “Now there’s no way they’ll miss it!”

(Immediately, another customer approaches.)

Customer #2: “So, can I use this coupon?”

Me: *screams internally*

(I work in a laundromat. Spring daylight saving just happened yesterday, and I was the only one that worked yesterday. Before being told this story, I have just mentioned staying late last night to clean up, as customers were there a little past closing. We closed at six pm.)

Coworker: “You know the customer…” *describes him*

Me: “No?”

Coworker: “Well, he came in today, saying he was here yesterday.”

Me: *searches memory* “Oh, yes! Now I remember; he was here yesterday.”

Coworker: “He came in today and he was really mad! He said he came back at 5:30 yesterday to get his stuff out, making sure he had lots of time left before we closed, and that the girl here yesterday left early; everything was off and locked up! I told him that’s really strange that she would do that and to let me check my timesheet. It said she clocked out after six pm. He said no, that must be wrong, and he started arguing with me about it. I thought about it for a moment and went, ‘Did you get confused with the time change?’ He said, ‘No, that happens at midnight Sunday.'”

Me: “Well, it was two am Sunday, so he’s a bit off. I was definitely here past closing. It’s hard to clean up around people; I didn’t finish until they left just after six. The computer clock changed automatically and so did the debit machine. I did the wall clock myself.”

Coworker: “I know. I didn’t think you would leave early. He was really mad and kept insisting you had.”

(At this point, my coworker goes to the bathroom briefly, and I ponder this story. She gets back:)

Me: “Wait, he was saying midnight Sunday? Meaning, when it changed it would be one am Monday, not 12:00 Monday? As in, the time change hadn’t happened yet?”

Coworker: “Yes, exactly! So I was trying to explain that you didn’t close early, but he didn’t believe me. I had to sit down and read a book; I couldn’t explain time to him. Another customer was in here, laughing at him!”

Me: “Wow. That just makes it worse. How did he not know when the time change happened?”

Coworker: “I don’t know; maybe he didn’t talk to anyone about it or see anything about it.”

Me: “To be honest, daylight saving is confusing, but not that much.”

(Yes, daylight saving had occurred over twelve hours before “5:30,” and this guy had gone that whole time not knowing.)

This story is part of our Daylight Saving Time roundup!

Read the next story in this roundup!

Read the Daylight Saving Time roundup!

(I work at a small pizza parlor. We have six customers standing in line.)

Me: *working register* “Next customer, please!”

(The next customer walks over to my register from the line, but [Customer #2] proceeds to cut the entire line and approach my register.)

Me: *to [Customer #2]* “Sir, there’s a line. This gentleman was next.”

Customer #2: *looks at me in shock* “You’re really going to serve this [racial slur] before me?!”

([Customer #1] and I exchange glances of astonishment.)

Me: “Sir, there’s no need to use that language here. You’re going to have to go to the back of the line.”

([Customer #2] continues with racist remarks and something about being a traitor to my kind.)

Me: “Sir, if you have an issue with me treating this man with the same respect that I would have given you had you merely stepped to the back of the line, then you can leave.”

(The customer makes more comments on how I’ve been brainwashed by the [racial slurs].)

Me: “Have a nice day, sir.” *turns to [Customer #1]* “It’s on the house.”

([Customer #2] threw his arms in the air and continued screaming until the owner forced him out the door.)