(I am a baker at a popular chain. My manager has just requested I decorate a cake for a customer. It is to say, “Congratulations, [Recipient]!” on it. I get to work doing so, then present the decorated cake to the customer. She stares at it for a moment, before looking at me as if I’m growing a second head. )

Customer: “Isn’t ‘congratulations’ spelled with a D?”

(My manager overhears this and approaches.)

Me: “No, ma’am. I promise you it’s spelled with a T.”

Customer: *scoffs* “CONGRAD-UH! ULATIONS!”

(I am about to correct her when my manager pulls out his phone and pulls up Siri.)

Manager: *to phone* “Spell, ‘congratulations.’”

(The phone beeps and announces the spelling, and my manager holds it out to show the customer, who promptly quiets down and storms off with her cake.)

Manager: *flabbergasted* “Was she kidding just now? My face hurts from that conversation.”

(I work in drive-through with a lot of immigrant workers mostly from Asia. I’m white.)

Customer: *pulls up to my window* “Oh, thank God, a real white Australian girl. Finally! You have too many Asians at this store; they can’t even speak English!”

Me: “Um… That’s [total]. Please drive forward.”

(I go up to my [white] manager to complain about how racist the customers are.)

Manager: “Okay, one second.” *speaking in headset* “[Coworker], can you hand these coffees out?”

(A Chinese coworker hands out the coffees to some very angry racist customers.)

Manager: “And that’s how you piss off racist people.”

(At my store, we’ve been giving out coupons for customers to come back between certain days to receive 20% off their purchase. It’s the day before the most recent coupon activates. I’m at the register.)

Me: “Hi, how are you? Did you find everything you were looking for?”

Customer: “I did! I was in here last week and got a coupon. I’d like to use it today.”

Me: “Sure, can I see it?” *she’s holding the recent bounce-back coupon that will activate the next day* “Oh, that’s the coupon that starts tomorrow, but that’s okay; let me check if your items are on sale anyway!”

Customer: “But I came in specially to use the coupon.”

Me: “I understand, and I’m really sorry”. *I scan her items, many of which are already on sale* “So, it looks like most of your purchase today wouldn’t fall under the coupon and you can keep it to use in the next couple weeks.”

Customer: “Maybe you could try to use the coupon.”

Me: “Sure, I’ll try.” *I ring it, but the register won’t accept it because it hasn’t been activated yet*

(At this point, there’s a fairly long line, so I call the only other employee on the floor over to help.)

Me: “My register can’t apply the coupon because it won’t be active until tomorrow. We can either go ahead with the purchase, or I can void it and hold the items for you until tomorrow, whichever you’d rather.”

Customer: “But I want my coupon! You just don’t want to give it to me, you fat, lazy brat!”

Me: “I…”

Coworker: *who is the manager on duty* “Ma’am, my associate has given you both the options available. She has also tried to ring your coupon which did not apply because our registers can’t accept it, not because she didn’t want to. I was going to have her honor it anyway, but since you decided to insult her instead, either purchase your items or let us hold them for you until tomorrow. You’re holding up the line.”

Customer: “Fine! Hold it for me until tomorrow, then!”

Me: “Sure, not a problem. Can I get a name to hold it under?”

(She gives me her name, then storms away.)

Coworker: “Happy Holidays!”

(I work part-time in a retail store. We are primarily a book store but also sell stationery, magazines and cards. At the moment we have a display of boxed Christmas cards at the front of the store.)

Customer: “Do you have any Christmas cards that will fit this envelope?” *holds up a bunch of very thin, very long envelopes*

Me: “We might do! Have a look around and see what we have.”

(The customer is looking at the cards on display and clearly didn’t hear me.)

Customer: *a moment later, already with attitude* “Well, do you?”

Me: *repeats, still cheerfully* “Yeah, we might do!”

Customer: *quite aggressively* “No I want you to come and HELP me find one.”

(I was just about to cash up one of the tills as it’s near closing.)

Me: “Oh, okay, sure.” *I walk around the counter and approach her* “May I have a look at the envelope size you have there?”

Customer: *hands me one of them* “See, because they’re all pre-paid for and I’ve written on them already.”

Me: “Okay, I see.” *I start comparing the envelope in my hand to cards in the boxed packs she’s looking at* “These ones here look like they might fit?”

Customer: “No, you have to take it out of the box to see for sure.”

(It sounds like a mild suggestion to me. I don’t oblige because we typically don’t open packaging unless they’re going to buy it. Sometimes we do make exceptions but these boxed packs of cards aren’t a simple open and close. I keep comparing the card sizes inside the boxes.)

Customer: “What about these ones? These are nice.” *hands me a pack*

Me: *checking* “Yeah, they look like they’d be a good fit!”

Customer: *snaps* “No, you have to take it out and LOOK!”

(I’m surprised, not really sure what to say for a moment because, again, we don’t typically do that. I open my mouth to speak… but apparently too late.)

Customer: *practically yelling now* “Look, if you don’t WANT to help me, I’ll just go somewhere else!” *snatches the envelope from my hand and storms off*

(I just let her go with a very bewildered “Okay…?” Who wants to serve a customer like that, anyway?)

(It has been a rough year for our family, and my mom is working at a popular coffee shop on Christmas Eve. It is snowing heavily outside and they have just opened the store. An old man comes in and orders a large black coffee.)

Man: “Do you have change for a $100?”

Mom: “No… I’m sorry. We just opened so I don’t have the proper change yet, but since it’s just a coffee you can have it on the house! Merry Christmas!”

(The man looks at my mom, and the coffee, and then drops the $100 in the tip jar.)

Man: *as he walks out the door* “Merry Christmas to you, too!”

(My mom was only working with one other person that day, so they both received $50 from him. It may not have made up for the whole year, but the kindness went a long way to making my mom feel a little more cheery.)