(My friend and I both work in gastro-service in this town. We spend the evening at another local cafe. When we finish up, we notice we’re the last customers left, so we decide to pay quickly as we know how annoying it can be to wait around for just two customers.)

Me: *paying at the till* “By the way, when do you guys close?”

Server: “Oh, at 9:00 pm, so not for another two hours.”

My Friend: “Oh, good! We thought we’d already overstayed the closing time and you were just waiting for us to finally get out.” *laughs*

Server: “Oh, no, we would never do that! It’s fine for guests to stay longer; we’d just have to start cleaning up around other parts of the cafe.”

Me: “Sure, but it’s still bothersome to have people who just won’t leave.”

Server: “It’s fine, really. We’ve got a lot of things to get done; we wouldn’t throw anyone out just because it’s closing time.”

Me: “Listen, we both work in gastro-service, too. We know how it feels.”

Server: “Oh! Oh, thank God. I couldn’t think of another nice way to answer this without sounding patronising.”

(We stayed for another half-hour, chatting about our work and the troubles you sometimes get with customers. The server seemed really relieved we weren’t going to make any trouble.)

(I work in the bakery department of a busy grocery store. The lines are always long at the main cash registers, so my coworkers and I usually try to buy food for break or lunch in our department. One day, it’s particularly busy for us, with customers lining up at the coffee bar and the cake case, and catching anyone who is putting out product with questions. Many of them are unhappy with waiting and are impatient with us when we can finally help them. My manager sees me finish taking an order with a particularly difficult customer and pushes me out of the department to grab something to eat for the first time all day. I go up to the main registers to cash out, since I know that my coworkers are already stressed out with how busy it is. I find the shortest line — six customers, several with big carts full — so I can to begin the wait which I know will take up most of my break. The woman in front of me looks around and sees my uniform.)

Woman: “Oh, you must be on break! I know you don’t get a lot of time; do you want to go in front of me?”

(I stammer a thank-you, and move in front if her. The next couple in line turns around, and offers the same.)

Me: “Oh, no, that’s okay. You guys don’t have a lot to check out, either.”

(They shook their heads, insisted that they had nowhere to be, and moved aside to let me go first. This process continued all the way up the line, with every single person at that point hearing that the people behind them were letting me go so I’d have time to eat. I cashed out very quickly, turned back to my very sweet customers and thanked them all again, letting them know how much it meant to me, and ran off to eat. I’ve had sweet customers, but never an entire line of them, and it really restored my faith in humanity.)

(I am a 20-year-old female with facial piercings. I am fortunate enough to find a job as an office assistant for a realty company. One day, two men come in to pay rent, ask questions, etc. My back is turned to them as I am filing some paperwork. My boss has come up front to answer their questions. Mind you, she is a small female, and both of these men are large, tatted, and bearded. I finish filing while they are still there, and I turn around. The younger of the two looks genuinely surprised at my appearance and looks at my boss.)

Man #1: “Hey, do you guys have complaint or commendation papers?”

Boss: “Not here, but we do on our website. Is there something wrong that I can help you with?”

Man #1: “No, I just think it’s freaking awesome that you guys hired someone with alternative style!”

(My boss looks very confused. [Man #2] is now laughing.)

Man #1: *points at me* “Her piercings! I think it’s cool that you hired someone with them; most people don’t!”

Boss: *chuckles* “Who am I to tell her what the f*** to wear and how to dress? She’s fine the way she is!”

(I love my boss.)

Related:
Piercing Observation, Part 3
Piercing Observation, Part 2
Piercing Observation

(I’ve been working in a store for a little over a year. We recently hired a new employee. His work ethic is bad on a good day and non-existent on a bad day. About a week after he starts working, he starts dating a girl and spends all day on the phone with her. This exchange happens while we have a line of customers. My coworker is not bothering to keep his voice down while talking to his girlfriend on the phone.)

Coworker: “Oh, yeah? That’s really hot. And then what would you do to me?”

(My current customer and I turn to look at him; he and all the other customers are looking very uncomfortable about overhearing this)

Me: “[Coworker], you need to put your phone down and help with these customers; this sounds like a private conversation, anyway.”

Coworker: *holds up a finger to silence me* “Oh, yeah, baby. That’s so hot.”

Me: “Put it away now, or I get the boss involved.”

Coworker: *glares angrily at me but carries on dirty-talking his girlfriend*

Me: “That’s it. I’m calling the—”

(A customer walks behind the counter, grabs the phone out of his hands, and says this into the phone.)

Customer: “Your boyfriend will call you later; he’s at work right now.”

(He then took the phone to the door and hurled it as hard as he could into the parking lot. Everyone in the store laughed at the employee, and he was fired that same day.)

My two-year-old daughter loves anyone who will talk to her, but has made firm friends with one particular cashier in a local supermarket. We were just going to line up at the self-checkouts when this cashier appeared at my shoulder, having just clocked off from a long, early shift. As always, she asked how we were doing and how our Easter went, so as my daughter began gabbling about candles, I translated and explained that it was also her birthday on the weekend. The cashier had to run and pay for her things before leaving, so I bid her to go home and rest as we went our separate ways.

Just as I was scanning our groceries, she stopped by again and handed my daughter a Kinder Surprise egg as a birthday present! She rarely lets us get away without at least a smile and a wave — and has more than once kept my daughter busy while I was packing bags — but this little act of kindness really blew me away.  

Unfortunately, by the time I’d finished, my daughter had started eating the egg through the foil…