I work in a bar that has had to change all service to seated table service only due to the health crisis. In order to quickly and easily serve our customers, we have a paid subscription with an app to order all drinks directly to the table.

Two gentlemen come in during a Friday night service, which is our busiest night of the week, and state that they would like to sit in the beer garden. After pointing the way to the correct door, I leave them to find their own table and order some drinks.

About twenty minutes later, I’m showing another group to a table upstairs and chatting politely to them about their evening as I do so.

Rude Customer #1: “EXCUSE ME! Can we actually order some drinks, please?!”

Me: “Of course, sir. Just give me one minute to finish seating this group and I’ll be right with you.”

I finish with the table I am seating and walk over to the two men, who have apparently decided that they want this table for six people to themselves inside, despite not mentioning it to a single member of staff.

Me: “Hi, guys. Is the app not working for you to order drinks? If not, I—”

Rude Customer #1: *Cutting me off* “YOU KNOW KNOW WHAT?! THIS IS F****** RIDICULOUS! All we wanted is to have some f****** drinks, and you can’t be a****d to do your job properly!”

Me: “It’s not a problem, I can—”

Rude Customer #2: *Also cutting me off* “You know, I’m very good friends with [Owner’s Husband] and he would be horrified to hear how you’re treating loyal customers. This is awful! We just wanted some drinks, and you can’t be f***ed to do anything!”

Both customers stormed out of the bar, going right past [Owner’s Husband] and his parents on their way out.

I asked [Owner’s Husband] if he knew them and he said he vaguely recognised one of them from his old school, twenty years ago, but couldn’t remember either of their names.

Last night, we saw a review posted on our website declaring how horrible the staff was and how no one wanted to help them when they asked. [Owner] and I had great fun replying to their comments and supplying the CCTV footage showing two fully grown men screaming at a short, twenty-year-old supervisor after ignoring every policy in place.

A new coworker at the box office is being screamed at by an old lady, and he seems quite flustered. Since I’ve been with the theater a few years, I wander over and tell him to take five. I turn to the old lady. The entire time, she’s speaking with a raised voice and a VERY condescending tone.

Me: “What seems to be the issue?”

Old Lady: “I bought tickets online, but that brat won’t give them to me!”

Me: “All right, I’ll see if I can help. The website should have either texted or emailed you a QR code we can scan. Do you have that?”

Old Lady: “Ugh, no! I don’t have a QR code!”

Me: “Do you have a smartphone? You should be able to bring it up via email.”

Old Lady: “NO! I don’t need a smartphone!”

Me: “That’s all right. Did you write down the confirmation code for the tickets? I can print them off if you have that code.”

Old Lady: “NO, I DON’T HAVE SOME STUPID CODE! You know, this is ridiculous! I bought tickets online so it’d be more convenient, but you idiots aren’t being much help!”

Me: “So, no confirmation code. Do you have the card you used to buy the tickets online? If you do, I can just swipe that, and they should print out.”

Old Lady: “NO! I have three cards, and I don’t know which one I used! And I’m not giving you all three of my cards to swipe!”

Me: “Well, ma’am, I’m sorry, then. If you don’t have the QR code or confirmation number, and you won’t give me your card to swipe, I have literally no way of redeeming your tickets. I’m afraid there’s nothing else I can do.”

Old Lady: *Shrieking* “THIS ISN’T VERY CONVENIENT, YOU JERK! I WANT YOU TO CHANGE THE WEBSITE! I BUY TICKETS ONLINE TO BE MORE CONVENIENT! I DIDN’T KNOW I HAD TO BRING IN PROOF TO REDEEM MY TICKETS! YOU SHOULD JUST KNOW I HAVE TICKETS IF I COME IN AND SAY I DO! I’M GOING TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER! I WANT YOU TO REDO YOUR WEBSITE!”

She continues on a tirade for several more moments before suddenly reaching into her pocket and throwing a piece of paper at me.

Old Lady: “Here! This was the only thing I brought in. It’s some stupid number the website emailed me!”

I enter the number into the register and her tickets immediately spit right out.

Me: *Handing her the tickets* “Ma’am… this was the confirmation number I asked you about.”

Old Lady: *Screaming* “HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!”

The website literally labels the confirmation number as “confirmation number.”

Me: “Ma’am… I really don’t know what to tell you.”

She went on another tirade about how we weren’t “convenient,” insulted the other cashier and me one more time for good measure, and stormed off.

I work in a hotel. I cannot tell you how many times I have had people, specifically men, older than me, try to make excuses like elementary-level students. Once, I had two grown men literally run around my lobby and patio, and when I told them to stop, one said, “But he started it!” and the other, “But it’s my birthday!”

Tonight, I had two groups in the pool which closes an hour before my shift even starts; nobody should be in there if I am here. I approached the first group.

Me: “The pool is closed.”

Guest #1: “Well, what about him smoking a cigarette?”

Me: “Don’t worry, I’ll be speaking to them, too.”

Then, I walked over to the second group.

Guest #2: “Well, they were here first!”

Me: “Yes, and you just watched me speak to them, as well, but on top of the pool being closed, I can’t have you smoking in here anyway.”

I run to housekeeping to grab the towels I was headed for, come back out, and they’re all still just chilling. I approach the guest from the second group because he is closer.

Guest #2: “But I’ve stopped smoking!”

Me: “Yes, well, you still cannot be in here.”

Guest #2: “But they’re still here!”

Me: “Yes, and I will also be speaking with them again. That’s my job. Don’t worry; I’ve got this.”

I speak with [Guest #1] again.

Guest #1: “Okay, okay, okay! No need to be aggressive!”

I ran my towels to the guest who needed them, apologized for the ten-minute delay, and headed back to the desk. [Guest #1] was there requesting to rent a room. THEY WEREN’T EVEN STAYING HERE! WHAT THE F***?!

Then, he had the audacity to complain about a parking lot view when I literally just had to double-boot his drunk a** from the pool at 1:30 am.

I’m a cake decorator. An older customer had ordered a half-sheet cake with a filling and decorations and has come to collect it.

Me: “That will be $40.”

Customer: *Upset.* “I swore I ordered a quarter sheet.”

She hadn’t, but…

Me: “I can remake the smaller cake with a last-minute fee.”

She agrees and leaves. I make her cake and her new cake is $37 with the fees for filling, decoration, and the late fee. She comes back and I give her the price.

Customer: *Screaming.* “I’m paying $25 for the cake because that’s what I paid two months ago for [different cake]!”

She wouldn’t stop throwing a hissy fit stomping her foot, screaming, and almost crying like a toddler until the store manager gives in.

Manager: “Okay, I will give you the cake for $25.”

The customer gets a smug look of satisfaction.

Manager: “But you’re also banned from the store.”

The smug look disappeared.

In my first week as a manager, I get a complaint about one of the contractors working for me. Apparently, he smells like he hasn’t washed in weeks. Other comments have been made about his lack of handwashing and overuse of deodorant spray.

I think long and hard about how to approach it. It’s not an easy subject; I don’t know what cultural or personal issues I might be stepping on. Eventually, I decide on an honest but fair approach. I get him in first thing Monday morning and check that he is okay and understands why I asked him here.

Me: “The bottom line is that you need to wash daily and apply some sort of antiperspirant or deodorant that works for you and everyone around you.”

Worker: “I do!”

Me: “Honestly, you’ve been here for thirty minutes and I can smell that’s not the case. I need you to make this change or we are going to have to lose you.”

He folds his arms in defiance.

Me: “Listen, we can deal with it here or we will have to escalate it. But it needs to be dealt with now.”

Worker: “Are we finished?”

Me: “Yes, you can go.”

I was being kind when I said I could tell he hadn’t washed. My office stank of body odor and I could see his clothes were dirty from the week before. Being a contractor, he was getting paid more than I was. We even have showers on-site! I decide to call the agency we use to manage him. I explained why we spoke and that I expected them to follow up and have the matter sorted within the week.

A week later, I got the same complaints. I invited him to a meeting with me and a representative from the agency. He didn’t show up that day. I rescheduled and he called off sick.

We fired him on the spot; being agency work, there is no notice period and no pay other than the hours he worked.

He claimed unfair dismissal (doesn’t exist for contractors), claimed I made things up (everything was documented), and claimed racial discrimination (no evidence was given, as there wasn’t any).

He then tried to apply directly for his old position. Of course, that didn’t work. His last act of defiance was to write me a list of accusations and vague threats. After he showed it to his agency, they fired him, too.