On Fridays, I do doubles. So, I open the restaurant at 10:45 am and find out I’m also the closer. We close at midnight. I do three doubles a week, so I’m used to it.

I get a six-top of women at nine pm, several of them wearing attire representing a particular political figure. I get them all cocktails, appetizers, entrees, and more drinks all without a hitch. One of the ladies stops me at my point-of-sale station and asks if we do anything special for birthdays. We don’t, but I offer dessert and she orders fried Oreos and ice cream.

I rummage around the kitchen and find birthday candles and light them and deliver the desserts to the table with happy birthday wishes along with plates and spoons. I go by a few minutes later to see if they need more drinks when one of the women aggressively shows me a dessert plate that has a teeny-tiny speck of food on it. Granted, it does look less than clean, and I profusely apologize and let them know I’ll bring a clean plate. She really tears into me.

Woman: “This is appalling. This is the worst dining experience we’ve ever had! I need to see your manager.”

I get my manager and she goes over for more abuse. She comps an entree and the dessert. I drop the bill off, explain the discount, and offer my sincerest apologies. They stick around for another hour or so and then they all head out the front door.

Me: “Thanks for coming in. Goodnight!”

Woman: *Shouting* “You c***!”

And she left. I went to pick up the bill and, of course, they’d stiffed me — no tip on a $200 tab. Wow. Here’s the thing industry people don’t know. If you stiff me, I still have to tip out the bar, the hostess, the expo, and the busser, and I make less than minimum wage.

To all my industry peeps: stay safe and keep your head up. I love you and appreciate all you do!

I work in a fast-paced healthcare environment where every minute counts and I have both male and female coworkers on my shift.

We have lockers with opaque doors where we’re allowed to store our things. When I’m in the office area, I leave mine unlocked for easy access and I’ve started keeping a box of tampons in my locker. I’ve told my female coworkers that if they’re in a hurry and need a tampon, they’re welcome to just open my locker (when it’s unlocked and I’m in the office) and take one, no problem.

I get called into my boss’s office one day because a male coworker of mine complained that me keeping tampons in my locker was “disgusting” and he hated that he could see the box whenever my locker was opened. My boss is also a man.

Boss: “Some men are really sensitive to this type of thing. You should try hiding them in a different type of box, so you won’t offend your coworkers.”

Me: “What’s the point in that? My coworkers would see someone reaching into a cracker box or a Pop Tart box and taking out a tampon instead of food, anyway.”

Boss: *Huffy* “It’s for the best. You just need to do it.”

Well, fine.

I made a cover for my tampon box that said, “Mother Earth’s Bloody Nutrients Bars: with extra gooey, nutritious filling!” with a photo of a bloody bathtub, and I placed it on the box.

That was two days ago, and I saw the male coworker open my locker, trying to be sneaky. He paled when he read the box and got all angry, and I received an email from my boss soon after that my cover “wasn’t funny” and that I needed to take it down.

So, I emailed our HR person a copy of the email, as well as a summary of what had happened and photos of the lockers, the box, and the cover. I also suggested that the male coworker sit somewhere where he didn’t have a direct line of sight to my locker if it really offended him so much. She thought it was freaking hilarious and said I had “followed my supervisor’s instructions” and so I was fine.

I’m mostly angry that my time was spent on something as stupid as this and not on patient work. I’ve continued to document everything and am encouraging my coworkers, male and female, to do the same. HR is now in the loop, and they have had multiple people come forward with complaints about our male coworker and our boss, so they’re doing some investigating. Hopefully, things will change.

Our store fosters rescue cats available for adoption, usually only one at a time, and they are kept in large cages that are four feet high. Potential adopters can request to have them taken out to play with.

Customer: “I just love the cat! Can you take him out of the cage, please?”

Me: “Okay! I’ll just shut the door to the room.”

I let the cat out.

Customer: “Yeah, I really like this one! I’ll have to ask my roommates if I can adopt it!”

She proceeds to go on about her life and her roommates and cats. Finally, I put the cat back and she leaves.

Coworker: “Did you just help that blonde woman?”

Me: “Yeah, why?”

Coworker: “She’s the crazy lady who tried to walk out with a cat underneath her shirt!”

It was then that I was told all about how notorious this customer is.

I work mornings in the produce section of a grocery store. It’s the day before Christmas, so it’s packed. We’re just trying to keep our high-demand products filled, which still is a hard task. A woman stops me while I’m putting bags of cranberries out.

Customer: “Excuse me, when do you guys close tonight?”

Me: “We close at six tonight, ma’am.”

Customer: “Okay, and when do you open tomorrow?”

Me: “We’re actually closed tomorrow—”

Customer: “What, why?! I might need something!”

Me: “It’s the only day out of the year we close. Corporate wants us to spend time with our families.”

Customer: “That’s bulls***! You guys don’t have families! You work here!”

She storms off. I stand there for a minute, trying to process what she just said. Another customer who was nearby comes over.

Customer #2: “Wow, I didn’t think people like that actually existed. Are you okay?”

Me: “Yeah, I’ve dealt with worse people. Anything I can help you find?”

Customer #2: “Oh, I’m quite all right! But is your manager around?”

The second customer told my department head what happened and complimented me on staying professional. Even he was shocked.

We only have very few guests at the hotel due to health restrictions. I’m manning the front desk during the afternoon and am completely alone in the hotel, save for the few guests we have. I made my rounds through all corridors and rooms earlier in the day, before checking in the only three guests we have for that night: just three businessmen in three rooms, all next to each other.

A little while after checking in, they all come back downstairs. They have a little dog with them. I’m a little puzzled, because I didn’t see them come in with the dog — hidden in a bag? — or I would have told them about the pet fee we charge. As I have someone else on the phone, I decide to address it when they come back.

Once I’m done with the phone call, I decide to do another round and double-check that all windows and doors to the outside are closed. In the corridor directly in front of our guests’ rooms, I very nearly step into feces. I’d say the dog really needed to go and they noticed too late. It is spread through a quarter of the corridor, ending just before the staircase.

Of course, I get to clean it up. Yay!

About an hour later, the three of them come back. Wherever they were, they are definitely drunk now.

Me: “Welcome back!”

Guest #1: “Good evening!”

[Guest #2] waves at me, pretty obviously drunk. He is carrying the little dog, badly hidden in his jacket.

Me: “Um… excuse me, sir? We charge a fee of 15€ per night, per pet. Which of your rooms would you like me to charge the fee to?”

Guest #2: “Oh! But he is so small! That’s so much money for such a little dog! Come on, you look like such a nice girl!”

Me: “I’m very sorry, but I really can’t do that. It’s our policy.”

Guest #2: “Please, please! Look how small he is! He never makes any trouble! No dirt, nothing!”

Me: “Sir, with all due respect, I just spent half an hour cleaning feces out of the carpet in the corridor in front of your rooms. I could add an extra cleaning fee for that. I’m doing my best to be accommodating. Which room would you like me to charge the pet fee to?”

Guest #1: “But he’s so small! Look at him! It couldn’t have been that bad—”

[Guest #3] sighs and starts pushing the other two towards the elevator.

Guest #3: “I’ll take care of it.” *To me* “I’m so sorry; they are very drunk. I’ll be right back!”

I have no idea how to translate drunken slurring into English. But [Guest #2] kept whining at me like a little child and [Guest #1] was nearly yelling at me. [Guest #3] came back shortly and paid the pet fee immediately. He apologized again. The poor guy was obviously very embarrassed by his colleagues.

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