I have a crush on a former coworker and just found out it was mutual. While we aren’t specifically told not to date in the workplace, you do have to disclose your relationship to management so they can be sure there’s no conflict of interest. We are only seeing each other during work breaks, so we haven’t said anything to anyone.

During one of our unpaid lunch breaks, we are walking toward the exit when one of our regular customers approached me. He has a mental handicap, usually has someone with him to shop, and often calls the female associates “sweetie” or “darling.” He’s one of my favorite customers because he’s always happy and has nice things to say about the people he meets.

Customer: “Hey, sweetie, going to lunch?”

Me: “Yup, just heading out now. Gonna go to [Sandwich Shop].”

Customer: “All righty, you have a good day!”

As soon as he’s out of earshot, my coworker speaks.

Coworker: “What a f****** r*****d.”

Me: *Shocked* “What?”

Coworker: “That guy!”

Me: “You mean [Customer]?”

Coworker: “How is that pervert not in jail?”

Me: “Because he’s done nothing wrong.”

Coworker: “He called you ‘sweetie.’”

Me: “Yeah. He calls lots of people ‘sweetie.’ It’s just his greeting.”

Coworker: “He should be banned. F****** disgusting.”

Me: “Um… are you jealous? Because that’s—”

Coworker: “Of a r****d? Are you kidding?”

Me: “Why does it matter how he addresses me? He’s not—”

Coworker: “He obviously wants to f*** you.”

Me: “He does not.”

I stop just outside the exit doors. 

Me: “What is wrong with you?”

He puts his arm around my shoulder.

Coworker: “I’m just looking out for you. You can’t talk to guys like that. They’re pigs.”

I push him off me.

Me: “And I suppose you don’t want anything from me?”

Coworker: *Laughs* “Well, I mean, I’m not—”

He hits his chest twice, makes the childish hand gesture for calling someone the R-word.

Coworker: “—like him.”

Me: “You know, I don’t think we’ll have to tell management about anything between us.”

Coworker: “What?”

Me: “I don’t want to go out with you.”

Coworker: “Because of him?!”

Me: “Because of you.”

I walked back into the store and sat in the break room for my entire lunch, not eating. One of the managers noticed and asked what was wrong. I told her about the conversation, and she thanked me and left. Since he was off the clock, there was no real repercussion, but I think it did save me a lot of trouble down the road.

I work in a call center for Internet tech support. We have software that allows us to remotely access a customer’s DSL line and modem. 

Customer: “I can’t access the Internet.” 

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that. Give me just a moment and I will run a line test to see if I can pull up any errors on your line.” 

As I’m doing this, my line test software goes down.

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, it appears the software we use to do remote line testing is currently down.”

Customer: “I’m done talking to you. I want to talk to a man. Men are better at this tech stuff than women, anyway. They always help me better.” 

Me: “I’m sorry you feel that way, ma’am, but I actually am a male, and furthermore, all of our employees go through the same training here, and we are all qualified to provide technical support for this Internet service provider. Some of our supervisors here are women. If you continue to make personal, sexist comments, however, I will have to end this call.” 

The customer started screaming at me. I placed them on hold for a supervisor, but the customer hung up while on hold.

My freshman year in college, there is a foreign exchange student from Kenya also attending the school. After a while, the two of us strike up a little friendship and hang out from time to time. She tells me about Kenya, and I answer questions about the US.

One day, I notice she is looking a bit annoyed.

Me: “Is something wrong?”

Friend: “I have been trying to get people to stop calling me African-American. I am not American! I am Kenyan! I’d like it if people would just call me Kenyan. Or call me Black. But not American!”

Me: “I can see how that would be annoying.”

Friend: “And today, someone called me African-American-African!”

This story is part of our Black Lives Matter roundup!

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I used to work as an interviewer in an office for a well-known park. One day, a nice man on crutches with cerebral palsy came in and asked about a job. I felt sorry for him and decided to offer him the telemarketing job, which was to just sit and take calls all day.

However, my boss took one look at him, chased him out, and then literally yelled at me for even considering hiring him for a park even though there were office jobs. Later, I was fired.

I’m glad that I never went back, even though I cried bitter tears. Discrimination is real and alive. I always knew this, but that day, I saw it.

I am helping an older male patron with the printer. I’m female. He asks what I think of a particular sexual abuse case that is in the news. I give a vague answer, which he doesn’t listen to as he starts rambling about all these terrible things coming to light now all over the world. He says that it is great that people can speak up now, but it’s terrible that it happened at all, and everyone knew but no one said anything, etc.

Patron: “I guess you ladies in the library wouldn’t have these problems?”

I start to reply but he carries on:

Patron: “It’s the pretty young girls who have to worry, isn’t it?”

I didn’t know where to start with that, so I just said the printer was fine now and left him to it.