While on vacation in a resort town, my mom decides we’re going to go hit a few antique stores. One such store has some interesting items for sale, but everything is just stacked haphazardly all over, with some valuable items even piled outside in the rain and getting ruined. An employee — who looks to be the only one aside from the owner — comes up to us while we’re browsing.

Employee: “Can I help you find anything?”

Mom: “Oh, no, we’re just browsing. Things are kind of piled up everywhere, aren’t they?”

Employee: “Yeah, we used to be in the much bigger building next door. But business has been so bad that we couldn’t afford the rent for it, so we moved here. They’re putting in a mattress store over there; can you believe it? There’s no love or appreciation for small businesses anymore.”

Mom: “I’m sorry. Is that why there are things piled up outside?”

Employee: “Yeah, we had to move in a hurry. Hopefully, we’ll do better here and be able to afford a bigger place.”

Mom finally finds something she wants to purchase and goes to the register where the owner is waiting. But a local has just come into the store, and instead of helping my mom, the owner opts to make small talk with the local.

Mom: “I’m ready to pay.”

Owner: “Just a minute, honey.”

She resumed talking to the local.

We stood there for ten minutes, and the owner showed no inclination to end her conversation — which was in no way related to her business. Mom finally gave up, put her purchase back, and we left. Maybe people would appreciate your business more and enable you to afford your rent if you actually paid attention to paying customers.

I was a civilian working on a military base. My manager was military and had been sent on a course to qualify to get a promotion. She came back and was not herself. She was quiet and seemed sad.

At lunch, she told my coworkers and me why she was sad. It had turned out that she was not allowed to yell at the civilians. Even if we made errors and even — and for her this was obviously the worst part — if she had slept badly or just needed to express that she was in a bad mood.

This was how she had dealt with stress for many years: go to work and find someone of lower rank to shout at. She could easily shout at someone for half an hour. She said, “Well, then, in my next position I must ensure that none of the staff is civilian, because this is going to be tough!” as if we were supposed to feel sorry for her because she was no longer allowed to be verbally abusive towards us. Actually, it hadn’t been allowed in years, but she wasn’t the type to read the memos. 

I know she is still in the military and wonder if she has found out that you are no longer allowed to shout at the enlisted personnel, either.

I work at an office. Long story short, my supervisor wrongfully fires me, and the manager overturns it and writes her up for violating policy.

A couple of hours later, I go into the ladies’ room. My supervisor comes in after me.

Supervisor: “You’re fired.”

Me: *Pause* “Seriously?”

Supervisor: “You heard me. You’re fired.”

Me: “You’re seriously going to fire me again after that meeting we just had today?”

Supervisor: “I’m not going to let [Boss] stop me from firing you. You ruined my good standing with the company and I cannot let that go unpunished.”

Just then, a toilet flushes, and the manager comes out of the stall.

Manager: *Washing her hands* “You know I could hear what you were saying, right, [Supervisor]?”

Supervisor: *Goes pale* “I—”

Manager: “Just go to the office. I’d like to have a little talk with you.”

My supervisor was fired that day for retaliation.

My coworker is the sort of gentleman that, once you see him, you never forget him, as he’s absolutely huge. He works in the seafood department which is adjacent to the meat department. Late one evening, well after meat and seafood are closed, he comes into the store to do some personal shopping. A lady approaches him to demand that he cut a large roast in half for her.

Coworker: “I’m sorry but the meat department is closed. If you come back after eight in the morning, the butchers will be happy to cut it for you.”

Customer: “You work here. You do it.”

Coworker: “Madam, I am off duty. Furthermore, I work in seafood. I’m not trained to operate the meat saw. And the butcher shop is cleaned up and closed for the evening. You have to come back when the butchers are here in the morning.”

Customer: *Now angry* “I demand service. Cut this in half for me now.”

Coworker: “As I explained, I cannot do that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have shopping to do.”

Customer: “I’m the customer. You will do what I want.”

Coworker: “Let me find you a manager.”

He brings the night manager over and the lady starts in on him. The manager simply repeats what my coworker has said but the lady is having none of it, demanding that he make my coworker cut the roast for her. [Coworker] goes over to a display rack, brings back a loaf of bread, and sets it on the edge of the cooler.

Woman: “What’s that for?”

Coworker: “It will sit there and listen to you all night. We have things to do.” *Walks off*

Tell your story today! Ever been able to say the perfect thing at the perfect time to a bad customer? Share it with the NAR community so we can all enjoy it too!

I am a shift manager for one of the larger fast-food companies, almost exclusively working overnight shifts. That means that I get the usual assortment of drunks, stoners, and general oddballs you expect to encounter at three in the morning. I’m on first-name terms with the majority of the police also working nights in the local area due to my company offering them free coffees.

On this particular evening, three men come in at around 3:30 am. They’re extremely drunk, but they order their food without issue and sit down and eat. However, one of them decides naptime is in order and lies down on one of the benches and falls asleep. After finishing their food, the other two pile on top of him to create a triple stack of drunk guys. Since they’ve caused no issues, I just leave them be and carry on with my work.

Fast forward to about 5:00 am. A pair of police officers come in for coffee and ask me if I want the still-sleeping man-stack moved on. 

I point at the guy in the middle and say, “That’s my coworker.” He’s another shift manager.

Then, I point at the guy on top and say, “That’s my boss.” He’s the assistant store manager.

Finally, I point at the guy on the bottom and say, “That’s my brother; he’s also at work in two hours, so if anything, he’s early.”

This story is part of our Best Of September 2020 roundup!

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