I was working in the shoe section of a large thrift store, right next to the toy section, putting out shoes. Over in the toy section was a stroller with a baby who was maybe just over a year old, and further down the aisle sat a toddler, maybe three, with his back to the stroller, playing with an assortment of toys that he had pulled onto the floor.

I began to look around, as there was no adult anywhere near, and I was about to flag down a manager to get them to do something about it when a woman came along with a cart full of clothing.

She proceeded to bawl out the three-year-old, using rather inappropriate language, because he was not watching his baby brother, but playing with toys instead!

What causes a parent to think that a three-year-old is anywhere near old enough or responsible enough to babysit a baby?

My first car was secondhand from my grandfather. By the time of this story, the remote/keyfob is unreliable; among the problems it causes me, the locking button doesn’t work, which means my car is usually unlocked for want of a means to lock it.

One day, I open the door to get into the vehicle and find my glovebox and console compartment both hanging open. Someone has been through the car. On realizing that I can’t find my vehicle registration, I immediately call my mother under the impression that this is a serious thing.

Mother: “The registration can be replaced, and it’s of no use to someone who doesn’t have the vehicle. What else did you have in the car?”

I realize that I am missing an accumulation of fast-food napkins and a package of reusable plastic straws… and that’s it. I didn’t leave my phone or wallet in the vehicle, my winter coat is still in the back seat, and my tire gauge is still sitting on the passenger seat.

The infiltrator took napkins, straws, and a registration they couldn’t use. It’s like they opened the door, found nothing of value, and went, “F*** it. I’m not leaving empty-handed.”

I’m on the phone with my Internet service provider.

Me: “This is going to be an easy one. I just saw a truck take out our Internet cable.”

Tech: “What?”

Me: “Yeah, it hangs across the back laneway, and a tall truck just went through, hooking the wire and pulling it down. Now we have no Internet.”

Tech: “Yeah, that’ll do it. No need to do troubleshooting; I’ll send a technician out at once. Thank you for the easy call.”

This story takes place in the year I finish my undergrad. I am working part-time in retail. To celebrate the milestone, my parents plan a two-week family vacation. I end up taking three weeks off from work because I want to use an extra week for myself to rest and take it easy.

It is my first day back, and I have been assigned to work at one of the cash registers. Everything goes smoothly until about an hour before the end of my shift. An angry customer comes to my register for a refund.

Customer: “I need to return this electronic toothbrush. It does not work.”

Me: “Okay, no problem, sir. I will need to call my manager to process the return.”

I page a manager.

The item is close to $100. The system will ask for a manager’s ID and password whenever the amount for a refund is $50 or over. This cannot be bypassed, so there is no way I can have completed the transaction without getting a manager involved.

Customer: “Why do you need to call a manager? It’s not like I’m trying to pull some sort of scam or anything. You can test it out, and you will see that it doesn’t work at all. I bought this two days ago, and you were the person who served me.”

Me: “Umm, sir. I think you must be mistaken. I mean, I can see from the receipt that you made the purchase a few days ago, but I am afraid I was not the person who rang you up.”

Customer: “No, no. I’m very positive that you were the cashier who served me.”

Me: “…”

The manager shows up a few minutes later, and I explain the situation. He tells me that he will help the customer at the register beside me as a line is beginning to form. As he starts with the refund, I can hear the customer talking loudly.

Customer: “Thanks for stepping in. That young lady was not helpful. When I bought this a few days ago, she was very nice and helpful, and it looks like she went 180 because she doesn’t want to help me now.”

Manager: “I’m sorry, sir, but are you certain that she was the one who helped you a few days ago?”

Customer: “That’s right.”

Manager: “I’m afraid you’re mistaken because she was away for three weeks and today is her first day back at work.”

Customer: “Oh… I… Well, she is Chinese; they all look the same. I just assumed she was the one.”

My manager was speechless, and the customer stayed quiet for the rest of the transaction. When it was done, he left as quickly as he could. I didn’t like what he said, but I chose not to react to it. Now, thinking back, I regret not standing up to that.

Two months later, I got a full-time position elsewhere. During the remainder of my time in retail, that customer tried to avoid me every time he came in. My manager and I laughed and made jokes about it. It was an amusing way to end my retail era!

A storm causes a tree to fall across the powerlines, tearing them completely off the building.

I call up the power company to report it and get a repair crew out. I am met with a woman who is obviously reading from a script and is very devoted to it.

Me: “A tree came down and tore the wires off my house, so I need a repair crew to come out and re-attach them.”

Call Center Agent: “Before we do that, go out and flip the main breaker on and off. That often fixes issues.”

Me: “That won’t do anything. The power lines are lying on the ground. They are no longer physically attached to the building.”

She keeps insisting I go and flip the breaker. I’m not getting anywhere, so I finally said I will. I put the phone down, wait a minute or two, and pick it up.

Me: “Didn’t work.”

Call Center Agent: “Okay, I guess we will have to send a crew out to try and find out what the problem is.”

I had a good laugh with the crew when they arrived. I told them about my call and said I really hoped they’d be able to figure out what was wrong.