(While putting out some stock in the organic produce section of a small grocery store, I get asked this question by a well-to-do customer his early thirties.)

Customer: “Is this all your organic stuff?”

Me: “Yep, everything on this wall.”

Customer: “Great! What about the rest of the produce? Is it safe to eat?”

Me: “Yeah, they might have just used pesticides and whatnot on them.”

Customer: “Yeah, but are they still grown on trees, or are they all made in a factory?”

Me: “No… they’re all still grown on trees and in fields.”

Customer: “So, they’re all still grown on trees and stuff?”

Me: “Yep.”

Customer: “Great! Thanks!” *walks off*

(Another customer has heard our conversation and turns to me.)

Another Customer: “They don’t pay you nearly enough, do they?”

(The sandwich shop I am working at is overly obsessed with saving money by not wasting food. One day, I am slicing tomatoes when my manager walks in and looks into the garbage can.)

Manager: “[My Name], why did you throw these tomatoes in the garbage?”

Me: “Well, they were moldy.”

Manager: “You can still use them. Just cut off the moldy parts!”

(I watch in horror as my manager then reaches into the garbage can and takes out the moldy tomatoes, cuts off the moldy parts, slices them, and puts them in with the other good tomatoes.)

(I work as the technical specialist for a shoe store my family owns. I’m currently in a storage room off the front entrance on the computer.)

Customer: “Hi, excuse me? What’s your return policy?”

Me: “I’m sorry, I’m not entirely sure. Someone at the front desk could help you better.” *points to front desk*

Customer: “Oh, I thought this was the front desk.” *looks around* “You don’t really have much in here.”

Me: “Not really. Sorry, I’m just the IT person.”

Customer: *angry* “You just said that so you don’t have to help me!”

Me: *speechless*

Customer: “You just made that up so you didn’t have to get up and help me! Yeah, right…’I-T’. Like that’s a real job!” *leaves*

(I’m the only employee working in the store in the middle of winter. I’m supposed to be counting the cash, but a long line of customers means it’s an hour late and I haven’t even started. There’s also slush tracked in from customers all over the floor but I can’t even get out from behind the counter long enough to mop it up, the cigarettes and lottery tickets are running low, and the beer cooler is practically empty. Two of my bosses drop by to see how things are doing.)

Boss #1: “Why is the floor such a mess?! You’re such a slacker! If you keep slacking off like this, we’re going to have to let you go!”

Me: “It’s been super busy and I haven’t had time to leave the cash.”

Boss #2: “Why isn’t the cash counted yet?”

Me: “I’ve had non-stop customers for the last two hours.”

Boss #1: *mopping the floor* “I can’t believe you let it get this bad!”

Boss #2: “Why didn’t you call us and tell us there were no scratch tickets or cigarettes?”

Me: “I did, three hours ago. You said you’d be by in a few minutes.”

Boss #1: “You’re such a slacker!”

(At this point, a customer who has been in line throughout this whole exchange speaks up.)

Customer: “What do you expect her to do? Leave the customers here and go clean and stock stuff?”

Boss #1: “She should be doing both!”

Customer: “And how exactly can she do both?”

(Boss #1 ignores him while Boss #2 comes out from the beer cooler.)

Boss #2: “Beer coolers are almost empty. You have to stock that right away. I also took some cigarettes and scratch tickets out of the safe for you to put out. Oh, and count the cash right now!”

Me: “Is there any way you can stock the beer for me? I don’t think I’m going to be leaving the cash for a while.”

Boss #2: “Nope! See ya!” *leaves*

(Thankfully, another customer went and stocked the beer cooler for me—but not before rolling her eyes at my boss.)

(A customer calls in to find out why his loan has been returned “NSF”, which is short for “Non-Sufficient Funds.”)

Me: “I see that the loan was returned on Monday as there was not enough money in the account.

Customer: “Yeah, but it was supposed to be taken out of my account the previous Friday.”

(I check, and he indeed did not have enough money to cover the loan on Friday.)

Me: “That is the correct date, but it looks like the computer gave you a grace period. It gave you a few days to put the funds in the account before it tried to take it.”

Customer: “That’s crazy! I agreed to have my payments taken every Friday. I want the loan to bounce on the Friday, not on the Monday, okay? Make my loan payment bounce on Fridays!”