I am working in the drive-thru at a twenty-four-hour coffee place in San Diego. It’s Comic-Con season, and we’re not far from the convention center, so we’ve already had some characters come through.

A car pulls up, and I recognize the driver and three passengers as Hogwarts faculty: the driver is Albus Dumbledore, and the passengers are Minerva McGonagall, “Mad-Eye” Moody, and Severus Snape. It’s amazing!

Me: “Sorry, professors, we’re all out of butterbeer.”

Dumbledore: “Alas! We’ll have to settle for your finest Muggle beverages.”

They’re all a hoot as I take their orders. When I ask for payment, Dumbledore reaches out with his wand. He waves the wand over our card reader, and magically, the payment goes through!

And with that, they pull forward to the pick-up counter. That was already awesome enough, but then I hear Dumbledore announce to my coworker after they’ve been handed their drinks:

Dumbledore: “Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

And off they went with their Muggle drinks.

I’m driving cross-country because of a serious family medical emergency. I stop at a highway rest stop somewhere along the way to get gas and grab something to eat and drink on the road.

Because this is around 2020 or 2021, only two out of the eight or so food places inside are open — fast food burgers and a coffee chain. All of the tables and chairs have been removed.

I wait in line to order coffee. There are two people working; a cashier and a barista. Because of social distancing, after people order, they spread out and wait for their names to be called when their coffees are ready.

There are about five orders ahead of me that haven’t been made yet. A woman who was behind me in line pushes to the front and gets inches away from the barista’s face.

Pushy Woman: “I’m going to need you to make the two cappuccinos and the hot chocolate before you make anyone else’s drinks.”

Barista: “Please stand back. You’re going to have to wait your turn.”

Pushy Woman: “You need to take care of me first! I’m not waiting. I’m in a hurry and I want to get back on the road!”

I couldn’t believe the level of entitlement and disrespect — and the obliviousness.

The barista refused to push up the order, and the woman had to wait her turn with the rest of us — who also just wanted to get back on the road.

I was working my new job, and I had been told all of the procedures necessary to do it well. We gave out discount cards so if you purchased six coffees, your next one was free.

I was working the bottom window. The order taker had put through the correct size for a free drink using the free coffee discount. I got the drinks ready and handed them out.

The customer then looked at me angrily.

Customer: “Why is it a medium drink? I paid for large ones!”

I then looked at their order and receipts again.

Me: “You used your discount to get the free coffee; that size is medium. You haven’t paid for these drinks; it’s free.”

Maybe it was my seventeen-year-old mind being so blunt about it, but those had always been the rules as far as I was taught.

Customer: *Disgusted* “Well, you are just a c**t, then!”

Then, he took the coffee from me and drove away!

I closed the window and turned round to my coworkers, who were shocked at what had happened since it was my first day. I just laughed.

Me: “Well, I guess I am a c**t for not giving those p**sies what they wanted.”

I have now been working there for five years, and so far, the customer has never been right!

Customer: “I want a frappe.”

Me: “What kind of Frappucino?”

Customer: “Frappe.”

Me: “Okaaaaay, what flavor?”

Customer: “Frappe.”

Me: “Okay, what size?” 

Customer: “Chocolate.”

I work at a corporate coffee shop that is not Starbucks. One of my new hires is ringing up a customer:

Customer: *Tries to pay for his drinks with a Tully’s gift card.*

The new coworker politely hands it back.

New Coworker: “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept competitor’s gift cards.”

Customer: *Yells back.* “What? You aren’t gonna accept my Starbucks card?! Don’t they own you guys now?”

My new coworker looks over at me pleadingly and asks so the customer can hear:

New Coworker: “Starbucks doesn’t own Tully’s or [Our Store], do they?”

Me: *Picking up the gift card and handing it back to the customer.* “Nope. Also that’s not a Starbucks card.”

He looks down at it, probably realizes, but continues to deny the facts before him.

Customer: “You need to accept this card! These guys own you now!”

Me: “Your total is [total]. How would you like to pay?”

Customer: “Cancel my order!”

The drinks were already made during the time it took to deal with this and were subsequently thrown away after he stormed out.