I work in a café that attracts a lot of kids after school because of what we sell. They can be sort of a handful but they’re usually nice.

One day, a big group of kids from the multilingual school nearby drops in, and everything goes downhill from there.

They’re constantly talking over each other and trying to order at the same time, I’m constantly switching between languages and trying to remember who spoke what, they all want specially made orders, some pay together and some don’t, and every time someone orders, they disappear to talk loudly to a friend in the group and I lose track of them and get confused about who ordered what.

Every time someone pays, another one tries to order, and at one point, a girl doesn’t have enough money to pay and she has to run off to find a friend to pay for her, leaving me to remember who she was and what she ordered while multiple kids try to get my attention.

Finally, the last kid pays. I am very tired.

Me: “Sorry, I got confused here.”

Kid: “Yeah, that happened last time we were here, too.”

GEE, I wonder why!

It’s a lovely day and we’re pretty busy from the morning already. I’m alone on register until my manager comes back from her trip to the bank, and I’m trying my hardest to keep up with the customers. I’ve just run out of bills.

Customer: “I’d like to order these two beers.”

Me: “Sure, that’ll be [amount].”

The customer hands me a really large bill and I dig through my register to give him change, solely in coins because that’s all I have.

Customer: *Sneers* “That’s way too many coins. You can’t give me this.”

Me: “I’m really sorry, but I’m out of bills right now.”

Customer: “That’s still not okay. It should be illegal to give out this many coins.”

He turns to the customer behind him.

Customer: “Shouldn’t this be illegal?

Customer #2: *In a cold voice* “It’s legal tender.”

Customer: *Huffs and starts yelling at me* “Well, I think it should be illegal and I won’t take this many coins!”

I’m practically in tears by this point as I just want him out of my line so I can serve the rest of the customers, and I’ve never been yelled at by a customer before.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I really don’t have anything else, and you didn’t pay with a card.”

Customer: “Well, I wanted to use physical money! I need the change!”

He eventually huffed again and shuffled off with his beers, and after half an hour, he came up after my manager had returned with new change, and I was able to exchange his “illegal money” for more bills instead of coins. When he left, he at least had the decency to look sheepishly at me, but he never apologized.

I work at a taxi call center where we receive and send out the addresses of people’s whereabouts to the cab drivers. In all cases, we must receive an accurate address. This happens more than you would think.

Me: “[Taxi Company], good afternoon!”

Caller: “Yeah, hi, can you hang on for a moment? I don’t know where I am.”

(It’s a pretty slow day and I’m working with a new hire. He’s very nice and funny but also sort of slow with some things, and a little clueless. A customer walks up.)

Customer: “I’d like a dry gin.”

New Hire: *visibly confused* “But it’s a liquid.”

Me: *losing my marbles and trying to professionally hide it*

(We have two functioning tills, but we only open the second one when it gets busy and we have enough people. Currently, we have one till open. A man goes up to the second till.)

Coworker #1: “Excuse me, that till is closed. Can I get you to come over here so we can serve you?”

Customer: “No. I want to be served here.”

Coworker #1: “I see, but seeing as that till is closed, you won’t be. Please come over here.”

Customer: “No. You will serve me here.”

(My coworker shrugs and goes back to other customers, while the man just crosses his arms and stands at the till. A second coworker shows up two minutes later for his shift and notices the man.)

Coworker #2: “Sorry, seems like that till is closed. Can you please move over to the line by the other till?”

Customer: “No! I want two mulled wines, here!”

Coworker #2: “I’m sorry, but you’re gonna have to go over to the line to be served.”

Customer: “I can’t believe you won’t just serve me here.”

Coworker #2: “We’ll serve you over at the other till.”

Customer: “I’ll wait here.”

([Coworker #2] also just shrugs and goes to work. I’m standing awkwardly in the middle, minding the baked goods and the oven, listening to the man huff and puff. I notice people start to queue behind him.)

Me: *directed to the people behind him* “Sorry, can you please move to the line by the other till, where we’re serving people?”

(The other people very politely move, while the man dramatically throws out his arms.)

Customer: “I want to be served here! Why is that so hard?!”

(In the end, he stood there for twenty minutes before he got the hint and left. We still talk about him at work.)

Related:
Lack Of Register Does Not Register, Part 12
Lack Of Register Does Not Register, Part 11
Lack Of Register Does Not Register, Part 10