The gym I work at has different tiers of memberships. We have signs posted around the front desk describing what’s included in each tier. However, some of the amenities are currently unavailable due to the current situation of the world.

A woman walks in and asks for more information. We are looking at one of the signs together, which is in English and Spanish. The amenities unavailable are crossed out on the English side, but whoever crossed them out didn’t do so on the Spanish side.

Me: “The premium membership includes [list of amenities]. Right now, [some amenities] are not available due to [the health crisis], but hopefully, we will be able to reopen those soon.”

Woman: *Points at the sign* “But it shows they are available in Spanish.”

Me: “Sorry about that. They should have been crossed out since they’re not available right now.”

Woman: “But they’re on the sign! I should have access to them.”

Me: “Right, but they are crossed out on the English side. They’re currently unavailable to everyone. However, if you do purchase the membership, you’ll have access to them once we reopen them.”

Woman: “They aren’t crossed out in Spanish, so you should allow me to use them.”

Me: “I’m unable to do that. They’re all shut down until further notice.”

Woman: “I should be able to use them. This is false advertising!”

Me: “My apologies. They should have been crossed out.”

This goes back and forth for a while as she continues to get angrier with me.

Woman: “If you won’t help me, then I’ll just come back and have someone else do it for me.”

As soon as she leaves, I pull down all the signs and go through them to cross off the amenities on the Spanish side. My manager sees me doing this, so I explain what happened. She is baffled by the interaction.

The next day, the woman comes back and sees me at the front desk.

Woman: *Shouting* “No! Not you. I don’t want your help!”

She started walking over to where my coworker was. She glanced at the sign and saw that the amenities had now been crossed off. She got a look of defeat on her face, glared at me, and stormed out of the building.

My daughter and I had an APPALLING experience at a very popular bagel and coffee chain in the Netherlands, which I normally love when I have the rare chance to treat myself to something.

I can NEVER get myself something amazing like a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, but yesterday morning, my daughter had a very important meeting about her future, requiring intercity travel. We were out of the house so fast I needed to grab SOMETHING, so I was delighted when we spotted the bagel place.

I have health issues, and my daughter has a post-viral fatigue syndrome so we, unlike seemingly just about everyone else in the city, were wearing masks for our own safety and because we understand asymptomatic transmission — and despite the prevailing opinions, there IS still a health crisis on.

The guy at the counter looked a lot like Hawkeye from “The Avengers,” so our good mood got even better because that’s fun, and he seemed really nice.

Employee: “What would you like?”

Me: “I need to look at the menu first.”

Employee: “Okay.”

Then, he put on a teasing, “you silly person” tone.

Employee: “You know, those masks are no longer needed.”

Me: *Politely* “They’re no longer required by law.”

I thought we could leave it at that or that he might, as has happened before, demand that I list my personal health concerns for him, but no. He rolled his eyes and started laughing.

Employee: “Oh, come on!”

I turned to my daughter.

Me: *Quietly* “Yeah, let’s go somewhere else.”

The employee yelled after us as we walked out.

Employee: “Oh, what? REALLY?! SORRY, OKAY? WHAT THE H***?!”

We just kept walking, so he CHASED US INTO THE STREET, screaming.

Employee: “Hey, you! You… FOOLISH WOMEN! I hope you… I hope you TAKE ANOTHER VACCINE!”

I’m really not sure what that was supposed to mean.

My daughter is painfully shy and autistic, and she has some trauma in her past. This frightened her, so she had to go into her important meeting already far too anxious, so she had a distressing day. (The meeting went great, though.) And I, of course, did not get any breakfast.

I’m trying to figure out how in the world the guy thought mocking, screaming at, and CHASING customers would get them to buy a bagel.

Related:
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 24
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 23
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 22
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 21
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 20

I work for the [global health crisis] helpline at a hospital, guiding staff on how to get a test, isolation requirements, etc. In 2020, it was extremely busy, but now, in 2022, it’s waning out, to the point that there are three of us and there is often an hour between calls.

After twiddling my thumbs for about thirty minutes, a call comes through. I do my usual greeting.

Caller: “I’ve been on hold for FIFTEEN MINUTES!”

Our telephone system said there were twenty seconds between connecting them to us and me answering. I don’t get why people lie like that.

I’m a cashier at a dealership. A service advisor brings me a customer. While I look for his keys and paperwork, I hear the service advisor explaining what was done to the vehicle. I find the paperwork and give the keys to the service advisor so he can pull the car up while I take the customer’s payment.

Me: “Okay, your total is [amount].”

Customer: *Rudely* “I want to see what was done.”

Me: “Okay.”

I hand the customer his paperwork. The guy pulls out a cigarette that has obviously just been put out and sticks it in his mouth. Since he’s not actively smoking, it’s technically not illegal and I can’t say anything to him. However, cigarette smoke is my only real asthma trigger and I can smell it through the glass and my mask. I’m slightly tense, trying not to breathe too much, and it’s making my eyes start to water. The guy huffs and puffs as he pulls out his credit card and jams it into the machine.

Me: “I need a signature here and here.”

I mark where he needs to sign. Right next to him is a cup marked “Used Pens”, and I have a cup marked “Clean Pens” on my side of the glass. I hand him a clean pen and staple his credit card slip to his paperwork.

Me: “Thank you. Please put the pen in that cup. This is your paperwork, and [Service Advisor] will have your car pulled up outside.”

The customer throws his pen onto the counter next to the cup and grabs the paperwork from me. I’m not sure if he heard me.

Me: “Please put the pen in that cup.”

Customer: “You have such an attitude! Where’s your manager? This is no way to treat a customer! Get me your manager!”

I turned around and used my desk phone to call my manager’s extension. The phone hadn’t even rung once when the guy disappeared. I reached through the small hole in the glass and put the pen into the cup.

By the time my manager came down less than a minute later, the guy had left the lot. I guess she took too long? The service manager didn’t say anything to me, either, so I don’t know what that guy’s problem was.

It’s summer during the first lockdown. Despite there being restrictions and the fact that we’re only allowed to go out for “essentials”, the ice cream counter in our store continues to be busy.

One hot day, we are pretty much run off our feet when two paramedics stop by in their ambulance on their break. They buy a bunch of goodies and decide to treat themselves to ice cream, too.

As they prepare to pay, I hear a shout from across the shop:

Customer: “Don’t let them pay! Whatever they’re buying, I’ll get it for them.”

He came over, paid for the paramedics’ supplies, and thanked them profusely for their work.

After months of abuse over mask laws, not accepting cash, social distancing, etc., it was nice to see a kind gesture. That made our day. And I’m sure it made the paramedics’ day, too.