We get hit by the health crisis badly. Many of our staff have caught the illness to varying degrees, and the business as a whole has had a reduced workload. Many of us are worried about our jobs and doing what we can to keep the company going.

I’m asked to cover the stores area. I have zero experience, so I am a little confused to be asked. But it’s like an hour a week tops, so I agree.

Boss: “Thank you for doing this.”

Me: “It’s not a problem. I’m a little confused why it’s me, though.”

Boss: “Err, there are some trust concerns with some employees. And we feel like you are safe hands for this task.”

Me: “Oh, okay, thanks. You have a key for me?”

Boss: “Sure, I asked everyone to drop their key on the stores desk. There is a pile of keys over there.”

Me: “A pile of keys for a secure area?”

Boss: “Well, yes, I know what you are saying. But there have been so many keys handed out over the years that we have no idea who has one.”

Me: “So, now is the perfect time to change the locks, isn’t it?”

Boss: “Well, I suppose, but time and—”

Me: “The lock is what, £5? And I can fit it myself.”

Boss: “Yeah, I guess. I’ll pick it up on my lunch.”

He does and I fit the new lock. I have one key and I give the others to my boss. I carry on my day. The next morning, I arrive, and someone has broken the lock and attempted to repair it.

Me: “Err, someone broke into stores last night.”

Boss: “What? No one needs to get in there. Let me check the cameras.”

We watched as three workers repeatedly kicked the door and then pried the door open. They were seen taking several items into the car park and another camera showed them putting them into cars.

My boss was fuming. Two of the men were off sick with [widespread illness] and had provided evidence. Between him and the owner, they managed to get the police involved and most of the stolen items back, plus some pieces that they didn’t know were missing. Charges were filed, and while they avoided jail time, they were out of work and pocket at a time that the whole country wasn’t hiring.

While in a store with my wife, I head over to the electronics section to browse around and wait out a husband’s slow death of “I just need a few things”. There is a girl there that I am guessing is in high school since she has a high school sweatshirt on that’s the same color as the store’s colors. She is looking at cell phone cases when a middle-aged man walks up to her and asks her to get the key to a display case for the gaming consoles. I was not paying attention to either of them until I heard, “Excuse me.”

This girl is five foot nothing in a sweatshirt and jeans. The guy is close to six feet tall and dressed in business casual and is very confident in himself. He doesn’t even suspect how outmatched he is with this kid.

Girl: “I don’t work here.”

Man: “Then why are you behind the counter?”

Girl: “I am not behind the counter.”

Man: “You are by the counter straightening inventory, so you’d better help me or I will get your manager.”

I start to go over to help the kid out, but there is no need. The girl turns to face the man.

Girl: “I am looking for a specific case for my [phone], so are you going to help me or not?”

Man: “Wait, what? I don’t work here.”

Girl: “Neither do I.”

The man keeps demanding something of the girl, and then she demands something from him, and it ends the same way every time.

Man: “I don’t work here.”

Girl: “Neither do I.”

This goes on for a couple of minutes and the girl pulls out all the stops. The man will say something, and she comes back with a sick grandbaby, her son lost his job, her dad is dying of cancer, her mom was in an accident, her daughter is getting married, etc. She must have five parents and ten kids, and the whole time, this guy just keeps going. They threaten to have each other fired so many times it is head-spinning.

As he gets mad and moves closer to her:

Girl: “Six feet, or I will tell your manager you are violating your store’s distancing policy.”

He backs up a little.

Man: “I don’t work here.”

Girl: “Neither do I.”

That happens twice!

The woman working electronics comes out and asks what the problem is, and they both try to have each other fired. She tries to say that neither of them works here and finally says, “I don’t get paid enough for this stuff,” and leaves them to it. A manager comes up behind me and looks at the scene.

Manager: “Really?”

He finally tries to intervene but can’t get a word in edgewise. It ends finally with both of them saying at the exact same time, “I don’t work here.” “Neither do I.” Think Abbott and Costello, “Who’s On First?”

The man looks back and forth between the girl and the manager.

Manager: “Out of the three of us, I am the only one that works here. Now, how can I help you?”

Girl: “Where are the [phone] cases?”

The manager points to an aisle.

Girl: *Pleasantly* “Thank you.”

She absolutely bounces over to the aisle without a care in the world. The manager turns back to the man.

Manager: “And you, sir?”

The man stammered for a minute and finally, sheepishly, explained what he needed.

This story is part of the Highest Voted of 2021 roundup!

Read the next Highest Voted of 2021 roundup story!

Read the Highest Voted of 2021 roundup!

This story is part of our Best Of October 2021 roundup!

Read the next Best Of October 2021 roundup story!

Read the Best Of October 2021 roundup!

I work in a UK electronics store — one of the smallest of this chain in the UK. Non-essential shops have been allowed to reopen; some opened straight away, but others have taken a slower approach to opening.

We’ve been preparing to open next week while on “click and collect” only for this week. The front of the store is plastered in posters stating we are currently closed. We have the door closed off with cones and warning tape. Nonetheless, people keep coming up to the door bemused that it’s not opening automatically.

I am outside doing a job that includes transporting sandbags, and as I am bringing two trolleys of bags into the store, I have to move the cones to clear my path to the door. For some reason, certain types of customers can hear the space between the two cones and home in on it. As I’m moving the bags inside, I see movement in my peripheral view. A guy is barreling toward the front door, staring straight ahead — the standard “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but if no one makes eye contact, I don’t have to stop” move. I step in front of him.

Me: “Hi, anything I can help you with?”

Customer: *Annoyed* “I hope so. I need a printer.”

He tries to continue walking forward, but I get in front of him again.

Me: “Sadly, the shop isn’t open for customers today; however, we are offering click and—”

Customer: *Annoyed again* “The government has said that you have to be open!”

Me: “Well, as I’ve said, we’re only open for click and—”

Customer: “This is unacceptable!”

He stormed off. I was mind blown about how he would have stormed into the store and argued about getting served despite our obviously not being open. Did he think we’d just cave if he argued hard enough?

I work in a small independent sweet shop. We can stay open but have restrictions in place for health reasons. The owner is quick to put in a “no mask, no service” policy and hand sanitiser for customers. His wife is pregnant and one of my coworkers has a relative who’s already poorly, so it just makes sense.

Owner: *To us* “I don’t care what they say, what they claim or who they know; they wear a mask. We’re not an essential shop, so they don’t need to be here, and I’m sure as h*** not risking anyone’s life over a pound of dolly mixtures.”

We stick to this, and we get the expected tantrums from adults, threats of being sued, and a surprising number of people lying about not being able to wear a mask, only to pull one out of their pocket when refused entry.

The strangest is “the old guy.” He’s around eighty and very smartly dressed, and he seems to be fully with it. He comes into the shop with no mask and walks straight past the hand sanitiser.

Me: “Sorry, but we’re asking all of our guests to wash their hands on arrival.”

Old Man: “Oh, it’s okay. I won’t be touching anything.”

Me: “Okay. But please, we have to insist.”

Old Man: *Shouting* “But I have dermatitis; it’s a real condition!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that, but we cannot let you in without it.”

He grumbles something offensive under his breath and washes his hands, turning back to me with an “Are you happy now?” look.

Me: “Thank you, and now your mask?”

Old Man: “What? But I’m exempt!”

Me: “And we retain the right to not serve for any reason.”

Old Man: “You can’t do this!”

Me: “It’s store policy.”

He stares at me for a while and then slowly takes out a mask from his pocket, puts it under his nose, looks at me again, and wears it properly.

Me: “Thank you. Please let me know if you need any help.”

Old Man: “What, because I’m old I need help?”

Me: *Ignoring the remark* “Okay, sir, you let me know if you need help.”

He grumbled, poked a lot of the packaging, and wandered back out. I doubt he wanted to buy anything in the first place. I told the owner just in case I overstepped the line, but he was fine and thanked me.

We are all waiting to see if we have a job after all this. I can’t help but think that if there were fewer people like the old man we would all be back to normal so much more quickly.

Related:
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 15
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 14
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 13
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 12
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 11

I work at one of the main hospitals in the city, and I rotate between different entrances. Hospitals have been very strict with who they allow into the hospital since the health crisis, with only patients and select visitors being permitted. There are many people who try to come into the hospital despite not being a patient or knowing a patient who has been admitted, and a lot of my job involves calling the main switchboard and various units to ensure random people aren’t just wandering around and that people actually have someone they are going to visit.

One day, a visitor comes in.

Visitor: “I’m here to visit my grandmother.”

Me: “Can I have the spelling of her name, please?”

Visitor: “[Male First Name], uhh… [Last Name]?”

I call the main switchboard to see if they can locate the patient, and sure enough, they can’t find anyone under that name.

I report back to the visitor.

Visitor: “Oh, I have this friend here, [Male Name], and he’s in a wheelchair. You know him?” 

This hospital has almost 1,000 beds, and I’m not exactly on a first-name basis with patients!

I asked for the spelling of their name, and… they couldn’t tell me. I informed the visitor that they needed the correct spelling of any patient’s first and last name in order to visit. The patient wandered out the door. This happens at least once a shift.