I work at the customer service desk/money center. We ask that customers wear masks that cover their nose and mouth, and some people seem to think wearing the blue paper masks until they are literally falling apart is okay.

I’m approached by an older gentleman wearing a filthy mask on his face with a clean one poking out from his shirt somewhere near his belly button.

Customer: “You got a stapler?”

Me: “Yes, sir, what do you need stapled?”

I’m slightly confused as he doesn’t have any papers or envelopes in his hands that would usually signal a bill that needs to be attached together.

Customer: “You need to staple this d*** strap back on my mask.”

He pulls his face mask off and shoves it in my face. I can see it’s been knotted sloppily in one corner. The straps are brown instead of white and the mask itself is practically one layer, it’s been used so much.

Me: “For health and safety reasons, I’m not allowed to do that. I can’t touch your mask.”

I put my stapler back in front of me, out of his reach, and step back to avoid him shoving the mask further into my face.

Customer: “You need to provide customer service! This is customer service!”

Me: “You have a perfectly good—”

He cuts me off as I point at the one poking out of his shirt and thumps the counter with two fingers.

Customer: “You put that stapler down there and I won’t tell nobody.”

Me: “I’m afraid the six cameras above your head will tattle on me. I’m not stapling your mask.”

Customer: “This is the customer service desk! You need to provide customer service!”

He thumps the counter again and I grab both staplers I can reach and shove them into a drawer, well out of his reach.

Me: “How does a piece of tape sound, if you’re so concerned about that specific mask?”

I rip a piece of tape off the dispenser and hold it out to him.

Customer: “Well… I want a staple, but tape will work.”

He frowned but took the tape from me. When he put the tape on the mask, he didn’t even attempt to cover the knot with it but put it smack-dab across the little metal piece that pinches the nose.

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I am a deli clerk in a big chain grocery store in Canada. My job involves slicing meats behind a service counter, with our opened chubs in bags with their shelf life represented in orange stickers. Recently, all employees had to do a racial and discrimination course to ensure we were dealing with customers properly, and I am extremely wary of offending anybody. This is also during the health crisis, so a lot of customers are wearing masks. I have been wearing one myself every shift since the beginning of April. A customer comes up to my counter and pulls down his face mask.

Customer: “I have strong accent; maybe you cannot understand me.”

He sounds Russian but I have no issues with that at all and actually enjoy listening to certain accents.

Me: “Maybe, but I have no difficulties understanding you at all. What can I get for you?”

Customer: “I want 300 grams European Bologna sandwich sliced.”

Me: “Okay.”

I walk over to the case and dig for the correct product.

Customer: “That will not be enough. I don’t want tiny piece. You cut it from this one.”

He indicates the closed chub on display.

Me: “Sir, there is more than enough on this piece to fill your order without giving you the end piece. We are not allowed to open multiple chubs of one type of meat—”

Customer: “That isn’t enough. Cut it from the new one.”

Me: “Sir, if you’ll let me—”

The customer cuts me off and begins complaining to the other staff that I refuse to serve him his meat.

Customer: *To anybody near enough* “This lady refuses to give me product from my own country!”

Me: “Sir, I have no issues filling your order, but I could get in trouble for opening multiple meat chubs of the same thing.”

The customer continued to cut me off multiple times, the conversation going around and around like this. After a few moments, I realized that I was not going to get a word in edgewise. Even lifting my hand to signal him that I was trying to speak didn’t help.

In the end, he left without his meat, complaining to two colleagues of mine on the way out of my department. The next morning, I sliced that same exact piece for our case and it would have easily filled his request without the end piece being too small.

To add a little flair to the health crisis, our library’s air conditioning breaks in the hottest part of the summer. Our director gives us permission to close early each day once the heat inside gets too unbearable to work, so during the two weeks the repairmen need to find a part, we close between 1:00 and 3:00 pm every day. 

I am stationed at our front door handling our curbside service as patrons are not currently allowed in the building. A woman comes to the door and I fetch the books she wants.

Patron: “Oh, and I called earlier and they said you were closed yesterday, but here you are.”

Me: “That’s right. We closed yesterday at around one. Our air conditi—”

Patron: “No, you see, you were open all day yesterday. That girl on the phone tried to tell me you were closed, but here you are, open!”

Me: “Uh… we actually closed at one yesterday because our—”

Patron: “No, you were open yesterday. That girl said you weren’t, but you were because you’re open today.”

Me: “We’ll probably close today because it’s getting too hot.”

Patron: “But you were open yesterday! I know because you’re here today. Anyway! Thanks for the books!”

And she went off to her car, leaving me confused about why she was so insistent that we were open all day the day before.

I work in a small shop and I’m the only one working since my coworker has gone to lunch. I’m checking out a nice, older couple when I see one of our frustrating older regulars come in the door sans-mask. Masks have been mandated in my state for many months now and he’s been in before while the order has been in effect.

Me: “Hi, sir! I just ask that if you’re going to shop with us today, you put on a mask. Thanks!”

He grumbles a little but turns around to go back out to his car to get a mask. While he’s looking for his mask, I continue checking out the couple and continue to talk with them.

Older Lady: “He’s in an at-risk group, so he should be better about wearing a mask, shouldn’t he?”

Me: “Yeah, he’s a regular and gives me problems about masks every time he comes in.”

Older Lady: “It’s so frustrating when people don’t follow the science.”

Me: “I know. I mean, just look at the numbers here versus Georgia; we’re both mostly open, but there, the governor is refusing to let anyone make mask mandates and their numbers are much higher.”

Older Lady: “Exactly!”

I thank them for coming in and they leave as the other problem customer walks back in. He’s got a mask on but his nose is out. Deciding that I don’t really want to fight him on that until he’s actually within six feet of me, I don’t say anything. While he’s shopping, I check out a few other customers. My coworker comes back from lunch just as the regular comes up to the registers to check out. He says something to her, but she doesn’t quite catch it.

Coworker: “I’m sorry, what?”

Problem Customer: “I said all women look like Muslims with their masks on!”

With that, he comes up to my register and places his items on the counter.

Me: “Do you mind just pulling your mask up over your nose while I check you out, please? Thanks.”

Problem Customer: “I do mind! Last time I did that, I fell down two stairs because it fogged up my glasses!”

Both my coworker for the day and I wear glasses but I doubt he’s noticed. Just wanting to get him out of here, I start ringing up his items.

Problem Customer: “You know, the death rate is…”

Blah, blah, blah… I’m sure no one on the Internet needs reminding of the nonsense that people like this come up with, though it is shocking to hear it in real life. I keep trying to get a word in, but he keeps talking over me.

Me: “Well, no one knows what the long-term effects of this are going to be. There are some who’ve had symptoms for weeks.”

He keeps on going about all the usual nonsense about this particular illness versus the flu and so on. But he adds one last gem in there as I’m putting his purchase, change, and receipt on the counter where he can reach them.

Problem Customer: “You know, the masks are just the government controlling you!”

Me: *Pauses* “You’re all set.”

My responsibilities in cashing him out done, I walked quickly to the store’s back room so I didn’t say something that may get me fired.

Due to the current health crisis, my husband and I have tried to figure out ways to limit the number of visits to various stores. We also enjoy having some beer on the weekend. Instead of going to the beer store once or twice a week, we decide to buy a month’s supply at a time. This happens while we’re checking out at the beer store.

Husband: *To the cashier* “Hi, I’ve got [number] cases here.”

Cashier: *Sucks her teeth and replies with an instant attitude* “You know, that only leaves us with [other number] of cases to sell to other customers.”

Husband: “Well, I’ll be putting this on a debit card.”

The transaction is completed. The cashier calls out to my husband as he is exiting the store.

Cashier: “And I don’t appreciate you coming in here when we are due to close in twenty minutes!”

I was shocked by the interaction when my husband told me. I have felt the attitude from that particular clerk before. I know the owner by sight and made a mental note to speak with him the next time I saw him around town. When I told him, he apologized to me and told me that his clients can buy however much of something that they want and can walk in with one minute until closing if they want. He told me that it was not the first complaint about that cashier and if there was one more, she would be gone. She must have had another complaint because I never saw her in the store again.