I am the customer. It is the day after I turned 54. Late on the evening of my birthday, I fell over an uneven sidewalk, resulting in scrapes and bruises. While I did not hit my head, I think trauma from the fall is my only excuse for what happened here.

As I’m checking out, I notice a sign about how age 55 and over get a discount on the first Tuesday of the month and comment that in a year, I’ll have to start shopping on Tuesday. The cashier mentions that, during the holidays, the discount is every Tuesday. My response: “That’ll be especially good in years when Black Friday falls on a Tuesday!” 

Maybe I was thinking of the day after Christmas?

(I am at the head office today. We manage an outlying clinic, open two days a week, that is due for a fire safety check. It’s late in the afternoon when I answer the phone.)

Fire Safety Rep: “Yeah, I’m at your clinic to do the check and no one’s here!”

Me: “I’m sorry, where are you calling from?”

Fire Safety Rep: “I’m here at your clinic to do your fire safety check and there’s no one here! Our office was told you’d be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, your sign at the front says you are open Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I’m here waiting and ready and there’s no one here!”

Me: “Today’s Wednesday.”

Fire Safety Rep: “Oh, s***!” *hangs up*

I am working in a vet clinic one morning and a client comes in with her cat for an appointment. I look down at the book and notice her appointment is actually for the following day, Saturday. I mention this to the client and the blood drains from her face as she proceeds to yell, “Oh, s***, y’all! I’m supposed to be at work!”

The client had somehow gotten an entire day ahead in her own mind. She came back the following day on her actual appointment day and told us that, thankfully, her boss just laughed the whole thing off!

(I’m in class at 2:27 pm, and my teacher is giving a test. It’s almost over.)

Teacher: “Right, you have ten more minutes.”

(He writes 1:27 on the board, plus ten equals 1:37.)

Classmate: “It’s 2, not 1.”

(The teacher looks at her and then at the board, sighs, and fixes his mistake.)

Classmate: “Daylight saving time, remember?”

Teacher: “Did that happen this week?”

(Later, he is explaining his two extra credit assignments, which are to go to events and write quick papers about them.)

Teacher: “This one is happening tomorrow, March 27th. This one is happening this Friday, April 5th.”

Class: “That’s next Friday.”

Teacher: *looks at them and then looks closer at the date* “Oh, it’s next week. I’m an hour behind and a week behind!”

This story is part of our Daylight Saving Time roundup! This is the last story in the roundup, but we have plenty of others you might enjoy!

23 Times When Having To Work Overtime Should Have Been A Crime

Read the next story in this roundup!

Read the Daylight Saving Time roundup!

(At the station where I work, trains stop running earlier on Saturday nights than on other days. One train line runs from the upper level of the station, and when the service has finished, we pull tapes across the escalators to stop people going up. I’ve just done this and am about to walk away when someone tries to undo the tape on the escalator.)

Me: “Excuse me, sir, that area is closed. There are no more trains from those platforms.”

Customer: “Yes, there are. We’ve got tickets for the 23:15 train to [City about two hours away].”

Me: “I’m afraid there isn’t a 23:15, sir. The last train to [City] left about ten minutes ago.”

(The customer pulls his phone out of his pocket and thrusts it in my face.)

Customer: *with a very smug smile* “Well, here’s my confirmation! Two tickets on the 23:15 to [City]!”

Me: “You’re quite right, sir; that is what it says. The 23:15 to [City]… on Friday. Today is Saturday.”

(There is a moment’s silence while the customer and his partner digest this information.)

Customer’s Partner: “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, YOU IDIOT?! HOW HAVE YOU BOOKED FOR THE WRONG DAY?! WHAT ABOUT THE HOTEL?! NOT THAT THAT MATTERS NOW THAT WE CAN’T GET THERE!”

(I decide to withdraw and let them sort it out between themselves. About ten minutes later, the customer approaches me.)

Customer: “Um… excuse me? I’m really sorry about earlier. Er… are there any hotels nearby?”