I am working the drive-thru, and sometimes we are still processing the previous order when the next customer pulls up. Before I can say anything:

Customer: *Impatiently.* “Hello!”

Me: “Thank you for your patience, I will just be with you in a moment.”

Of course, they completely ignore me and start ordering. My way of getting back at them in moments like this is to wait and let them finish ordering, before saying:

Me: “Thank you for waiting, how can I help you?”

I am working drive-thru late at night. A customer orders and pulls up to the window. I’m cooking and handling the window, so I’m not there when the customer pulls up. I walk up to open the window to take his card/cash and he throws a bag of trash at me.

I didn’t see the trash on his lap.

I take a step back, bothered that I just got trash thrown at me, and I watch his car speed off. I’m angry, but there’s nothing I can do. A couple of seconds later I hear a small bang of metal on metal. I walk to the lobby and look out the windows.

The douchebag has slammed into a police cruiser who was about to loop around and use the drive-thru himself!

It took me about one-tenth of a second to head outside to also tell the officer what had just happened inside! It did not help his case!

(A car blasting loud music pulls up to the drive-thru. Neither I nor them can hear each other over the music. A few moments later, they pull up to the first window. There’s four men in the car, and all of them are smoking marijuana. The driver leans out the window and shouts at me.)

Customer: “Why you don’t take my order, b****?!”

(Before I can even respond, my manager comes storming from behind me and approaches the window.)

Manager: “What’s going on here?”

Customer: “This b**** won’t take my order!”

Manager: “Please do not insult my employees.”

Customer: “Man, f*** you!”

Manager: “I think you had better leave. Now.”

(At this point, the driver gets out of his car and approaches the window and starts having a shouting match with my manager. The next thing I know, the other three guys in the car start panicking about something, and shouting something at the other man, but he can’t hear them over the loud music and screaming. Then, someone comes up from behind the man at the window and taps him on the shoulder. It’s a cop. He has them all arrested for possession of marijuana and disturbing the peace.)

(I am working drive-thru at a major coffee shop chain. Every once in awhile, customers will “pay it forward” by paying for the order of the vehicle behind them. This is a happy surprise for the next customer, and usually causes them to pay for the order of the next vehicle and so on. We’re currently in the middle of a “pay it forward” chain when the following customer pulls up at the window.)

Me: “Hello, your total is $3.49, but the car in front of you has already paid for it.”

Customer: “What the f***?!”

Me: “Ma’am, it’s been going for 11 cars in a row. You can pay it forward if you’d like to keep the good deed going. No pressure, though.”

Customer: “F*** that! I’ll pay for my own coffee. Not paying for some clown behind me!”

Me: “Not a problem. Your order has been paid for. Have a good day.”

Customer: “Are you deaf?! I said I am paying for it! This is such a scam getting people to pay for others. You’re what’s wrong with the world today, you know!”

Me: “I’m sorry for trying to give you your order for free.”

Customer: “That’s right, and don’t you DARE use my money to pay for the person behind me, you punk!”

(The customer peels away. As for their money, I used it to keep the chain going, which lasted for another fourteen vehicles.)

This story is part of our Scammer roundup!

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(This occurs in the middle of a quiet weekday afternoon while I’m working drive-thru. Since it’s slow, I’m simultaneously taking orders on headset, working the fountain making shakes and freezes, greeting people at the window, taking their money, and passing out the orders.)

Customer: “I want an orange freeze.”

Me: “Alright, sir. Will that be a medium or large?”

Customer: “Large. It’s hot out.”

Me: “Yes, sir, it is. That’ll be [price]. Please pull around to the window.”

(As he pulls around, I’m already at the fountain, mixing his order. I have time to pour it into the cup and meet him at the window as he pulls up. He’s driving an old beat-up pick-up truck with the bed’s cap windows covered in fishing stickers.)

Me: “Good afternoon, sir. That’ll be [price].”

Customer: “Ya see here, this is why I like this place! Ya actually got an English speaker on both ends. Not like them other places down the road that only seem to hire d*** Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Can’t understand them f***ing sp**s on the speaker. You wanna to live in this country, needa learn the language!”

(He hands me the cash, I enter it, and hand him his drink and change.)

Customer: “I wanna thank your boss for hiring an American instead of some wetback. Go get me your manager, boy!”

Me: “Absolutely, sir. Just a moment please…”

(I turn half around and call back for my assistant manager.)

Me: “Hey José, a customer wants to talk to you.”

(My obviously Puerto Rican boss immediately steps around the corner into view.)

José: “Yes?”

Customer: *turns red and speeds out of the drive-thru*

José: “What was that about?”