I used to work at a 24/7 gas station/convenience store. Across from us was a 24/7 McDonald’s, and all of us staff know each other and give each other discounts out of night-shift solidarity.

I’ve just served a McDonald’s worker that I know (in Uniform), and we shot the breeze for a few seconds while he bought a slushie and some cigarettes. I charge him half price for the slushie by applying a promo code.

He thanks me and leaves, and I serve the next customer.

Customer: “Why was his slushie only 99 cents?”

Me: “Oh, well, his store and mine have an understanding.”

Customer: “What the f*** is that supposed to mean?”

Me: “McDonald’s workers get a discount here, and we get a discount there.”

Customer: “And you think that’s fair, do you?”

Me: “Fair?”

Customer: “That just because you work across from each other, you all get discounts, while the rest of us have to pay full price?”

Me: “I think it’s fair for a minimum-wage worker who’s just trying to get through the night.”

Customer: “So he deserves it more than me just because he’s poor?”

Me: “Yeah, I think the guy working graveyard at McDonald’s deserves a cheaper slushie more than the guy starting a class war over 99 cents.”

Customer: “I’m gonna write in about this. I’m sure your managers would be very interested to know.”

The loser actually did that. The manager told me about it, and told me how the guy in corporate whose job it is to respond to customers had to spend extra time figuring out how to tell the customer to “get a life” while still sounding professional.

A customer comes into the gas station.

Customer: “I only have cash.”

Me: “That’s fine. I can take payment here and pre-approve the pump to the dollar value you want.”

Customer: “What happens if I go over?”

Me: “The pump won’t let you go over.”

Customer: “What happens if I don’t use it all?”

Me: “I give you the change.”

Customer: “Wow, you’ve really thought of everything!”

Me: “Well, two things—”

Customer: *Throwing cash at me, delighted.* “—everything! You’re amazing!”

The customer goes outside to pump, and as predicted, it stops pumping to the penny. He comes back inside for no other reason than just to shout:

Customer: *Still delighted.* “Amazing! You thought of everything!”

And he goes back out, still shouting:

Customer: “Everything!”

I stopped at a small, non-chain gas station on a road trip to grab a few supplies and fill my tank. When I got to the register, I greeted the cashier, who was texting on her phone. She didn’t say anything to me, but did stop to pick up her phone and send a couple of messages.

At the end, she gestured toward a small point-of-sale screen with one hand, typing on her phone with the other. The screen was asking for a tip, starting at 20% and going up to 40%.

Me: “I’m paying cash.”

Cashier: *Rolls her eyes and holds out her hand.* “Fine.”

Me: “Okay…”

I count out the exact total and hand it to her.

Cashier: “Really?”

Me: “What?”

Cashier: *Gestures at the screen with her phone in hand.*

Me: “Why would I tip you?”

Cashier: “B****.”

Me: *Gathering my purchases because she didn’t offer a bag.* “Yeah, that’ll change my mind.”

Cashier: *As I’m walking out the door.* “C***!”

I laughed extra loud as the door closed behind me.

At our gas station, we refill propane tanks. A customer has driven in with his truck, asking us to fill all the empty propane tanks on it.

Me: “Uh, some of these tanks look a little old.”

Customer: *Laughing.* “Haha, yeah. Oldies but goldies.”

Me: “No, sir, I mean old as in expired. I can already tell some of these are expired.”

Customer: “What do you mean, expired?! They’re tanks!”

Me: “There are certain regulations regarding propane tanks in place for safety purposes. The primary one is that propane tanks have expiration dates on them, after which they have to be recertified. It is illegal to refill one out of date.”

Customer: “Oh, come on, no one has to know.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but it would be against the law for me to refill these propane tanks.”

Customer: “You’re going to risk losing my business over a date stamped on a tank?”

Me: “No, sir, I’m not going to risk losing THE business by breaking the law and receiving a huge a** fine. Either get these tanks recertified or get new ones.”

Customer: “Your generation are all p***ies!” *Storms back off to his truck and drives off.*

I’m working at a petrol station. We’re one of the few in the area that has EV charging stations (there are loads now, but at the time of the story, they were quite novel). A Tesla pulls up, and the driver, a tired-looking guy, gets out first and starts charging. 

His wife/partner gets out a few seconds later, looking even more tired, carrying a screaming toddler.

It’s late at night, and they have to wait quite a bit longer before the car is charged enough to finish their journey. At least I guess this is the case, as the wife shouts:

Wife: “You just had to save the f****** world, didn’t you, Gordon?!”

Even with the supercharger, it was a loooong half hour.