Customer: “Can you wrap this pomegranate?”

Me: “You mean in plastic?”

Customer: “No, in gift wrap”

Me: “Um… okay.” *boss comes in to see me gift wrapping a pomegranate*

I work in a grocery store deli. We hire in a new employee, [Coworker #1], who seems nice enough and is a good worker. Three weeks later, on a Friday, [Coworker #1] calls in say she’s going to be late because she has to pick up her kids from school. It’s only the two of us closing the department that night, and the last person from the morning shift has to leave when she was meant to arrive. I shrug it off, figuring I can handle a little while alone.

A half hour passes and I start to get nervous, and slightly frustrated. In my few years of being at this job, no one has ever been this late. A total of fifty minutes passes before [Coworker #1] comes in.

In concern, slight panic, and mild frustration, I ask what caused her to be so late. She only says she had to pick up her kids and leaves the immediate area to clock in. Satisfied, I return to work and wait for her to come back.

A half hour passes and [Coworker #1] hasn’t entered the department since she arrived. I ask  [Coworker #2] from the prepared food department, who also can work the deli, to go look for her while I take care of the customers at the deli.

Eventually, [Coworker #2] comes back and says she can’t find [Coworker #1]; she’s nowhere in the back. We decide to flag down a manager and ask what to do. He uses the speaker system to call her back to the department. Ten minutes pass; no [Coworker #1]. The three of us conclude she has left the store and not told anyone. The manager says not to worry. [Coworker #2] thankfully has [Coworker #1]’s number, so she texts [Coworker #1]. [Coworker #1] does not respond for the rest of the night. [Coworker #2] decides to help me close during the last two hours of my shift, as closing the department is something one shouldn’t have to do alone. I ready myself to talk to her about this calmly tomorrow.

Tomorrow rolls around, and one of the Managers in Charge, who are manager when the official store manager is not around, calls me into her office along with the Union Representative. The MIC tells me that [Coworker #1] has filed a complaint against me, saying that my question had created a ‘hostile work environment’ and [Coworker #1] went home because of this and has not shown up for her morning shift that day. She gives me a talk about how much hiring people costs, gets my side of the story, tells me that this will go to corporate and a full investigation may ensue, and then sends me back to work. [Coworker #2] helps me calm down, as the conversation made me upset. I got in trouble for asking one simple, understandable question.

I still hang on to hope I can talk to [Coworker #1], as we’re scheduled to work together the next night, Sunday night. Our busiest day.

Surprise, surprise, [Coworker #1] doesn’t show, so she was officially fired for having two ‘no-call, no-shows’ during her first ninety days. I was a nervous wreck that I was going to close alone on the busiest day of the week. [Coworker #2] was working in prepared foods again that day and told me directly that she would help me close up, and did so. Despite all of this happening, I’m still confused. Which one of us was in the wrong?

(I’m a bagger at a local grocery store. A woman comes through the line with a ton of stuff and one of our huge kiddie carts with her daughter who is much to old and tall for it.)

Cashier: oh your chicken’s leaking, [my name] make sure to put it in a separate bag.

Customer: It’s leaking? It shouldn’t be leaking! I don’t want it, take it off.

Customer: (as she sees her total add up) Its so expensive here! I hate this store I NEVER shop here. I always shop at [competitor]. This store is awful. I wish you guys would just close down. Weren’t you supposed to close down?

Cashier: yes we were a couple years ago but we merged with [other well known chain]

Customer: I never shop here. Not that its your fault [cashier’s name] but this place…

(she goes on like this until we finish her transaction. I walk back to the meat section to put back her chicken, and as I head back towards the front end i hear a loud crash. When I get to the front I see that the same woman has knocked over a six foot tall sunglasses display with the kiddie cart.)

Customer: Uh sorry, that could have happened to anyone! ( as she’s walking away quickly from the display) I’m not perfect!

Me: *under my breath as she’s racing away and I try to clean up the mess of sunglasses, some broken* yeah no kidding.( the kicker: she comes in almost every week!)

(My niece is around two years old but has very advanced speech skills. Shopping with her is always an ordeal because she always takes off running. My sister is pregnant and unable to run after her so buys a toddler harness and lead. This time we are shopping together so she leaves the harness off. My niece of course decides to run out of the shop with me chasing after her. I manage to stop her just outside the door and before she gets to the busy street. She struggles to get out of my grip.)

Niece: “Let go of me.”

Me: “I’m not going to let go until you promise not to run away.”

Niece: “I promise I won’t run away.”

Me: “Okay, let’s go back inside now.”

Niece: “No, I don’t want to.”

Me: “Yes, you are, because I said so.”

Niece: “No, I want to stay here.”

Me: “No, you are coming inside.”

Niece: “Well, I think I’ll just chuck a tantrum then.”

(She looks behind her, sees concrete so gently lowers herself to the ground and takes a deep breath. I’m looking on in quiet amusement and just as she’s ready to start screaming I pick her up by the front of her outfit.)

Me: “Not with me, you don’t.” *carries her back into the shop like she’s a suitcase, she’s so stunned*

Sister: “What are you doing?” *after I explain* “Looks like I have to get the harness out.”

(After she puts it on, my niece is standing by her, nice and content. We leave the shop and an elderly lady notices my niece.)

Lady: “Oh, what a cutie, look at your lovely red curly hair.” *notices harness and snarls to my sister* “How dare you treat that poor baby like she’s a dog. You should be ashamed of yourself. Take that disgusting thing off her right now!”

(My sister, usually very quick-witted and easy to anger, opens her mouth to yell back when my niece starts yelling at the lady in an almost demonic voice:)

Niece: “SHE CAN’T, BECAUSE I ALWAYS RUN OFF!” *gives her an evil grin and goes back to standing contentedly by her mother’s side*

(The woman was so shocked that we left her standing in the middle of the path with her mouth hanging open.)

(I own a prepaid phone and have to purchase a top-up card every month in order to keep my service active. A couple of days before my minutes are due, I decide to go to the grocery store that is close to my work to pick up my top-up card. I have never been to this grocery store before but I am able to find the top-up card quickly and have no trouble until I get to the register to check out. I hand the card to one of the two associates standing there.)

Cashier #1: *looks at the card and sighs in frustration* “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid you cannot purchase this.”

Me: “Oh, why not? I have bought the same exact card at [Other Location] and never had any trouble before.”

Cashier #1: “I’m afraid this isn’t a legitimate card you can buy. You see, it’s a piece of cardboard and it doesn’t come with an actual gift card. I think you might’ve picked up an advertisement for the card.”

Me: *patiently* “This isn’t a gift card. It is a top up card for [Cellphone Carrier]. If you look on the back, you will see there is a—”

Cashier #1: *interrupts* “No, this isn’t a legitimate card. You can’t buy it. Let me show you where the right card is.”

(Before I can reply she walks away from the register and I follow her over back to the gift card section. She quickly picks up a card, shoves it into my hand, and rips the prepaid card I was holding out of my other hand.)

Cashier #1: “There you go! That’s the right card you needed.”

(I look at the card she gave me and realize that this not only is the wrong one but it is a top-up card to a completely different company.)

Me: “No, this isn’t the right card. This is a card to a different phone company. I need to buy the card you are holding in your hand.”

Cashier #1: *sighs in annoyance and says very slowly as if she was speaking to a child* “This… is… a… piece… of… cardboard… You… can’t… buy… this.”

(I look at my watch and realize that I am already late for work. I have worked in a customer service environment before so the whole time I am interacting with her, I am trying to keep my patience, but am slowly beginning to lose it.)

Me: “This is the card I need. I am in a hurry to get to work so please, just scan the card. I am positive this is the legitimate card and it will scan.”

Cashier #1: “You can’t buy this. What part of it don’t you understand?”

Me: *finally losing my patience* “Can I speak to a manager?”

Cashier #1: *groans and throws her head back* “Fine, but she is going to tell you the exact same thing.”

(We walk back to the register and she angrily walks over to the other cashier standing there.)

Cashier #1: “This customer wants to buy this card but she isn’t understanding this is a piece of cardboard and is not legitimate. She is insisting this is the right card.”

Me: “It is the right card. Your cashier is not listening to me and keeps interrupting me when I try explaining this is a top-up card for [Cellphone Carrier]. It isn’t a gift card and there is no actual card attached to it because it has a scratch off code on the back of the card.”

Cashier #2: *looks at [Cashier #1]* “Did you try scanning this card, [Cashier #1]?”

Cashier #1: “No! It is a piece of cardboard! It will not scan! Why isn’t anyone listening to me?”

Cashier #2: “Well, let’s just try it.” *she scans the card and the amount comes up on the register*

Cashier #1: “No, that’s impossible! It’s a f****** piece of cardboard. It’s not legitimate!”

Cashier #2: “Obviously it’s legitimate if it scans. I will ask you not to swear in front of our loyal customers. Finish ringing up this purchase and after you’re done I will like a word with you in the back. It seems like you need a little more training if you can’t tell the difference between an actual top-up card and a piece of cardboard.”

(Cashier #2 apologizes profusely for the service I received, offers a discount on my next purchase, then walks away to the back room while shaking her head. Cashier #1 stomps her feet, groans, and quietly finishes the transaction. She puts the card in a bag and slams it down in front of me.)

Cashier #1: *coldly* “Have a fantastic day.”

Me: “Thank you; I intend to.”

(As I walked away, I heard her muttered ‘It’s a stupid piece of cardboard’ and when I turned around, she was stomping her feet as she walked to the manager’s office.)