It is a very busy day, and we only have two people in appliances, one of whom is going on her lunch.

A customer comes in and isn’t happy that a couple of men who’ve already been waiting are being served ahead of her. She approaches my coworker leaving for her lunch (who is no longer in uniform and is talking to another employee).

Customer: “You! You there! Stop ignoring me! I need service!”

Coworker: “I’m sorry, ma’am. I am currently off the clock. My coworker here will be able to help you when she’s finished with these gentlemen.”

Customer: “It doesn’t matter! You will help me right here and now!”

Coworker: “Ma’am, you can wait, or you can take your business elsewhere.” *Heads off for lunch*

This angers the customer, who then starts moaning to her husband who has just joined her. The husband marches up to me and interrupts the two customers I am serving.

Customer’s Husband: “I am a g**d*** man, and you’re gonna serve me first!”

Me: “Sir, that’s not how things work. You will be served when it is your turn, regardless of gender.”

The man breathed loudly and angrily but ended up muttering for a bit with his wife before storming out.

Our town has a local Facebook page where you can post reviews and events. The customer decided to make a MASSIVE post about what happened — only she actually didn’t.

She twisted it so that it seemed that she’d been purposely ignored (she hadn’t; she just didn’t want to wait in line), denied service (she hadn’t; she confronted and cursed out a teenage employee who was off the clock), and she and her husband had been verbally abused by “every employee in the store” (they spoke to one coworker and to me, and neither of us abused them; we were both abused).

Of course, at first, she got sympathy from a LOT of people of the same mentality. There were a LOT of “no one wants to work anymore” comments. But one of our cashiers happened to be told about it and showed me.

I’m petty. I’ll admit it beforehand. 

I made a fake Facebook account (I don’t do social media) and joined the town’s page. I first commented, in explicit detail, everything that actually happened, including direct quotes from the other girl. Then, I copied my post and replied to EVERY comment on her post, “This isn’t actually what happened. What happened was [insert comment here].”

It wasn’t long before the entire town turned on her. Hundreds of comments called her a liar and a horrid person.

The next morning? The post was gone, and she’s never returned to our store. 

Was I a bit of a b**** myself? Maybe. But when it comes to my fellow employees, I tend to fight petty fire with petty fire.

I once worked off the clock, but of my own volition. I am on my lunch break and am coming back with a coffee, when a customer comes up to me:

Customer: “I’m picking up cull lumber.”

He needed the straps holding them cut and since I have a hip side tool pouch full of personal gear, I am happy to cut the straps thinking he’s only getting one load.

Customer: “Thanks. Now the rest!”

Yup, he’s getting all five cull lumber orders! Each one costs at bare minimum $100 for a small cull bundle, and these ones are fairly sized so probably closer to $250!

I cut the straps and in between, I try to get in the occasional sip of coffee, not to mention helping him load his vehicle. We are talking away while doing this.

Customer: “You look like you enjoy a cold beer after work.”

Me: “I don’t like beer too often; I prefer a stronger drink, like shots of tequila when I can safely drink.” *AKA: I have more than one day off.*

This absolute gentleman goes to the nearest liquor store and within fifteen minutes, finds me around the side of our building still sipping my coffee, and hands me a $75 bottle of my favorite tequila as thanks for going out of my way to help!

My mother had a long, frustrating experience with a popular nationwide hardware store. She’s looking for a pet-resistant screen to put on our patio. She placed an order a few days ago, but it hasn’t arrived.

Customer service picks up, but the employee is talking to a coworker, complaining about a different customer.

Mom: “Hello?”

The phone hangs up. Mom redials, and the same person picks up.

Customer Service: “Thank you for calling [Store]. How can I help you?”

Mom explains her order.

Customer Service: “Oh, there’s no order here. I guess I could go try and get one off the shelf for you.”

Mom: “I placed an order three days ago. I need this today so I can start my project.”

Customer Service: “Okay, let me see what I can do.”

Mom is put on hold. Several minutes pass.

Customer Service: “I’m still working on it, sweetie.”

Back on hold. Several more minutes pass.

Customer Service: “We don’t have any of those screens in stock. You’ll have to call a different store.”

Mom: *Getting increasingly frustrated* “You’re telling me that, even though I placed an order three days ago, I now have to drive around town going to different [Store] locations to find the product I’ve already paid for?”

Customer Service: “Well, hold on.”

Back on hold. Several minutes pass… and they hang up.

Mom calls back and re-explains everything to the same person.

Customer Service: “Okay! I’ll call you back once I have the information.”

Mom: “Wait, don’t call me on the number on file. That’s my husband and he’s at work. Call me at [phone number].”

Customer Service: “Okay, got it!”

The call ends. Not trusting this customer service rep anymore, Mom chooses to call product service.

Product Service: “Thank you for calling [Store]. How can I help you?”

She explains the order again.

Product Service: “Well, I don’t see an order here… But maybe I can call around to other stores and see if they can get one to you.”

Mom: “You mean I don’t have to drive to one of those stores to get it myself?”

Product Service: “What?! Of course not!”

Mom: “Well, your customer service told me I did.”

Product Service: “Seriously? Okay, let me talk to [Manager] and see what I can do. I’ll call you back once I have the information.”

Mom: “Okay, but don’t call me on the number on file. That’s my husband and he’s at work. Call me at [phone number].”

Product Service: “Got it. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

The call ends. A few minutes later, Mom gets a call from Dad saying that the store called him. Not having time to deal with it, he canceled the order.

Fed up, Mom calls customer service again and gets the same person as before.

Customer Service: “Hello, thank you for calling [Store]. How can I help you?”

Mom: “I’d like to speak with [Manager]. [Product Service] said they were going to talk to him, and I’d like to speak with him directly.”

Customer Service: “Okay, just a moment.”

She’s put on hold again. Several minutes pass…

Customer Service: “Can I help you with something?”

Mom: “…Yes, I’d like to speak with [Manager].”

Customer Service: “Okay, just a second.”

This happens a few more times. Finally, Mom hangs up and calls again.

Mom: “Look, I’ve been hung up on twice, put on hold more times than I can count, and ignored several times. I want you to, right now, walk over and hand this phone to [Manager].”

Customer Service: “I’m sorry. Do you want to speak with the store manager, district manager, or—”

Mom: “I don’t know. All I know is that his name is [Manager].”

Customer Service: “Well, okay… hold on.”

Mom did eventually get in contact with said manager. He canceled her order and refunded her money. This is the first time we’ve dealt with this hardware store in several years and probably the last time for several more!

She’s currently working on the project with a competing hardware store, and they’re being much more cooperative. The manager showed little remorse when Mom informed him everything the customer service worker did to her over the course of these calls.

I am shopping at a large hardware store when I see a woman having some kind of meltdown at the service desk. She is pointing and screaming at some employees while talking to a manager.

Customer: “I don’t understand! You have some right there!”

Manager: “Ma’am, just because we have staff who are Hispanic, it does not automatically make them contractors!”

Customer: “They are contractors and I need them! Why am I not getting the service I am paying for?!”

Manager: “Ma’am! You want to pay for the wood, but we don’t offer contracting services. You need to install your deck yourself or hire someone to do it yourself.”

Customer: “That’s what I am trying to do, and you have Mexicans! Rent them to me!”

I am about to walk away — I am getting uncomfortable with the blatant racism — but then I see the police being escorted into the building by another employee. They’re directed to the screaming woman. She refuses to calm down, and so is escorted from the premises, knocking some items over in a frustrated rage as she does so. I approach the manager.

Me: “If it’s helpful for you to have any witnesses to that who aren’t employees, I’d be happy to put my contact details down.”

Manager: “That’s very kind of you, but we have cameras everywhere.”

Me: “What was she screaming about?”

Manager: “Oh, she woke up this morning and decided she wanted to have a deck built there and then, and she thought that just buying the decking from us included installation and labor. When I said we didn’t offer that service, she tried to demand that we ‘rent’ out some of our Hispanic staff to install it for her.”

Me: “Wow.”

Manager: “Yeah. We get a lot of crazy here, but we have to call the police when they start to threaten to enslave our staff.” 

Related:
Employees Are Not Human!

Customer: “Do you have non-toxic spray paint? Like body paint?”

Me: “You mean paint that is suitable for skin?”

Customer: “Yeah, something like that, but I need to spray it on my dog.”

Me: “Your dog?”

Customer: “Yeah, I need to spray my phone number on his coat. He’s always breaking out, and he hates wearing collars…”

I just stare blankly.

Customer: “Yeah, I know… We spoil him.”