I’ve just given a customer their drink order.

Customer: “You skimmed the chocolate off my drink! I want a refund!”

I get my manager and explain.

Manager: *To the customer* “[My Name] is highly allergic to chocolate. It’s impossible for them to have even made your drink.”

They did not get a refund.

Our office has a small front porch area, screened in with a metal screen, bars, and a locking gate so we can securely store stuff there. I put my bike there during the work day, since there’s always someone at the front desk who can see it, but other than that, all that’s out there is empty water cooler bottles and a couple of random items.

One Sunday night, the porch was broken into by someone who cut a hole in the metal screen and reached in to unlock the door. Fortunately, there was nothing of value, so the thief just took some random things like a hand truck and a cooler that were out there. The office manager called the police as soon as she saw, and the police came and took some evidence.

Later, the office manager was telling my boss and me about it.

Office Manager: “We found a contact lens in its packaging out there, so the officer took that as evidence. None of you are missing a contact, are you?”

Boss: “Probably not… What type of contact?”

Office Manager: “It was a daily wear one, and the prescription was like -7.50; it was like a blind lady’s contact!”

Boss: “So, we’re looking for a blind thief!”

Me: “Wait… -7.50 is my prescription.”

Office Manager: “Do you wear daily contacts?”

Me: “Yes, when I’m not wearing my glasses… Hang on…”

I look in my purse, and I am indeed missing one of the spare contacts that I carry in case one falls out.

Me: “Crap.”

Office Manager: “Was that your contact?”

Me: “Yes! It must have fallen out of my bag when I was parking my bike out there! Now the police have it, with my fingerprints on it!”

Boss: “You’re the blind lady thief!”

Fortunately for me, the police in our city are famously lazy and they don’t investigate anything short of murder, so I’m not worried they’ll trace the contact lens back to me and arrest me.

One evening, while preparing dinner, I sliced my finger really badly. My husband drove me to the emergency room, where I got six stitches in my middle finger. Due to health crisis restrictions, my husband couldn’t be in the room with me and had to stay in the lobby.

After the doctor finished, I had an enormous bandage on my swollen, numbed finger to keep everything in place. I walked into the lobby, where my husband jumped to his feet.

Husband: *In a very soothing, hushed tone* “Hey, how is everything? How are you feeling?”

I showed him my bandaged middle finger.

Husband: *In the same soothing tone* “Oh, that’s really rude.”

Twenty-odd years ago, I was in line at a major fast food chain located in a large mall. Suddenly, the woman in front of me in line fell to the floor, unconscious. At the time, I was in university preparing to apply to medical school, and I had taken some first aid classes. I checked on the woman, who had quickly regained consciousness, but she was confused and trembling after the fall. I asked the employees to hand me a cup of water and to call mall security about the medical issue.

After using my first aid training to determine that the woman didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, I turned around to ask the counter employee for the cup of water.

Employee: “That will be $1.08 for the water.”

Me: “What? There’s a person having a medical issue here. Please just give it to me.”

Employee: “We can’t. You need to pay for the water before we give it to you.”

It should be noted that the law in New York State at the time said that restaurants must give tap water to diners for free upon request.

Me: “I’ll pay in a sec. Please just give me the water.”

Employee: “No, and you need to get her out of the way; she’s blocking the register.”

I looked around, and every employee in the store was scrupulously looking away, and every customer in the area was staring at them. Luckily, at that moment, a security guard I knew from the mall passed by and came to help. 

Me: “Thank God you finally came. I told them to call for security over ten minutes ago.”

Guard: “No one called for security. I was just on my normal rounds.”

Thankfully, he was able to radio for help, and a first aid team was there inside of two minutes to help the woman. She ended up fine; she had just passed out.

As soon as she was in good hands, I turned to the counter. The employee who had refused me water was standing there with a bored look on her face. The manager was behind her tapping his foot and looking annoyed. I had worked retail, and I knew to treat workers as people worthy of respect, but I admit to losing my cool and yelling a bit. 

Me: “What the h***? Not only did you not supply water — as required by law and common decency — but you didn’t even call for security? And then you’re mad at me because I wouldn’t singlehandedly move someone who may have been sick or hurt?”

Manager: “It’s not our problem. If you wanted water, you should have paid for it. If you wanted security, you should have called them.”

Me: “Well, now it is your problem.”

I snatched a sign off the wall with the phone number for the franchise ownership and walked out, with the manager yelling at me as I left. As soon as I could, I contacted the owner, the corporate complaint number, and mall management. I asked them if it was store or franchise policy to allow people to die at the counter and to defy state law. 

By the weekend, when I came to the mall for my retail shift, the manager was gone and much of the staff was replaced. I later heard that that had been the last straw in a number of complaints against the manager, including at least one where they refused to call security when a customer was being assaulted. I don’t think anyone who worked or shopped at that mall shed a tear for them losing their jobs.

I used to work at the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). We had a guy come through and choose a puppy. We started going through the adoption paperwork.

Me: “The pup will need to have her stitches out on [date].”

Man: “Why does she have stitches?”

Me: “She’s been desexed so she can’t have puppies.”

Man: *Annoyed* “I wanted to get a dog that could have puppies! That way all my friends can have my dog’s puppies.”

Me: “That’s not ideal. People can often struggle to find homes for pups.”

He canceled the adoption and said he’d get a dog elsewhere.

A year later, he came in with five puppies that his dog had had, and he couldn’t find homes for them.