My parents and I decide to stop at an ice cream store. Because it’s starting to get a little busy, my dad gives us his order and goes to get a table while my mom and I stand in line.

Our turn comes up, my mom orders what my dad wants and the employee turns to start making it. A second employee comes up.

Employee #2: “Is this everything for you guys?”

Mom: “We’ve got a couple more items. I’d like [order], whatever my daughter is having, and three waters.”

Me: “Can I get [specialty ice cream]?”

Employee #2: “Okay.”

[Employee #2] starts making my mom’s order

Meanwhile, [Employee #1], who has been making my dad’s order, puts that order on the counter, so I grab it and take it over to my dad. While that’s going on, my mom grabs three waters out of the cooler, and [Employee #1] starts ringing us up. I come back to the counter.

Employee #1: “Okay, so just [my dad’s order] and the waters?”

Mom: “No. We’ve got [my dad’s order], [her order], and [my order] along with the waters.”

[Employee #1] is clearly new and starting to panic. I’m not sure if we confused her, she is really, really, new or what, but she starts looking around and asking for help. [Employee #2] is busy, and I can’t tell if she is just not paying attention or is deliberately ignoring [Employee #1].

[Employee #1] finally excuses herself and goes into the back, coming out with what I’m guessing is a manager, who comes straight to the counter.

Manager: “Okay, so just [my dad’s order] and the waters?”

Mom: “No. For the third time, we’ve got [my dad’s order], [her order], [my order], and the waters.”

Her order gets placed on the counter at this point.

Manager: “Ma’am, there’s no need to talk to me like that. I just got out here.”

Mom: “I understand that you just got out here. But your other two employees have been out here this whole time. [Employee #1] asked for help several times and was ignored. And no one has even started making [my order] yet.”

The manager got quiet at that point and finally rang us up correctly, but she was side-glaring at my mom the whole time. I still don’t understand what was so complicated about that order.

I work in a family-owned restaurant that is also an ice cream shop. There are two different counters, but the system is linked so if you order online, you can order both in one transaction. For online orders, we have a shelf on the restaurant side and a freezer on the ice cream side. The business was sold about a month ago, and this story takes place on my first day working with the new owner within the first hour of my shift.

There are a few orders waiting to be picked up, and I see on one receipt that there is also ice cream, but I forget about it because I’m working the restaurant and someone else is working the ice cream. They got their own ticket with just the ice cream and scooped it.

As I’m taking an order, a customer comes in and grabs her order off the shelf. She immediately starts ripping through the boxes, and I know there’s going to be trouble. I finish with my customer while seeing her stand there impatiently in my peripheral vision.

Customer: “Is this order all here?”

Me: “Yep! That should be everything!”

Customer: *Rudely* “Well, it was supposed to be curbside, but no one brought it out to me!”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry about that. Did you call?”

Customer: *Raising her voice* “No! Why should I have to? I had to fill in what my car is! You should bring it out! It never said that anywhere!”

Me: “Well, we have two parking lots and lots of customers, so—”

Customer: “And you said the order was ready! Where is my ice cream?! This is ridiculous!“

I blocked out the rest of her rant, but she continued to yell over me while I tried to explain that the ice cream was in the freezer. She would not stop her tirade, so I walked away in the middle of her speech. I have worked in retail/customer service for nine years, and I have NEVER walked away from someone in the middle of a sentence.

I stormed around the back of house trying to find the new owner, and he was grabbing the lady’s ice cream and bringing it to her by the time I found him.

I went downstairs to the prep area to have a panic attack. I went back up when I could breathe again, and the son of the old owner was covering the counter. When I asked him if he could stay there for me for five minutes, the customers who were waiting and overheard the screaming told me to take ten.

Luckily, the new owner had my back and wasn’t upset with my reaction. I might have been able to calm the customer down if I also wasn’t worrying about what my new boss expected of me.

The old owner came in shortly after that and noticed the name on the order was for the local high school principal and that the customer who picked up the order must work for him. I told my new boss if I saw that name again, I was getting him because I won’t touch it. He told me to never put up with that kind of behavior from people and to let him handle it.

Customer: “I would like a chocolate ice cream.”

Me: “Is that a scoop or soft serve?”

Customer: “Scoop.”

I give her the scoop of ice cream.

Customer: “No, I meant the other chocolate ice cream.”

We have one of those soft-serve machines that produce different flavours, so I point to the photo of the chocolate on the machine to confirm, and she nods again. When I hand it to her:

Customer: *Angry* “Are you stupid? That’s not what I wanted!”

After much confusion, it turned out that by “chocolate ice cream” she meant vanilla soft serve with chocolate sprinkles. She snatched the correct order out of my hands and flounced out in disgust.

I work at a family-owned ice cream shop. It’s a slow afternoon despite the perfect weather. A man in his seventies enters the shop. As he’s deciding what to order, a young man and woman come in together. The old man is asking me about different flavors and suddenly turns to the man behind him.

Old Man: “I have to say, I like those shoes. Good for the weather.”

Young Man: “Oh, yeah, thanks.”

The old man orders his ice cream and turns to the woman.

Old Man: “And I have to say, you have lovely feet, as well. Don’t want you to feel left out!”

The woman gives a polite response, but I can tell she is uncomfortable. I quickly scoop the old man’s ice cream and send him on his way. As soon as he’s out the door, I look at the couple.

Me: “I cannot believe he said that. Wow, I’m so sorry about that.”

Young Woman: “Yeah, that was… weird.”

Young Man: “You could tell he knew what he was saying was wrong but he just kept talking.”

Me: “Super uncomfortable. Anyway, have you decided what you’d like?”

When I was in high school, I worked in a tiny little ice cream stand. I had a little brother who was fifteen years younger, and I was also very young-looking.

I was working one day with one other girl, and we were chatting away as we helped customers standing at the window. I was talking about how tired I was after chasing around a two-year-old all day. All the girls knew and loved my baby brother.

The middle-aged man at my window leaned in and said, very loudly and judgementally:

Man: “What are you doing with a two-year-old?!“

We both stopped, stunned, for a second.

Me: “Taking care of my baby brother while my parents work. Do you wanna take your foot out of your mouth now?”

He just mumbled something, took his ice cream, and left. Honestly, I was a super timid teen and I was pretty proud of myself for standing up to his rude comment.