(I’m working a fitting room shift at a discount retailer in my hometown. My shift happens to correspond with a particularly bossy coworker, one who has been told many times over that she is not a manager. A couple of hours into my shift, she approaches the fitting room with several shirts picked off the floor from the nearby activewear department.)

Me: *noticing I have only a few spare hangers* “Hey, [Coworker], is there anywhere else you can put the ones without hangers? I’m almost out.”

Coworker: “That doesn’t matter. It is your job to recover activewear, anyway. You can see the fitting room from there.”

(I accept that as fair because the store manager has told me to recover activewear in the past, for the same reason. I go about doing my more pressing duties and occasionally picking up after customers looking for workout gear. At one point, I look up from adjusting a crooked shirt to find that a customer has emerged from the fitting room and is just putting away her number card. I rush to her, but I am too late to see the number.)

Me: *counting her items* “I’ll take your word for it now, ma’am, but next time I will need to see the card before you put it back.”

Customer #1: “What? This is ridiculous! You shouldn’t have been so far away!”

(Again, I take it as a fair point. Still, I decide to page my coworker.)

Coworker: “What is it?”

Me: “A customer just scolded me for recovering activewear. I was too far away to see her number in time. Are you sure I’m supposed to be doing this?”

(I don’t remember the exact specifics, but my coworker really goes into me about how it is indeed my job. She becomes quite harsh, and once she storms off, I become visibly upset. Two customers witness this and approach me separately.)

Customer #2: “You know what I do when my coworkers get like that? I let it go in one ear and out the other. She’s not worth your tears, sweetheart.”

Customer #3: *a few minutes later* “Yeah, she was not in the right for speaking to you that way. Give me her name, hon, and I’ll send a complaint.”

(I also tell the store manager what my coworker said, and he affirms that I am not supposed to be in activewear while manning the fitting room.)

Manager: “I’ll talk to [Coworker]. She needs to know she’s not a manager.”

(Maybe ten minutes later, the store manager returns, looking amused, as if he has been playing some cute children’s game.)

Manager: “I spoke with [Coworker] and she said all she did was give you some clothes.”

(He walks away without allowing me to rebuke this. I let my thoughts stir for another hour or so, occasionally crying because I think I might be in trouble and it feels like everyone is being a jerk today. Eventually, I start feeling lightheaded and dizzy, and the “not-a-manager” coworker notices.)

Coworker: “Have some water and sit down for a bit.”

(I do, but not before I page the store manager so I can ask for my break. After a while, I page him again; he’s not always the most responsive person in the world. This time, he arrives within a minute and sees me sitting down, crying.)

Manager: “You’re not allowed to sit down. Stand up. This is not professional.”

Me: “But I feel like I’m about to pass out!”

Manager: *laughs* “Oh, so you have one bad experience with a customer and suddenly the world is ending, is that it?”

(I was mortified that he would say something like that — in front of a customer, no less — and the thought of him saying the same to someone with asthma or diabetes did not make things any better. By this point, I was openly bawling. In the end, he told me to go home. As of right now, he has two other managers who are not very happy with him.)

Okay this isnt really stupidity, but god damn is this adorable. I work at a subway. Im trying to figure out how im going to ask my girl to homecoming. Me and this coworker are having a discussion.

Me: I dunno man
CW: Bro, i got this. She comes by here often, correct?
Me: Yea, thats how we met.
CW: Okay, second question, does she get any sort of dressing on her sandwich

Gears begin to spin, i grin

Me: remind me to gift you that league of legends skin you want

Bae comes in

Cw: Yo K your friend is here
Me: perfect. I assume your usual?
Bae: yes

I prep the sandwich, writing Hoco? in the dressing. I give her the sandwich before i put the top bun on.
Me: Does everything look good
Bae: its perfect, not a flaw
Me: look a little closer.
…..

She demands i get out from behind the counter. I look at my manager. He nods, eavesdropping in on the whole thing. I give the sandwich to my friend, and he finishes prepping it. I walk out and am greeted with a massive hug.

Me: i assume this is a yes?

Customer: Is this Wal-Mart?

Me: Yes.

(This was an actual question asked to me by a woman while I was in the entrance of the store where the carts were stored.)

(I am female and work in the call center for an industrial supply company. We are trained to handle most situations in basic troubleshooting of our products, and our customer service is somewhat renowned. Part of our training also includes, unlike a lot of other call centers, that we DO NOT have to put up with foul language, sexism, or otherwise abusive or demeaning behavior.)

Caller: “Can you put me on the phone with a guy in parts, honey?”

Me: “I’m in parts. What can I help you with?”

Caller: “No, I need a guy.”

Me: “We all get the same training. What can I help you with?”

Caller: *actually laughs* “Oh, I know. I know you all get the same training, sweetheart, but you see, with this technical stuff, there’s just a difference between the way a guy and a gal understands things. Do you understand? Can you connect me with a guy now?”

Me: “Certainly. You’re free to call us back and see if you get a guy next time.” *click*

(I am involved in a minor fender-bender that results in the driver’s side of the hood being dented in and the side mirror knocked off. My parents have my boyfriend and I take the car to the repair shop for an estimate, and are given a $3000 and three-day repair job, which my boyfriend (who is in school for automotive repair) had originally estimated at $300. Shocked at the price and still being on my family’s car insurance, I ask for a copy of the paperwork to show to parents so we can discuss our options. We decided that we don’t have much of a choice, so my mother calls the shop to schedule the repairs.)

Mother: Hi, my name is ________, and my daughter and her boyfriend were in yesterday to get an estimate on a repair job?
Technician (laughing like he knows something she doesn’t): Oh, yeah, I remember those two.
Mother: I’m sorry, what do you mean?
Technician (in a falsetto voice): Ohh, I have to go talk to my Daddy about these prices! (laughs)
Mother: I’m sorry, I don’t get what’s so funny here!
Technician: (silence)
Mother: She did the right the thing, she’s still on our insurance, and she was very scared, and right now, we are just very happy that no one was injured in this accident! You shouldn’t be laughing and making jokes about this!
Technician: …So anyways, if you want to bring in the car tommorow, we can start working on it.

(Both my parents were furious with this guy, who seemed to always make sure he was never in the waiting room or answering the phone whenever my parents stopped in. We continued to have more problems with this shop (such as them not calling us or the car rental company when they kept the car three days past the esitmated repair time) and have had issues with this same man mocking my mother and I the last time we took a car in after an accident. We definetly will not be going there again.)