I’m a cashier in a small grocery store. A woman came through my line with three items. One of the items was a package of hamburger. I wrapped the hamburger in a separate plastic bag and put the more fragile items on top of the hamburger. The customer started rearranging the items in her bag.
The reason why? “I don’t want my hamburger to get bruised.”
I work at a large retail store in a small town, so I don’t often get a lot said to me that surprise me. My friend has come in to buy something and ends up talking to me. An elderly woman walks up to us.
Me: “Hello, ma’am, can I help you?”
Customer: *Points to my friend* “Why is she wearing a [Superhero] shirt? That’s for men.
Friend: “Because I read [Superhero]’s comics, and I like him.”
Customer: “But you’re a woman! I demand you go change your shirt to something more suitable!”
My friend and I exchange a confused look.
Customer: *Looks to me* “Well? Can’t you have her removed until she changes her shirt?”
Me: *Surprised* “Um… no, ma’am, I can’t. If we could do that, we would have a lot of teenage girls removed every day for dressing inappropriately.”
Customer: “But she is dressed inappropriately!”
Friend: “I’m in a T-shirt and jeans. If you want to complain about someone being dressed ‘inappropriately,’ I think you should turn your attention to that group of girls over there showing off their cleavage.”
The customer gets mad and storms off.
Me: “What the h*** was that?”
Friend: *Shrugs* “Beats me.”
It is about an hour before a music festival starts. The festival is showcasing electronic music, and the musicians are all warming up and performing sound checks. An older woman comes up to where we are queueing.
Woman: “Excuse me, can you please tell them to turn the sound down?”
Security: “Sorry?”
Woman: “The bass is too loud. Can you please turn it down?”
Security: “Ma’am, I’m just working security.”
Woman: “Well, who do you report to? The sound is too loud!”
I try my hand at an explanation.
Me: “Ma’am, it’s a music festival. I don’t think you’ll have much luck.”
Woman: “I don’t care! It’s too bloody loud!”
I quickly — and wisely — give up, but she carries on. She storms over to the ticket office. I can’t hear the exchange, but next thing I know, she draws away from the window with a wireless bank card reader in her hand.
Woman: “You can have it back when you turn the noise down! It’s too loud!”
A man steps out of the ticket office.
Ticket Seller: “Ma’am—”
Woman: *Firmly but not loudly* “It’s too loud!”
Ticket Seller: “—if you’ll just hand me my property back—”
Woman: “It’s too loud!”
Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, I will call the cops—”
Woman: “Do it! Call them! They’ll turn the sound down! It’s too f****** loud! I am in [Public Place] and the bass is too loud!”
This festival is indeed in said public place, but it’s been known about and licensed for some months and publicised across the entire country.
Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, can you please—”
Woman: “It’s too loud!”
Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, I—”
Woman: “You can have this back when you turn the sound down! It’s too loud!”
The ticket seller makes a grab for the machine, but she pulls it out of his reach. He remains calm, as does the security guard.
Ticket Seller: “Ma’am—”
Woman: “It’s too loud! The bass is too loud!”
Fortunately, a policeman shows up in his car. The woman goes over, machine still in hand, and knocks on the policeman’s window. The ticket seller follows her. Again, I can’t hear this exchange, but shortly after, the policeman steps out of his car and walks around to the quarrelling pair. She keeps repeating her phrase, “It’s too loud!”, but the policeman eventually gets the card reader back to the ticket booth and leads the woman away.
Me: *To others in line* “Well. This could be an interesting day.”
I am working the concessions stand when an older woman walks up to the counter. She has an old plastic drink cup that was part of a promotion my theater did over five years ago. You bought the cup and got to fill it for a cheaper price on your next visit. Of course, this promotion ended a long time ago, but sometimes people still bring the cups in, pay for a large drink, and fill up their old cups because they like the old cups better.
She also has a 2018 annual popcorn bucket that expired at the end of 2018; it is now May of 2019.
Me: “Do you want to buy a large popcorn and a large drink and just use these, or…”
I am assuming she wants to do this because this is what all the guests who bring in the old drink cups do.
Customer: *Points to the bucket* “Well, it’s $5 to fill this up.”
Me: “Unfortunately, this is a 2018 bucket. To get that price, you would have to purchase a new 2019 bucket.”
Customer: “Are you freaking kidding me? But they filled it up last month!”
Me: “Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t fill it up today.”
Customer: *Huffs* “Well, I guess I’ll do what you said.”
I ring her up for the large popcorn and drink. Her total comes to $7.50 and she sets a $10 and a $1 bill on the counter.
Me: “Okay, out of $11.”
I only pick up the $10 because I know I’ll just be giving her the $1 bill back. As I am counting out her change, she huffs again.
Customer: “How much did you say it was?”
Me: “$7.50.”
The customer huffs and throws the $1 bill I left sitting on the counter at me.
Customer: “Yeah, so I gave you the $10 and this.”
She then opens her wallet and gets out another $1.50.
I’m wondering how I was supposed to know she was going to get out more money, but I say, “Okay.” I give her the change and go to fill her popcorn bucket. As I set it back down on the counter, she pushes it back at me, almost knocking it onto the floor.
Customer: *Huffs* “Um, hun, can I get it half-way filled so I can put butter on it?”
Me: “…”
I guess customer service workers are supposed to be mind readers now?
I’m in a convenience store when I see a couple running towards the store. They look at the hours posted on the door and enter.
Man: “The store really closes at 10:00 pm?”
It’s not far from 8:00 pm.
Cashier: “Yes, as written on the door.”
Woman: “But on Google, it says you close at 8:00 pm!”
Cashier: “Sorry, we didn’t put the schedules on Google. Anyone can put them on.”
Woman: “So, we ran for nothing. We have guests at 8:30, we forgot things, and we thought we wouldn’t make it in time.”
Man: “You need to change that now.”
Cashier: “I will do it later. I don’t think my manager would appreciate it if I used my phone during work when there were customers waiting.”
Woman: “And can we see her?”
Cashier: “Sorry, she’s not here now.”
Woman: “So, you can change them now!”
Not having found what I was looking for, I left the store. I took a picture of the schedules on the door with my phone, and when I got home, I corrected the information on Google.
