I’m an employee in a casino’s food and beverage department. One morning, I go to the in-house fast food chain for a coffee on my break. The cashier takes my order but needs to run to the back for a moment and leaves the counter alone. An old woman walks up in a huff.

Customer: “Well? Aren’t you working right now? Don’t you work here?!”

Me: “I don’t work for [Fast Food Restaurant]; I’m also a customer here right now.”

Customer: “NO! DO. YOU. WORK. HERE?!”

Me: “In the casino or [Fast Food Restaurant]? I work in the casino’s restaurant. They just lease the space; we don’t share staff.”

Customer: *Rolling her eyes* “Well. No one is taking my order!”

Not a second later, the cashier returns in full [Fast Food Restaurant] uniform and cheerfully apologizes for the wait. She hands me my coffee and quickly begins taking the old woman’s order when she’s immediately cut off.

Customer: “Hold on! I don’t know what I want! Do you have [Famous Item from another fast food chain]?”

I shot the cashier a sympathetic glance and returned to my work area as fast as I could.

I am in the movie theater when I get a call, and since I can’t pick up, it goes to voicemail. After the movie, I listen to the message.

Police Officer: “Hi, Mr. [My Name]. I am calling you about an incident with a car with the license plate [Mom’s license plate]. You are listed as secondary contact. Please call me immediately on [number] and ask for [Police Officer].”

At first, I think it is a joke, but I can’t get a hold of my mom, or my sister who is with her, so I call the number. I get a message saying that the police department is closed and to call the emergency services.

I freak out even more and call the emergency services number, and because I am in a different city from the officer that called me, I get transferred three times before I get a hold of him.

Me: “You called about an incident about a car with the license plate [Mom’s license plate].”

Police Officer: “Yes. It was just to let you know that we did a patrol on the carpool parking where your car is parked, and it’s just to let you know that you didn’t lock the doors.”

Me: “Okay, I will try to contact someone to sort that out. But just a small suggestion: next time lead with, ‘The doors are unlocked.’ Don’t leave a message about ‘an incident with the car, call back immediately.’ I have been worried sick about my mom and sister for the last half-hour.”

It turned out that my mom’s key fob wasn’t working anymore and she thought she had locked the car. My boyfriend said he’d never seen the color drain from a face as fast as when I was listening to that voicemail.

My mother and I are in the drive-thru at a popular fast food restaurant. I’ve worked just about every kind of customer service and retail job out there, so I always make sure everyone I’m with is respectful.

Cashier: “Welcome to [Restaurant]. How can I help you today?”

Mom: “We want a bacon cheeseburger, a [signature sandwich], two large fries, a [soda], and a mint shake.”

Cashier: “I’m sorry, our shake machine is down right—”

Mom: *Pounding on the steering wheel* “God d*** it! Every time!”

Me: *Grabbing her arm* “Mom!”

Cashier: *Obviously nervous* “I— I’m sorry. Can I offer you a free cookie for the trouble?”

Mom: “No, we want the shake.”

Cashier: “I apologize for the inconvenience. Will there be anything else?”

Mom: *Dramatic sigh* “I don’t know. [My Name], anything else?”

Me: “I’ll take an iced coffee, please.”

Mom: “We’ll have an iced coffee, then.”

Cashier: “Okay. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience. The mint shake is in high demand and we had to—”

Mom: “It’s fine. It’s always down.”

Me: “Mom! That’s enough!” *Louder, to the cashier* “What was the total, please?”

Cashier: “[Total]. Please pull forward to the first window.”

While we’re waiting in line, my mom continues.

Mom: “I just don’t understand why it’s always down.”

Me: “I don’t understand why you reacted like that.”

Mom: “Like what?”

Me: *Disbelief* “Assaulting the steering wheel, swearing at the cashier.”

Mom: “What? I didn’t do that.”

Me: “Yes, you did.”

Mom: “No, I didn’t.”

Me: “Mom. You did. You hit the steering wheel and said, ‘God d*** it! Every time!”

Mom: “I did not!”

Me: “Okay. When we get up here, you apologize to the cashier. If she accepts it, that means you did it. If she looks at you like you’re crazy, I’ll apologize to you. And I’ll pay for the food.”

Mom: “Okay.”

We get to the window where a girl who can’t be more than nineteen is waiting nervously. I see someone in a manager’s uniform trying to hide around the corner, obviously listening.

Cashier: “You had the [order]?”

Mom: “Yes. Look…” *Looks at me* “I’m sorry for… that, back there. I don’t know what came over me.”

Cashier: *Unsure* “Um. Thank you. Again, I am sorry about the inconvenience.”

Mom: *Turning red* “It’s not your fault.”

She handed over her bank card and took the food without another word. Neither of us knows where that outburst came from and she still hesitated to admit it was real.

I do a lot of work around the house — repairs and DIY. I have been thinking about building some fitted wardrobes, so when my wife keeps pushing me for ideas for my upcoming birthday, a new battery drill would be perfect.

I’ve only ever had cheap unbranded tools before, so I pick out a really affordable brand-name drill and even send her a picture of the one I specifically want.

A few weeks later, I open a very heavy box to find… an unbranded version.

Wife: “They didn’t have the one you wanted, so I got this one. Look, it comes with all these tools.”

It comes with some cheap drill bits.

Me: “Thank you. I have to admit, I was hoping for the other one.”

Wife: “They’re the same, aren’t they?”

Me: “Not really, no. I  was really looking for one with a bit more power. Plus, I think I mentioned that I was hoping to buy more [Brand] products and just have the one battery.”

Wife: “I think you’re just being picky.”

Me: “I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but this just won’t do the job.”

Wife: *In a huff* “Well, I guess I can return it.”

I felt bad, but we have always said that we would rather get each other something we actually wanted, and I have done the same for her in the past.

After several months of her “forgetting” or “not having time” to return the drill, she let me know she had lost the receipt and couldn’t return it.

I used the new drill for the first time, and I think it’s worse than my old one. It struggles to drill any large hole and the charge time is rubbish. 

I’m still the bad guy if I use my old drill. I think I will buy my own tools from now on.

I’m at a store buying things for a weekend away with my girlfriend. I stock up on condoms, soda, snacks, lotion, sunscreen, and, as an afterthought, I grab some pads because her period is irregular.

When I go through the line, I’m given the occasional odd look, which I ignore, until I feel a tap on my shoulder. 

Woman: “Aren’t you a teenager? What are you doing with condoms? Put them back!”

Me: “First of all, I’m twenty-five. Secondly, it’s none of your business what I buy with my own money.” 

Woman: *Turns tomato red* “What about these pads? You don’t need pads; you’re a boy!” 

Me: “But my girlfriend’s not a boy.” 

The woman shut up.

This story is part of our Best Of March 2021 roundup! This is the last story in this roundup, but if you’d like to read more of our favorite stories, you can always check out February’s roundup next!

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