I’m a cook. A customer comes in and, as it’s a slow night, he starts chatting with me. At first, it’s the usual small talk until he asks if I like being a cook.

Me: “Oh, I love it. It has its challenges sometimes but can be very rewarding.”

Customer: “Ha! Challenges?! I make dinner for my family once a month! It’s the same thing.”

Me: “Well, when you’re cooking for your family, generally, you make one thing, maybe a few sides, but everyone still eats one meal. Here, someone could order pancakes and someone else might get steak.”

Customer: “It’s still the same thing.”

Me: “Pancakes don’t take very long to cook while steak can take a long time. I have to know how long everything takes to make sure it all comes out at once.”

Customer: “Okay, you do have a point, but still, anyone could do your job.”

Me: “Another thing is, when you get steak, you would normally cook it the way you like, right? I have to cook it — and everything else — exactly how the customers want it. If you make a mistake while cooking dinner for your family, they’ll usually be nice about it. Some customers are nice about it but some aren’t. I can’t make any mistakes, or I could get in trouble or even accidentally give someone food poisoning.”

Customer: “Ugh, fine. Whatever.” *Stalks off*

I’m clothes shopping in the time of the health crisis, so no changing rooms are open. I pick up a jumpsuit I think is cute and buy it, making sure to keep the receipt in case I need to return it. I get home and try it on but it’s too long in the leg so I put it back in the bag. It’s out of the bag for a total of maybe five minutes.

The next day, I go back to the store to return it.

Me: “Hi, I’d like to return this.”

I place the jumpsuit and receipt on the counter.

Assistant: “Okay, I just need to get a supervisor to do that.”

She pages a supervisor, who comes up in a couple of minutes. The supervisor picks at the jumpsuit with the end of her fingers like it’s disgusting.

Supervisor: “Sorry, you can’t return this.”

Me: *Confused* “I only bought it yesterday.”

Supervisor: “It’s not in a resalable condition.”

Me: “I’m sorry?”

Supervisor: “Look here; it’s all dirty.”

She then points at one hair that has stuck to the fabric of the jumpsuit.

Me: “Ummm, okay.”

I was about to protest further when the supervisor walked away. I was furious but I just picked up my stuff and left. When I got home, I picked off the hair and asked my friend who was going into town the next day to see if she could return it. She got the same rude woman who, once again, picked over the item looking for some excuse to refuse the return, but she eventually gave in and did it.

Our office helps other companies with their customer mail processing and other communications. In the morning, I do two important tasks. First, I have to sort out all the mail coming in so that my own department can start processing it, which is their daily work. After that, I have to sort out the mail for one specific company which outsourced their mailroom to us. A courier then picks up that mail and brings it to their head office.

The second job is big and complicated since the client company has loads of departments and people with different jobs. My predecessor in said mailroom did the job for several decades, so he knew practically everything, to an extent that it is impossible to teach me everything before his transfer. Luckily, the usual courier also has some knowledge and he can call certain people if necessary.

And then, the usual courier falls ill for a few weeks. His replacement is new, so unlike the usual courier, he can’t help to speed up the process. Instead, he just waits impatiently without making any small talk. One morning, he even arrives shortly before I can start with the sorting.

Replacement Courier: “Sorry I’m asking, but can’t you guys do this earlier, so it’s ready when I arrive?”

Me: *Aghast* “Erm, well, no… I’m the only one who can do it. And if I could do it earlier, I simply would.”

I was left wondering what he thought I was doing the entire morning. Later, he complained to the receptionist of the client company that at our place “they do nothing but drink coffee.” I was not amused. When the actual courier started to recover, the replacement was soon let go.

I work for a well-known retail clothing store and am working the customer service desk on Monday Memorial Day. Our military members receive an additional percentage off on Monday. An army soldier and his wife walk up to my desk. They have Levi jeans on hold so I grab them.

Customer’s Wife: “I have a 20%-off coupon and I want to use my military coupon for my pants.”

Me: “I’m sorry, love, but the military coupons aren’t stackable and they don’t qualify for the coupon as it’s an excluded item. Most of our major brands are excluded; it says so right on the coupon in bold letters.”

Customer’s Wife: *Bright red and clearly upset* “What does ‘exclusion’ mean?! You’re just using words to confuse me!”

Me: “It just means that these pants do not take coupons.”

Customer: “It’s Memorial Day and this is how you treat your military members?!”

Me: “Sir? You can buy any other jeans in this store, but these specific jeans just don’t work.”

Customer: “WOW!” *Throws a pen at me* “You know, I work day in and day out, and on all days, you won’t let me on Memorial Day. I do this all the time!”

Me: “What? Complain? I believe that. There is no way to even give a discount, even if I wanted to, because our system doesn’t allow us to bypass that since it’s an item that doesn’t take coupons.”

Customer: “This is what I serve this country for! Unbelievable!”

Me: “My husband is a soldier, and you should know just like I know that Memorial Day is just that: to remember our fellow soldiers that didn’t make it back home. Not for d**ks like you to use their military status to try and make me feel bad. You should be ashamed.”

Customer: “You just lost a valuable customer! I am calling corporate! Who is your manager?!”

Me: “I am, sir. So pleased to meet you; here is the number. Here is my employee number. Let them know I said hello!”

The customer and his wife stormed out.

The next day, my general manager talked to me letting me know that corporate had reached out to let her know that I handled the customer correctly and that the customer was informed that he isn’t allowed back to our specific location.

Our workplace isn’t open the entire year; from November to March, we’re only open during the holidays and spring break. Obviously, employees with a permanent contract still need to get paid during those months. Since many of them are technical staff, gardeners, or animal caretakers, it makes sense they are needed throughout the entire year.

One year, however, the owner tries to solve the winter expenses by firing all of them, temporarily at least, since he obviously needs them back in spring. Since Dutch law prohibits just firing employees on a whim, he has to negotiate their termination, which takes far longer than his petty mind likes. At some point, when the permanent workers are taking up their remaining vacation days, he even tries to order the planner to suddenly schedule them all in, hoping he can fire them for refusing to come in. Luckily, she ignores him.

In the end, many of them are fired for three months and allowed to return after three months, weeks after the season has started, resulting in lots of overdue maintenance.

Skip to a few years later. I have a different job now, but I coincidentally meet up with a former coworker.

Me: “So, still working at [Company]?”

Coworker: “Yes, I still am. Your job fine?”

Me: “Okay, I guess. Still no permanent contract, but it could be worse.”

Coworker: “Pity. I have permanent and I am still working there, winter or no winter.”

Me: “Even back then?”

Coworker: “Oh, yes, he couldn’t just fire me or force me to quit. I simply said no. You know, he was like, ‘Could you please quit for three months?’ So I said, ‘No.’ And then he said, ‘Please.’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘It would be really nice.’ ‘No.’ ‘Pleeeaase!’ ‘No.’ ‘But it’s necessary!’ ‘No.’ ‘YOU HAVE TO!’” *Long pause* “‘No.’ And since then, I’m out of favour, but I still have my job.”