I work at a small chain fast food place famous for our fish. It’s late, about 9:00 pm. Fridays are our busiest days, so I’m tired, behind on my dishes, and going through a lot of mental stress. I just want to get this last hour over with. Three customers walk in. [Customer #1] and [Customer #2] pay together. [Customer #3] pays on his own.

Customer #1: “I’d like a #3.”

Customer #2: *before leaving* “I’ll take a #6.”

Me: “All righty!”

[Customer #2] leaves to go to the bathroom. I finish their order and call out all the food items. [Customer #1] sits down and I make their food. At my restaurant, we usually bring the food to your table just as a kind gesture. I take the food to [Customer #1] and it seems normal. I go back and take the next order.

Customer #3: “I’d like a #3 and add—”

Suddenly, [Customer #1] is yelling at the end of the counter.

Customer #1: “THIS IS WRONG!”

I apologize to [Customer #3] and walk to the table to see what error I made.

Me: “Sir, the #3 is two fish, one chicken, three shrimp.”

Customer #1: “NO! IT’S JUST THE FISH AND CHICKEN!”

I begin to walk to the menu board to show him that he is incorrect, but [Customer #1] just sits back down and glares with his arms crossed. [Customer #2] has walked in from the bathroom. [Customer #1] demands he follow me to the board because I will not back down that I am correct. I’ve worked here for two years; I know this menu better than my own birthday.

Me: *Pointing* “The #3 is here. Two fish, one chicken, three shrimp.”

I then point to the number above.

Me: “The #2 is the two fish, three chicken.”

I’m annoyed because I am being rude to [Customer #3], who tries to defuse the situation and offers to buy his friend the correct meal and simply switch with him. Nope. I walk back around the counter and begin to finish his order.

Ten seconds later, [Customer #2] runs to the counter and begins pointing in my face but only looking at my coworker, who happens to be my best friend. He is leaning on my shoulder to make sure the man doesn’t try to come at me.

Customer #2: “You need to get her to check her f****** attitude and she needs to apologize to my friend for being such a f****** b****!”

Coworker: “SHE’S DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE NOW!”

I then promptly finish [Customer #3]’s order with the sweetest attitude I can muster up before storming out for a short smoke break. My manager comes out a few minutes later to ask for my side of the story. 

Manager: “F****** morons. You don’t get paid enough to deal with their s***.”

After our smoke break, my manager and I walked back in smiling and laughing. The men glared at me while I continued to walk to the back.

We are closing an hour early due to a government health directive. My coworkers and I have just finished shutting off our fryers and everything else, as we just closed about ten minutes ago. 

A car pulls into the parking lot, and out comes a couple who comes in every once in a while. They are always rude, complain about the prices even though they order the most expensive items on our menu, act very odd, and smell terrible.

I unlock and open the door to speak to them.

Me: “Unfortunately, we just closed—”

Customers: *Interrupting me* “No, listen to me!”

Me: “We are closed, sir.”

Customers: “No, you’re not listening to me!”

Me: “Okay, what’s the problem?”

Customers: “My window doesn’t open so I can’t go through the drive-thru! You have to let me order inside!”

Me: “Sir, we are completely closed. We closed at seven. Everything is shut down, including the drive-thru. We have it posted in the windows and have been telling people for a week now that we close at seven instead of eight.”

The man turns around and storms off to his truck. His wife turns to me and says rudely:

Wife: “Sorry.”

I work at a call center selling jewelry you see on the TV. We have a thing called StretchPay, which is basically self-explainable. However, if you don’t pay that StretchPay, or rack up multiples and don’t pay for any of them, we can close your account in our system. That basically lets employees know that you cannot order on that account, nor can you create a new account and order on that one, or order online with this account.

I get a call from an older lady who wants to order a pair of earrings, but when I pull up her account I see it’s closed, and that she hasn’t paid a StretchPay in at least a year or more.

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but due to your account being closed for non-payment, I cannot place your order.”

Cue the b****ing at me, because how dare I let her get herself into more debt? It’s obviously all my fault for letting her order all this stuff. After a minute or so of her yelling at me, I get a word in edgewise.

Me: “Ma’am, I cannot place this order, nor will I be making a new account for you. I’m going to document this as such, and just so you know, these calls can be pulled and listened to.”

Caller: “You can shove those earrings up your a**!” *Click*

Unfortunately, I heard so many of the above situations that this was one of the tame ones. Fortunately, I don’t work with customers now.

I’m working at a popular cosmetics store that also sells fine fragrances. A customer walks in with her husband. 

Customer: “I need [Fragrance].”

Me: “I’m sorry, but unfortunately, we don’t carry that fragrance at our location. Our larger locations do.”

Customer: “Well, that’s just great! I drove all the way here and now you’re telling me you don’t have what I want?!”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am. For future reference, you’re always welcome to call the store to check if we have something in stock before making the trip.”

Customer: *To husband* “Did you hear her just call me stupid?!”

At my store, radios are worn by managers, customer service clerks, department managers, and personal shoppers. Because so many people wear radios, conversations are kept as short as possible and very rarely last over a minute. We also have earpieces so customers can’t hear our conversations. Too often this happens:

Customer: “Where is [item]?”

Me: “Where is what?”

Customer: “[Item].”

Cue management conversation on the radio.

Me: “I’m not sure. Let me ask.”

I pause since I can’t talk when others are talking on the radio, but I have my finger on the talk button ready to ask once the conversation ends. The customer gets impatient.

Customer: “Aren’t you going to ask?”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I have to wait. They’re talking at the moment.”

The customer waits all of five seconds.

Customer: “Ugh, forget it! You’re clearly useless.”

He stormed off just as the conversation ended and I was able to ask.