While I don’t make a lot of money working retail while also being a full-time college student, I try to donate money whenever I can. One year during Christmas time, I print up a wishlist from my local humane society full of supplies they need, as I work in a big box store and can use my employee discount to get things cheaper.

I buy around $250 worth of supplies requested with plans to drop it off at the shelter later in the week. I ask my dad for assistance as some of the dog food and kitty litter is heavy. The shelter is thankful and gives me a sheet to fill out so I can submit the purchases on my tax returns. We are driving home when my dad springs this on me.

Dad: “You should let me fill that out so I get the credit.”

Me: “Why would I do that? I’m the one that bought that stuff with my money.”

Dad: “The only reason you had that money to spend was that you live at home rent-free. So I should be reimbursed for that.”

Me: “I’m your child, not a tenant, so excuse me for living in the house that I grew up in. Even if I gave you rent money, would you have used it for charity?”

Dad: “No, I would use it for things I need or save for something.”

Me: “Exactly, you wouldn’t have used that money for charity and would’ve kept it for yourself. Ergo, I should get the tax credit because I’m the one with the initiative to try and do some good. I’m filling out the paperwork in my name.”

Dad: “We’ll see what your mother has to say when we get home.”

She agreed with me, stating that my dad never donates to charity and thus didn’t deserve it and was being a real grinch.

I’m at the store, and I head back to my car and instantly see an issue. The car next to me has parked diagonally in the space; it’s actually partially in three different spaces. It’s not a big car and the spaces aren’t small; the driver just looks to be a selfish a**.

As I approach, the car door opens, and yes, the driver lets it rest on my car.

Me: “Close your door.”

Woman: “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

I struggle to squeeze past to get to the driver’s side.

Woman: “Am I in the way?”

She just watches me struggle past her car.

Me: “What do you think?!”

Woman: “Can you get out okay?”

I ignore her and get in the car. I haven’t shut my door yet.

Woman: “Some people are so rude.”

Me: “If that’s how you park a car going forward, don’t do me any favours and reverse anywhere near me.”

She stood there with her hands on her hips giving me a death glare, and then she turned around only to walk into the road and into the path of an oncoming car. It stopped and, of course, she started to shout at the driver.

Our store sells out-of-season and overstock products. It’s fifteen minutes past close and I am waiting for the last two customers, a couple, to purchase their items and leave so that I can close down my last drawer.

The couple approaches my register to check out and the husband starts off with a question about some items they have. He has such a strong southern accent that it is very hard for me to understand what he is saying.

The wife holds up two different necklaces packaged in their respective boxes.

Husband: “We wanna know if we can switch this to this.”

Me: “I’m sorry?”

Wife: *Rudely interjects* “I want to know if I can switch this part of this necklace to this one.”

Me: “Well, if you take tweezers to the clasps holding that part of the necklace, it would be quite easy to switch those pieces, so yes, you could do that.”

Husband: *To his wife* “She is clearly not understanding what you are saying.”

Me: “I am so sorry. Did I misinterpret something?”

Wife: “Well, I like this piece on [Necklace #1], but I like this piece on [Necklace #2], and I want to know if I can take one piece off and put it onto the other necklace.”

I begin to reiterate my point of being able to do that with tweezers. The couple grows more frustrated. I then realize that the wife wants me to take apart the necklaces, right now, put the piece she wants onto the other necklace, and then sell them to her that way.

Me: “I cannot do that. The necklaces come that way and are priced that way, so they must stay that way.”

This infuriates the couple and they grow increasingly frustrated. The wife slams the jewelry down on the counter.

Wife: “Whatever. I don’t even want them anymore.”

Husband: “I told you we should have gone to [Sister Store]. They would have let us switch them.”

Me: “Unfortunately, sir, [Sister Store] does not sell jewelry, so they actually would not have been able to do that.”

They go silent for a minute while I continue to ring up their other items. I am wearing a wristband for a popular music festival I attended.

Husband: “Is that a [Popular Music Festival] wristband?”

Me: “Yes, sir, it is. I go every year.”

Husband: “I can’t believe you attend that stupid festival! We live in [Town the festival is in] and it causes so many problems for us!”

Me: “Well, sir, I know it may be inconvenient for the four days it is happening, but [Popular Music Festival] actually brings in a lot of money for your town.”

Husband: “WELL, I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT THE CITIZENS DON’T SEE A PENNY OF THAT MONEY!”

Does he really think that is how it works? Has he not seen the brand-new [Popular Retail Chain] and recently renovated high school in his town?

Husband: *Unintelligible*

Me: “I am sorry, sir. I could not understand what you said.”

Husband: *Unintelligible again*

Me: “I am really sorry, sir. I do not understand.”

Husband: “YOU MUST HAVE THAT [POPULAR MUSIC FESTIVAL] STILL STUCK IN YOUR HEAD! YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME!”

After this comment, I go silent and try to ring up their items as quickly as possible. I still do not know what he said.

Me: “Would you like your receipt emailed to you?”

Husband: “Yes, I would.”

Me: “Okay, please input your email into the PIN pad.”

The wife goes to put her email in. This tends to be a lengthy process, so while she is doing this, I zone out and start humming and tapping my nails to the beat of the music. I often tap my fingers or shake my leg when unoccupied due to ADHD.

Wife: “Honey, you are never going to get anywhere with that patience. I work as a middle school teacher and I know exactly what tapping your fingers means.”

Me: “Actually, ma’am, it means that I have ADHD and I need to be moving at all times.”

This shuts her right up and she storms away. I give the husband his receipt and they finally leave. While I am closing down my drawer, I see them talking to my manager. They are both pointing their fingers at me, and I can tell they are yelling at him.

My manager walks up to me after they leave to tell me what they said.

Manager: “They just told me that you were so rude and that I should fire you.”

Dumbfounded silence falls.

Manager: *Laughs* “Don’t worry. I could hear everything, and they were a problem from the start. You are not in trouble.”

A couple of weeks later, I see the couple back in the store and I make a point of walking up to them.

Me: “Hi! How are you guys doing today?!”

They both stared in silence, clearly upset that I did not get fired. I walked away with a huge smile on my face.

I’m on vacation with a group of friends. We stop for breakfast before heading out for the day. While we’re on our way out the door, a man approaches us.

Man: “Excuse me, ladies. I’m sorry to bother you. I ordered more than I can afford. Can any of you help me out?”

He shows me an order slip with several sandwiches, soups, and frozen drinks.

Friend #1: *Immediately suspicious* “How much did you order?”

Man: “Uh, I got, like, $6 in stuff.”

Me: “All this is $6?”

Friend #1: “Why did you order it if you can’t afford it?”

Man: “I forgot my wallet. Can you help?”

Me: “I’ll pay if it’s only $6.”

My friends look at me like I’m crazy.

Man: “Oh, great. Thank you!”

Our group goes to the register again, the girls not willing to let me go alone with him. The cashier scans the order.

Cashier: “Okay. $23.”

Me: “He’s covering the rest.”

I hand her $6 in cash.

Man: “Wait, you said you would pay—”

Me: “$6.”

Friend #1: “You said it was $6. The rest is up to you.”

Man: “Well, maybe you can all pitch in and—”

Friend #2: “F*** no. Just because she was nice enough to help you, it doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”

Man: “But I—”

Me: “You can pick what you want and I’ll pay for what you quoted me. Everything else is up to you.”

Man: “Ugh. You can’t do a good deed?”

Me: “I was going to. Now you’re on your own.” *To the cashier* “I’d like my cash back, please.”

Cashier: “Okay.”

She hands it back without another word.

Cashier: “Sir, how would you like to pay?”

My group walked out. We could hear the man behind us, asking someone else to pay for his food using the exact same line. I felt a little bad for saying no but I wasn’t going to pay for nearly four times the amount he had asked for. We went back a few days later and the same man was there. He almost approached us again but thought better of it.

A long time ago, I managed a local mulch store; we sold mulch and other landscape supply items. My employees were mostly high school kids working part-time. We had a policy that broken bags were sold at a discount since the bag was no longer full.

One afternoon, I answered the phone.

Customer: “Do you have any broken bags of [Mulch]?”

Me: “Yes, we do.”

Customer: “Great. I’ll be in soon to get them.”

And then he hung up without leaving his name.

A little while later, one of my guys came into the office looking really upset.

Employee: “A customer is out in the yard cussing us out because we sold all our broken bags of [Mulch] to someone else earlier.”

I marched out there. They had loaded some bags into his car and I stopped them from loading more.

Me: “Why are you cussing at my people?”

Customer: “I called about the broken bags and your people have already so—”

Me: “Why does that give you the right to yell and cuss at high school kids?”

He looked very sheepish. I started to unload his car.

Me: “If you don’t want these, I will put them back and refund your money and you can get out.”

Customer: *In a quiet voice* “I need them.”

Me: “Okay. Then try to act like a grown-up.”

We loaded him up and sent him on his way.

If he had given us his name, we would have held them, or if he had come into the office and explained what had happened, I would have given him a discount.