I’m working in a supermarket clothing department, putting out some stuff from that day’s delivery. A few people are shopping around me as I’m doing so, including a few parents with children as it’s a school holiday.

One father is looking at clothes for a young girl, pulling clothes off the pegs and putting them back onto pegs once he’s looked at them. I resign myself to having to go through and put those clothes back into size order once he’s left. After a few minutes, a teenage girl comes to join him.

Girl: “Have you found something for [Other Girl] yet?”

Father: “I don’t know. There are a few things she might like. What do you think of this?”

He holds up a white T-shirt.

Father: “Or this?”

He holds up a red one.

Girl: “I think she’d like either one.”

He puts the white T-shirt on a random peg.

Father: “A white T-shirt would just get dirty.”

Girl: “Dad! That doesn’t go there!”

She looks at the rest of the display.

Girl: “Did you put anything back where you found it?”

Father: “It’s not my job.”

Girl: “You always tell me to put things back where I found them. You’re supposed to set a good example.”

Father: “Yeah, but you weren’t here.”

Girl: “That’s no excuse. You’re always complaining about customers messing your section up at [Other Supermarket], so why are you making a mess here?”

To his credit, the man did put back everything he’d been looking at, in the right position on the correct pegs. Thank you, [Girl], for shaming your dad into not being the sort of customer he complains about.

This story is part of our Best Of August 2020 roundup!

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I work as a consultant within the retail sector, getting assigned tasks to be performed at different locations. Sometimes I’m on my own, but for larger tasks, a helper is usually assigned. Then, it’s up to me to contact them with the time to meet or any changes.

I am assigned a coworker that I don’t know, so I send a message to my manager asking for her contact details. I receive a reply that just contains a phone number. I don’t have regular physical contact with my manager — we work with emails and messages — and I learned early on to get everything in writing as she rarely answers calls.

Over the course of a week, I send messages to the coworker but get no reply. I phone and leave voice messages. I message my manager and get no reply. With the hope that she has seen my messages, I turn up at the job, but the coworker doesn’t show. I send an email to my manager to let her know what has happened and to say that I am getting another coworker instead and have to reschedule dates. Again, I get no reply.

I get another task with the missing coworker as a helper a week later, and again, I’m not able to contact her, so I arrange to have her replaced. Again, I let my manager know what is going on, and again, I get no reply.  

A third assignment is sent to me. This time, I am unable to do it, so I send an email to my manager a month ahead of time. She immediately replies asking for a screenshot which I send right away. I also remind her that I have never been able to contact this particular coworker. I keep having to email over the next three weeks because nothing has been done to remove this task. Eventually, I get a reply saying that my manager hasn’t found a replacement. I end up talking with another coworker and she agrees to take the task, and because of this, I can contact the head office to do the change.

Again, I email my manager with all the details and again remind her that I still can’t contact the other coworker. This time, I get a single line reply three days later.

“She’s been overseas for weeks; you should have had her taken off and found a replacement.”

I’ve had severe pain in both of my feet on and off for two years. I’ve been diagnosed with tendonitis, mild tendon tears, plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma, and arthritis. I’ve tried everything that two doctors have suggested, plus a few things I learned about doing my own research. I’ve also had an MRI.

I’m getting pretty desperate for relief. This means that I’m willing to see a doctor despite the rapidly spreading illness going around, even though I’m at extremely high risk for it.

At my most recent appointment, the doctor proudly announced that I had metatarsalgia. This was a fancy way of saying that the bones in my feet hurt. No kidding, doc! He recommended highly cushioned shoes — which is all I’d been able to wear for two years — and that’s it.

I’ll be seeking out yet another doctor for this.

My dad works in a grocery store. His boss recently hired two new people and my dad told me about them.

One showed up on time, bagged groceries for about twenty minutes, said, “I can’t do this,” and left.

The other called off for two reasons: he wasn’t feeling well and he had yard work to do.

My parents and I are on a road trip to Florida from Kentucky and stop for the night in Georgia. We book a room with one actual bed and a pullout couch. There are only two pillows on the bed and no more in the closet or anywhere else in the room, and there are no sheets for the pullout bed, either.

My mom calls the front desk.

Employee: “How may I help you?”

Mom: “Hi. We were wondering if it’s possible to get a pillow sent to our room?”

Employee: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re not allowed to give extra pillows because we’re running low on linens.”

Mom: “Oh, well, it’s not really extra. There are two pillows and three of us. We just need one more.”

Employee: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re out of pillows.”

Mom: “Um, so, what do you recommend we do?”

Employee: “Go buy one?”

My mom is flabbergasted, especially considering it’s nearly midnight and anywhere that would sell pillows is closed.

Mom: “I don’t think we can do that. Can you just bring the sheets and blanket for the pullout bed and maybe an extra blanket for her to use as a pillow?”

Employee: “No, ma’am, we don’t have sheets or blankets left, either.”

Mom: “So… what are we supposed to do? The bed won’t fit all three of us and there’s no sheets or anything for the pullout bed.”

Employee: “Again, I would recommend going out and buying what you need.”

Mom: “Can you just move us to a room with two beds, instead?”

Employee: “All of our rooms are booked.”

Mom: “The website says there’s availability tonight.”

Employee: “Yes, for tonight, not tomorrow.”

Mom: “Well, perfect, we’re only staying tonight.”

Employee: “Sorry, it’s against policy to move you at this time of night.” *Hangs up*

We just sat there stunned and unsure of what to do. Luckily, when we called back an hour later, we managed to get a manager to move our room.